Foundation for Roanoke Valley Awards Grants to Local Nonprofits from Doran Fund

Foundation for Roanoke Valley announced today it has awarded more than $47,000 to local nonprofits from the Foundation's Earl D. and Carrie Leigh Doran Fund.  The Doran Fund, established through the estate of local barber Earl Doran, has a number of purposed, including supporting agencies that help individuals and families confronting catastrophic, life-altering circumstances and to agencies that provide support to battered woman.

 

Brain Injury Services of Southwest Virginia was awarded a grant of $25,000 to expand its life skills training program for brain injury survivors.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, at least 18,000 individuals living with long-term effects from brain injury reside in BISSWVA’s service area. Over the last decade, medical technology coupled with improved service delivery has increased the national brain injury survival rate.  Mae Johnson, Director of Development and Marketing, noted, “With this grant, we will now be able to provide more brain injury survivors with individualized, intensive training sessions designed to enhance the quality of life and improve independent life skills.  We are honored and grateful to receive this grant.”

Children's Miracle Network was awarded a grant of $10,000 to support a "Good Samaritan Fund" to offer assistance to patients and families with expenses such as gas, food vouchers, and hotel accomodations.  "Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, support Carilion Clinic Children's Hospital, is beyond grateful to accept this gift from the Earl D. and Carrie Leigh Doran Fund.  This money will help east the difficult conditions that unexpected hospitalizations can create." adds Erin Hildreth, Executive Director of Children's Miracle Network.

 

The ALS Assocation, Inc. was awarded a grant of $7,830 to purchase durable medical equipment for its loan closet located in Roanoke, VA.  ALS is a progressive and fatal neuromuscular disease that causes the progressive loss of voluntary muscle control.  Most health insurance plans do not cover that necessary equipment and services needed to allow ALS patients to maintain a confortable quality of life and few resources are available to help those diagnosed with ALS and patients depend on our help.  "With the cost of care and medical equipment for a person living with ALS topping $250,000 a year, the free care services our Chapter provides are crucial," says Judy Taylor, Interim Executive Director, "One of the most important services for the Roanoke area is our free medical equipment loan closet which can help to make daily tasks easier and keep these individuals independent."

 

Sexual Assault Response and Awareness, Inc. was awarded a grant of $5,000 to provide care and assistance to battered women.  SARA, Inc. is the sexual assault crisis center for the Roanoke Valley and provides 24-hour crisis intervention, emotional support and advocacy to victims as they negotiate the medical and legal systems after experiencing the trauma of sexual violence. SARA provides free, on-going counseling as victims rebuild and move forward with their lives. “The grant award from the Doran Fund will enable SARA, Inc. to continue to provide services to victims of sexual violence and abuse through our 24-hour crisis hotline and will allow us to revamp and revitalize our volunteer programming and in the long run, strengthen our volunteer corps. 

Foundation for Roanoke Valley is the community foundation serving this region.  The Foundation has worked for more than two decades to administer and make grants from hundreds of named endowment funds on behalf of the community.  For more information, visit Foundation for Roanoke Valley’s website at www.foundationforroanokevalley.org or call 985-0204.

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Foundation for Roanoke Valley announced today it has awarded $60,000 in grants to four organizations under its new three-year, $300,000 Arts & Culture Initiative.  This initiative, funded through the Foundation's Community Catalyst Funds, has two distinct focus areas.  "Educate. Inspire. Create." is designed to significantly enrich the arts and cultural experiences of preK-12 students of public and private schools within the cities of Roanoke and Salem and the counties of Botetourt, Craig, Franklin, and Roanoke.  Artist-in-residence or master class programs, the purchase of innovative technology, and in-school performances built around a specific educational topic and conducted by local arts and cultural non-profits are all parts of this effort.  "Arts at Work” will provide grants to carefully selected Roanoke Valley arts and culture projects that have an important and identifiable economic development component, strongly contribute to the overall vibrancy of the community, and which otherwise might not be possible. The production of public art work, the production of community-wide arts and cultural events and performances and bringing major arts and cultural exhibits to the Valley will be funded by the community foundation under this portion of the initiative.

