CREATING Legacies. GROWING Communities. ANNUAL REPORT 2018 Formerly Foundation for Roanoke Valley and Martinsville Area Community Foundation. ANNUAL REPORT 2018 | 1 YOUR COMMUNITY FOUNDATION TEAM Alan E. Ronk Carly C. Oliver April M. Haynes President & CEO Chief Operating Officer Regional Vice President, Martinsville Regional Office Michelle M. Eberly Beth Kelley Kara J. Gilley Kathy E. Mattox Director, Grants & Director, Finance & Program Associate, Administrative Assistant Donor Engagement Investments Martinsville Regional Office Report of Activities for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2018 ROANOKE MARTINSVILLE CORPORATE OFFICE REGIONAL OFFICE Mailing Address: Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1159 P.O. Box 1124 Roanoke, VA 24006 Martinsville, VA 24114 Location: Location: 611 S. Jefferson Street, Suite 8 300 Franklin Street Second Floor Suite 230 Roanoke, VA 24011 Martinsville, VA 24112 Phone: 540.985.0204 Phone: 276.656.6223 Fax: 540.982.8175 Fax: 276.632.3614 cfwesternva.org GEOGRAPHIC SERVICE AREA: We are honored to work with individuals and families on their charitable estate plans throughout much of western and southwestern Virginia. Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia is registered with The Virginia Office of Consumer Affairs, and is a member of both Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce and Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce. PRESIDENT’S LETTER Welcome to the 2018 Annual Report! With this Annual Report, you will see a number of new changes as we transition to “Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia.” We have a new name, new logo, new website and new staff titles. But most importantly, we will still be doing the same great work throughout our expansive region, from the greater Roanoke Valley through our southern communities of Martinsville, Henry County and Patrick County up to the Alleghany Highlands and out to many counties further west. In each hometown or city, there are so many wonderful and generous people who have played such vital roles in getting your Community Foundation to its current size and strength, and we deeply appreciate your continued involvement and support! Change can be intimidating and even frightening. Often, our first inclination is resist it, but change almost always provides opportunities to learn new things, to rethink processes and to improve the way we work. Paraphrasing the “sailing” maxim written by poet William A. Ward, the pessimist complains about the wind direction; the optimist expects the wind to change; while the realist adjusts and changes the sails to find the most effective and efficient route going forward. Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia has now set the mainsail and is full speed ahead on the next leg of our journey. We will always remember, be grateful for and pay homage to the early legs of this trip. They are what shaped us, nourished us, built us and now securely positioned us to serve the philanthropic intentions and goals of our donors and meet the most important needs and opportunities of our many communities. So, grab your sunglasses and sunscreen and join us on board a very familiar vessel with the same leadership and sterling reputation but with a new name stenciled across the bow. We cannot wait for the many wonderful collective experiences over the coming generations! Alan E. Ronk President & CEO ANNUAL REPORT 2018 | 3 INFINITY ACRES 4 | COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SERVING WESTERN VIRGINIA ANNUAL REPORT 2018 | 5 Infinity Acres photos by Kenny Webster Photography. 6 | COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SERVING WESTERN VIRGINIA “Animals are such agreeable friends — they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.” – George Eliot INFINITY ACRES JOY IS…. being nose to nose with a llama. Sounds like a slogan for a T-shirt, right? Well, here in Ridgeway, there is a gem of a place called Infinity Acres Ranch where exotic and domestic animals regularly bring the love to adults with disabilities, veterans, children and others. The Ranch runs a variety of important and beneficial programs. In addition to its vital interactional support programs for the constituencies noted above, including its Enriching Nurturing Animal Based Learning Experiences (ENABLE) program, there are educational school field trips, Llama 4-H, a summer camp, a petting zoo, and numerous other programs for the entire community. Some years ago, the nonprofit’s founders wanted to open up their 62-acre farm and share their passion for connecting animals and humans. They have long known of the incredible healing that comes out of the special bond between a person who is hurting emotionally or has learning challenges and a calming, non-judgmental, loving animal. Studies have even shown that such bonds can play a role in reducing blood pressure, elevating our mood and even increasing serotonin levels. But, trust me, you don’t need to read any scientific treatises on the subject to be convinced. Just volunteer your time at or visit Infinity Acres and see firsthand the incredible success stories regularly playing out there. The Community