RMHF’s Trustees, staff, and friends would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Janine Lee, the President and CEO of Philanthropy Southeast, who recently passed away. Janine was a committed leader and advocate who leaves behind an extraordinary legacy. She had a profound impact on the philanthropy community in the south and people she dedicated her life to serving.
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Girls For A Change Documentary Spotlight |
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By strategically partnering with grantees, philanthropy can catalyze narrative change, amplify voices often unheard, and foster dialogue to shape a more inclusive and equitable community. Girls For A Change's award-winning documentary Daughters is a perfect example of this kind of transformation.
RMHF has helped fund the important work and operations of Girls For A Change for years. Date With Dad Weekend, their successful program on which the documentary is based, provides an opportunity for daughters to connect with their incarcerated fathers through a fun, in-person event. Fathers and daughters dress up and enjoy different activities, including dinner, dancing, games, and more.
While we’re thrilled by the success of the documentary, both Girls For A Change and RMHF are even more excited about how this attention has provided a platform to raise important issues about incarceration, poverty, family, and community. By elevating these narratives, we can work together to accomplish long-term, systemic changes.
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RWJF Partnership Announcement |
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Now, we are pleased to announce RWJF has funded a second $1 million grant, enabling us to sustain our partners efforts on policy and advocacy level, and engage with new partner organizations like the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. With this additional funding, we will be able to strengthen our connections with local, regional, and statewide networks dedicated to advancing health and racial equity through policy, advocacy, and civic engagement.
We appreciate the trust our partners at RWJF have placed in us as a community leader, and we look forward to additional opportunities to weave our work together strategically for the benefit of communities impacted by structural inequality.
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2024 Teen Summit RVA Recap |
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RMHF was honored to be a sponsor of the 2024 Teen Summitt RVA where 700 high schoolers from across the Greater Richmond Region came together at the Greater Richmond Convention Center as part of the 2024 Teen Summit RVA. Youth from Henrico, Chesterfield, and Richmond City met on Saturday, February 24th to discuss mental health and wellness, tell their stories, and have their voices heard.
You can watch a recap video of the summit here.
This was the second event of its kind, focused on bringing together a diverse group of teens from Central Virginia and empowering them to address the issues they’re confronting in their day-to-day lives. There were vendors, sessions, and experiences where attendees could learn about different topics and ways to get involved in their communities.
Sen. Mark Warner and local elected officials were also in attendance.
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On January 17th, our President & CEO Reginald Gordon spoke at the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy’s (VICPP) 2024 Day for All People. This annual event is VICPP’s advocacy day at the General Assembly, and includes speakers, sessions, trainings, and engagement with legislators.
Reggie shared his story as a child growing up in Richmond’s segregated North Side and the family and community that supported and inspired him. He also discussed sociologist and writer Matthew Desmond’s challenge to become “poverty abolitionists.” Building on this theme, Reggie emphasized the profound, perhaps unexpected challenges those in poverty face, and the opportunities we have as advocates to drive systemic change.
“Our collective, urgent task,” he said, “is to build pathways that will afford all citizens the ability to journey from crisis to thriving.”
You can listen to the Radio IQ story about the 2024 Day for all People, which includes an excerpt from Reggie’s remarks, here.
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