richmond giving fall 2010

FALL 2010

scott eLmquist photo

neighborhood

strengthA mission blossoms in Church Hill

sidekicks And superheroes

introducing giverichmond

15+ WAys to serve And give

LittLe voices, Big impAct

STYLE WEEKLY’S MAGAZINE FOR RICHMOND VOLUNTEERS AND PHILANTHROPISTS

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Are you makingyour list and checking it twice?Mom- gardening toolsMom- gardening toolsNana- quilting bookNana- quilting bookUncle Mark- chocolatesUncle Mark- chocolatesKyle’s Teacher- gift cardKyle’s Teacher- gift card

What about?Local schoolchildren - Local schoolchildren -

enough food to get through the weekend

Widow down the block - Widow down the block - healthy meals, safety check, personal

contact, supplemental services

feedmore.org • 521-2500

Fighting hunger is a great way to sharethe holiday spirit. Please help today.

working together to feed more

Our Holiday Tribute Cards are a perfect remembrance for family, friends

and business associates!

You can change a child’s life for just $28 a month.

Sponsor a child today: ChildrenIncorporated.org

(804) 359-4562

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| FALL 2010editor in Chief: Jason Roop, [email protected]; richmond giving Art director: Jason Sullivan; Photography editor: Scott Elmquist; Contributing Writers: Margaret Nimmo Crowe, Katherine Houstoun, Melissa Scott

Sinclair, Megan Southall and Sara Dabney Tisdale; Copy editor: G.W. Poindexter. Richmond Giving, distributed quarterly, is published by Style Weekly. It may be distributed by authorized distributors only; readers are limited to one copy per person. To reserve advertising space, receive additional copies, become a distribution site or respond to an article: Richmond Giving, 1313 E. Main St., Suite 103, Richmond, Va. 23219. 804-358-0825. On the Web: styleweekly.com. By e-mail: [email protected]. Copyright © by Style Weekly Inc.™ 2010. All rights reserved.

Community serviCe neWs, notes And ideAs

Audrey Vass, a second-year medi-

cal student at MCV, serves as a sidekick

to Jessica Fulghum, an 11-year-old who was

diagnosed in May with acute lymphoblastic

leukemia.

When pediatric cancer patients aren’t shuffling

from waiting rooms to hospital beds and enduring

exhausting and painful treatments, they’re often

isolated from places and activities — such as

school — where germs can harm their seriously

weakened immune systems. It can be a lonely gig.

Stepping in to help is local nonprofit Connor’s

Heroes, which assists families with children

who are being treated for cancer at Children’s

Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth

University’s Medical Center. To bring a bit of

companionship and normalcy to the lives of those

affected, Connor’s Heroes is introducing Sidekicks

and Superheroes, an initiative that pairs teen and

adult mentors, or sidekicks, one-on-one with cancer

patients, their siblings and their parents.

Funded in part by a $15,000 grant from the

Altria Cos. employee community fund, the program

requires participants to undergo mentor training

and to spend four hours a month with their

superhero, whether it’s running errands for a parent,

giving attention to a sibling or hanging out with a

young cancer patient, as well as communicating

with them on a weekly basis. — Katherine houstoun

to get invoLved

Sidekicks must be 16 years old or older, dedi-cated to developing a meaningful relationship with a patient and willing to make a one-year commitment. For information or to apply, visit connorsheroes.org or call 221-8991.

in search of

sidekicks for

superheroes

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An early path to philanthropyA group of pupils from Richmond-area middle

and high schools are preparing to decide which of

their peers will be awarded as much as $10,000.

The 19 pupils are on the steering committee

of the Youth Philanthropy Project, a program of

the Community Foundation. Representing 12 local

schools, they gathered at Maymont recently to

prime for the fall grant cycle, during which they’ll

read, investigate and award grants to area youth-

driven organizations.

The pupils will meet this

month to review 11 grant

applications and decide how

to spend the Community

Foundation’s unrestricted funds.

“We have a two- or three-

hour meeting and it’s so

official,” Kitt Allred, 15, says

of the process. “We break into groups to

make sure we read them all. We decide

which ones we are passionate about

and which ones we aren’t and make

a case for those we are to the

group.”

Pupils may give $10,000

to one organization or award

portions to a number of causes.

The critical factor is whether the organization is

youth-driven, meaning the initiative may be led

or supervised by an adult, but that young people

must be behind the planning and the service end

of the project.

“This is the only opportunity in the area for

students to learn what it means to make these

hard decisions,” says Kim Russell, communications

officer for the Community Foundation and adviser

to the project.

