October 7, 2014
Cameron Foundation honors CCHASM with community service award
Through its annual recognition award program to honor community service, The Cameron Foundation has selected Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Alliance for Social Ministry (CCHASM) to receive special recognition. The nonprofit organization will be presented with the Cleveland A. Wright Award for Outstanding Community Service during the Foundation’s 10th Anniversary ceremony on October 23.
CCHASM, which is based in Chester, assists individuals and families who are experiencing an acute economic crisis which threatens their basic survival. The group offers four primary programs. The Food Assistance Program screens and schedules clients for the organization’s church alliance food pantries. Financial assistance is available for utilities, rent/mortgage, medicine, auto repair, and other requests following a screening and emergency verification process. The Thanksgiving Meal Gift Package Program provides for area residents who normally would not be able to afford a holiday meal. CCHASM also administers the Career Clothes Closet for Women, which furnishes a week’s worth of office-appropriate clothing to women who, through emergency and other situations, find they must begin or return to work.
Since 2007, The Cameron Foundation has awarded the Cleveland A. Wright Award for Outstanding Community Service to one nonprofit group each year for its commitment to caring and generosity of spirit, as well as its openness and accessibility. The award was named in honor of The Cameron Foundation’s first president (and current board member) for his exemplary and untiring commitment to the Foundation’s mission. In addition to the award itself, CCHASM also will be given a $40,000 unrestricted gift by the Foundation.
Eligible organizations for the Wright Award are those that are indigenous to the Foundation’s service area. The candidates first must be nominated by someone in the community for their outstanding service in order to be considered. The selection process for the 2014 award engaged a review committee consisting of volunteers who live or work in the Southside region. The committee was chaired by Ann C. Taylor, immediate past chair and current director of The Cameron Foundation’s Board of Directors. Committee members included Betty Moore Beverly, Robert S. Carlon, Shikee H. Franklin, Dr. William D. Irvin, Angela M. Orrell, and Pastor J. David Tolbert.
ABOUT THE CAMERON FOUNDATION
The Cameron Foundation is a private foundation that supports the work of nonprofits and partner agencies to improve the quality of life of residents in the cities of Petersburg, Colonial Heights, and Hopewell; the counties of Dinwiddie, Prince George, and Sussex; and the portion of Chesterfield County lying south of Route 10. Founded in 2003, The Cameron Foundation was formed from the proceeds of the sale of Southside Regional Medical Center by the Hospital Authority of the City of Petersburg. Since it began grantmaking in 2004, the Foundation has awarded over $66 million to organizations serving the residents of the Tri-Cities and surrounding counties.