Friend, Happy ApriI! I hope everything is well with you. I wanted to take a minute of your time to update you on all the great work Mayor Stoney has done this past month.  RECENT EVENTS Two weeks ago, Mayor Stoney made a surprise visit to Donahoe Elementary to visit student Ryland. The week before, Ryland dressed up as the Mayor for his school's "Excellence and Achievement" Black History Living Museum Program. Ryland then presented three facts about the Mayor to his classmates. When Mayor Stoney arrived to surprise Ryland a week later, Ryland still remembered his facts! You can watch the surprise visit here. In late March, Mayor Stoney returned from a successful trip to Israel on a delegation organized by the American Jewish Committee. The Mayor's trip was highlighted in an article published by the Jewish Insider this past Tuesday. The article takes an inside look at the Mayor's trip as well as highlights some of his most successful moments as Mayor, as well as considers what could be next. You can read the full article here.  Last week, Mayor Stoney hosted a press conference with Richmond City Council members to formally recognize the housing crisis in the city of Richmond, lay out a framework to address it, and call on the state government and community partners to collaborate on this issue.    The day before, Mayor Stoney joined U.S. Sen. Mark Warner to recognize $14 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that is being allocated to RRHA to assist with the maintenance and development of public housing in the city.    The Mayor turned 42 on March 20th. To celebrate, GRASP hosted a birthday fundraiser in honor of the Mayor. All proceeds from this annual event go to helping Virginia students attend college with financial aid and scholarships. The highlight of the Mayor's night was receiving a "Best Mayor" trophy as a birthday gift from Luke! You can learn more about GRASP and the work they do here. Last week, Mayor Stoney was honored to participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new tower at Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. The Mayor gave his sentiments on the tower serving as a beacon of care and hope for children and families not only in Richmond, but across the entire east coast.  Mayor Stoney was excited to early vote and help his friend, now Senator-elect, Lamont Bagby successfully win the special election last week to succeed Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan in the State Senate. Mayor Stoney is elated to have a strong Democratic leader join the Senate and continue to be a brick wall fighting for every Virginian.      I want to thank you for your support of Mayor Stoney and his work in Richmond. If you have any questions or comments please do not hesitate to reach out. Have a great weekend! Best, Carrie Hamilton Executive Director Better Way PAC