Students also may arrange site visits to learn

more about the organization, as any donor or

foundation would, says Lauren Henley, 17 — to “see

what they do and how they’d get to the end result.”

One of Henley’s favorite grants was to Friends

for the Homeless, an organization

driven by middle-school children

who made lunches for homeless

peers during the summers when

they didn’t have access to daily

school lunches.

“I’ve gotten to acquaint myself

with leaders in philanthropy,”

Henley says. “I’ve also learned the value in

networking.”

By serving on panels and in other capacities,

Russell says, the pupils are valued as resources to

the larger philanthropic community, which wants

to know the major needs and interests of local

youth. Pupils also participate in hands-on service

projects.

And sometimes the giving comes around full-

circle. Former Youth Philanthropy Project member

Jessica Smith participated in the program for four

years. After her college graduation, she received

an AmeriCorps position with HandsOn Greater

Richmond. — Megan Southall

Youth Philan-thropy Project pupils discuss the pros and cons of funding a mock grant dur-ing orientation Oct. 2 to prepare for the coming grant cycle.

The Money ManWhen they make appeals to donors, nonprofit

organizations say “everything about why they need

the money,” fundraising consultant Brydon M. DeWitt

says. “But they’re not always very good about saying

why anybody should care.”

DeWitt’s new book, “The Nonprofit Development

Companion: A Workbook for Fundraising Success,”

outlines step-by-step the strategic planning that leads

to healthy fundraising.

“Money comes to organizations that have made

their case well,” he says. It doesn’t matter why

your organization was founded 50 years ago. What

matters, he says, is what you’re doing now that’s

absolutely essential to the community.

One of his favorite examples is the Southside

Child Development Center, a nonprofit that provides

learning-focused day care for children from low-

income families. It’s an “extraordinarily wonderful”

organization that fills an important need, DeWitt

says, and that’s what donors needed to understand.

When the center was chosen as a finalist for the

Impact 100 Richmond Big Give $100,000 grant in

May, Executive Director Sheila Pleasants followed

DeWitt’s advice. “I just talked about our needs, and

who we served, and how we do what we do,” she

says. “I didn’t try to

dress it up.” The

center won the

grant. — Melissa

scott sinclair

to get invoLved Information on the Youth Philanthropy Project can be found at tcfrichmond.org or by calling 330-7400.

dress it up.” The

elissa

applications and decide how

to spend the Community




to one organization or award

portions to a number of causes.



May, Executive Director Sheila Pleasants followed

DeWitt’s advice. “I just talked about our needs, and

who we served, and how we do what we do,” she








or supervised by an adult, but that young people

must be behind the planning and the service end

of the project.












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Consultant Brydon DeWitt’s new book is available at Amazon.com and from other booksellers.

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Bowling for GoodIs your nonprofit a high roller? You can prove your duckpin bowling cred

— and fundraising mettle — at Style Weekly’s Giving Bowl, a community give-

back campaign for local nonprofit groups to team up and roll for a cause.

Under the fluorescent glow and live music of South Side’s iconic

Plaza Duckpin Bowling alley, nonprofit teams of as many as six people

will pay a fee to bowl on Saturday, Nov. 20. The winning team lands the

grand prize High Roller cash giveaway for its organization.

Teams may comprise staff, board members and volunteers who are

invited to earn additional prizes for themes, costumes and more. Food

and drinks — both alcoholic and nonalcoholic — will be available at

the concession stand.

Style also seeks contributions to the High Roller cash giveaway

purse. Event organizer Tonie Stevens notes that it’s a great way for indi-

vidual philanthropists and corporations to spend those end-of-the-year

revenues that are eligible for tax incentives. — sara Dabney tisDale

to get invoLved

Team registration is $150 and includes shoes, a team lane and

tournament entry. Two bowling sessions will accommodate as

many as 20 teams for each two-hour time slot: 7-9 p.m. and

9-11 p.m. To register or sponsor a team, or make a donation,

contact Tonie Stevens at 358-0614, ext. 331, or e-mail

[email protected].

serving the homeless, Face to FaceFor six hours on Thursday, Nov. 18, Richmond’s

homeless population may walk into a room at the

Greater Richmond Convention Center for a multitude

of services: housing assistance, medical and dental

screenings, legal consultations, employment aid, so-

cial security assessments, even haircuts. But perhaps

most significant is the personal interac-

tion they’ll experience with commu-

nity volunteers.

“One thing we’ve heard

from participants is that the

best thing about the day is

being treated like a real person

and not a homeless person,”

says Kelly King Horne, executive

director of Homeward, the organization behind Proj-

ect Homeless Connect, in its fourth year.