The following grants are the first awards from “Educate. Inspire. Create.”  Jefferson Center Foundation receives $30,000 to support an interactive Song Project.  This project will focus on expression, literacy, self-esteem, collaboration and cultural awareness, as artists lead local students through the process of songwriting, from brainstorming to writing lyrics, creating musical accompaniment, performing and recording.  Roanoke Children’s Theatre receives $11,500 to support the “Making History LIVE! Jamestown!” program.  The program targets 4^th grade students in all Roanoke City and County elementary schools and will introduce students to theatre and the production process.  The students will rehearse, create, design, and perform a play based on the history of Jamestown. Craig County Public Schools receives $9,425 for Craig County High School’s Art Department to purchase new, innovative technology in order to encourage students to pursue graphic design studies. Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia receives $9,075 to support its ImageMakers program.  ImageMakers encourages Club members to learn and practice black-and-white, color, digital and alternative process photography, it exposes the youth to cutting-edge technology curriculum and provides opportunities to showcase their artistic talents, and it enables them to express and develop their creativity with still-images and videos.

“This award allows Music Lab at Jefferson Center to expand its impact on young people in our region through the power of song,” says Dylan Locke, Artistic Director at Jefferson Center. “The Foundation’s generous support means we can take the Song Project into four Roanoke area schools. The exciting new program provides elementary age students the guidance and drive to find their voice through a collaborative song writing process with professional musicians and instructors. Each Song Project culminates with a full, professionally recorded album to showcase the talents of our area students and highlight what they have learned throughout the artistic process, and the CDs can be sold to support the school.”   

Jon Murrill, Art Educator at Craig County High School, noted "Our goal as art educators is to inspire our students to become successful and enjoy careers they are passionate about. This grant provides our students with wonderful new technology that will allow them to access that first step in the ladder to a successful career, potentially in graphic design."

Amanda Mansfield, Director of Development for Roanoke Children’s Theatre, said “This grant reaches to the core of our mission, which is to creatively educate and inspire young people.  It is everything we do, every day.  We can't tell you how much it will mean to us to be able to share our spark with every 4th grader in Roanoke City and Roanoke County Schools!” 

Kayla Hastrup, Development Associate with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia, added “We are thrilled to be the recipient of this grant. Through our ImageMakers photography program we will actively engage Club members in innovative, nontraditional arts experiences that will advance their academic success through technology and demonstrate their creative awareness through varies art platforms.  This is a fabulous opportunity for our kids; one that will provide lifelong learning, as well as joyful memories."

 Applications for the Foundation’s Arts at Work will be available online at www.foundationforroanokevalley.org beginning August 1^st. 

Foundation for Roanoke Valley, the community foundation serving this region, has worked for 25 years to administer and make grants from hundreds of named endowment funds to benefit the community.  For information, visit Foundation for Roanoke Valley’s website at www.foundationforroanokevalley.org or call 985-0204.

 

Pictured L to R:  Alan Ronk, Executive Director at Foundation for Roanoke Valley; Kayla Hastrup, Grant Write & Development Associate at Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia; Dylan Locke, Artistic Director at Jefferson Center; Pat Wilhelms, Executive Director at Roanoke Children’s Theatre; Jon Murrill, Art Educator at Craig County High School; Amanda Mansfield, Director of Development at Roanoke Children’s Theatre.

Foundation for Roanoke Valley Awards $12,830 Grant to Floyd County Volunteer Fire Department

Foundation for Roanoke Valley announced today that it has awarded a $12,830 grant to the Floyd County Volunteer Fire Department Station 3 for the purchase of a state-of-the-art Thermal Imaging Camera and a Positive Pressure Fan.  The grant comes from the Foundation’s Jacqueline S. (Jackie) and Shelborn L. (S.L.) Spangler Fund.