Foundation did, and we immediately knew we had to support their work and all those incredible llamas, and alpacas, and the coatimundi and the sugar glider and… the whole menagerie. See you soon at the Ranch! MORE THAN THE E.N.A.B.L.E. PROGRAM (Enriching, Nurturing, Animal-Based, Learning, 500 1,000+ Experiences) SERVES COMMUNITY MEMBERS INDIVIDUALS BENEFITTED FROM WITH DISABILITIES INFINITY ACRES’ SPRING STUDENTS CARNIVAL THIS PAST YEAR. PARTICIPATED IN FIELD 260 TRIPS TO THE FARM. DAYS A YEAR. ANNUAL REPORT 2018 | 7 8 | COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SERVING WESTERN VIRGINIA THE COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 2018 | 9 “The Community Solutions Center demonstrates the power of committed partnerships when it comes to solving problems and improving lives.” – Pamela Irvine, President & CEO, Feeding America Southwest Virginia FEEDING AMERICA SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA PSST, HUNGER – how does it feel being one giant step closer to being eliminated? Your days of causing pain to our region’s most vulnerable are numbered now that Feeding America Southwest Virginia’s new Community Solutions Center is up and running! Yes, Hunger, your newest adversary is here. You’re now up against a collaboration among several partners including FASWVA, Roanoke Police, Goodwill Industries of the Valleys and Northwest Roanoke community leaders. The Center will house several program areas including a fresh foods market, an outreach space for Roanoke Police, a community room for meetings and workshops, and perhaps most importantly, a production and training kitchen. The kitchen is being used to prepare up to 500 fresh meals daily for the food bank’s “Café to Grow” children’s food truck. Additionally, the kitchen hosts culinary job training courses, with the expectation to prepare up to 40 students annually for a career in the food industry. So, Hunger, when you try to show your face around the neighborhood, you’re going to have Shaqueena and Charles and Althea and all the rest of the Center’s culinary students and the support of the Community Foundation standing in your way! INDIVIDUALS 7,420 VOLUNTEERED A TOTAL OF 29,250 EVERY DOLLAR DONATED 36,067 INDIVIDUALS ARE HELPS PROVIDE SIX MEALS HOURS LAST YEAR. SERVED MEALS TO A HUNGRY FAMILY. PER MONTH. 10 | COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SERVING WESTERN VIRGINIA Feeding America photos by Kenny Webster Photography. ANNUAL REPORT 2018 | 11 ABOUT US CREATING LEGACIES. GROWING COMMUNITIES. Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia has been providing customized services to donors for decades, connecting their generosity with a broad spectrum of important needs and opportunities within our communities. We exist to help people, with or without great wealth, give in ways that have joy and meaning for them. When you come to the Community Foundation with a dream, we offer a variety of flexible charitable solutions to make it come to life and go on forever. Comprised of more than 300 permanent endowment funds (and growing), the Community Foundation has awarded approximately $46 million in grants to community institutions since our beginning. Each of these grants helps make our nonprofits stronger, touches the lives of many people in very real ways and brings about transformative change that makes our region an even better place to live for all. Service Area WHO WE SERVE We are privileged to work with individuals, families, corporations, private foundations, nonprofits and others who reside in, or are located in, much of western and southwestern Virginia. Please see the map for additional specifics. With respect to grant making, we can award grants anywhere in the country as recommended by donor advisors. 12 | COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SERVING WESTERN VIRGINIA WHAT WE DO GIVING TYPES OF FUNDS Our mission is to enable people who love their Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia community to easily give back. We always want is comprised of many different funds dedicated to to help folks feel good about their charitable purposes our donors define. Here are the primary giving. Whether their passion is arts and culture, options: the environment or helping students reach their educational goals, they have a professional partner UNRESTRICTED FUNDS provide the greatest and steward in the Community Foundation standing flexibility, allowing the Community Foundation to ready to help put that passion into action. respond to the community’s pressing needs through changing time and circumstances. It is simple and easy to establish a Fund with the FIELD-OF-INTEREST FUNDS allow donors to Community Foundation, whether you want to pinpoint support to broad areas of concern, such as create an endowment for a favorite nonprofit or education, the arts, the environment, youth services provide unrestricted support to meet the needs of or geographic areas they choose. the community. A Fund is created with a minimum contribution of $10,000 ($25,000 for scholarships DESIGNATED FUNDS ensure regular, endowed and agency endowment funds). There is no cost to support is provided to specific charitable set up a Fund.