Participants are each paired with a volunteer

who navigates them through the maze of more than

40 service providers. Last year more than 700 people

were served — a statistic that Horne says she thinks

directly affected a 16-percent decrease in overall

homelessness between July 2009 and 2010,

despite dire economic times.

At last count, in July, 891 men, women

and children were experiencing home-

lessness locally, with 119 of them living

on the streets. — K.h.

Greater Richmond Convention Center for a multitude

of services: housing assistance, medical and dental

screenings, legal consultations, employment aid, so-

cial security assessments, even haircuts. But perhaps

most significant is the personal interac-most significant is the personal interac-most significant is the personal interac

tion they’ll experience with commu-

nity volunteers.

“One thing we’ve heard

from participants is that the

best thing about the day is

being treated like a real person

and not a homeless person,”

says Kelly King Horne, executive

Participants are each paired with a volunteer

who navigates them through the maze of more than

40 service providers. Last year more than 700 people

were served — a statistic that Horne says she thinks

directly affected a 16-percent decrease in overall

homelessness between July 2009 and 2010,

despite dire economic times.

At last count, in July, 891 men, women

and children were experiencing home-

lessness locally, with 119 of them living

on the streets. — K.h.

to get invoLved

1. Sign up to serve as a greeter, navigator, food server or data gatherer on Thursday, Nov. 18, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at handsongr.org. Volunteers must be 18 years or older and participate in a mandatory training class.

2. Drop off travel-size toiletries at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Wednes-day, Nov. 17 between 4 and 8 p.m.

3. Volunteer to organize welcome packets, toiletry kits and cloth-

ing donations at the Greater Richmond Convention Cen-

ter on Wednesday, Nov. 17, between 4 and 8 p.m.

Is your nonprofit a high roller? You can prove your duckpin bowling cred

’s Giving Bowl, a community give- purse. Event organizer Tonie Stevens notes that it’s a great way for indi

vidual philanthropists and corporations to spend those end-of-the-year

revenues that are eligible for tax incentives.

[email protected]

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A volunteer at a previous Project Homeless Connect helps out. Many volunteers are needed for the next one, scheduled for Nov. 18.

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seLected events For A good cAuse nov. 13 Crater Community Hospice holds a five-kilometer an-

gel walk at Petersburg National Battlefield Park at 10

a.m., recognizing national hospice week and the families served. Cost to

join is $15. Information at 526-4300 or at CraterCommunityHospice.org.

nov. 18 Linc, a nonprofit that aims to link people

with resources that ease the day-to-day

challenges of cancer, holds It’s in the Bag silent and live auc-

tion 6:30-9 p.m. at Hirschler Fleischer in the Edgeworth

Building, 2100 E. Cary St. Offering 150 casual and

evening handbags made by local artists and others.

Tickets are $125 for premium admission and $50 for

general. [email protected].

nov. 20–21 The 46th Craft and De-

sign Show features the work

of 70 artists in ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media and

wood. Tickets are $10-$15, and support the Visual Arts Center of Rich-

mond. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Science Mu-

seum of Virginia, 2500 W. Broad St. visarts.org/craft-design.

dec. 2 Art Karma supports the work of Art 180. At this annual

fundraiser, guests can bid on art, gift certificates and jew-

elry. Just in time for the holidays. The event is at 7 p.m. at Plant Zero, 0 E.

Fourth St. Tickets are $20. art180.org.

dec. 3 The 22nd annual Christmas party to benefit Greater Rich-

mond Stop Child Abuse Now, or SCAN, will be held at the

Science Museum of Virginia, 8 p.m. to midnight. Tickets are $75. Informa-

tion at 257-7226 or grscan.com.

dec. 4 The Act/Honor/Hope Gala raises money for the Virginia

Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance. The event

also honors Layli Miller-Muro, executive director of the Tahirih Justice Cen-

ter and her work fighting for the rights of immigrant women and children

experiencing domestic and sexual violence. 6-11 p.m. at the Renaissance

Conference Center, 107 W. Broad St. Tickets are $80, or $600 for a table

of eight. vsdvalliance.org.

dec. 4 Foundation’s Finest: a Celebration of Life raises money

for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Virginia. The event

includes a silent auction, open bar and dancing, and honors young pro-

fessionals who further the nonprofit’s mission. 7-11 p.m. at the Science

Museum of Virginia, 2500 W. Broad St. Tickets are $75 in advance.

virginia.cff.org/virginiafinest.

