Tomorrow, December 1, 2015, is Giving Tuesday -- a national day that shines a light on the need to support all kinds of nonprofits that:

• Give hope and help to citizens struggling to pay bills, put food on the table, regain their health and keep climbing upward on the ladder of life. 
•  Mentor children, teach them well and help them achieve the greatest possibilities in life. 
• Protect our waterways and make our planet pristine again. 
• Bring us music, dance, art and other pleasures that give us joy and meaning.
•  Shelter animals and connect them with their forever homes  

For these and the thousands of other good causes we could list, please take a moment tomorrow and support a nonprofit or two whose work is special to you or your family. These organizations are our partners in philanthropy who make our community so much better. Your generosity will enable them do even more good. 


 (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. )

Community Foundations Do Good Where You Live

Sometimes simple is best when it comes to explaining wonderfully complex organizations like community foundations.

This short animated video uses words and drawings to convey the power of community foundations like the Hampton Roads Community Foundation.

There are more than 750 community foundations serving specific geographic regions of the United States. All of them connect generous citizens from all walks of life through philanthropy. For more than 100 years community foundation have made life better by supporting good causes ranging from the arts and education to human services and the environment.

This 1-minute-36-second video shows how community foundations let you do good where you live.

Enjoy!


 (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. )

Community Foundation Donors Help 391 Students Go to College in 2015-16

We are excited about the 391 students who are in college right now with help from Hampton Roads Community Foundation Scholarships. Here is a snapshot of this year's scholarship program made possible by our generous donors who value education and love helping students.

(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. )

Meet the National Philanthropists of the Year

Philanthropists Joan and Macon Brock of Virginia Beach, Virginia have long been some of Hampton

Joan & Macon Brock (Glen McClure photo)

Roads' most generous citizens. They enjoy funding arts, education, environmental and social action causes "where we can make something happen," Macon says.
Now the couple's  generosity is getting national attention with the recent announcement that the Brocks will be honored in New York City on National Philanthropy Day in November 2015. They will receive  the national Outstanding Philanthropist award presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Among those keeping company with them on November 12, 2015 at a celebration dinner at the 92nd Street Y will be representatives of the Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, which will be honored as the country's Outstanding Corporation.

"We are surprised and pleased," Macon Brock says of the philanthropy award. He and Joan were honored regionally in 2013 as Outstanding Philanthropists by the Hampton Roads AFP chapter, which nominated them for the national award. The couple also will be honored in November with the Darden Award for Regional Leadership presented by the CIVIC Leadership Institute.

"We've been lucky and blessed with the success of our company (Dollar Tree Inc.)," Macon says. "With that comes the obligation of doing something for others."

Macon is a member of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation board of directors. He and Joan, who both grew up in Norfolk and met in the eighth grade, have endowed a scholarship fund at the community foundation that benefits students at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, his alma mater. They also have an unrestricted fund.  In addition, Dollar Tree also has two corporate donor-advised funds administered by the community foundation.

Over the years the Brocks have donated more than $40 million to numerous organizations around the globe, including at a school in Africa and at Randolph-Macon College and Longwood University, Joan's alma mater. Among the causes in Hampton Roads they are known for supporting are:

• The new Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Brock Environmental Center, one of the greenest buildings in the world.
• The M. Foscue Brock Institute for Community and Global Health at Eastern Virginia Medical School.
• The endowed curator of American art position at the Chrysler Museum of Art.
•  ACCESS College Foundation programs.
• The new Brock Commons outdoor amphitheater at Old Dominion University.
• United Way of South Hampton Roads' United for Children program.
• Virginia Wesleyan College's Center for the Study of Religious Freedom.

Learn more about AFP's National Philanthropy Day celebration and its honorees.  Watch the video below to hear the Brocks' philosophy of generosity.

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(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.)

What Is Our Foundation's Greatest Success Story?

What is the Hampton Roads Community Foundation's biggest success story,  a new board

Coley Stone at Granby High, his alma mater.

member asked the other day. There are lots of great stories we could share related to big community initiatives incubated here and nonprofits whose clients and audiences benefit from our grants.

But, perhaps our best successes revolve around the 4,000-plus individuals helped by college scholarships made possible by our donors since 1951.

Just the other day we spotted a Facebook post from our former scholarship recipient Coley Stone. Today Coley works in Rotterdam, The Netherlands as a customer care and logistics specialists for Galderama, a global dermatology company. He is fluent in English, French and Dutch and also can converse comfortably with clients in Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and Mandarin Chinese.

Robert & Ettie Cunningham -- Coley's benefactors

Not bad for someone who in 1998 was expelled from his Norfolk middle school and never took any foreign language classes until college. 

A second chance came Coley's way after attending a Norfolk alternative school. He returned to middle school and went on to graduate on time in 2001 from Norfolk's Granby High School where he was elected prom king. In high school he overcame family issues, held down a restaurant job to support himself, lived in a group home and was homeless his senior year before moving in with the school office manager and her family. His ACCESS College Foundation advisor helped him prepare for college and find the resources to pay for it.

Coley went to Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond with help from our J. Robert and Ettie Fearing Cunningham Memorial Scholarship and a Lincoln-Lane Foundation scholarship. During the four years Coley was on scholarship at college he discovered his gift for languages and excelled. In 2006 he was selected to carry the processional banner for VCU students at graduation. 

Armed with his degree in French and history and an adventuresome spirit Coley  headed to Europe after college graduation. He has lived and worked in The Netherlands since 2007. A post on Coley's Facebook page this week featured his 1998 report card from a Norfolk alternative school he attended in eighth grade. The comments section recommended his reinstatement in school and mentioned his "seriousness of purpose."

Coley's 2015 Facebook comment of "God knows I've come a long way" led us to tell him how proud his community foundation family is of him.

His reply:  "And you and the foundation made it all happen. For that I am forever grateful." 

We think the Cunninghams, a Norfolk couple who died decades ago, would be proud of Coley and the hundreds of other students their endowed scholarship at the community foundation has helped have better lives. Ettie Cunningham's 1992 estate gift created the permanent scholarship fund for Norfolk students or those from Hampton Roads who want to be teachers. There are more than 15 Cunningham Scholars in college right now and an endless procession of them will follow in years to come.

As Coley Stone says: "Despite the obstacles, I believe that everyone can achieve their goals if they keep a positive attitude and have support from the community. It has changed my life and I'll never forget."


 (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. )