Local nonprofits can use your time and money all year long, but let’s face it, all of us tend to feel a little more charitable during the holidays.
To find out what gifts would mean the most, Style Weekly asked Richmond-area nonprofits to give you some ideas. We had help from Connect Richmond (www.connectrichmond.org) — a local online resource that offers nonprofit information, community data, volunteer needs, nonprofit job postings, events and more.
After Connect Richmond sent out the word, the wishes rolled in. Below you’ll find gifts ranging from two bucks to $1 million, organized by interest area. Maybe you’ll even have an item or service on hand — and it just needs a home. As always, it’s a good idea to check up on any organization you’re unfamiliar with at the Better Business Bureau www.richmond.bbb.org or 648-0016
Find a gift that means something to you, and get giving.
CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Nonprofit: St. Joseph’s Villa’s Career Readiness Program matches qualified youth with area employers willing to give a break to a child who is trying to find a future.
Gift pick: An entry-level job.
Price: No money, but some love and effort required.
Contact: 553-3224.
Web site: www.NeverStopBelieving.org
Nonprofit: Children’s Hospital of Richmond is a resource and provider of specialized medical and therapeutic services customized to meet the specific needs of children and their families.
Gift pick: Gift cards for area attractions such as museums, movies, bowling, Chuck E. Cheese or the Richmond Metro Zoo will assist our recreation therapists in taking patients on community outings.
Price: $5 and up
Contact: 321-7474, ext. 6077
Web site: www.childrenshosp-richmond.org
Nonprofit: Gentlemen of Swansboro is a boys’ club at Swansboro Elementary School in inner-city Richmond. The mission is to educate 4th- and 5th-grade boys in life skills and etiquette.
Gift pick: White dress shirt and necktie for each of the 45 boys.
Price: Shirt, $10; tie, $8
Contact: 780-5030
Nonprofit: Open Doors Learning Center provides free tutoring for youth ages 8-18 in Richmond and surrounding areas.
Gift pick: Gas cards, gift certificates, movie tickets and gift cards. These items are used for fundraisers, and proceeds will help us continue to provide free tutoring to youth in the community.
Price: $10-$20
Contact: 432-4259
Web site: www.opendoorslearningcenter.org
Nonprofit: Blue Sky Fund provides transformational experiences for urban youth through outdoor education, in summer camp or after-school programs.
Gift pick: Summer camp experience to a deserving at-risk child for $350, or help our year-round programming with some camping equipment (specific needs: head lamps, 8 at $20 each; child-sized backpacks, 5 for $80).
Price: $20-$350
Contact: 938-9961
Web site: www.blueskyfund.org
Nonprofit: Children, Incorporated is a child sponsorship organization that provides underprivileged children in the United States (including Richmond) and around the world with basic necessities such as food, clothing, health care and education.
Gift pick: Provide a child with much-needed warm clothing this winter.
Price: Jacket, $35; scarf/hat/gloves set, $12; undergarments, $10
Contact: 359-4562
Web site: www.childrenincorporated.org
Nonprofit: Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center is a speech/language/hearing clinic for children. Our mission is to provide testing and treatment for children with fees based on family’s ability to pay.
Gift pick: Social skills video, teaching manners for the real world and basic social skills, or a student chair to be used during therapy.
Price: Social skills video, $35.60; chair $200-$250
Contact: 266-6699
Web site: www.childspeech.org
Nonprofit: Church Hill Activities and Tutoring (CHAT) provides after-school tutoring, health and wellness activities, life skills training and job-readiness/internship programs to at-risk youth within the city of Richmond.
Gift pick: A tank of gas for our 15-passenger buses used for transporting children to and from CHAT programs.
Price: $75
Contact: 591-8977
Web site: www.chatrichmond.org
Nonprofit: FRIENDS Association for Children is Richmond’s leading edge nonprofit child and family services agency, serving Richmond families since 1871.
Gift pick: Help purchase musical instruments for private lessons, offered free to children participating in the FRIENDS Music Education Program.
Price: $75
Contact: 644-2357
Web site: www.friendsassn.org
Nonprofit: Easter Seals Virginia provides opportunities for Richmond youth with and without disabilities to participate in service-learning projects in the community.
Gift pick: Sponsor a service-learning project.
