Reading through the dozens of nominations submitted for Coastal Virginia Magazine’s annual Giving Back Awards is enough to make even the grinchiest Grinch’s heart grow three sizes. This year, as always, it was a privilege to learn about the many amazing things being done by local nonprofit organizations to make our community a better place to live and thrive.
Nominations by eligible nonprofits were reviewed, and honorees were selected with input from a team comprised of Coastal Virginia Magazine and its parent company VistaGraphics, Inc. staff and contributing writers along with special guest Cherise Newsome, community volunteer and communications professional.
Final selections were determined based on nominations submitted by either a representative of the organization or a person familiar with their work. Considerations for selection included the strength of the organization’s mission and specific, timely contributions to the community as described in the nomination.
Featured in the following pages, the final list of honorees includes 20 nonprofit organizations of various sizes and missions serving the Coastal Virginia community.
Among the honorees is our Nonprofit of the Year, VersAbility Resources. Our selection team was particularly impressed by this Hampton-based organization’s efforts to support people with disabilities in leading productive and fulfilling lives as well as their extensive work with employers and community partners during a time of critical need for workforce development.
Congratulations to all and thank you for all you do.
–Leona Baker, Editor-in-Chief
About The Listings: Descriptions of all organizations in these feature pages was compiled by staff or contributors using primarily information provided by one or more representatives of those organizations through their Giving Back Awards nomination forms.
2023 Giving Back Awards Nonprofit of the Year: VersAbility Resources
VersAbility Resources supports people with disabilities in leading the productive and fulfilling lives of their choosing through diverse training and employment programs, early childhood support services, safe housing, therapeutic recreation and much more. With highly individualized care plans that include access to specialized job training, VersAbility works to ensure that people with disabilities do not fall through the cracks of the education system and are able to gain the independence and skills needed to succeed. The organization also serves as a connector between employers and “the greatest untapped talent pool in the nation,” which strengthens the region’s economy and quality of life as a whole.
How They Are Making a Difference
- Serving 1,800+ people with disabilities and their families annually, offering early childhood, student services, day support, residential and diverse employment programs
- Developing the Future of Work program with the help of a Bank of America grant, allowing for the addition of culinary and IT tracks to its welding certification program
- Assisting infants and toddlers with developmental delays and their parents through its Early Prevention and Intervention for Children Program (EPIC)
- Maintaining the Transition to Work and Pre-Employment Transition programs through which students learn technical and soft skills, explore jobs and gain work experience
- Operating eight safe, supportive homes for people with disabilities that consistently receive exceptional ratings by the Virginia Department of Health
- Providing long-term employment, training and day support services to 50 adults from the 10 counties on the Middle Peninsula/Northern Neck at the Lewis B. Puller Center, the region’s only work center for people with disabilities
- Completing the Information Technology Center in early 2023, which will be utilized to help train and expand opportunities for people with disabilities in the IT field
From the Nomination
“In this post-pandemic world, we read headlines every day about employers struggling to find and retain their workforce. VersAbility Resources serves people with disabilities in a myriad of ways—infants, children, students, adults of all ages as well as their families—but the nonprofit is also serving the entire community by training a very capable workforce to fill many of the vacancies that employers need filled in order to both survive and thrive.”
How You Can Help
There are many ways to help VersAbility Resources fulfill its mission to support people with disabilities in leading productive and fulfilling lives. The organization has many volunteer and partnership opportunities throughout the year for individuals and businesses. For example, as part of a partnership with First Advantage Credit Union, employee volunteers from the credit union assisted in the set-up of a new coffee bar to be housed and operated at Versability Resources’ headquarters in Hampton. The coffee bar will feature 321 Coffee and will be staffed by individuals served by Versability Resources, offering those individuals an opportunity to build a variety of skills and knowledge from nutrition to finance.