Feb. 5 The Richmond Ballet holds its 18th annual auction, of-

fering the opportunity to bid on wines, art, dinner and

leisure packages. Ticket information available by contacting amurray@

richmondballet.com.

Feb. 10 Children’s Health Involv-

ing Parents holds its CHIP’s

Chocoholic! benefit featuring chocolate

fountains and specialty confections. 6-9 p.m.

at the Virginia Holocaust Museum, 2000 E.

Cary St. Tickets are $50. chipofrichmond.org.

More events available at

http://connectrichmond.org.

City Taps Chief Service OfficerWhen it comes to volunteerism, Paul

Manning is Richmond’s new head honcho.

Appointed as the city’s first-ever chief service

officer in September, Manning has been

charged with leading an effort to create a

coordinated citywide service plan tackling

some of Richmond’s most serious issues —

namely, poverty and education.

“My goal is to expedite the process of

studying the problems and really get down to

solving them,” says Manning, who hopes to

have a draft of the plan by the first of the year.

As the founder and former director of the

nonprofit sports ministry U-Turn, Manning

has spent the last 20 years addressing those

same issues on a smaller scale. So he’s well-

versed in the challenges Richmond faces and

well-connected to the local philanthropic and

civic communities. Those connections also

will come in handy as he takes charge of the

city’s Neighbor-to-Neighbor program, which

was created in the spring to inspire civic

engagement within the community.

“The goal of that program is to inspire

residents to have closer relationship with

their neighbors,” Manning says. The program

recently played host to 100 volunteers for a

Gillies Creek Park cleanup. “We want to bring

out the best in each citizen as they support

their neighbor with a commitment to service,”

Manning says.

Mayor Dwight C. Jones appointed Manning

to the position after the city was awarded a

competitive two-year $200,000 Cities of Service

leadership grant by the Rockefeller Foundation

and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Cities

of Service coalition, of which 121 cities are

members, aims to accelerate the

service movement at the most

local level, connecting local needs

to willing volunteers in innovative

ways that make an impact. Only 20

member cities were awarded the

leadership grants.

Linc, a nonprofit that aims to link people


challenges of cancer, holds It’s in the Bag silent and live auc




Tickets are $125 for premium admission and $50 for

The 46th Craft and De


Linc, a nonprofit that aims to link people


challenges of cancer, holds It’s in the Bag silent and live auc-challenges of cancer, holds It’s in the Bag silent and live auc-challenges of cancer, holds It’s in the Bag silent and live auc




-


to get invoLved Information is available at richmondgov.com/neighbortoneighbor.

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SCOTT ELMquIST PHOTO / FILE

Paul Manning, left, the city’s new chief service officers, talks with Brian Isringhausen, president of Cranemasters, at the CSX

Gillies Creek Clean-up Neighbor- to-Neighbor project.

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Connecting WomenChanging Lives

Join by January 2011 with other women

to turn your $1,000 into a $100,000 difference in Greater Richmond.

Impact100Richmond.org

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Monday, November 29, 2010 Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

Doors open: 6 p.m. ● Concert: 7 p.m. Traditional carols & sing-a-long

Hot chocolate & treats during intermission

Tickets $35 each Patron ticket holders ($150/pair) enjoy an

exclusive reception at the historic Scott House one block from the Cathedral

Sound the horn! Buy your tickets today! Call: 804-285-5900

Visit us online: www.cccofva.org

DLà{ TÇÇâtÄ [ÉÄ|wtç Yxáà|ätÄ Éy `âá|v

Welcome the holiday season with the Richmond Symphony and the Cathedral Choir

30 Years of Service to Virginia 30 Years of Service to Virginia 30 Years of Service to Virginia CommunitiesCommunitiesCommunities

www.vafre.orgwww.vafre.orgwww.vafre.org

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photo by scott elmquist

interviewed by katherine

houstounstAtement

percy strickland wanted to be a better neighbor. now he’s a champion for church hill.

ten years ago Percy strickland, then a university of richmond campus minister, was talking to a student about the good samaritan when it occurred to him that he didn’t know a single neighbor living in his apartment building.

determined to become part of a real community, he and his wife, Angie, moved to north Church hill, welcomed neighborhood youth into their home and eventually opened Church hill Activities and tutoring, known as ChAt, to help those kids succeed in school.

ChAt now serves 120 youth a year, providing academic assistance, character development, spiritual guidance, field trips and classes on cooking, woodworking, music and other life skills. it has evolved from an all-volunteer proj-ect to a staff of 20, including eight to 10 student street leaders who assist ChAt while gaining employment experi-ence. in 2006 the nonprofit spun off the Church hill Academy, a private Christian school serving the neighborhood’s at-risk teens. the academy just graduated its first three pupils last spring.

