October 24, 2007

Cameron Foundation marks 3rd anniversary of giving with $1.5 million in grants to 28 Southside nonprofits in its most recent grant cycle

As this month marks The Cameron Foundation’s third year of giving in Southside Virginia, 28 nonprofits will benefit from its most recent cycle of grantmaking. The newest awards, which total $1,504,240, bring the Foundation’s giving to $6,654,723 for 2007 and $16.5 million since its first round in October 2004. The funding will support nonprofits throughout Southside Virginia, addressing needs that fall within one or more of the Foundation’s seven program areas. The fields span health care, human services, civic affairs, community and economic development, education, conservation and historic preservation, and cultural enrichment. The Foundation awards grants three times each year, in February, June, and October.

The Cameron Foundation’s president, Cleveland A. Wright, commended both the Foundation and local nonprofit organizations for the progress they have made by working together. “In just three short years, we’ve made great strides to promote the health and quality of life for people living in communities across our region,” Wright remarked. “It is due to the tireless commitment of so many groups that we’re able to observe the Foundation’s third anniversary of grantmaking with immense satisfaction,” he added. Other board members of The Cameron Foundation include: Ann C. Taylor, vice president; Dr. Jerry W. Isbell, secretary; Kevin A. Hill, treasurer; and Dr. Gurpal S. Bhuller, John H. Clements, James L. Thacker, Betty W. Thweatt and Larry C. Tucker.

For this October cycle, grants committee chairman Tucker highlighted the range of support going to nonprofits. “We continue to find opportunities to fund capacity-building for those organizations that are based in our service area. In addition, the Foundation responds to a large number of requests for groups that are carrying out specific projects.”

Approved at the board’s October meeting, the grant recipients include:

American Red Cross – Southside Area Chapter – $50,000
Bensley-Bermuda Volunteer Rescue Squad – $62,000
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond – $60,000
CARES, Inc. – $61,000
Central Virginia Food Bank – $30,000
Central Virginia Legal Aid Society – $30,000
Colonial Heights Office on Youth – $64,000
Dinwiddie High School – $30,000
Ettrick Elementary School – $15,334
Friends Against Crack – $5,000
Gamaliel Foundation – $82,000
Harrowgate Elementary School – $25,000
The James House – $60,000
Legal Aid Justice Center – $80,000
National Kidney Foundation of the Virginias – $5,000
Petersburg Breakfast Rotary Club – $6,000
Petersburg Elite Stars Basketball Association – $12,000
Petersburg Health Department – $80,000
The Phoenix Project – $47,475
Reach Out and Read Virginia – $50,000
Restoration of Petersburg Community Development Corporation – $85,000
Richmond Organization for Sexual Minority Youth – $12,000
Sycamore Rouge – $350,000
United Parents Against Lead National, Inc. – $34,500
United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg – $87,528
U.S Army Women’s Foundation – $31,468
Virginia Council on Economic Education – $23,235
Virginia State University – $25,700

Executive Director Handy L. Lindsey, Jr. has worked with The Cameron Foundation since 2003, when it was established from the proceeds of the sale of Southside Regional Medical Center by the Hospital Authority of the City of Petersburg. Reflecting on the Foundation’s growth over the last three years, Lindsey remarked, “Working with so many groups, I have the honor of witnessing the cumulative impact that the local nonprofits make when they serve the community. Each year, The Cameron Foundation has built on the resources it offers to fortify these organizations. In addition to our grantmaking, we have partnered with sister institutions to establish the Southside Virginia Nonprofit Resource Center in Hopewell; to underwrite a series of professional development classes through our Focus INC initiative; and, most recently, to present two new recognition award programs, the Cleveland A. Wright Award for Outstanding Community Service and the Excellence in Organizational Management Award. Looking ahead, we will continue to add to, and refine, the ways we aid nonprofits as they carry out their missions.”

October grant award recipients, as well as the organizations chosen to receive the Cleveland A. Wright Award for Outstanding Community Service and the Excellence in Organizational Management Award, were recognized in the Foundation’s annual awards ceremony on October 25.