If you or your business would like to make a donation or get involved, here are some key contacts to get you started:
- Make a monetary donation on VersAbility Resources’ Donate page, or contact Keltie Bransford at 757.896.6473 or keltie@versability.org
- Include in your estate plan. Contact Joe Harrow at 757.896.8427 or jharrow@versability.org
- Become a business partner, learn more at the Business Services page or contact Reneé Rose at 757.896.8465 or rrose@versability.org
- Spread the word about VersAbility Resources’programs and services: Contact the organization at 757.896.6461 or info@versability.org
Learn more at VersAbility.org.
Charles Barker Champions for Kids
Launched in 1994 to raise capital for local children’s charities and youth programs, the Charles Barker Champions for Kids Foundation has been helping to build a better community in Coastal Virginia for 29 years. Their mission of nurturing children toward successful lives benefits the entire region. The charities they support have come to rely on their continued funding, and their example has led to the development of additional hands-on programs to meet their goals. The foundation’s sponsored projects provide services in education, physical and mental health, drug and alcohol awareness, scholarships, mentorship and more.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Holding three primary annual fundraising events, in addition to employee and community support events, that have resulted in their fundraising sums increasing by 25-30% every year since 2013, hitting an all-time high of $278,000 in capitol over the last two years
• Being a significant business contributor to The Housing Resource Center, which addresses the immediate need of people experiencing homelessness, identifying the cause, and guiding them to independence
• Aiding the implementation of a Clemson University scholarship program for An Achievable Dream Academy students with a charitable donation of $2 million
Learn how you can help at TheChampionsFoundation.org.
Chartway Promise Foundation
Promise Foundation
The Chartway Promise Foundation partners with more than a dozen companion charities to provide support and make dreams and wishes come to life for medically fragile children and their families. More specifically, they support thousands of children through partnerships with numerous chapters of The Make-A-Wish Foundation, St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children, Ability Found, Hooked On Hope, Roc Solid Foundation, Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters and other charitable children’s groups that share Chartway Promise Foundation’s passion and mission to make a difference.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Hand-packing 1,600 individual toy bags for patients when CHKD needed help providing an alternative to communal toys in their emergency rooms due to COVID
• Providing Promise heroes and their families with dream trips, life-long wishes fulfilled (e.g., shopping sprees, fishing excursions, meeting heroes and celebrities, being a firefighter for a day), backyard playsets, hospital ready bags for cancer treatments, ADA accessible transportation to camps and field trips, adaptive equipment to facilitate mobility, hospital toy bags and stuffed animals, and more
• Donating charitable grants to nonprofits like Toby’s Dream Foundation, which was able to fund 42 wishes with $210,000 from Chartway Promise Foundation
Learn how you can help at ChartwayPromiseFoundation.org.
Children’s Health Investment Program of South Hampton Roads
The mission at Children’s Health Investment Program (CHIP) is to build a healthy community by building a healthy child, doing everything they can to ensure that all children enter school healthy and ready to learn and succeed. Every child deserves a safe and nurturing environment in which to grow and thrive regardless of their background or socioeconomic status. Whether it’s providing low-income kids with school desks or teaching new mothers about nutrition and development, CHIP is committed to serving the most vulnerable members of the community. Investing in the future begins by investing in the children.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Offering a home visitation program that provides free services to impoverished, high-risk families, helping lay the groundwork for self-sufficiency through goal setting, challenge navigation and healthy parenting techniques
• Founding the Sleeptight program, which combats rising infant mortality rates due to unsafe sleep by providing cribs and safe sleep education to families and community partners
• Fighting racial disparities in maternal mortality rates by partnering with Sentara Norfolk General Hospital to develop the Moms Matter program, which provides personalized support and education to those at a higher risk in their postpartum year
Learn how you can help at CHIPSHR.org.
Coastal Virginia Conservancy
Formerly known as the Living River Trust, the expanded mission of the newly named Coastal Virginia Conservancy continues to put land and water conservation first. As one of only three conservation organizations in the nation that operates as both a land trust and a mitigation/restoration program, Coastal Virginia Conservancy preserves the natural beauty of Coastal Virginia and creates accessible recreational spaces for the community. Through their membership-based and community-funded restoration programs that incorporate the latest in environmental technology, the organization can clean up waterways while supporting local industry and development.