Price: $150
Contact: 287-1007
Web site: www.va.easterseals.com
Nonprofit: Children’s Health Involving Parents, or CHIP of Greater Richmond, is a home-visiting agency that works in partnership with parents to improve the health and well-being of their children.
Gift pick: If you cannot afford to sponsor a CHIP family ($5,000 for a year of comprehensive services), consider purchasing education materials (booklets) from the Channing Bete Company or a video camera package (editing software included) to document home visits.
Price: $1.50-$3 for booklets; $900 for camera
Contact: 233-2850
Web site: www.chipofrichmond.org
Nonprofit: Coordinators2inc – The Lifetime Adoption Resource provides a full range of placement and support services to anyone considering or already touched by adoption. Our Waiting Child program seeks to find families for children waiting in foster care for a permanent family to call their own.
Gift pick: Defray the cost of bringing together, once a month, a sibling group of six children (ages 5-15) who once lived together and are now in three different foster homes while they wait for an adoptive family to adopt all six and keep them together.
Price: $1,200 for six months, or one month for $200
Contact: 354-1881
Web site: www.c2adopt.org
Nonprofit: Chesterfield Head Start serves low-income 3- and 4-year-old children and their families. The program provides a comprehensive preschool education, health screenings, nutrition services, family activities, parent education, community partnerships and disability services.
Gift pick: Digital camera for Family Service Team activities
Price: $250
Contact: 743-3699
Nonprofit: Elijah House Academy provides moral training and a quality education in a protected environment for disadvantaged children in the city of Richmond.
Gift pick: If you can’t afford a full child sponsorship for the school year ($4,500), you can purchase uniforms for the academy’s new girls’ basketball team.
Price: $300
Contact: 755-7051
Web site: www.elijahhouseacademy.com
Nonprofit: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Western Virginia grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.
Gift pick: If you can’t afford to sponsor an entire wish ($6,000), how about an airplane ticket for a child’s wish trip?
Price: $400 or your unused frequent flier miles
Contact: 217-WISH (9474)
Web site: www.wish.org
Nonprofit: Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club provides an opportunity for our young people and our community to develop healthy life skills and team skills through active participation in the beautiful game of soccer.
Gift pick: Shinguards
Price: $500 for 50 shinguards
Contact: 644-5425, ext. 313.
Web site: www. richmondkickers.com
Nonprofit: The Youth Life Foundation of Richmond (official affiliate of the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation) operates after-school learning centers for children in Richmond’s at-risk communities. The foundation currently works in the Glen Lea area and soon will be in Highland Park.
Gift pick: Dell laptop computer with printer for new executive director.
Price: $1,200
Contact: 266-1616
Web site: www.yflr.org
Nonprofit: The mission of the VCU Health Systems Childcare Center is to provide services to families for child care and elder care. We provide a safe and healthy environment to support those relationships.
Gift pick: A wheelchair scooter (new or used) for non-mobile elder-care participants ($5,000) or landscaping services for our playground area ($2,000).
Price: $2,000
Contact: 828-6291
Web site: www.vcuhealthsystems.org
Nonprofit: The Faces of Hope’s vision is to educate children and their families about healthy options and encourage personal empowerment, in order to make significant strides toward preventing and fighting childhood obesity.
Gift pick: Sponsor a child in our 12-week pilot project, which includes a personal fitness trainer and nutritionist who will work with the child to set goals and implement a custom plan in their home ($3,000). We also need POLAR TriFit software, heart-rate monitors and training on the effective use of the system.
Price: $3,000-$3,500
Contact: 218-5575
Web site: www.thefacesofhope.org
Nonprofit: St. Joseph’s Villa’s Respite Service provides weekend care for children with severe developmental disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy and mental retardation.
Gift pick: A weekend to families who have not yet received Medicaid support and cannot afford to pay for the service on their own.
Price: $530 (contributions in smaller amounts also may be made to the Weekend Respite Scholarship Fund).
Contact: 261-6143
Web site: www.NeverStopBelieving.org
Nonprofit: Virginia Child Care Resource and Referral Network helps locate child care to meet the needs of working parents and works to improve the availability, affordability and quality of child care throughout Virginia.
Gift pick: A computer to support a small network as a dedicated server.
Price: $1,000
Contact: 285-0846
Web site: www.vaccrrn.org
Nonprofit: Commonwealth Catholic Charities – Refugee Unaccompanied Minor Foster Care Program. These refugee children fled their home countries because of wars or fear of persecution. They came to the United States without their parents. In some cases, their parents were killed in the war. We would like to make this a special Christmas for these children.
