Thursday, March 24, 2016

Giving Back: World War I Veteran Remains Relevant


A World War I veteran, Clarence Robertson was president of Norfolk, Virginia’s Robertson
Clarence Robertson
Investment Crop. and Robertson Chemical Co.
He was an elder at Presbyterian Church of Norfolk, a Rotary Club of Norfolk member and served on the board of Hampton-Sydney College, his alma mater.
Many people may not remember Clarence, whose companies no longer exist. But we remember him well at the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. We consider this local business and civic leader who died in 1965 at the age of 73 a visionary philanthropist.

In 1968, Robertson's generous $42,000 bequest to the Hampton Roads Community established a permanent unrestricted fund in his name. In the 47 years the Clarence B. Robertson Fund has existed, it has more than quadrupled to about $180,000. It has also unpinned a variety of nonprofits in the region -- many of which did not exist when Robertson was alive! By choosing an unrestricted fund, Robertson paved the way for our current board of director to respond to current needs.  
So far more than $215,000 from the Robertson Fund has been awarded in grants to area nonprofits including the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Crispus Attucks Cultural Center.

Robertson's generosity inspired his cousin, Lelia E. Robertson of Norfolk to start two unrestricted funds herself. This former YWCA board president donated $106,928 in 1973 in memory of her father Walter H. Robertson and then arranged for her own $104,503 bequest following her death in 1979.

Today, all three Robertson endowments continue to grow while helping Hampton Roads citizens thrive in ways the donors could not have imagined decades ago.

You, too, can leave a legacy! Click here to learn how to start a fund at the community foundation or donate to one already doing great work.
Robertson's Fund helps the Foodbank provide food for hungry citizens.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Nonprofit Spotlight: A New Home for D'Art Artists

If you wander from studio to studio in the new D'Art Center in Norfolk, Virginia the 21 artists
Vonnie Whitworth
Vonnie Whitworth loves the light in her studio.
working there will enthusiastically tell you what they like most about their new home at 740 Duke Street:
  • Being reunited after an explosion at their downtown Norfolk location in April 2016 displaced them for months.
  • The creative energy that flows from the neighboring Chrysler Museum of Art, its hot glass studio and the new NEON arts district.
  • The natural light streaming into their new home on two floors in an office building.The light is perfect for painting and creating other works of art.

    For  Carolyn Phillips, D'Art Center executive director, the move to the new D'Art at Duke "is all positive" and continues a tradition started in 1986 when the collaborative studio and gallery first opened in Norfolk. For artists like Vonnie Whitworth, a pastel artist on at least her third D'Art location, "it feels good to be here." Ken Wright, a long-time D'Art artist who creates with acrylics, likes his lighted-filled studio where he can  "focus on painting." 

    The artists moved to their new home recently with help from a recent $25,000 Hampton Roads Community Foundation grant that paid for building enhancements and moving expenses.  "To call this grant a lifesaver would be an understatement," Phillips says.

    In addition, a $5,000 grant from the Mermaid Fund helped sustain the visual art center when it had to vacate its former building. The Norfolk Arts and Humanities Commission started the Mermaid Fund at the community foundation in 2015. A $2,000 matching grant from the Business Consortium for Arts Support, which the community foundation helps fund, also helped sustain the art center while its artists were displaced.

    On March 23, 2016 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. the business consortium will sponsor an open house and benefit at the new D'Art at Duke . The center at 740 Duke Street is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 .m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.
    Artist Ken Wright and Carolyn Phillips, D'Art director, are happy about the new center.

Monday, March 7, 2016

Scholarship Spotlight: Smith Scholars Are Outstanding Physicians



Through the generous support of our donors, Hampton RoadsCommunity Foundation offers over 70 different college scholarships for undergraduate, graduate and medical school students. Today we invite you to learn more about our Smith Scholars: 

History:
In 1952, Florence Smith left the Hampton Roads Community Foundation approximately
Florence Smith
$400,000 through her estate to create a scholarship to help Virginians attend medical school. Smith’s father, Dr. Hy Smith, was a Civil War surgeon and treated Yellow Fever victims before opening a practice in Norfolk. 

Eligibility:
Smith Scholars must be long-time Virginia residents who are attending or have attended medical school in Virginia to earn a M.D. degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School, University of Virginia School of Medicine, or Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. 

Impact:
Since 1953 when the first Smith scholarships were awarded:

  • ·More than $2.5 million in Smith scholarships have been  awarded.
  • 750+ physicians received a Smith scholarship, including 15 current medical students. Most recipients have the scholarship for four years.
  • ·Many Smith Scholars have gone on to distinguished careers in medicine that have truly impacted their communities for the better. Many have been the presidents of local, state and national professional societies. Among their past honors are

·         National Young Internist of the Year
·         Chief aerospace medicine for the Air National Guard
·         Virginia Physician of the Year
·         CEO of the Virginia Department of Health
·         Commander of the form Walter Reed Army Hospital
T
Scholarships are awarded through a competitive process based on established criteria, interested physicians and medical students are encouraged to learn more and apply.December 1 is when applications for 2017-18 scholarships are available.


Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Nonprofit Resources: 6 Ways We Help Nonprofits Do Great Work




Since 1950, the Hampton Roads Community Foundation has partnered with area
The nonprofit academy is an award winner.
organizations to improve life in southeastern Virginia. Thanks to the generosity of numerous donors, we offer many ways to help nonprofits do their best work. Check out these six opportunities your organization can leverage to do great work:

1.       Talk with us: Make time to stop by on a Drop-in Day (usually the first Thursday of the month between 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.). No appointments or formal agenda needed. Just come visit with a program officer to explore ideas and get feedback on possible grant requests.

a.       Upcoming dates: March 3, April 5, May 5



2.       Apply for a grant: Thanks to our generous donors, we offer a variety of competitive Community Grants to help you address community needs. Our grants provide options for seed and program funding as well as facilities improvement and an array of special-interest grants.

a.       Want more information? We’ve got online tutorials for registration and completing your application.

b.      Ready to Apply? You’ll need to login or register in our online application system.



3.       Explore ways to build your endowment: We manage more than 40 permanent endowments for area nonprofits and help them grow over time. Organizational fund holders receive annual distributions of unrestricted support to further their mission.



4.       Subscribe to receive more information: We offer a free monthly e-newsletter, the Grant Seekers Gazette, designed to keep area nonprofits in the know about grant opportunities, nonprofit classes, and timely news.

a.       Subscribe now!



5.       Check out our nonprofit resource kit: Our online toolkit features nearly 100 free resources designed to help nonprofits improve organizational effectiveness and efficiency from fund raising to board development and marketing.



6.       Attend an Academy for Nonprofit Excellence class: A nonprofit training program offered in partnership with Tidewater Community College, the classes are meant to improve skills, through one- and two-day classes.

a.       Register now!



Learn more about the great work of some of our local nonprofits who are putting our donors’ grants into action.