JRF Awards $584,949 at July 2022 Ceremony

July 19, 2022 10:31 am Published by

John Randolph Foundation awarded $584,949 total grants to 30 area nonprofit organizations in a ceremony on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The grants (listed below) are funded by the Health Legacy Fund (created in 1995 from the sale of John Randolph Hospital) as well as donor-directed funds. Grants are listed according to the Foundation’s funding priorities: Health and Access to Care, Quality of Life, and Education.


Lisa Sharpe (center) with Central Virginia Health Services leadership, (from left) Edith Bowles and Paula Tomko, JRF Trustee Mike Williams, JRF President Elisa Carraway, and JRF Director of Programs Kevin Foster.


The ceremony marked the last for the Foundation’s Executive Director, Lisa Sharpe, who is retiring in January 2023 after 24 years of service to the Tri-Cities region.

“What really gets me are the full-circle moments with the people we’ve helped. I get to see the impact of grants we made 20 years ago – the youth from those early programs and scholarships are now leading our communities. I feel so grateful and excited to see what the Foundation can do next.”

– Lisa Sharpe

 

HEALTH AND ACCESS TO CARE

The ALS Association: $5,000 to provide care, support, and technology to area residents diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

Bensley-Bermuda Volunteer Rescue Squad: $3,450 to provide Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) training to 30 Bensley-Bermuda Rescue Squad volunteers and an EMT course for one volunteer. Made possible by the Frederick T. Gray and Evelyn J. Gray Memorial Endowment.

Beyond Boundaries: $6,000 to provide outdoor adventure and environmental education to underserved youth in Hopewell. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

Central Virginia Health Services: $120,000 to provide quality medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare for uninsured or underinsured people at the Hopewell-Prince George Community Health Center and to operate Susie’s Fund for Medication Assistance that provides free medications for people who cannot afford them. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund and the Ursula M. Gibbs Medication Endowment Fund.

City of Refuge-Hopewell Recovery Center: $20,000 to provide support for long term drug addiction recovery efforts in our community. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

Colonial Heights Food Pantry: $23,000 to support weekly food distributions that reduce food insecurity in the region.  Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

Conexus: $25,000 to remove poor vision as a barrier to learning success through free vision screening, and optometry services provided though a mobile eye clinic in local public schools. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

CrossOver Healthcare Ministry: $10,000 to provide quality, primary medical care for low income, uninsured and underserved residents of Southern Central Virginia. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund and the Frederick T. Gray and Evelyn J. Gray Memorial Endowment.

Feed More: $14,000 to support the school market program for monthly food distributions through school communities in the region. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

FOLAR (Friends of the Lower Appomattox River): $16,000 to provide operating support to increase area resident’s access to recommended daily physical activity.  Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund. $1,323 to create a sustainable invasive species management program to help restore the local ecosystem and riparian buffers.  This grant is made from the Tri-Cities Environmental Fund.


Virginia Dental Association Foundation Board Member, Charles Lee, III, accepting a grant from Foundation President, Elisa Carraway.


Hopewell Food Pantry: $28,000 to provide access to healthy food for people in need in Hopewell by supporting the operations of the food pantry. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

Kay F. Toombs Memorial Foundation: $5,000 to support the Infant Intervention Program at District 19 in Petersburg focusing on children with disabilities from birth to three years of age. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers: $16,500 to enhance healthy behaviors with emphasis on active lifestyles and healthy choices through the Kids Run programs. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

SwimRVA: $26,500 to provide swim lessons to second graders in Hopewell elementary schools and to begin lessons for students in up to three Prince George County elementary schools. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

Virginia Dental Association Foundation: $15,000 to restore underserved and eligible low-income older adults and adults with disabilities to good oral health by matching them with volunteer dentists, specialists and dental laboratories that provide comprehensive free treatment. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

QUALITY OF LIFE

CultureWorks, Inc.: $24,300 to support a CultureWorks team member dedicated to building relationships and executing the Tri-Cities Action plan to elevate arts and culture initiatives in the community. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

Historic Hopewell Foundation: $48,032 to continue the preservation of Weston Manor and to develop a new Welcome Center for visitors to the historic site. Made possible by the Ursula M. Gibbs Endowment for the Benefit of Weston Manor.

Holiday Helper Association: $7,000 to support the Holiday Helper Toy Store at Fort Lee, which offers free shopping for command-nominated junior military members – including all branches of the military, Reservists, National Guard, Wounded Warriors and surviving spouses. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

Hopewell Humane Society: $1,716 to support high quality medical care of cats in the care of the Hopewell Humane Society. Made possible by the Sharpe Family Community Fund and Bird’s Purse Endowment Fund. (This is the first year that Bird’s Purse has begun awarding grants!)

The James House: $20,000 to support children and teens affected by domestic violence and stalking, and to prevent abuse through education in schools and in the community. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.


Hopewell Humane Society’s Helen Meleshenko (center) with Sharpe Family Community Fund founder Lisa Sharpe (left) and Foundation President, Elisa Carraway.


EDUCATION

Appomattox Regional Library System: $22,328 to support programs and operations at the eight branch libraries that serve the community by providing life-long learning and the exchange of ideas with the effective use of traditional library resources and emerging technology. Made possible by the Appomattox Regional Library System Endowed Fund.

Big Brothers, Big Sisters: $20,000 to transform lives of at-risk students in all Hopewell elementary schools with strong and enduring mentoring relationships with adults Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

Dupont Elementary School: $20,000 to support outdoor learning environments and update outside physical activity space and equipment.  Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

GRreat Aspirations Scholarship Program: $8,800 to provide in-school financial aid advising for students in Hopewell and Prince George schools to help them achieve their post-secondary educational goals. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

Hopewell City Public Schools: $23,000 to support the Early College Scholars (ECS) program that merges three college pathway programs, providing rigorous academic programs for students traditionally underrepresented in higher education. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

Prince George High School: $12,500 to support creation of new course offering using advanced technologies and biomedical integration.  Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

Smart Beginnings Southeast: $15,000 to support quality early childhood care and education designed to bring about higher levels of school readiness for children entering kindergarten. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

STORY (Southside Transformation Opportunities for Residents and Youth): $15,000 to support math, literacy and leadership skills for youth residents of low-income housing through after-school programming.  Made possibly by the Health Legacy Fund.

Special Olympics Virginia, Inc.: $15,000 to support Unified Champion Schools (UCS) that use sports as a catalyst for social inclusion and attitude and behavioral change. UCS builds unified, inclusive environments where school-age children, with and without disabilities, may succeed. Made possible by the Health Legacy Fund.

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This post was written by AJ James

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