Gift pick: Stocking stuffers: Radio alarm clocks, hand-held calculators, cameras, CDs, CD players, international phone cards, boys’ and girls’ watches, soccer balls, basketballs, hand lotion gift sets, wallets for boys and handbags for girls.
Price: $1,000
Contact: 545-5949
Web site: www.cccofva.org
Nonprofit: ART 180 gives young people in challenging circumstances the chance to express themselves through art and to share their stories with others.
Gift pick: Intel processor iMac or MacBook to improve operations.
Price: $1,200+
Contact: 233-4180
Web site: www.art180.org
Nonprofit: One of the oldest nonprofits in Richmond, FRIENDS Association for Children has been serving Richmond’s children and families since 1871 through child care and family support services.
Gift pick: Musical instruments for a new music program.
Price: $2,000
Contact: 644-2357
Web site: www.friendsassn.org
Nonprofit: Miracle League of Richmond Virginia provides opportunities for children with disabilities to play Miracle League baseball, regardless of their abilities.
Gift pick: Equipment shed.
Price: $3,000
Contact: 229-4966
Web site: www.miracleleagueofrichmond.com
Nonprofit: Uganda Rural Fund, USA is an international and grassroots community-based organization. We want to bring people together to join our efforts in ensuring that AIDS orphans, needy children and marginalized communities (especially those affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic) are empowered and reintegrated into society as we develop and maintain thriving, productive, and sustainable communities.
Gift pick: Roof for orphans’ vocational school; install windows, doors, floor and furniture. You can visit Web site to see individual orphans’ wish list.
Price: Tin roof ($30 one piece or $6,000 total); windows ($170 a window or $3,000 all); doors ($150 a door or $2,500 all), floor ($7,000).
Contact: 708-5052 or jmlugemwa@ugandaruralfund.org
Web site: www.ugandaruralfund.org
Nonprofit: Virginia21 is the country’s first generational advocacy organization for young people. Our members work as one voice to ensure a strong education system, a variety of good jobs in our communities and an open political process in the commonwealth.
Gift pick: Virginia21 conducts a Summer Leadership Retreat for college students to educate them about the Virginia political process and help them take a leadership role in Virginia’s future.
Price: Full cost of retreat: $4,500. To sponsor attendees from a specific college or university: $250.
Contact: 212-8721
Web site: www.virginia21.org
Nonprofit: ART 180 gives young people in challenging circumstances the chance to express themselves through art and to share their stories with others.
Gift pick: LaCie two-disk RAID external drive, because backup is essential.
Price: $410.
Contact: 233-4180
Web site: www.art180.org
Nonprofit: Angeldeer Positive Action 4-H Club of Ashland is working with children to develop a positive and fulfilling future by building character and drug and violence prevention.
Gift pick: A 15-passenger van.
Price: $25,000
Contact: 347-9798
Web site: www.angeldeermin.org
Nonprofit: The American Youth Harp Ensemble uses music education to reach children by developing programs and performance opportunities for youth, regardless of financial means, using the harp as a catalyst for personal growth and community service.
Gift pick: A 14-seat passenger van to transport students to and from lessons and concert performances, including community outreach performances, education programs and tours.
Price: $25,000
Contact: 353-7001
Web site: www.harpensemble.org
Nonprofit: The Richmond Boys Choir, made up of young men ages 7-17, represents culturally, economically and socially diverse communities from the metro Richmond area. The mission is to build a richer humanity through personal, academic and musical excellence.
Gift pick: A variety of A/V equipment.
Price: A portable sound system (Fender Passport PD 500), $2,000; a DVD player/recorder VCR combo, $300; an LCD projector, $1,500.
Contact: 788-6404
Web site: www.richmondboyschoir.org
CULTURE, ANIMALS AND ART
Nonprofit: The Edgar Allan Poe Museum fosters a love of literature through an appreciation and exploration of the writing of Richmond’s own Edgar Allan Poe.
Gift pick: Volunteer to help in the gift shop, give guided tours of the complex, assist with special events or help in the museum’s garden.
Price: Priceless.
Contact: 648-5523
Web site: www.poemuseum.org
Nonprofit: James River Writers supports and encourages Virginia writers and promotes the love of literature by running a variety of literary programs for all ages.
