JUNE 30, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judi Luffman 757.397.5424 luffmanj@thepcf.org

Portsmouth Foundations Award $216,000 in Scholarships

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (June 24, 2010) – Beazley Foundation and The Portsmouth Community Foundation celebrated the accomplishments of nearly 100 local high school and college students from Hampton Roads at Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country Club in Portsmouth on Wednesday, June 23. Portsmouth scholars received 85 of the scholarships, Chesapeake 8, Virginia Beach 3, and Suffolk 2. Students from Hampton, Norfolk, Camden North Carolina, and Gloucester also received a scholarship.

The donors who funded the scholarships were joined by the scholars, parents, grandparents, and brothers and sisters. Nearly 150 attended the event. Many students knew each other, made new friends, and discussed the colleges and universities they will be attending.

Each scholarship fund has its own focus, from the Calder S. Sherwood, III Scholarship for Portsmouth high school seniors attending a Virginia college or university, to the Mike Moreland Humanitarian Rotary Scholarship for students who have demonstrated extraordinary humanitarian efforts, to the Josef D. Collins Memorial Scholarship for I. C. Norcom High School seniors in memory of young Collins who died in April 2004.

The following were first-time scholarships for The Portsmouth Community Foundation: The George F. Bogdan Memorial Scholarship for dependents of District Five Virginia State Troopers, the Thelma J. Murray Memorial Scholarship for Cavalier Manor residents attending I.C. Norcom High School and Morningstar Baptist Church, and the YMCA of Portsmouth College Scholarship for YMCA members and employees.

“Being raised by my grandparents is a vast honor. I cannot find the words to express my gratitude”, said Jasmine Jackson. About two-thirds of the scholars were from traditional two-parent households. “My mother would work three jobs if that's what it took for me to go to college”, said Lauren McSwain, a sentiment understood and appreciated by everyone.

The Portsmouth Community Foundation and The Heron Foundation recently announced plans to merge and create The Southeast Virginia Community Foundation by July 1. To learn more, visit www.thepcf.org # # #

The Portsmouth Community Foundation 2010 Scholars:

FRONT ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: (seated: Jesseth Baul, Jasmine Jackson, Charmaine Brawner, Charnae Clark, Brittany Davis, Taylor Wolf), (standing: Shaquilla Wright)

MIDDLE ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: Jasmine Grant, Crystal Hall, Matthew Barker, Eric Rife, Clayborne Cook, Ashley King, Kyle Fletcher, Monica Wilson, Alecia Stancil, Paula Yoakum

BACK ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: Aslyn Blohm, Nicholas Epperson, Brian Wells, Edward Parker, Byron Hayes, Andrew Webb III, Matathew Schmit, Warren Harris II

NOT PICTURED: Leann Burton, Jasmin Howard, Shenaie McCoy, Sylvia Carr, Alliannah Hamilton, Asia McDonald, Allison Munter, Lauren Pillow, Charles Desper, Megan Shandelson, Monica Wilson

The Beazley Foundation 2010 Scholars:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts:

Cheryl Robinson

757.636.3954

crobinson@crt-tanaka.com

Foundations Merge to Expand Resources for the Region’s Underserved New Organization To Meet Needs of Portsmouth, Chesapeake

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (May 15, 2010) – A newly formed organization that will serve as the collaborative and collective voice of philanthropic and community engagement in southeast Virginia was formally introduced yesterday at a fundraising event in Chesapeake. The Southeast Virginia Community Foundation, a merger of The Portsmouth Community Foundation (PCF) and The Heron Foundation (HF), is a collaborative, regional, non-profit community organization committed to helping the people of southeast Virginia make a positive impact on their communities.

“This is a time of tremendous excitement and opportunity for non-profits in the region,” said Cliff Hayes. “The Southeast Virginia Community Foundation now will help unify civic engagement efforts in both Chesapeake and Portsmouth, elevating the profile of everyday philanthropy in the entire region and bringing much needed resources to the Chesapeake community as a result.”

The Southeast Virginia Community Foundation will focus on connecting people who care with causes large and small to benefit the communities it serves through the support of high-impact philanthropy, service and community involvement, leveraging the expertise of the legacy Portsmouth Community Foundation and the civic engagement efforts of the legacy Heron Foundation.

“Merging with The Portsmouth Community Foundation to create a larger organization was a natural next step for us,” said Steve Johnson, president of The Heron Foundation. “By merging its assets and expertise with our focus on civic engagement, community service and geographic reach into Chesapeake, we will be able to double the service area of the legacy organizations and offer resources and support to more than 1,000 non-profit organizations.”