When you moved to church hill, you were making a lifestyle choice. do you feel like that decision has evolved into a mission? very much so. We see ourselves as family to these kids. this is not a job for us. this is not a job for any of my staff. it’s a life.

how did the church hill Academy come about? We developed it primarily because we had such deep relationships with these kids and the reality was that

many of them were just dropping off from high school. many of them needed such care and individual at-tention; there was no way they were going to get it [in the public school system]. We started with seven kids who were a part of ChAt and each year we’ve added three or four more students.

the new documentary “Waiting for superman” has made public educa-tion a hot topic. What do you see as the principal challenges facing

the schools in your neighborhood? i can speak from experience because i run a private school, my youngest daughter is at a public school in the neighborhood and we work primar-ily with kids in the public schools. elementary schools, especially in the city of richmond, have made some developments. Are they going to compete with the county schools? Probably not, but they’re not so horrible that i wouldn’t send my daughter there. middle school and high schools are rough. it is drastic.

What do you think needs to be done to affect change and improve schools? in this neighborhood we’re sending more students to prison than we are to college. that is just unacceptable on every level. We need to get a community of people behind these kids in more than a “hey, i’m going to show up at your school one day a week and hang out with you” way. We need to rethink hiring, rethink curriculum. richmond city does not have room for people who just want a paycheck. We need people who are called to transform lives. We need people who are fully invested, who would say “i’m so committed to making this school better that i would send my kids here.”

What is your greatest hope for chAt? my ultimate hope is that ChAt will work itself out of a job. my staff would shut it down in a heartbeat and go back to doing what we love, which is just living in the neighbor-hood and being neighbors.

trickland wanted to be a better neighbor. What do you think needs to be

climbing the hill

Percy Strickland with one of CHAT’s participants, Shante Wright.

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climbing the hillFightSMA:

“TwenTy years of realizing The Dream”

Please join us in the fight against spinal muscular atrophy (sma), the number-one genetic killer

of children under the age of two.

with every gift, we’re one step closer to realizing our dream for a treatment for sma.

http://www.fightsma.org 804.515.0080

Taylor Wallace, Age 4, of Midlothian (SMA Type II)

follow us on Twitter (@fightsma) and on facebook (spinal muscular atrophy – fight sma)

Are you in school?

Are you employed?

Are you training for employment?

Child care

financial support

is available.

Call the department of Social Services for information.(804) 646-7407

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Tis the SeasonTis the Season to change lives... to change lives... to change lives...

Donate. Shop. Do Good. Repeat.

www.goodwillvirginia.org (804) 745-6300

The Goodwill Way!

C a t e r i n g • P r i v a t e D i n i n g • M e e t i n g S p a c e

positivevibecafe.comStratford Hills Shopping Center • Forest Hill Avenue & Hathaway Road • Richmond, Virginia 804-560-9622 • Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 9:30pm, Sunday 10am - 8:30pm, closed Monday

Think of it as a way to give to others without giving up anything yourself. Simply visit Think of it as a way to give to others without giving up anything yourself. Simply visit the Positive Vibe Café for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and a portion of every tab will keep funding our training program for people with disabilities. Helping them to find jobs, build futures, and live with dignity.

S o m e t i m e s, d i n i n g o u tS o m e t i m e s, d i n i n g o u tmeans giv ing back.S o m e t i m e s, d i n i n g o u tS o m e t i m e s, d i n i n g o u tS o m e t i m e s, d i n i n g o u t

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philanthropists and volunteers are much more deliberate in choosing how they give their time and money, while nonprofit leaders

continue to see an increasing demand for the services their organizations provide.

That’s the economic challenge that has forced nonprofits to engage hesitant donors and volunteers more creatively, says Robert G. Ottenhoff, president of the online database for nonprofit data, GuideStar. Increasingly, he says, technology plays a role in over-coming that challenge.

And that’s where there’s a new development on the local front.

The Community Foundation has partnered with GuideStar to create GiveRichmond.org, a site that stores and shares such information on local nonprof-its as mission statements, staff retention rates, strate-gic plans and detailed financial information.

“The Community Foundation has been inter-ested in finding a way to use Web-based technology to inform the broad public locally for many years,” says Darcy Oman, its president and chief executive. Roughly 10 other community foundations have tack-led similar efforts.

