On May 16 from noon-1 p.m. the local community is invited to attend a presentation by local author Roger Hodge. The event will be held at the North End Center, room 2410, and is free to attend. Virginia Tech students, employees, and community members are invited to attend. Registration is not required.

Hodge who is from Galax, Virginia, drove a truck for 25 years before falling 13 feet from the top of trailer in 2002. After suffering the traumatic brain injury, Hodge struggled for years to recover and find steady employment before penning his first children’s book.

Hodge, who said he always wanted to write, but never found the time, published his first book, “The Elves and the Ice Cream,” in December 2016. The book, based on a story he wrote for a school assignment as a child, is about a group of Santa’s elves who decide to go out and see the world and discover their love for ice cream.

Individuals who would like to have Hodge sign a book should purchase a copy in advance and bring it to the event. Copies will not be available that day.

The event is being hosted by the Staff Diversity Development Group, a book group open to all staff employees at Virginia Tech. The group meets bi-weekly during the noon hour to discuss books and articles with a diversity focus.

North End Center is located at 300 Turner Street, Blacksburg, Va. Parking is available in the adjacent North End Parking Garage. Virginia Tech employees with a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.

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