Judi Luffman will become executive director of the new foundation. Luffman joined PCF in 2001 as executive director. She is a member of the board of directors of the Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council and Hampton Roads Gift Planning Council. Gloria Creecy, current president of The Portsmouth Community Foundation Board of Directors, will serve as president of the new foundation.

“The Southeast Virginia Community Foundation will help to ensure the needs of our region’s most vulnerable citizens are met for many years to come, as well as provide opportunities for the citizens of southeast Virginia to contribute their time and resources in ways that will have a meaningful impact on our community,” said Judge Richard S. Bray, president and chief executive officer, The Beazley Foundation. “The diversity of experience and representation from both cities ensures the Foundation’s efforts will be smart, strategic, inclusive and effective.”

The merger will be formally completed on July 1, 2010.

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THE SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

J. Robert Bray

Patrick S. Callahan

Paige D. Cherry

Donald W. Comer, Jr.

Ray A. Connor

Patrick E. Corbin

Gloria M. Creecy

Timothy S. Culpepper

Amy W. Folkes

Joshua C. Gerloff

Dan E.Grubb

Carl L. Hardee

Clifton E. Hayes

Hedy Hekler

Louis H. Hibbitts, Jr.

Stephens L. Johnson

David R. Kenerson, jr.

Melvin O. Marriner

William H. Oast, III

Richard E. Phillips

Patrick L. Reynolds

Susan G. Robertson

J. Howard Rodman, Jr.

Philip M. Rudisill

David W. Stockmeier

Emil A. Viola

Richard E. H. Wentz

Robert T. Williams

Thomas E. Wood

Kenneth W. Wren, Sr.

Mission Statement: Connecting people who care with causes large and small to benefit the communities we serve.

PORTSMOUTH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION launches - Reunification Program

This program can remove obstacles to getting to where help is waiting for some living in Portsmouth shelters.

Family or friends offering housing and support will be verified before funds are used to secure transportation.

We believe that if we help these people reach a stable environment, we will be conserving resources to take care of the people that remain in Portsmouth. We will be maximizing the investment in restoring families.

If you would like to support this program, send your donation to The Portsmouth Community Foundation, 360 Crawford Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704.

Edmarc Hospice for Children recently held its annual Day of Remembrance ceremony. This is such a special day for the families of children that have lost their battle with a terminal disease. This year's ceremony was the most attended ever. Eighteen children were honored for the first time at this year's ceremony. That's 18 new families grieving. Please take the time to read this poem in honor of the mothers of these special children.

The Portsmouth Community Foundation changes lives every day thanks to our caring and generous donors and those that knew there would be needs that need our attention and made a bequest to address those needs well into the future.

Did you know that during an economic crisis, such as we are experiencing now, domestic violence increases? The Help and Emergency Response Shelter has seen a steady increase in the number of people requesting their services. The shelter capacity is 42 beds, and they have been at or very near capacity for the last several months. They have seen an increase in requests from women over the age of 55 and from military families. The HER Shelter anticipates a decrease in funding from the government (44% of their income), United Way of South Hampton Roads (24% of their income), as well as funding from the general public (17% of their income).

PORTSMOUTH FOUNDATION ELECTION AND APPOINTMENTS UNDERSCORE TRADITION OF INTERGENERATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Portsmouth, VA -- The Portsmouth Community Foundation, at its recent annual meeting, elected Thomas E. Wood as vice president and J. Howard Rodman Jr. as treasurer, and appointed five new board members: Hedy Hekler, Susan G. Robertson, William H. Oast III, Paige D. Cherry, and Richard E.H. Wentz.

The leaders include the grandson of a former First Citizen of Portsmouth and the son of another. "This is a valued tradition in Portsmouth, the passing of community leadership from one generation to another," said Judi Luffman, the foundation's executive director. "It's one of the strengths of our city and also of The Portsmouth Community Foundation."

The annual meeting was held Wednesday, February 25, 2009.

"I am so excited to be serving my hometown that means so much to my family," said Rodman. The Portsmouth native is the son of Juddy Rodman, owner of the popular Rodman's Barbecue, and grandson of the late J. Roy Rodman, the restaurant’s founder and Portsmouth First Citizen of 1954.

The younger Rodman, who served on the foundation's investment committee in 2008 is the vice president for wealth management at Smith Barney in Virginia Beach.