Chief Ricky Thompson noted: “These two pieces of equipment are going to be a great asset to our Department and will help us better serve the community of Check and the county as a whole.  The camera is a great tool for locating fire or hot spots inside a wall or ceiling, thus helping to minimize damage to the structure.”  Chief Thompson also indicated that the camera is valuable in the event of a vehicle accident at night so that responders can assess whether a victim may have been ejected and then determine the exact location of that person.  The fan will help the Fire Department in extricating the smoke in a structure fire, as well as playing a role in locating any other fire that may be present in an attic or ceiling.

Alan Ronk, the Foundation’s executive director, said in making the announcement:  “We are thrilled to be in a position to make this grant from the Spangler Fund.  The Fund, which was established in 2006 through the estate of S. L. Spangler, addresses a wide variety of important needs and opportunities in the communities along the Route 221 south corridor, generally falling between Cotton Hill Road and Check, Virginia.  This designation reflects where the Spanglers lived during the course of their lifetimes, and because of their generosity and concern for others, more than $170,000 in grants have already been awarded in these communities.”

Foundation for Roanoke Valley is the community foundation serving this region.  The Foundation has worked for more than two decades to administer and make grants from hundreds of named endowment funds on behalf of the community.  For more information, visit Foundation for Roanoke Valley’s website at www.foundationforroanokevalley.org.

Foundation for Roanoke Valley Awards $25,000 to Saint Francis Service Dogs

Roanoke, Va. (January 27, 2013) – Saint Francis Service Dogs has placed a facility dog at the Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center or BRAAC.  The dog, a black Labrador retriever named Deuce, was placed in November of 2012 thanks to funding provided by Foundation for Roanoke Valley.  Deuce is the first facility dog to be placed locally by Saint Francis. 

Facility dogs are expertly trained canine helpers, which engage students by acting as both motivator and reward. The dog provides a positive focus for children and helps increase the opportunity for children to develop social and language skills.  Facility dogs can also be used in other ways in places such as courthouses and rehabilitation facilities.

“We are thrilled to welcome Deuce, into our daily program, said BRAAC Founder and Executive Director Angela Leonard.   “He brings a new dimension to the program and the whole place just seems a lot happier now that he’s with us.”

Leonard describes an early success story involving Ian, a four year old at BRAAC who is just learning to speak.  He spontaneously asks for Deuce by saying "Deuce" or "Dog."  These were the first words Ian had spoken other than repeating something that had been said to him. 
“It is not unusual for children with autism to be self-absorbed, living within their own world, and our parents yearn for that special connection and reciprocation of love,” said Leonard.  “Children with special needs will often connect with animals.  So if Deuce can be this connection, and we can transfer these interactions to loved ones, why in the world would we not use this opportunity?”

Alan Ronk, Executive Director of Foundation for Roanoke Valley, says the placement of Deuce is a perfect example of how this particular fund is supposed to function.  “One of the objectives of our Kinder Fund is to support programs that promote the positive relationship between humans and animals.  We are thrilled to be able to play a significant role in placing a facility dog at BRAAC, and we look forward to the many wonderful things that will result from this new relationship,” he said.

Saint Francis has already received requests for facility dogs from other groups and expects the demand to increase.  “It’s a relatively new concept, but it obviously has a lot of merit, said Saint Francis Executive Director Cabell Youell. 

Youell said organizations interested in facility dogs should contact the organization for a review of how Saint Francis might be able to meet their individual needs.

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About Saint Francis Service Dogs: Saint Francis Service Dogs is a local 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises and trains service dogs for children and adults with disabilities to enable them to become more independent and self-sufficient through partnership with a service dog.  Saint Francis is the largest service dog organization in the state and the first to be accredited in Virginia. The training program adheres to the highest standards in the industry. Saint Francis is not state funded, does not receive insurance reimbursements and relies entirely on private donations, grants and fundraisers like DogtoberFest to fulfill our mission.

