by Nicole Acosta | Sep 30, 2020 | Uncategorized
This week, Loudoun Serenity House opened its new sober living facility for women, located in Leesburg. Loudoun Serenity House was founded by local community member Melissa Hinton, who identified a need for a sober living home in Loudoun County that served women. While there are sober living homes for men in Loudoun, the county had yet to open a similar program for women. You can learn more about Melissa’s journey in a recent article by the Loudoun Times-Mirror. Over the last two years, Melissa and a dedicated group of volunteers worked with the Community Foundation to make Melissa’s vision become reality. The Community Foundation, recognizing the need that this program would meet in Loudoun, served as fiscal sponsor to Loudoun Serenity House and provided guidance as Melissa and volunteers put the pieces in place to form a nonprofit, raise start-up funds, and find the right property to open the sober living facility. After months of planning and hard work, Loudoun Serenity House has now formed its own organization and has opened Loudoun’s first and only sober living house for women. To learn more about Loudoun Serenity House’s mission and how you can help, visit:...
by Nicole Acosta | Sep 17, 2020 | Uncategorized
Date: Friday, September 25, 2020 (with second workshop on Thursday, October 1) Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (both dates) Location: Online webinar Registration Link ($15 for Loudoun Chamber members, $25 for nonmembers)This two-session workshop will introduce how to create a successful communications plan, will give you tools to do your own, and will provide time in the second session for you to get an expert review of your individual strategy, plan and messages. After this workshop you will: Know how to build a communications plan that stimulates engagement and gets results. Understand the difference between a Mission and Vision plan. Know the importance of a strong and consistent brand. Know effective techniques to make “the ask” that drives donations. Know what the press wants to hear about what you’re doing as an organization and how to get the press to spread your story (for free!). Join us for both sessions to be entered into a raffle for a one-hour, one-on-one assessment of your organization’s communications plan (a $3,000 value). NOTE: This event is a part of a series. The second workshop is on Thursday, October 1st from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. You will be automatically registered. About the Presenters Deb Haynes Swider: Chief Strategist, Loud & Clear Marketing, LLC Deb has always been a collector of stories – whether reading, writing, or listening to them.Turning the love of storytelling into a career, Deb has helped tell the story of companies across the United States, trade associations in the DC metro area, non-profit organizations who are changing the world, and politicians who often hang around longer than they should. Sharon L. Wright: Owner and...
by Nicole Acosta | Sep 17, 2020 | Uncategorized
The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties is now accepting applications to be considered for a new grant opportunity, the Giving Tuesday Matching Challenge. As part of its COVID-19 relief efforts, the Community Foundation offers the Giving Tuesday Matching Challenge opportunity to five human services nonprofits that are members of the Loudoun Human Services Network. Funding for the Giving Tuesday Matching Challenge is provided through donations made to the Community Foundation’s Community Emergency Relief Fund. The Community Emergency Relief Fund was established in March 2020 to accept and strategically disburse funding to address COVID-19 emergency response and relief efforts in Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties. The Community Foundation will select five human services nonprofits that can demonstrate significant hardship due to COVID-19 to participate in the Giving Tuesday Matching Challenge. As many organizations have lost revenue during the pandemic due to cancelled fundraisers, reduced fees for services, or funders changing grant priorities, the Giving Tuesday Matching Challenge is designed to help catalyze fundraising efforts for nonprofits and energize their donors to support their work during this difficult time. Selected organizations will commit to raising at least $5,000 during Giving Tuesday, and in return, the Community Foundation will grant up to $5,000 in general support funding per organization matched from the Community Emergency Relief Fund. Giving Tuesday is a nationally recognized day of giving to nonprofits, and takes place this year on December 1, 2020. Selected nonprofits will coordinate their own fundraising campaigns to meet the minimum $5,000 fundraising challenge. Donations received by the selected nonprofits between Tuesday, November 24 and Tuesday, December 8, 2020 may count towards the minimum $5,000 fundraising...
by Nicole Acosta | Aug 31, 2020 | Uncategorized
The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties and the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia have partnered to offer grant opportunities to qualifying organizations serving Loudoun County through the Loudoun Impact Fund. The Loudoun Impact Fund is a giving circle of caring donors, each making gifts of $1,000 (per person) or $5,000 (per foundation or corporation) to the Fund. Gifts are pooled together to leverage funding and offer grants with impact, here at home. Some members may be new to grantmaking and look forward to learning more about programs, needs, and solutions in Loudoun County. Grantmaking Priorities The Loudoun Impact Fund grant advisors will consider applications to fund services and projects that positively impact vulnerable or at-risk children and youth in Loudoun County. Proposed projects should address one or more of the following: Basic needs support for low-income, vulnerable, or at-risk children or youth, including food, shelter, and housing; Physical and behavioral health and wellness for low-income, vulnerable, or at-risk children and youth; Trauma-informed services for low-income, vulnerable, or at-risk children and youth addressing and preventing family violence and/or child abuse; Academic and school-readiness support for low-income, vulnerable, or at-risk children and youth; Programs providing high-quality child care for low-income, vulnerable, or at-risk children and youth; Programs providing life-skills and training to low-income, vulnerable, or at-risk children and youth; Youth development and leadership opportunities low-income, vulnerable, or at-risk children or youth. Priority may be given to organizations/programs that: Can demonstrate significant hardship or increased demand for services due to COVID-19, or; Provide services directly to populations that may be disproportionally impacted, physically or financially, by COVID-19. Organizations may...
