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.