All major funders request the same types of docu-ments and analysis on nonprofits, Oman says, and having to reproduce, rerequest and update that infor-mation puts a strain on the nonprofits because they have to do the same work repeatedly. GiveRichmond.org decreases these redundancies by allowing non-profits to publicly house the information in a single place where they can update and add regularly.

From the philanthropist perspective, says Jennifer Hunter, vice president of corporate responsibility and stakeholder relations for Altria Client Services, her company has become increasingly focused on mea-

surement so that company officials and workers have a clear understanding of how their donations make an impact.

“Altria is in a unique situation where we are giv-ing away our shareholders’ money and all of our em-ployees are shareholders,” Hunter says. “Nonprofits should master the ability to track their progress so donors know they are getting a good investment.”

Mary Jane Hogue, executive director of the His-toric Richmond Foundation, says she hopes GiveRi-chmond.org will do just that. “Donors can look at and see where we are going in the next five years and de-cide if they want to go in the direction we are going,” she says. “It will be another tool in the toolbox for do-nors to get to know us a little better, a little deeper, a little richer.”

The site will have its limitations too, Hogue notes. It may not be enough for potential donors who re-spond better to social media campaigns. Nonprofits must keep their information updated. And, Hogue says, some folks just don’t do computers.

“They want to receive something in the mail, or coffee or glass of wine at the end of the day,” she says. “I don’t think there is ever going to be just one tool in toolbox when it comes to philanthropy.”

The Community Foundation has provided the administrative work behind the project, training non-profits to develop their profiles and analyzing their fi-nancial information to be loaded onto layman-friend-ly charts and graphs on the site.

There are 180 profiles on the site, with 370 waiting to be loaded and a goal of having 500 of them ready

to search by the end of 2011.Fifteen foundations and corporations, including

Altria, have contributed to the three-year budget of the project — just over $450,000, Oman says. One goal is to maximize the ability to give from the technology-savvy millennial group emerging in the workplace.

The site also may help get the word out to poten-tial donors about little-known organizations. Nonprof-its with budgets in the millions and grass-roots orga-nizations are side by side with smaller nonprofits — perhaps ones that haven’t had Web presences before, or been able to accept online donations.

Nonprofits also can articulate their needs in a way they haven’t been able to do, says GiveRichmond coordinator Michael Jones. Tricycle Gardens, for ex-ample, which works to create community gardens throughout the city, was one of the first nonprofit pro-files on the site.

“We all understand they need money,” Jones says, “but they needed a tractor and a truck to haul dirt, to haul plants. No director is going to do an ask letter to get that, but someone could read and say, ‘I don’t have the money to donate, but I have a truck in my yard I can’t sell.’”

GiveRichmond.org will allow nonprofits to target specific kinds of volunteers too, along with requests for space, supplies and other financial needs, Jones says.

And a new gift idea for the holidays will launch through the site: The Community Foundation is pilot-ing a giving-card program, which allows people to buy gift cards to the site that others may use to donate to the nonprofits of their choice.

WeALth oF knoWLedgeA new website aims to become a rich resource for volunteers, philanthropists and local nonprofits.

by Megan Southall

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Kugel BallThere was a sea of black at the

Science Museum of Virginia, and

not because it was getting close

to Halloween. The theme of the

annual Kugel Ball, a fundraiser

for the museum’s foundation, was

Mind Over Matter. Guests were

urged to dress in all black from

the shoulders down, with creative

attire above to “show just how

elegant your mind can be.” A

Sharper Palate catered, and guests

danced to music from The TFC

Band. The young professionals’

arm of the foundation, the

Universe Society, threw an after-

party to round out the night. A

spokeswoman says the event drew

335 people and raised $152,000.

there

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1 roger Boeve, emily schroeder, mercer Ferguson.

2 kevin Boll, rob marshall.

3 mary ellen and ed Winks.

4 Bob Bremer, ken Ampy, Latrice Ampy, Lynn Bremer.

5 melissa silver and mary Alice thorpe.

6 Jerry Boyd, Jamie Jackson, keisha kirkland-Brown, James Brown.

science museum of virginia Foundation • science museum • october 22, 2010 Photos By Scott Elmquist

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st. Francis home • tredegar iron Works • october 3, 2010

Virginia Blue Grass & Blue Crab FestivalThe Slack Family Bluegrass

Band treated guests to down-

home music while helping

raise money for the low-income

seniors of the St. Francis Home.

Along with a silent and live

auction, there was plenty to eat,

most notably blue crabs - - about

20 bushels of them -- shrimp and

barbecue. Miss Virginia, Caitlin

Uze, made an appearance at

the event, which organizers say

drew around 300 guests.

