City of Roanoke Dedicates Park to VSNC, Inc. Founder Estelle H. McCadden
Posted May 10, 2023 at 10:44 AM, Filed Under: Featured
On April 28, 2023, the City of Roanoke officially renamed Kennedy Park, located at the corner of 19th Street and Carroll Avenue in the Melrose-Rugby neighborhood, to Estelle H. McCadden Park in honor of the late Estelle McCadden, founder of VSNC, Inc. and advocate for all Roanoke City neighborhoods, a neighborhood leader, an educator in Roanoke City Public Schools and co-founder of her neighborhood’s organization, the Melrose-Rugby Neighborhood Forum, Inc. Approximately 70 friends, neighbors, family, city neighborhood leaders, and elected officials gathered at the park on what would have been her 97th birthday. Ms. McCadden advocated strongly for safe and healthy communities in her city’s neighborhoods and statewide communities as she founded the Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference, a non-profit organization promoting healthy neighborhoods across Virginia. She was also the recipient of numerous awards over the years including Roanoke’s Mother of the Year (1994), Roanoke Citizen of the Year (2008), the Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council’s Women of Achievement Award (2019), the Friendship Foundation’s Vision and Values Award for Teamwork (2021), and the SCLC’s Martin Luther King Drum Major for Justice Award. After her passing, Del. Sam Rasoul spoke of Ms. McCadden’s legacy on the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates, and lawmakers honored her by observing a moment of silence in her memory. Roanoke Parks and Recreation will begin a master planning process for the park later this summer.
On April 28, 2023, the City of Roanoke officially renamed Kennedy Park, located at the corner of 19th Street and Carroll Avenue in the Melrose-Rugby neighborhood, to Estelle H. McCadden Park in honor of the late Estelle McCadden, founder of VSNC, Inc. and advocate for all Roanoke City neighborhoods, a neighborhood leader, an educator in Roanoke City Public Schools and co-founder of her neighborhood’s organization, the Melrose-Rugby Neighborhood Forum, Inc. Approximately 70 friends, neighbors, family, city neighborhood leaders, and elected officials gathered at the park on what would have been her 97th birthday. Ms. McCadden advocated strongly for safe and healthy communities in her city’s neighborhoods and statewide communities as she founded the Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference, a non-profit organization promoting healthy neighborhoods across Virginia. She was also the recipient of numerous awards over the years including Roanoke’s Mother of the Year (1994), Roanoke Citizen of the Year (2008), the Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council’s Women of Achievement Award (2019), the Friendship Foundation’s Vision and Values Award for Teamwork (2021), and the SCLC’s Martin Luther King Drum Major for Justice Award. After her passing, Del. Sam Rasoul spoke of Ms. McCadden’s legacy on the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates, and lawmakers honored her by observing a moment of silence in her memory. Roanoke Parks and Recreation will begin a master planning process for the park later this summer.