Last Friday night, I had the privilege of attending my first Raise the Region Gala as President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. I woke up this morning feeling both overjoyed by the celebration of philanthropy and deeply inspired by your contributions supporting the Northern Virginia community we all cherish.
The event was a resounding success, with hundreds of guests joining us both in-person and online. Wherever you were, your support was felt, helping us raise more than $730,000 to address the changing needs of our region. We couldn’t have done it without your incredible generosity and commitment.
Michelle Sullivan, Executive Director of All Ages Read Together (AART), truly embodies the organization’s mission. Inspired by her early childhood experiences, Michelle is passionate in providing accessible preschool education across Northern Virginia. Passion is essential to every mission; however, Michelle appreciates that operating a successful organization requires thoughtful long-term planning. That’s why she, alongside the AART Board, established the All Ages Read Together Fund at the Community Foundation.
by Mary Beth Cosentino, FPQP®, Director, Wealth Advisor at Dakota Wealth Management
As a widow without children, I often reflect on my legacy. Have I made a meaningful difference in the world? Will my encouragement or guidance leave a lasting impact on others after I’m gone? For the past twenty years, I’ve been dedicated to helping clients thoughtfully plan how to pass on their assets to the next generation. But what about those without children or family? Have we considered how to create a legacy for them?
The Community Foundation’s Manager of Marketing, Communications, and Events, Amanda Bomfim, recently spoke with Sumeet Shrivastava, President and CEO of Unissant, about his recognition as the 2023 Community Leadership Award honoree. Sumeet possesses great humility and grace; indeed, when he learned he would be the 2023 Raise the Region Gala’s honoree, he was blown away. “It’s not something you expect,” he told Amanda.
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and it is a great time to spotlight the Yolonda Pajot Memorial Fund for Ovarian Cancer, a Donor Advised Fund.
by Jason Howell, CFP®, CPWA®, CSRIC® , President and Family Wealth Adviser at Jason Howell Company
As hard as it is to believe, the end of 2024 is fast approaching! After Labor Day, time moves quickly. It can be hard to juggle calendars to accommodate busy clients who need assistance with year-end tax and estate planning matters.
The Community Foundation helps you and your clients stay on track by sharing important reminders for year-end charitable planning, including these need-to-know items:
Recently, the Community Foundation’s Renée Byng Yancey, Sari Raskin, Jennifer Cochran, Gaby Webster, and Amanda Bomfim visited Boxes of Basics, a local nonprofit that provides schoolchildren in need with clothing. Our team met program manager Sally Crockett and Founder/Executive Director Sarah Tyndall to learn more about their critical work and the inspiration behind it.
Recently, the Executive Director of the Family Counseling Center of Greater Washington (FCCGW), Chun-Shin Taylor, PhD, welcomed Sari Raskin and Amanda Bomfim of the Community Foundation to FCCGW’s office and counseling space. Their conversation was a wonderful teaching moment for Sari and Amanda, as the two learned more about past and present Korean-American culture and the client services FCCGW offers.
Each year, thousands of individual donors passionately support causes close to their hearts through the Community Foundation. Although we may never meet some of those individuals, we know how much of an impact they can make. For instance, we recently received an anonymous gift that pushed our Environment Fund past the $1 million endowment mark. This is the first issue area focused fund to reach this milestone! Given that such funding enables critical opportunities for our region, we are ecstatic over this milestone and the generosity required to reach it.
Mary-Carson Stiff, Executive Director of Wetlands Watch, presented “The Escalating Climate Change Impacts Throughout Virginia: How the Philanthropic Sector is Responding, and What You Can Do To Help” on the afternoon of August 21. Participants gathered over Zoom to learn about the growing climate concerns Virginians face in the years ahead.