Entertainment Meets Philanthropy
The historic Hippodrome in Jackson Ward was filled to near capacity for the “RVA Has Talent (RVAHT)” Season 2 finals. The diverse crowd was there to see Richmond’s most talented performers compete for a chance to win $2,500 for themselves and $1,000 for their Richmond-based non-profit partner. Philanthropy is a key component of the mission […]
Help Brad Move
RVA in blaze orange is making 14-year-old Brandon “Brad” Farbstein move forward like he has never moved before. Diagnosed with a rare form of dwarfism at the age of 2, Farbstein has not let metatropic dysplasia define who he is or place limits on his dreams. Farbstein’s skeletal condition progresses over time, true to its […]
Friends: 142-Year-Old Gift to Richmond
Former slave Lucy Goode Brooks established the Friends’ Asylum for Colored Orphans in Jackson Ward in 1871 and the work she began continues to this day. With the help of her sewing circle and local religious groups, Brooks provided a home and hope to black children in Richmond who had been orphaned by slavery and […]
Over the Edge
Dot Heffron is terrified of heights. Last month, however, she rappelled from a 25-story building in downtown Richmond with ease. Heffron called her accomplishment, “Jumping for Jane.” “If you saw what I saw when my daughter Jane finished her first lap across the swimming pool after training with Special Olympics, you’d fly to the moon […]
Let Them Eat Cake
By Aine Norris “I’m not even a baker. But yet, here I am, committed to baking a cake every week for a year and presenting it to a stranger, all in the name of sharing homemade food and the nostalgia it brings,” says local graphic artist Ryn Bruce. Batter Up, a social experiment launched by […]
Honoring Good Deeds: Hometown Heroes 2013
RVA is a community that gives, and when we see someone making an effort to build a better region we celebrate them. Such is the case with the annual Hometown Heroes Award by the law firm of Allen, Allen, Allen, & Allen. Launched in 2010 during the firm’s 100-year anniversary, the award honors first responders, […]
Making It Easy to Give Back
It’s no secret that RVA has experienced a boomlet of new innovative companies, many with a philanthropic twist. Bonfire Funds is one of a growing number of Richmond-based, small businesses that are all about giving back. But, why is it important to give back to the community? The answer to this is simple, giving back […]
Free the Art
One of the most amazing things I’ve discovered about creativity is that you get more by giving it away. This can be literally giving something away—like a free sample that hooks people on your work—or it can be the sharing of ideas and projects that you might otherwise keep secret. I’ve seen too many people […]
Building a Village
Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has received the largest corporate partnership gift in its history.Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc. (HDL, Inc.), located in the Virginia Biotechnoloyg Park, has agreed to a $4 million partnership to support the VCU Department of Athletics and its future capital projects. “The progress of a national research university is accelerated by strong partners with […]