by Nicole Acosta | Aug 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties and its newly formed Loudoun Community Cabinet announced the recipients of an inaugural grant cycle awarding three Loudoun-based nonprofits $160,000 in COVID-19 relief funding. The Loudoun Community Cabinet was established with seed funding from Claude Moore Charitable Foundation in late 2019 through efforts of its executive director J. Lambert who helped to connect with local philanthropic investors to join the Cabinet, each who made a personal gift of $100,000. As Loudoun’s charitable giving rates historically trend lower than national and state averages, the Cabinet aimed to take that challenge head on through high-impact giving and grant making. “Members of the Loudoun Community Cabinet are dedicated to collaborative approaches to building public-private partnerships in Loudoun County to address unmet human service needs, improving the culture of Loudoun’s philanthropy, and strengthening nonprofit service delivery,” said Dr. William Hazel, chair of the Cabinet. Hazel joined the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation as senior deputy executive director in March 2020, and previously served eight years as Virginia’s Secretary of Health and Human Resources, overseeing 11 state agencies under Governors Bob McDonnell and Terry McAuliffe as well as serving as the Senior Advisor for Innovation for George Mason University’s Office of the Provost. “This is a distinguished group of philanthropists committed to effective, strategic philanthropy in Loudoun,” said Hazel. “These are people who care deeply about Loudoun and are willing to invest here in their own backyard.” Concerned about possible nonprofit closures and program disruptions among Loudoun’s safety-net organizations, the Community Foundation released the Cabinet’s first Request for Proposals in July to Loudoun-based human service nonprofits...
by Nicole Acosta | Aug 27, 2020 | Uncategorized
Recently four northern Virginia health care organizations have launched a public service campaign featuring the hashtag #MaskUpNOVA to encourage area residents to wear face masks in public. HCA Northern Virginia, Inova Health System, Novant Health UVA Health System and Virginia Hospital Center teamed up to distribute print, digital and social media public-service announcements stressing the importance of wearing face masks to inhibit the spread of COVID-19. In a recent statement released by the organizations, they encourage the community to continue wearing face coverings so that we can reduce the transmission of the virus and save lives: We are in this together. It doesn’t matter your political affiliation, what you do for a living, who you work for, where you live, or how much money you have. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all fighting the same battle—to protect one another and ourselves from a virus for which there is not yet a vaccine or a cure. The best possible weapon in stopping this invisible threat are simple steps we can all take. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Keep a physical distance. By wearing a mask, you significantly reduce the risk of spreading the virus if you have it–with or without symptoms–and of contracting a virus which continues to put our loved ones, friends, neighbors and coworkers in hospitals, on ventilators, and in some cases fighting for their lives. Science has proven that masks are effective in slowing the transmission of the virus. In communities where mask adoption has been embraced, statistics show a reduction in death and infection. In Northern Virginia, we are succeeding, which is one of...
by Nicole Acosta | Aug 26, 2020 | Uncategorized
Today we announce $21,200 in scholarships awarded from our five scholarship funds to seven local students pursuing high education and vocational training. Each year, the Community Foundation offers scholarship opportunities from its various scholarship funds that have been established by local donors. Each scholarship fund supports a unique area of focus related to education or vocational training, as designated by the donor. “Our donors make these scholarship opportunities possible for students pursuing higher education and new career opportunities,” said Amy Owen, President and CEO of the Community Foundation. “In many cases, our scholarship funds are a way for a donor or their loved ones to leave a legacy behind that will have a tremendous impact on the future of the recipients for years to come.” The following students were awarded scholarships in 2020: Michaela Greenlee, graduate of Potomac Falls High School, will attend New York University in New York, NY, to pursue a future degree pediatric medicine. Greenlee was awarded $2,500 from the Gavin Rupp “I Promise 15” Scholarship Fund, which was established in honor of Gavin Rupp to support students pursuing a career in the health sciences field with an interest in pediatric oncology. Alex Young, graduate of Loudoun County High School, will attend Tulsa Welding School in Jacksonville, FL, to become a professional welder. Young was awarded $1,200 from the Blair and Mike Pirrello Vocational Scholarship Fund, which was established to support individuals pursuing trade careers through vocational training. Omotara Ogundeyi, a volunteer with the Loudoun Free Clinic, holds an undergraduate degree in Microbiology from Virginia Tech and Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University, and...
by Nicole Acosta | Aug 11, 2020 | Uncategorized
Join us for the next segment of our recently launched Racial Equity Framework: Allyship. What does it mean to be effective allies? This intensive, fast-paced virtual training is designed to explore how to use individual and collective areas of privilege to advance racial justice. Using Service Never Sleep’s CLAIM framework (Care, Learn, Act, Influence, Maintain), this workshop will explore what it means to adopt an Allyship lifestyle. If you seek to promote racial equity in your life and work, this workshop will equip you with tools to be an active ally through methods of centering Black, Indigenous, and People of Color with an intersectional lens, influencing others, and continuing your own self-work journey. You’ll leave this workshop committed to the Allyship lifestyle, and prepared to facilitate change in all of your spaces. Eligibility Due to limited availability, this set of Allyship workshops are only available to 1) staff, Board members, or volunteers of nonprofit organizations serving Loudoun County, or 2) employees of Loudoun County Government. Dates and Registration Participant fee is $45 (plus processing fees) per person. The Allyship workshops will be delivered via Zoom. Participants select one of the following: September 9 & 10 (9:00-11:30 a.m. both days) Registration Link: https://allyshipseptember9and10.eventbrite.com September 21 & 22 (1:00-3:30 p.m. both days) Registration Link: https://allyshipseptember21and22.eventbrite.com October 6 & 7 (9:00-11:30 a.m. both days) Registration Link: https://allyshipoctober6and7.eventbrite.com About the Presenter Whitney Parnell is a Black millennial activist, singer, and the Founder and CEO of Service Never Sleeps, a nonprofit that empowers individuals and communities to catalyze social justice through service and Allyship. Her movement work involves equipping effective allies through truth-telling, bridgebuilding,...