Gift pick: For our new office at Plant Zero: a comfortable chair, a coffee table, a coffee-maker and a table to put it on.
Price: $20 on up
Contact: anne@jamesriverwriters.com
Web site: www.jamesriverwriters.com
Nonprofit: Richmond Animal Shelter (Richmond Animal Care and Control) works to secure forever, loving homes for stray, abandoned or abused cats and dogs in the Richmond community.
Gift pick: All sizes of washable pet beds, a commercial-size laundry and dishwasher.
Price: $20-$575
Contact: 646-5573
Web site: www.ras.petfinder.com.
Nonprofit: FURS (Friends United with the Richmond Shelter) is an all-volunteer dog adoption group based in Richmond. It’s dedicated to collaborating with the Richmond City Animal Shelter to place shelter dogs in permanent, loving homes in the Central Virginia area.
Gift pick: Dog beds, collapsible crates, leashes, Kuranda beds.
Price: $5-$200
Contact: 364-1944
Web site: www.fursdogs.com
Nonprofit: Cat’s Cradle of Greater Richmond is dedicated to rescuing cats and kittens from being euthanized in area shelters simply because they have no home. Cat’s Cradle particularly focuses on cats slated to be euthanized because of special needs, physical deformities and advanced age.
Gift pick: A Midwest Life Stages Travel Crate, 36 x 24.
Price: $70
Contact: 282-3833
Web site: www.catscradle-richmond.org
Nonprofit: Somebuddies Inc. is an all-volunteer group dedicated to humanely reducing the homeless cat population in Richmond.
Gift pick: A Safeguard humane animal trap to assist in trap-neuter-release (TNR) efforts for the feral cat population.
Cost: $85
Contact: 559-6170
Web site: www.somebuddiesinc.com
Nonprofit: Sycamore Rouge is dedicated to promoting the performing and visual arts, helping to revitalize Petersburg by anchoring the new arts district, educating children in the arts, strengthening the community through the arts and stimulating hearts and minds.
Gift pick: Sewing machine.
Price: $100
Contact: 957-5707, ext. 106
Web site: www.sycamorerouge.org
Nonprofit: BARK (Bandit’s Adoption & Rescue of K-9’s) is an animal rescue group run solely by volunteers. So far this year we have placed over 600 rescued, abandoned or surrendered dogs in forever-loving homes.
Gift pick: Cover all routine vaccinations and spay or neuter for one dog.
Price: $100
Contact: 449-BARK (2275)
Web site: www.barkva.org
Nonprofit: Prevent A Litter has partnered with Jessica Stovall to put up a billboard in Richmond to address the need of spaying and neutering cats and dogs.
Gift pick: Billboard rent, or a donation toward it.
Price: $1,725
Contact: 478-4000
Nonprofit: The Virginia Historical Society is an entertaining and educational history museum that features award-winning exhibitions and programming.
Gift pick: Microboards Quic Disc 1 to 1 DVD Duplicator
Price: $399
Contact: 342-9681
Web site: www.vahistorical.org
Nonprofit: The Richmond SPCA saves the lives of more than 3,000 orphaned pets annually and provides myriad pet and human services including spay/neuter, humane education, orphaned pet rehabilitation and more throughout Greater Richmond.
Gift pick: King-size heating pads to provide comfort to pets recovering from surgery.
Price: $30 each
Contact: 521-1308
Web site: www.richmondspca.org
Nonprofit: Artspace Gallery for the Visual and Performing Arts works to promote the understanding and awareness of contemporary art.
Gift pick: White Kenmore 25.1-cubic-foot side-by-side refrigerator
Price: $900
Contact: 232-6464
Web site: www.artspacegallery.org
Nonprofit: Richmond Public Library Foundation enhances collections, educational services and cultural programs at the Richmond Public Library.
Gift pick: 20 ABC Board Books for toddlers to hold at story time. Or one DVD copy of each of the American Film Institute’s 100 Greatest Movies.
Price: $100 or $1,700.
Contact: 646-5511
Web site: www.richmondpubliclibrary.org
Nonprofit: The Firehouse Theatre Project produces important American contemporary theater pieces with an emphasis on plays not previously produced in the metropolitan Richmond area. Performances are held in the 103-year-old former Station House No. 10 of the Richmond Fire Department.
Gift pick: Multifunction office copy machine.
