A Suffolk organization, two Suffolk residents and a Suffolk student
were among those honored by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation
this week.
The foundation’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative annually recognizes organizations, individuals and students who have shown a commitment to improving their communities.
Awards ceremony: At the Oct. 14 Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Initiative awards ceremony, Charlie Henderson, the bank’s Hampton Roads president, presented honoree Barbara Mease, executive director of The Children’s Center, with an award of $200,000 in unrestricted funding to support the center’s work.
The Children’s Center, which has five locations that focus on serving children and their families through educational programs and pediatric services, was named one of two 2009 Hampton Roads Neighborhood Builders by the foundation. The other was Chesapeake Service Systems.
The two organizations will receive a $200,000 unrestricted grant. Executive Director Barbara Mease accepted the award on behalf of the Children’s Center. She plans double the money by using it to get matching federal dollars, and likely will use it to expand the Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
“This is just tremendous,” Mease said, noting that most organizations give grants only for a very specific purpose. “Most places that give money give for very specific things.”
The award also comes with free leadership training for the organization’s executive leader, as well as an emerging leader, which Mease said is worth more than the money.
“For most people in the nonprofit sector, training is something that’s very needed,” she said. “Very often, it’s hard to get the funding and the time to do it.”
Charles R. Henderson Jr., market president for Bank of America, said the Children’s Center was one of the top organizations that applied for the grants this year. The applications are reviewed by a committee made up of community leaders and bank associates.
“Their outreach efforts to the very young … have made a significant impact on hundreds of families in Western Tidewater,” Henderson said.