1 maryanne dolliver, the rev. Walter Lewis, Flosse segal and mary Washborne. 2 mike pyle with stokes mccune and virginia Walsh. 3 chet herbert with elizabeth muldowney. 4 the slack Family Bluegrass Band. 5 Aniyah cochran, mother of tatima, dashun, Langston and Xavier. 6 miss virginia caitlin uze, with hil e. Beck iii and Jack muldowney.

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Giving Bowl

S t y l e W e e k ly ’ S

Saturday, Nov. 20 • 7:00–11:00 p.m. 7:00–11:00 p.m. • pplaza laza duckpiN BoWliNg

Calling all nonprofits form a team with your staff, board members, or attract new volunteers for a fun activity!

Glow Bowling! Music! Prizes for team themes, costumes, gutter balls and more!

Teams of six needed. $150 per team (includes shoes, lane and tournament entry fee). MUST be a certified nonprofit to qualify for the High Roller winning CA$H prize.

register your team now at styleweekly.com/givingbowlInformation, call Tonie Stevens at 804-358-0614 x331.

WiN ca$H for your favorite NoNprofit!

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“It should not take a life-threatening event to be provided with qual-ity mental health services.” This heart-wrenching statement

was delivered by Erik Christenson, an articu-late young man diagnosed with bipoloar dis-order and Asperger’s syndrome, when he spoke at the recent Step Up for Kids Rally at the State Capitol. He was referring to his own suicide attempt as a teenager, a cata-lyzing event that finally led to him and his family to receive an accurate diagnosis and treatment after years of unsuccessful involve-ment with the mental health system.

You might be surprised to learn how many children share Christenson’s struggle: one in five children in Virginia has a mental health disorder, and only one in five of those children is getting the treat-ment he or she needs. We could fill the Richmond Coli-seum almost three times with the number of children in metro Richmond alone who have untreated mental health conditions.

What happens when we don’t treat children’s men-tal health problems? They’re more likely to drop out of school, use substances, become involved in crime and take their own lives. As if the human toll of untreated mental illness were not reason enough to act, the fiscal burden on our localities and the Commonwealth is ad-ditional fuel for reform. We spend much more money incarcerating children than we do helping treat their mental health conditions.

What can we, as caring members of our commu-nity, do about this problem? We can help children one by one through our support of direct service organi-zations in the Richmond area that help children with mental health problems and their families. But it’s time to take it a step further: We need to become child advo-cates and help children by the thousands.

Child advocates realize that it’s not only individual circumstances that lead to children and families be-ing in need of help, but also the public policies behind those circumstances that either exacerbate or amelio-rate their needs. Child advocates speak up to our elect-ed officials to protect those policies that are good for children and families and fight those that do harm. We

hold our government accountable for the decisions it makes regarding funding and other policies that affect kids. And children, more than any other constituency, need us to speak up on their behalf because they can’t speak for themselves at the polls.

When it comes to children’s mental health policy in Virginia, we’re in desperate need of child advocates. The policies that have been enacted, along with many years of inaction, have created a fragmented, inconsis-tent and inadequate system of services. Families spend months and sometimes years trying to navigate the sys-tem to get their children the diagnosis and treatment that can help them live up to their potential. Moreover, they must constantly face the stigma of mental illness, a condition many of us still don’t want to talk about. As

Christenson said, it shouldn’t be this difficult. Virginia’s children deserve better.

We at Voices for Virginia’s Children have a mis-sion to improve the lives of children in our state by advancing effective public policies. Voices is a statewide, privately funded, nonpartisan aware-ness and advocacy organization. We mobilize support for a variety of issues by conducting re-search, developing policies, building coalitions and helping people articulate their support for

children. We work to cultivate positive relation-ships with elected officials, both in the executive

and legislative branches of government and in both political parties. We’ve built a solid reputation

as a provider of factual, unbiased data about the well-being of Virginia’s children.

In our Campaign for Children’s Mental Health, we advocate for state policies that result in all affected children having access to the high quality treatment they need. What can you do to help? Go to our website, www.1in5kids.org, and join the nearly 700 other Virgin-ians who have signed up to receive campaign e-mail alerts. Learn the facts and read the stories of real fami-lies. Then, when we send out an action alert, respond! At critical times, we’ll ask you to e-mail your elected officials about a specific action they can take to make services more accessible. The more e-mails we send, the greater the impact. Finally, if you have experience dealing with children’s mental health issues, either in your family or through your work, visit your state legis-lators and tell them about it. Legislators listen to their constituents first.

