YEAR REVIEW IN Are Charities Moving the Needle?

By Michelle Westberry, Publisher

Ilike leaving the writing up to the writers. But when it comes to charitable causes I care about, I can’t help but insert myself. Each month, Virginia Connector features a different charity in the hope of raising awareness for a different cause or community service.

When I founded Virginia Connector in November 2021, I made a pledge to donate at least a page of free advertising to at least one charity a month. As a youth raised by someone other than my parents, I hold a lot of these charities to heart. By bringing happiness to children and others, and attention to causes that don’t have big marketing dollars, I can give them the attention that they need and deserve.

The magazine’s charitable work has given me incredible joys that have stuck with me. Seeing first-hand what people have had to endure and are able to overcome has made me a better person. But if I’m being totally honest, I have also given to charity out of “enlightened self-interest.” If our community is in decline, if we have higher unemployment and homelessness, and higher youth disconnection, for example, those problems will negatively impact our readers, our economy, and thus our ability as a magazine to survive and thrive.

I am proud to have raised awareness of so many charities in 2023. But as a whole, are we moving the needle on the societal issues that we have written so much about? Are our readers’ checks and fundraisers and volunteer hours really making a difference?

Based on reports produced by the Social Science Research Council, Hampton Roads has dropped from 35,200 disconnected youth in 2015 to 19,800 in 2023. It has taken hundreds of charities and thousands of caring people to accomplish this amazing change. I can say with confidence that your investments are making life better. It all adds up.

In 2023, Virginia Connector featured several charities focused on disconnected youth and women and families in need. One was StandUp for Kids that helps homeless and disconnected youth ages 12-24. Their mission is to end the cycle of youth homelessness by any means necessary. Each year they serve about 1,600 youth with more than 6,000 meals.

Another group was Samaritan House which helps individuals and families free themselves from domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, and homelessness by providing emergency and permanent affordable housing, holistic support services, and community education. Another group, EnJewel, provides equality and justice for women and works to eradicate human trafficking.

The Judeo-Christian Outreach Center, whose October gala I was privileged to attend, is working to eliminate homelessness in Virginia Beach; tackle recidivism; and ensure homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring. Todd Walker, the Executive Director of the JCOC, has implemented evidence-based practices to attain this goal by eliminating barriers to housing.

We as a community need the safety net services that these organizations provide – they catch youth and families when they are down - but we also need services that PREVENT problems like homelessness and unemployment in the first place. Together We Can Foundation’s Smart Transitions program provides disconnected youth the life skills and career skills they need to transition to adult independence and the workforce. When someone has meaningful employment they earn a living wage, get private health insurance so they are connected to the health care system, stay connected to the workforce and community, and gain a sense of pride.

Some charities highlighted in 2023 give us the art, beauty, and community connections that make coastal Virginia so special. Each time I visit Virginia MOCA at the oceanfront, I am reminded that there are some things in life that are so beautiful they are simply too difficult to put into words. MOCA collects, preserves, and interprets the art of our time. The Phillipine Cultural Center of Virginia preserves and perpetuates their beautiful culture and traditions and connects Filipino youth, seniors and families to each other.

Last but certainly not least are charities such as The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society which is dedicated to creating a world without blood cancers. Cancer has touched us all in one way or another. Cancer patients need help, hope and support – and you. We again featured Juneteenth to bring attention to the official date when slavery was abolished throughout the country. We also announced a series of arts and cultural events to celebrate Juneteenth.

We hope you will visit the websites of these charities and consider a gift that is generous for yourself because I know that you want disconnected youth and our community to succeed. Please give online to the charity that most touches your heart. You’d be surprised how far $50 goes.

Standup For Kids, Hampton Roads https://www.standupforkids.org/donate/ MOCA https://virginiamoca.org/

ADR https://alldistrictreads.org/donate/ Leukemia https://donate.lls.org/voy/donate

PCCOV (Philippine Cultural Center of Virginia) philippineculturalcenter.com

JCOC https://jcoc.org/#donate

TWC www.twcfoundation.org

EnJewel https://enjewel.org/donate/ Samaritan House www.samaritanhouseva.org

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