 

 Submitted by:  Niki Voudren, Saint Francis Service Dogs

The Roanoke Women's Foundation Awards $262,000 to Four Area Organizations

For the eighth year, The Roanoke Women’s Foundation (RWF), a component fund of Foundation for Roanoke Valley,  has announced the recipients of its grant awards, the largest total given to date.

The latest grants, a total of $262,000 awarded at a luncheon held at Roanoke Country Club on December 10th, brings to $1,506,000 the total in grants funded since the organization’s inception in 2004.

“In our eighth year, with 131 members, The Roanoke Women’s Foundation has now exceeded over $1.5 million in total giving; a significant achievement this year in a down economy” says Kandy Elliott, co-founder of the RWF.  Elliott and co-founder Ginny Jarrett established the RWF as a way for women in the Roanoke and New River Valleys to pool their philanthropic goals and resources in order to make significant gifts to the community. 

“The growth of The Roanoke Women’s Foundation over the years has been exceptional, and these latest awards continue the tradition that RWF has built of making high-impact, transformative grants,” added Alan Ronk, executive director of Foundation for Roanoke Valley.

Now in its eighth year, RWF has funded 30 organizations and programs.  This year, 48 organizations applied for funding from the RWF.  Through a rigorous grant making process, that number was narrowed to a group that was presented to the membership for their vote.  Based on those results, the following grants were awarded in the 2012 grant cycle:

Bethany Hall, Inc. - $60,000 to support its “Kitchen Renovation” project for the women in their residential and day treatment substance abuse program.  Their kitchen is at the heart of this healing community; last year it produced 10,863 meals and provided an empowering opportunity to create baked goods and treats used in the women’s fundraising efforts.  Existing appliances and cabinetry are woefully inadequate.  This funding will include upgrading appliances to commercial quality, new cabinets, and a moveable work table.  Bethany Hall is only one of two single-gender, long term programs in Virginia that allow children and newborns to remain with their mothers in treatment.

Grandin Theatre Foundation, Inc. - $95,000 to upgrade their 35 mm projection equipment to digital equipment.  While 35 mm film was the movie industry standard for over 100 years, in the near future it will no longer be a viable technology.  This grant will enable the Grandin to remain competitive and viable in order to show newly released films.  The Roanoke Women’s Foundation grant will help to offset the total project cost of $275,000. The Grandin will launch a public campaign to raise additional funding needed to complete the conversion.

Roanoke Community Garden Association - $70,000 to provide funds to design, build and start the Association’s fourth garden, The Mountain View Garden.  The garden will be built on the adjacent vacant lot by the Mountain View Community Center.  The new garden will serve the Mountain View, Grandin Road, Old Southwest and downtown neighborhoods.  The gardens increase locally grown organic food or hundreds of underprivileged and handicapped citizens as well as refugees and immigrants.  Residents who register to use a plot are asked to pay $20 and volunteer an hour a week to help maintain their bed and help others.  This location provides a flat plot and plenty of space for aspiring gardeners.

Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley - $37,000 to partially fund a staff attorney designated as the domestic violence specialist. The balance of funds needed will be provided through another grant and general funds.  Domestic violence is a persistent problem in our communities.  Reported cases have risen dramatically (45.9% in 2010).  Intervention can save a victim’s life, save her or his home and the home of any children involved, and has an impact beyond those immediately involved.  Legal Aid is the only organization in the valley that provides a full range of legal representation to victims of domestic violence. 

The Roanoke Women’s Foundation is open to any woman who makes the commitment to support the RWF for at least three years at a level of $2,100 per year.  Members have no other obligation than to fulfill the annual contribution and to participate in the voting process determining the recipients of the pooled fund grants.  For more information, visit www.roanokewomensfoundation.org or Foundation for Roanoke Valley’s website www.foundationforroanokevalley.org.   Foundation for Roanoke Valley, the region’s community foundation, currently administers over 250 named endowment funds on behalf of the community.