Wentz, executive director of Portsmouth YMCA, is the son of the 1980 Portsmouth First Citizen, the late Robert William Wentz Jr. The late Wentz was president of Virginia Federal Savings and Loan, served on Portsmouth City Council, and served as Vice Mayor of Portsmouth City Council in the mid-1970’s. The younger Wentz is a Portsmouth native and a former teacher.

The Portsmouth Community Foundation, established in 1965, also is known for tapping the ranks of the city's emerging generations of leaders.

Cherry, deputy chief of staff for resource management at Fort Monroe, has served Portsmouth in several capacities, including as chairman of the Planning Commission and as a member of the Craney Island Study Commission.

Wood is a Portsmouth native, resident of Virginia Beach, and vice president, Landmark Communications.

Hekler is a Chesapeake resident and active philanthropist continuing her parents’ legacy of giving back and strong believers in giving through a community foundation. Her parents established a donor advised fund at a community foundation in Greensboro, North Carolina. Their estate plans included division of the donor advised fund among the three children, but each had to establish a donor advised fund at a community foundation of their choice. Hekler, having interviewed several community foundations, chose The Portsmouth Community Foundation for its personal touch and sense of community.

Robertson, a retired elementary school teacher and lifelong community volunteer, served on the foundation's grants committee for three years.

Oast is a Portsmouth attorney specializing in elder law and an active leader in the Portsmouth community. The Oast family is also well known for community volunteerism.

PORTSMOUTH FOUNDATION ELECTION AND APPOINTMENTS UNDERSCORE TRADITION OF INTERGENERATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Portsmouth, VA -- The Portsmouth Community Foundation, at its recent annual meeting, elected Thomas E. Wood as vice president and J. Howard Rodman Jr. as treasurer, and appointed five new board members: Hedy Hekler, Susan G. Robertson, William H. Oast III, Paige D. Cherry, and Richard E.H. Wentz.

The leaders include the grandson of a former First Citizen of Portsmouth and the son of another. "This is a valued tradition in Portsmouth, the passing of community leadership from one generation to another," said Judi Luffman, the foundation's executive director. "It's one of the strengths of our city and also of The Portsmouth Community Foundation."

The annual meeting was held Wednesday, February 25, 2009.

"I am so excited to be serving my hometown that means so much to my family," said Rodman. The Portsmouth native is the son of Juddy Rodman, owner of the popular Rodman's Barbecue, and grandson of the late J. Roy Rodman, the restaurant’s founder and Portsmouth First Citizen of 1954.

The younger Rodman, who served on the foundation's investment committee in 2008 is the vice president for wealth management at Smith Barney in Virginia Beach.

Wentz, executive director of Portsmouth YMCA, is the son of the 1980 Portsmouth First Citizen, the late Robert William Wentz Jr. The late Wentz was president of Virginia Federal Savings and Loan, served on Portsmouth City Council, and served as Vice Mayor of Portsmouth City Council in the mid-1970’s. The younger Wentz is a Portsmouth native and a former teacher.

The Portsmouth Community Foundation, established in 1965, also is known for tapping the ranks of the city's emerging generations of leaders.

Cherry, deputy chief of staff for resource management at Fort Monroe, has served Portsmouth in several capacities, including as chairman of the Planning Commission and as a member of the Craney Island Study Commission.

Wood is a Portsmouth native, resident of Virginia Beach, and vice president, Landmark Communications.

Hekler is a Chesapeake resident and active philanthropist continuing her parents’ legacy of giving back and strong believers in giving through a community foundation. Her parents established a donor advised fund at a community foundation in Greensboro, North Carolina. Their estate plans included division of the donor advised fund among the three children, but each had to establish a donor advised fund at a community foundation of their choice. Hekler, having interviewed several community foundations, chose The Portsmouth Community Foundation for its personal touch and sense of community.

Robertson, a retired elementary school teacher and lifelong community volunteer, served on the foundation's grants committee for three years.

Oast is a Portsmouth attorney specializing in elder law and an active leader in the Portsmouth community. The Oast family is also well known for community volunteerism.

The Portsmouth First Citizen banquet, honoring Albert J. Taylor, Jr., is scheduled for Monday, April 27, 2009, 6:30 p.m., Portsmouth Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center. Call 397-5424 for reservations ($150 per person)

Grant proposal deadlines for 2010 are March 15 and September 15. If you would like to submit a grant proposal, please call Judi Luffman, Executive Director, at 397-5424 to discuss your intentions - PRIOR TO SUBMITTING YOUR PROPOSAL. Grant guidelines, the grant application, and outcome measures guidance is available on the website under GRANTS.