How They Are Making a Difference
• The opening in March 2023 of Newton Neck Park—a newly protected, environmentally sensitive 88-acre piece of land with community trails and water access in underserved areas of Chesapeake
• Restoring water quality by removing pollutants and protecting oyster populations with new absorbent technology as executed in their award-winning Paradise Creek Project in Portsmouth
• Maintaining an active grants program, securing ongoing support from the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, Hampton Roads RELATORS Foundation, Cerity Partners and Bay Power Solutions, and diligently seeking long-term community partnerships to further their mission of keeping Coastal Virginia beautiful
Learn how you can help at COVAConserve.org.
Connect With a Wish
Connect With a Wish is a Virginia Beach-based nonprofit that provides children in local foster care with resources and support to live well and grow. With more than 300 wishes granted, thousands of fully stocked backpacks, more than $20,000 in tuition aid, more than 100 prom nights prepared and tens of thousands of Christmas gifts given, Connect With a Wish continues to provide the resources and support needed to give these children the opportunity to become positive and productive members of our community. They recognize that children are the future and strive to ensure equal opportunity for all.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Establishing the Connect to Careers program that works with aged-out youth and those in the city’s Fostering Futures program to build transportation and housing plans, interview skills, driving proficiency, polished resumes and additional education and job training
• Developing their upcoming affordable bridge housing program that will provide lower-priced lodging to those who have just aged out of foster care
• Partnering each year with Accel Pest & Termite Control to bring gifts to foster families during the holiday season at their Christmas wish gift grab
Learn how you can help at ConnectWithAWish.org.
Elizabeth River Trail
The Elizabeth River Trail Foundation (ERTF), through planning, fundraising and marketing, works to build a trail as diverse and vibrant as the land it sits on, the river it follows and the community it serves. The mission of the ERTF is to create an inclusive and resilient urban riverfront trail that connects and inspires people and businesses in the region. The trail is part of the overall South Hampton Roads Trail concept and currently connects 28 diverse neighborhoods over 10.5 miles. The ERT is also at the front porch of sea-level rise and helps reduce the region’s carbon footprint.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Hosting more than 133 events along the trail including wellness walks, historical tours including the African-American experience on the Elizabeth River, biking and walking tours featuring edible and significant local plants, sunset yoga, librarian-led story time on the trail and more
• In March, partnering with Talk About It Norfolk to co-host a series of Walk and Talk events aimed at reducing the stigma surrounding mental health
• Providing access to places of employment, education, houses of worship, retail and food centers for Norfolk’s most vulnerable populations
Learn how you can help at ElizabethRiverTrail.org.
EQUI-KIDS Therapeutic Riding Program
EQUI-KIDS’ mission is to provide, promote and support equine-assisted activities for individuals who have mental, physical, emotional, social or learning disabling conditions. Founded in 1989, EQUI-KIDS provides life-changing equine-assisted services to a large and diverse community of children and adults with special needs, active-duty service members, veterans and first responders in Virginia Beach and the region. EQUI-KIDS serves an average of 80-100 participants each week. Services, all administered by credentialed providers, include therapeutic riding and horsemanship, equine-assisted learning, speech therapy, occupational therapy, EQUI-VETS Military Service Program, EQUI-HEROES (serving first responders), summer inclusion camps, educational workshops and more.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Launching their EQUI-HEROES First Responder Program, a new collaborative equine-assisted program that aids first responders affected by the Virginia Beach mass shooting
• While providing over 3,320 yearly hours of equine-assisted services, ensuring that all therapeutic riding and horsemanship lessons are subsidized at 85% and that EQUI-VETS, EQUI-HEROES, and school partnership programs are offered at no cost so that everyone can participate at the lowest possible expenditure
• Creating one-of-a-kind collaborative programs with community organizations such as Kempsville Behavioral Health, Samaritan House, An Achievable Dream, and LANTEREA Operational Forces
Learn how you can help at EquiKids.org.