Price: $3,000
Contact: 355-2001
Web site: www.firehousetheatre.org
Nonprofit: The Richmond Men’s Chorus provides high-quality choral music to the Greater Richmond area and seeks to expand its outreach to under-served and broader communities.
Gift pick: Five sections of touring choral risers (three step), with rails for top step
Price: $4,500
Contact: 241-0446
Web site: www.richmondmenschorus.org
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Nonprofit: Carver Promise provides one-to-one mentoring opportunities for Richmond elementary-, middle- and high-school students.
Gift pick: A chef or culinary expert to teach a group of seventh-graders (after school) how to prepare, cook and serve a gourmet meal for their parents and mentors.
Price: Priceless
Contact: 355-0209
Web site: www.carverpromise.org
Nonprofit: Positive Vibe Café, which is directed by the Get Lost MD (Muscular Dystrophy) Foundation, provides training and meaningful employment for people with disabilities and economic challenges.
Gift pick: Provide a scholarship for one student’s tuition ($1,500), or if you prefer, treat yourself or a friend with a Positive Vibe Gift Certificate and enjoy a meal while supporting our project. All proceeds from the café support the GLMD Foundation.
Price: $25
Contact: 560-9622
Web site: www.positivevibecafe.com
Nonprofit: Henrico Education Foundation works to enrich the public school learning experiences of students all over Henrico County.
Gift pick: The foundation helps pay field trip and laptop fees for students who can’t pay, provides educational grants for teachers who’ve devised new, inventive learning programs, and recognizes excellence in educational staff and rewards outstanding graduates with scholarships for college.
Price: $25 (the average cost of a field trip per student)
Contact: 652-3869
Web site: www.cvco.org/education/henedf/
Nonprofit: Goodwill of Central Virginia assists individuals with obstacles to employment to achieve their highest degree of economic and personal independence.
Gift pick: Eight hours of job-seeking skills training for an unemployed or underemployed person, including resume preparation, application completion, mock interviews and the development of a job-search plan.
Price: $50
Contact: 745-6300
Web site: www.goodwillcva.org
Nonprofit: Junior Achievement of Central Virginia brings role models from our business community into the classroom to teach entrepreneurship, financial literacy, economics and work readiness to kindergarten through 12th-grade students.
Gift pick: A teaching kit which supplies a JA volunteer with all the materials and training to teach one class.
Price: $100
Contact: 217-8863
Web site: www.jatoday.org
Nonprofit: Visual Arts Center of Richmond engages the community in the creative process through the visual arts.
Gift pick: A scholarship for an at-risk child to attend art classes for one week in the summer.
Price: $130 for a morning or afternoon class, or $275 for one week of full-day art exploration and activities.
Contact: 353-0094
Web site: www.visarts.org
Nonprofit: ASSIST helps kids in college with scholarships or financial aid assistance.
Gift pick: Brother FAX 2820 Laser Fax
Price: $200
Contact: 397-3261
Web site: www.assiststudentathletes.com
Nonprofit: Virginia Heroes Inc. is a Richmond mentoring organization founded by Arthur Ashe.
Gift pick: A year of Web site hosting. The site is a crucial tool for mentors to find and download lesson plans.
Price: $240
Contact: 307-5343
Web site: www.virginiaheroes.org
Nonprofit: AMP! Metro Richmond provides one-to-one mentors for 6th-, 7th- and 8th-grade students at Chandler Middle School in Highland Park to stimulate learning, build self-confidence and encourage career discovery.
Gift pick: Cost of mentoring services for a child (weekly sessions with a trained mentor and field trips).
Price: $300 for a school year, $150 for a semester
Contact: 353-9527
Nonprofit: MOTIV8S Inc., “Promoting Positive Lifestyles” works to meet the educational, societal and recreational needs of under-served youth, young adults and seniors between the ages of 12 and 17, as well as 18 and above.
Gift pick: Vostro 1500 Notebook
Price: $549
Contact: 291-1641
Web site: www.motiv8s.org
Nonprofit: New Visions, New Ventures is an economic resource center for women. It has three main programs: a women’s business center, an asset-development program and a food-development program for low-income women. The food-development program operates Breadwinners, a catering group organized to help train and develop low-income women looking to start a business in catering.
Gift pick: A six-burner gas range ($2,750) or miscellaneous catering equipment such as serving trays, serving utensils, chafing dishes, coolers, etc. ($1,250).
