Giving Back: Rebekah Huber Keeps Arts Vibrant

If Rebekah Huber were alive today, she would likely be enthralled with Hampton Roads’ vibrant

Rebekah Huber

arts scene that now includes the NEON District near Downtown Norfolk and ViBe Creative District near the Virginia Beach oceanfront. 

A generous Norfolk resident who loved the arts, you would find her at symphony and opera performances as well as simply dancing while in line at her favorite grocery store. In 1985, she and her family created a Hampton Roads Community Foundation field-of-interest fund for the arts. The Paul S. Huber Fund pays tribute to her late father, a Norfolk newspaperman and its grants helped start the Business Consortium for Arts Support and continue to support it each year. 

Since 1987, the consortium has provided more than $20 million in operating support to 31 established area arts and cultural organizations. 

Sadly, Rebekah passed away at the age of 92 in 2007, but we can image how thrilled she would be to know that her legacy lives on and she continues to support the emerging arts districts through her permanent fund. Indeed, funding from the Huber Fund, along with four other Hampton Roads Community Foundation funds resulted in a $473,800 grant for the consortium which is underpinning the arts in 2016. 

We thank Rebekah Huber for her foresight and generosity along with these community foundation arts funders --  the Ashinoff Family, Lee A. and Helen G. Gifford, William A. Goldback and John L. Roper 2nd and Sara Dryfoos Roper Fund. The donors named here have all have passed away but left legacies through their community foundation to keep the arts humming in Hampton Roads.

 

You can also leave a legacy, click here to learn how to start a fund at the community foundation or donate to one.

Rebekah Huber Remains Relevant in the Arts World

If Rebekah Huber was alive today she would likely be

Rebekah Huber

enthralled with Hampton Roads' vibrant arts scene that now includes the NEON District near downtown Norfolk and ViBe Creative District near the Virginia Beach oceanfront.

This generous Norfolk, Virginia resident who passed away in 2007 at age 92 loved the arts. You would find her at symphony and opera performances but also dancing while waiting in line at her favorite grocery store.

At the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, our staff can only imagine how thrilled Rebekah would be to help attract all kinds of people to enjoy the emerging arts districts. Rebekah does this while also supporting 31 more established arts and cultural groups through the Business Consortium for Arts Support. Since 1987 the consortium has provided more than $20 million in operating support for area arts organizations.

Rebekah stays relevant today because in 1985 she and her family created a community foundation field-of-interest fund for the arts. The Paul S. Huber Fund pays tribute to her late dad, a Norfolk newspaperman. Huber Fund grants helped start the consortium and continue to support it annually.

Rebekah "was always open to trying new things," says her nephew Peter Huber of Norfolk. "She would like that the consortium supports cornerstone organizations and also new organizations that come along."

In December 2015 the Huber Fund joined four other community foundation arts funds to fuel a $473,800 grant for the consortium. This funding along with that from other area foundations and businesses will help underpin the arts in southeastern Virginia in 2016.

The community foundation thanks Rebekah Huber for her foresight and generosity along with these community foundation arts funders --  the Ashinoff Family, Lee A. and Helen G. Gifford, William A. Goldback and John L. Roper 2nd and Sara Dryfoos Roper Fund. The donors named here have all have passed away but left legacies that keep the arts humming in Hampton Roads. 

 
 (The Hampton Roads Community Foundation is a regional community foundation started in 1950 as the first community foundation in Virginia. It is among nearly 750 community foundation around the country serving specific geographic regions. It is the largest grant and scholarship provider in southeastern Virginia and manages more than 400 charitable funds created by donors from all walks of life. Over the decades it has provided more than $210 million to improve life for residents living in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, including the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Smithfield, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. It also serves people in Isle of Wight and Southampton counties and the Eastern Shore of Virginia, including Accomack and Northampton counties. Learn more at hamptonroadscf.org. You can click here to locate a community foundation near you. )

Hurrah Players: A Family Theater

"Looking at what Hurrah has done for my girls, I would want to have  that for every child," says Cassie Chasey, a Suffolk, Virginia teacher whose twin teen-age daughters Becky and Renee are part of The Hurrah Players.

