Non-Fiction

Most of my non-fiction writing is related to the performance of my day job as Planning Director for the Office of Human Affairs, a Community Action Agency serving the low-income residents of Newport News and Hampton, Virginia. I seek new funding sources for current and new agency programs, prepare grant application packages (writing the proposal narratives that explain both the capacity of the agency and staff, and details on program implementation and evaluation), and prepare reports for funders on the efficacy of our programs.


In addition to the grant application and reporting process I also create content for the agency newsletter, Inside OHA. These newsletter articles are published to inform the staff, clients and the community of the status and success of programs and to provide information on upcoming events. 

Eunice Ricks’ Long Tenure as an 
OHA Board Member Comes to an End

By Carl J. Shirley
Assistant Planner

On July 31, 2004, Mrs. Eunice S. Ricks announced her departure from the Office of Human Affairs (OHA) Board of Directors, ending eight years of committed service to the agency. This article is based on an interview with Mrs. Ricks that allowed her to share her perspective on events associated with her service to the agency.

In her lifetime Eunice Ricks has seen the worst side of society. She has personally experienced the historic injustices that have shaped and still influence our culture and society, and will not hesitate to express her opinions about the impact those inequities have had on her and others. And faced with this reality of social injustice, Eunice Ricks responded to the needs of her community. She went out to make the world a better place. Part of that journey was made as a member of the Board of Directors for the Office of Human Affairs.

As a community leader, Eunice Ricks had been familiar with the good work done by the OHA long before she became officially involved with the organization. So in the mid 90’s, when recruited by Hampton City Councilman Turner Spencer to serve on the board as his representative, she accepted the opportunity to participate, learn and give more to her community.

At that time the board was chaired by Mrs. Effie Ashe. Mrs. Ricks recalls a congenial group of active and participating board members who worked in step with OHA to provide better service to the many people helped by the organization.

As a member of the board, Mrs. Ricks saw the differences OHA made in the community, and she credits the strong and focused vision of its Executive Director Robert D. Ayers, Jr., in guiding the board and organization to new levels of growth and development. She witnessed the expansion of the critical Head Start Program as well as the growth of the agency’s Housing Program.

In 2000, Mrs. Ricks was asked to serve as Chairperson of the OHA Board, and under her leadership the organization continued to expand and flourish. As Chairperson she had the opportunity to travel to national meetings, allowing her to gain a better insight into what was happening in other parts of the country, lessons she could apply to the social circumstances faced daily by OHA.

Mrs. Ricks' association with OHA has made her more aware of the needs of the community, an even greater personal awareness of the inequities of society. “We usually think in terms of us and them and those that don’t and those that do,” she says. “But it’s not always those that do who succeed and those who don’t that need. Sometimes those that do will need as much as those who don’t will.”

And it is OHA’s ability to meet people’s needs, in a time when so many seem to be turning away from that ideal, which Mrs. Ricks sees as vital to the future. The “seeds are planted when you are children,” she says, and the best way for children to grow up as productive and responsible members of society is for them to be loved. OHA cannot provide the love, but it can create the atmosphere where love can be shared, with more caring young people coming up as a result.

Even though she has retired from an active leadership role in OHA, Mrs. Ricks intends to remain a staunch supporter of the agency. She will continue to attend OHA functions, speaking out in support of its various programs and do whatever she can to help her community.