Family Fun Xperience Theatre
Xperience Theatre
Family Fun Xperience Theatre (FFX) develops original, fun, entertaining, shared experiences with interactive and participatory theater in their 300-seat venue. It uses games and theater to encourage families to work together to meet fun challenges. FFX is a place where generational gaps are crossed, and new things are learned about one another. Their signature show, The Family Fun Xperience, is a high-energy interactive performance allowing local and vacationing families to enjoy connecting in a shared experience. Reaching families at a tourism hot spot extends this impact beyond the local community to the broader region, the nation and the world.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Creating the Gigglemill Family Improv Show which incorporates family-friendly games in the style of Whose Line Is It Anyway? for audiences who get involved in playing along
• Co-hosting “Something Indie Water,” which put more than 50+ acts on stage in a free daytime event that also highlighted local vendors and artisans during Something In The Water
• Providing a non-threatening, inclusive atmosphere, encouraging people of all faiths or none in their own journey, while acknowledging their productions will naturally reflect Christian values, including holding all events to a family-friendly standard
Learn how you can help at FFXShow.org.
Hampton Roads Workforce Council
The Hampton Roads Workforce Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council and a designated 501c3 organization. The Foundation works to increase financial resources to expand and create workforce development programs and services that sustain and grow the regional economy. Employment is one of the most critical social determinants of health. It is the source of income and provides access to quality healthcare and post-secondary educational opportunities. As such, the Hampton Roads Workforce Council understands its critical role in helping job seekers throughout the Coastal Virginia region overcome barriers to employment.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Leading the development and implementation of the Hampton Roads Workforce Training System—the region’s first structured workforce ecosystem that will focus on building a talent pipeline for priority industries
• Operating successful programs such as Virginia Career Works Hampton Roads, Hampton Roads Veterans Employment Center, NextGen and Campus 757, each with distinct support plans and resources for the groups in need on which they focus
• Acquiring a contribution of $29 million from the U.S. Navy in 2023, which will comprehensively address workforce development challenges such as capacity-building, recruitment, K-12 outreach and much more to support the regional maritime industry
Learn how you can help at TheWorkforceCouncil.org.
Horizons Hampton Roads, Inc.
Horizons Hampton Roads (HHR) has a mission to advance educational equity by building long-term partnerships with students, families, communities and schools to create experiences outside of school that inspire and instill a lifelong joy of learning. Operating locally since 1999, HHR offers a full-day, six-week summer academic, cultural and social enrichment program for children from under-resourced communities in grades K–8. HHR also operates a year-round program for high school students to help ensure their successful on-time graduation and matriculation into post-secondary education. Their powerful hands-on academic lessons and enrichment experiences prepare students for success in high school, post-secondary education and employment.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Preventing summer and pandemic-related learning loss and advancing reading and math skills in their students, who last summer demonstrated an average of 9.5 weeks grade-equivalent growth overall
• Employing two full-day licensed school counselors that meet with individuals, small groups and whole classrooms to help teach emotional awareness of self and others, cooperation, problem solving and more
• Promoting health and wellness by providing healthy meals; time for swimming lessons, dance, and recess; and field trips to local farm markets that emphasize fresh produce and teach students where their food comes from
Learn how you can help at HorizonsHamptonRoads.org.
Langley for Families Foundation
Launched in December 2014, The Langley for Families Foundation makes a difference in the community by ensuring that their nonprofit partners have the resources they need to serve families seeking assistance with basic needs such as shelter, food, healthcare and education. They continue to be an integral part of the Coastal Virginia region by contributing to nonprofit organizations that advance the welfare of families in need. They support a thriving community by ensuring basic needs including healthcare, access to education, affordable housing and financial stability are available to all who call the greater Hampton Roads area home.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Newly supporting nonprofits, such as Virginia Beach Talks and The Bloom Mental Health Foundation, with initiatives that address issues exacerbated by the pandemic including the mental health crisis, third grade reading proficiency, senior isolation, inflation, domestic violence and more
• Being the first corporation to commit $1 million in support of The Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters’ new Children’s Pavilion for mental health, which opened in 2022
• Continually surpassing financial milestones in charitable funds raised such as the $1 million mark for the first time in 2021 and then again in 2022
Learn how you can help at LangleyForFamilies.org.