Cassie and her husband Scott, a Hampton firefighter, have also found their roles with the family

Suffolk's Chasey family spends a lot of time at Hurrah.

musical theater troupe started in Norfolk, Virginia in 1984. She creates costumes while he makes scenery and acts in productions along with their daughters. More than 1,000 Hampton Roads residents ages 5 and up participate in Hurrah classes and productions each year.

Hampton Roads Community Foundation donor-advised grants have helped The Hurrah Players expand into Norfolk's new NEON District arts zone. Grants from the community foundation's Nancy N. Nusbaum and V.H. Nusbaum Jr. Fund, Alison J. and Ella W. Parsons Fund and the Leah S. Wohl Musical Arts Fund helped Hurrah Players buy and renovate a 13,000-square-foot building for scenery and costume making and storage, classrooms and an additional theater. Community foundation grants have also helped the Hurrah Players guarantee through scholarships that anyone who wants to participate in its programs can do that -- about 20 percent of students each year. 

While some Hurrah participants go on to careers in theaters, the nonprofit prides itself on how the skills it teaches are useful no matter where students land in life. "They learn how to relate, communicate and develop self-esteem that wasn't there before," says Hugh Copeland, Hurrah's founder and artistic director.

"Einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge," he explains. "We want to make sure everyone has the opportunity here to be creative.... As part of the community, we not only are teaching theater, we are establishing audiences for generations to come." 

Watch this short video by Bear in Mind Strategies and see the Chasey family and dozens of enthusiastic Hurrah Players in action.

 (The Hampton Roads Community Foundation is a regional community foundation started in 1950 as the first community foundation in Virginia. It is among nearly 750 community foundation around the country serving specific geographic regions. It is the largest grant and scholarship provider in southeastern Virginia and manages more than 400 charitable funds created by donors from all walks of life. Over the decades it has provided more than $210 million to improve life for residents living in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, including the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Smithfield, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. It also serves people in Isle of Wight and Southampton counties and the Eastern Shore of Virginia, including Accomack and Northampton counties. Learn more at hamptonroadscf.org. You can click here to locate a community foundation near you. )

Arts Come Alive in Norfolk's New NEON District

It has only been two years since Team Better Block showcased the potential for a downtrodden

Governor's School for the Arts students lit this alley.

section of Granby Street near downtown Norfolk, Virginia. Pop-up performance venues, galleries, cafes and coffee shops gave a glimpse of how this rundown, nondescript commercial district could be revived.

Since then visionaries, activists, artists and funders have worked together to bring to life the NEON District right where the pop-up Better Block event took place. NEON stands for the New Energy of Norfolk, but it also represents the colorful nature of Norfolk's new arts district. 

Last week the two-night Neon Festival drew thousands of people from throughout Hampton Roads to wander the streets and enjoy visual art, music, dance, comedy and food as part of Norfolk's Visual Arts Week. 

Yes, there was plenty of neon art along with new giant wall murals to add to the magic. The Business Consortium for Arts Support, whose funders include the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, helped underwrite this fun festival for arts lovers of all ages. 

The Downtown Norfolk Council, Chrysler Museum of Art, Governor's School for the Arts, Virginia Opera, Virginia Arts Festival and Virginia Stage Company were among the many organizations giving the NEON District a great vibe.Thanks to everyone who is helping breathe new life into this district. 

 (The Hampton Roads Community Foundation is a regional community foundation started in 1950 as the first community foundation in Virginia. It is among nearly 750 community foundation around the country serving specific geographic regions. It is the largest grant and scholarship provider in southeastern Virginia and manages more than 400 charitable funds created by donors from all walks of life. Over the decades it has provided more than $210 million to improve life for residents living in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, including the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Smithfield, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. It also serves people in Isle of Wight and Southampton counties and the Eastern Shore of Virginia, including Accomack and Northampton counties. Learn more at hamptonroadscf.org. You can click here to locate a community foundation near you. )