When it comes to helping children with mental health problems and their families, there is more than enough opportunity to go around. By all means, please support the organizations that help children and fam-ilies one by one. But also help children by the thou-sands by becoming a child advocate.

Margaret Nimmo Crowe is senior policy analyst at Voices for Virginia’s Children and coordinator of the Campaign for Children’s Mental Health. She can be reached at [email protected].

Opinions in First Person are those of the writers and not necessarily those of Richmond Giving.

by Margaret Nimmo Crowe

Little voices, big impact

We couLd FiLL the richmond coLiseum

ALmost three times With the numBer oF chiLdren in metro richmond Who hAve untreAted mentAL

heALth conditions.

2010 Philanthropist of the Year: Village Bank

N ovember is Pet Cancer Awareness Month and we in -

vite you to join in the ef for t to raise awareness and

support . Help educate yourself and other pet own -

ers on early detection and give our pets a fighting chance

in beating this disease. To find out more about how you

can help and for information about Pet Cancer Awareness

month events, current and ongoing educational programs

and tickets to the Progressive Evening honoring Vil lage

Bank, contact FETCH a Cure at 804.525.2193 or visit us at

www.fetchacure.com.

Did you know?5 out of 10 dogs die of cancer.

1 out of 4 dogs will develop a tumor sometime in their life.

Cancer is the #1 cause of death in older pets.

AdVErTisEMEnT

It is the time of year again to take a moment to celebrate our furry friends, to raise awareness for the help they need to live long healthy lives and to recognize the people that help make that possible.

FETCH a Cure, a local non-profit organization determined to improve the quality of life for our pets, is helping Richmond pet owners and their pets have as much time together as possible.

November is Pet Cancer Awareness month, a time to educate yourself and others about this disease. FETCH a Cure is here to help pet owners to prevent it, detect it and to under-stand the treatment options available. FETCH a Cure’s comprehensive website is a resource to learn about the risks your pets may be fac-ing, the warning signs for early detection, infor-mation for getting your pet the best care as well as a place to connect with other pet owners who have been through the same experience. Local families who are struggling to care for their companions with cancer are also being helped by FETCH’s Companions in Crisis program through financial assistance for life-saving treatments for their pets.

This month also marks National Philanthropy Month and a time to honor those that exemplify the spirit of giving. In our community, Village Bank, exemplifies that spirit and has been cho-sen as the 2010 FETCH a Cure Philanthropist of the Year, to be awarded at FETCH’s Progres-sive Evening event on November 20th. Village Bank’s dedication to serve their customers and community shows in everything they do and

say. Since opening its first branch in December of 1999, Village Bank remains locally owned and operated. The Board of Directors is com-prised largely of local, entrepreneurial business owners who understand the needs and concerns of the communities they serve. Headquartered in Midlothian with fifteen area branches, Vil-lage Bank believes in supporting the communi-ties that support them.

Since January 2008, Village Bank has donated nearly $200,000 to assist community organiza-tions and schools, as well as countless volun-teer hours to local charities and organizations. Continuously looking for ways to have a posi-tive impact - may it be through offering their Community Room to groups at no cost, loaning out one of their fifteen popcorn poppers to any non-profit club, or by giving their employees two days of paid time off each year to donate time to community projects of their choosing – Village Bank is clear-ly dedicated to our community.

With Banks, a lovable golden re-triever, as their official mascot, Village Bank also wants to sup-port the four-legged friends in our community. They are a pet-friendly business and invite their customers to bring their furry companions into their branches. Village Bank selected FETCH a Cure as their pet charity of choice in 2010 and feel FETCH is “the perfect fit because of its love for animals and its growing

impact on our communities.” An annual sup-porter of FETCH, Village Bank has sponsored the Pets on Parade Annual Benefit and Han-nah’s House, a pet care and cancer awareness program in area schools.

“Village Bank is honored to have been chosen as FETCH a Cure’s Pet Philanthropist of the Year award. We truly value the same traits that make a pet a family member: loyalty, trust, car-ing for each other and a good work ethic mixed with some fun”, says Tom Winfree, President & CEO of Village Bank. “To many of us, pets are family members and improve our quality of life. Village Bank strives to do the same.”

Village Bank President & CEO, Tom Winfree and mascot, Banks at the grand opening of the Watkins Centre headquarters.

richmond giving fall 2010

Documents

richmond volunteers

childrens hospital of

block widow

local nonprofit connors

young cancer patient

weekly basis

melissa scott sinclair

jason roop