Make-A-Wish Greater Virginia
Make-A-Wish Greater Virginia (MAWGV) grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Since their inception in 1987, they have granted wishes to more than 5,600 Virginia children. Although Make-A-Wish has a national footprint, MAWGV operates under a federated model as a separate, local nonprofit. Research indicates wish experiences can lead to increased emotional and physical health benefits. For most Wish Kids, a wish serves as a catalyst to better health and becomes part of their treatment plan. They strive to personalize each wish and make it match the recipient’s idea of a perfect day.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Creating a four-year, $12 million campaign to account for the 60% increase in qualified wish referrals since the pandemic, this year already having received two $500,000 pledges
• In 2022, granting 150 wishes to children in Virginia fighting critical illnesses, some of which included a wish to be a zookeeper for cheetahs, a wish to be an actress, a wish for a quinceañera and more
• Conducting impact studies that educate potential donors on a wish’s potential to mark a significant turning point in a battle against illness
Learn how you can help at VA.Wish.org.
PIN Ministry
As an outreach center to the homeless and poorest of the poor since 2002, PIN Ministry’s mission is to alleviate human suffering and create a pathway out of homelessness and poverty by taking a person-centered holistic approach. Structured as a primary support center, they offer essential survival services for those experiencing homelessness, often the lowest point in their lives, to give opportunity and hope. Through a holistic approach, they work to restore mind, body and spirit. Their hope is to make today better and change tomorrow by restoring dignity, confidence and independence through overall well-being and economic mobility.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Operating a day support center where people can shower, receive free clothing, shoes, personal hygiene and survival gear, do laundry, enjoy hot meals and receive haircut and styling services
• With the closing of Virginia Beach’s only free clinic, expanding their integrated clinic to provide access to healthcare to the most vulnerable by taking a tailored approach to medical treatment, mental health, substance abuse disorders and medication management
• Completing three capitol campaigns to fund the installation of air conditioning, a dedicated medical space, and a 1,500 square foot workforce training and peer support venue
Learn how you can help at PINMinistry.org.
River Ellis Foundation
The River Ellis Foundation provides immediate relief in a time of crisis. Their mission is to give a sunrise to those who have unexpectedly found themselves in the middle of their darkest hour. Through fundraising events and donations, they provide a varied scope of financial assistance to those in the Coastal Virginia community who have encountered unexpected hardship and need assistance. There is no request too big or small; if they are able to help, they will. They review nomination forms on an ongoing basis and provide immediate support to those they are able to help.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Providing food, clothing, extended lodging and more to Hampton Roads families and individuals impacted by unexpected crisis
• Being flexible enough to approve financial assistance for recipients within as little as 48 hours, as was the case for one woman who, having escaped an abusive relationship, was living in her car with her two children
• Recognizing that the right kind of support looks different for everyone, and tailoring their financial contributions to each individual to a distinctively personal degree
Learn how you can help at RiverEllisFoundation.org.
The Urban League of Hampton Roads
The mission of the Urban League of Hampton Roads is to enable African Americans and others to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights. The ULHR implements its mission by providing community support in education, employment, health and housing through direct services, advocacy, research, policy analysis, community mobilization and collaboration. An affiliate of the National Urban League, they aim to spark change, dismantle the systemic barriers that perpetuate racial wealth disparities and replace them with structures that promote equity and inclusivity.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Hosting homebuying workshops that created more than 300 first-time homebuyers in 2021-23 and providing more than $500,000 in childcare, rent, mortgage, utility and transportation assistance payments
• Helping to ensure equitable local healthcare by partnering with Eastern Virginia medical School, Norfolk State University, and Black churches in Suffolk, Norfolk and Hampton to manage mental health interventions and health literacy improvement and by conducting COVID-19 testing and vaccine distribution for over 5,000 people
• Investing over $350,000 to support pandemic-affected minority-owned businesses, and being awarded over $1 million to serve as a lead partner for the Good Jobs Challenge grant with the goal of helping to diversify the talent pipeline of the Maritime industry
Learn how you can help at ULHR.org.