Submitted by Kandy Elliott

Foundation for Roanoke Valley Scholarship Applications Available

Foundation for Roanoke Valley is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2013-2014 academic year.  By completing one scholarship application, applicants can be considered for multiple scholarships.  Students about to complete their senior year of high school, students already enrolled in a trade school, college or university, and non-traditional students who have waited a number of years before starting their post-secondary education are eligible to apply.

To access the scholarship guidelines and application, please visit the Foundation’s website at www.foundationforroanokevalley.org.  Guidelines and applications will be available through the guidance offices of local high schools and some college financial aid offices.

Completed applications should be mailed to Foundation for Roanoke Valley, Attention: Michelle Eberly, P.O. Box 1159, Roanoke, VA  24006.  All completed applications are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 1, 2013, at the Foundation’s office.  This is not a postmarked deadline.  Applications received after the submission deadline will not be considered, and incomplete applications will not be accepted.  Some scholarships require applicants to complete the FAFSA (Federal Application for Free Student Aid) and submit a Student Aid Report (SAR).  For more information on the FAFSA, please visit www.fafsa.gov.

Foundation for Roanoke Valley administers over 250 endowment funds totaling over $50 million and works diligently to help local individuals and families establish permanent charitable legacies which will touch the community now and for generations to come.  For more information about Foundation for Roanoke Valley, visit www.foundationforroanokevalley.org.

 

Foundation for Roanoke Valley Announces a Community Arts & Culture Inititiative

Foundation for Roanoke Valley has launched “A Community Arts & Culture Initiative”, a three-year, $300,000 grant program to benefit arts and culture organizations in the cities of Roanoke and Salem, and the counties of Botetourt, Craig, Franklin and Roanoke.  This initiative, funded through some of the Foundation’s Community Catalyst Funds, will provide grants to non-profit organizations based on two objectives: 1) Educate. Inspire. Create. and 2) Arts at Work.

Through Educate. Inspire. Create. the Foundation is committing $180,000 over the next three years to lift up and highlight the critical importance of arts and cultural programs to the educational process.  Beginning in 2013, the Foundation will be looking to enrich the experiences of pre-K through 12^th grade students of public and private schools within the Cities of Roanoke and Salem, and the counties of Botetourt, Craig, Franklin and Roanoke.  These grants will specifically make possible the following: 1) to provide for artist-in-residence or master classes within schools conducted by a notable artist, 2) to provide for the purchase and use of innovative technologies or nontraditional equipment that will bring cutting edge classroom arts experiences, and 3) to provide for in-school performances and programs built around a specific educational topic or Standards of Learning that are conducted by or in conjunction with local arts and cultural nonprofits.

In addition to the role played by arts and culture in the educational process, they also play a very critical role in being drivers of economic development.  Through Arts at Work, the Foundation is committing $120,000 over the next three years to specifically make possible the following: 1) to support the production of public art work, 2) to support the production of community-wide arts and cultural events and performances, and 3) to support bringing major arts and cultural exhibits to the Roanoke Valley.

Alan Ronk, Executive Director of Foundation for Roanoke Valley noted, “While supporting arts and cultural programs has long been one of the Foundation’s focus areas, we look forward to this new initiative and seeing the many creative and effective programs and ideas that will be generated for the community.”

Grants will be determined via a competitive process through the Foundation’s online grant application process.  Organizations are encouraged to visit www.foundationforroanokevalley.org for additional requirements and application instructions.

Foundation for Roanoke Valley, the region’s community foundation, currently administers over 250 named endowment funds on behalf of the community.  Individuals interested in establishing their own personal or family legacy through an unrestricted endowment, and arts and culture fund, or any of the many other types of endowment funds offered by the Foundation are encouraged to call (540) 885-0204 or visit the Foundation’s website.