Virginia African American Cultural Center
The mission of the Virginia African American Cultural Center (VAACC) is to collect, preserve, interpret and celebrate Virginia’s African American history, culture and community to educate the public about African American contributions in all areas of endeavor. By generating historical and cultural content through programs, artistic performances and curated exhibits, the VAACC aims to create an opportunity for those who would love to learn more about African American culture, reiterate the important role of African Americans and share how essential African American culture and history is to the city of Virginia Beach, and to build partnerships with African American historic sites and cultural centers in the region as well as nationally.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Developing a self-guided tour of African American history that was recognized in Ebony Magazine’s “5 Black History Trails to Know in America”
• Teaming up with Something in the Water and the National Basketball Association, which have committed to revitalizing the basketball courts on the VAACC’s future site, 744 Hampshire Lane
• Partnering with The Urban Renewal Center to present the Community of Learning Series including the program “Sold Down River, Norfolk’s Slave Trade & Reparative Genealogy,” attended by more than 200 people
Learn how you can help at VAACCVB.org.
United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula
The mission of the United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula (UJCVP) is to enhance the quality of Jewish life in our community, Israel and worldwide. The UJCVP connects Jewish individuals and families to the Jewish community, strengthens their Jewish identity and commitment to Israel and helps them find a path to meaningful Jewish living, respectful of differences. As a member of the national United Jewish Communities Federation system, the UJCVP uses advocacy, education, passion and financial resources to safeguard the viability and growth of the local community while supporting Jewish brothers and sisters around the world.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Engaging in an annual campaign that helps the UJCVP provide essential Jewish Community Center operating funds, offer senior, youth and early childhood support, operate a community Hebrew school and summer camp, manage a community relations council and more
• Recently raising more than $100,000 for Ukrainian relief during the war and, through the Pearl Society Women’s Giving Circle, granting $5,000 per year to six nonprofit organizations locally, nationally and internationally
• Operating the NAEYC Accredited Sarfan Early Childhood Center and ACA Accredited Summer Day Camp, which continue to be enriching spaces for childhood learning and community building
Learn how you can help at UJCVP.org.
United Way of the Virginia Peninsula
The UWVP improves quality of life for people on the Virginia Peninsula with a focus on health, education and financial stability, creating pathways out of poverty by systematically connecting those in need with partner agencies and resources. Since 2018, the organization has sharpened its focus on community members who live just above the federal poverty level, sometimes referred as “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, yet Employed” or ALICE. This large segment of UWVP’s local population lives “on a thread,” one emergency away from a poverty-related crisis but may not qualify for traditional social programs.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Community Assistance Network (CAN), working with 150+ partners to serve ALICE population, including assistance with childcare, employment, food, rent, transportation and utilities
• Fundraising through Workplace Campaigns, with the support of the UWVP Board of Directors, 100% of every Workplace Campaign donation going back into the community
• Addressing the need for housing security, in partnership with the Legal Aid Society and others, through formation of the first ever Court Navigation Program, providing support services throughout the legal eviction process
Learn how you can help at UWVP.org.
Williamsburg Community Foundation
With its 25th anniversary fast approaching, The Williamsburg Community Foundation (WCF) continues to enhance the quality of life in the greater Williamsburg area by connecting people who care with causes that matter. The WCF directs more than 600 donors a year toward local nonprofits serving arts and culture, children and young adults, environment and conservation, senior services, educational scholarships and more. In 2023, they expanded their grant recipients to include a number of smaller, less well known nonprofits and pushed for a significant increased the number of grant recipients run by people of color.
How They Are Making a Difference
• Connecting verified 501c3 organizations with interested donors and managing donor advised funds to allow individuals and families to support the nonprofit organizations of their choice
• Awarding more than $11.2 million dollars in grants and scholarships to 123 local nonprofits and over 1,000 high school seniors to continue their education and work force training since 1999
• Uplifting smaller nonprofits such as No Shame. Period. and Tidewater Arts Outreach through a competitive grant program that acts as a reliable source of funding that helps fuel expansion efforts
Learn how you can help at WilliamsburgCommunityFoundation.org.