Price: $1,250-$2,750
Contact: 643-1081
Web site: www.nvnv.org
Nonprofit: The Science Museum of Virginia Foundation supports science education for all ages throughout Virginia.
Gift pick: A commercial-grade dishwasher for the volunteer lounge to assist with clean-up for various education-related activities, volunteer and fundraising events at the Science Museum of Virginia.
Price: $1,800 for dishwasher and installation
Contact: 864-1541
Web site: www.smv.org
Nonprofit: Partnership for the Future is a college preparation and youth internship program that spans over three years for participants. Its mission is to ensure that every motivated student with limited resources has a workplace internship in high school and can attend the most selective college of their choice. We have a 98 percent success rate of college matriculation.
Gift pick: Internship for a student at a local nonprofit for one year or the full three years; one full day of programming; scholarship savings match.
Price: Internship $2,002 (one year) or $6,006 (three years); day of programming $125; scholarship savings match $1,000.
Contact: 967-2559
Web site: www.partnershipforthefuture.org
Nonprofit: Richmond Midnight Basketball League is an educational program that uses sports and mandatory life-skills workshops to create social changes.
Gift pick: Reversible basketball uniforms for 60 program participants (five teams) in the Jackson Ward community.
Price: $1,500 for entire program; $250 per team; $50 per participant
Contact: 782-0700
Web site: www.richmondmbl.org
Nonprofit: Northstar Academy provides individualized educational instruction to students in grades K-12 with specific learning disabilities, including but not limited to autism, multiple disabilities and speech/language impairment.
Gift pick: Philips HeartStart OnSite defibrillator and required accessories.
Price: $2,300
Contact: 747-1003
Web site: www.northstaracademy.net
Nonprofit: ROSMY (the Richmond Organization for Sexual Minority Youth) provides support, education, advocacy and opportunities for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth ages 14-20. ROSMY offers support groups, a youth support hotline, leadership training and training to area youth-service providers.
Gift pick: A Dell Inspiron 1420 laptop and LCD projector to help us conduct training for youth service providers on the issues affecting GLBTQ youth.
Price: $2,500
Contact: 644-4800
Web site: www.rosmy.org
Nonprofit: J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Educational Foundation Inc. provides scholarships to students pursuing a college education.
Gift pick: Sponsor a community college student.
Price: $2,500
Contact: 523-5181
Web site: www.jsr.vccs.edu/jsr_fnd/
Nonprofit: The Library of Virginia Foundation is dedicated to promoting cultural and historical literacy throughout the commonwealth. The foundation reaches out to both adults and children in bringing to life Virginia’s culture and history through enjoyable and interactive reading, writing and arts programs; exhibitions; and publications.
Gift pick: Support the library’s program to collect community histories and other studies published throughout Virginia by local organizations, churches, historical societies, businesses and local governments.
Price: $2,500
Contact: 692-3590
Web site: www.lva.virginia.gov
Nonprofit: The Council for America’s First Freedom sponsors the National First Freedom Student Competition each year. This national essay contest offers high-school students an opportunity to compete for a monetary award as they examine religious freedom, its history, current importance and relevance in their lives. The competition is open to students in the continental United States and U.S. territories, and to American schools and American home-schooled students worldwide. We invite students grades nine through 12 at all levels of academic placement to participate.
Gift pick: Underwrite the awards.
Price: First-place award, $3,000; second, $1,500; third, $750; or all three awards for $5,250
Contact: 643-1786
Web site: www.firstfreedom.org
Nonprofit: Riverside School provides a multi-sensory education for children with specific learning disabilities in grades 1-8. Students return to mainstream education fully prepared to realize their highest potential.
Gift pick: A need-based scholarship for one academic year for a prospective student who would otherwise be unable to receive the specialized education they need to learn to read and write at grade-level.
Price: $17,500
Contact: 320-3465
Web site: www.riversideschool.org
Nonprofit: Nubian Village Academy & Cultural Center is an International School of Indigenous and Aboriginal Studies. We provide educational services for children age 16 months to adults. Our mission is to arm each student with an education that will engage the whole student and promote a lifetime of learning through a program that is academically challenging and culturally relevant.
Gift pick: 5-passenger activity bus
Price: $21,000 used
Contact: 329-3900
Web site: www.nubianvillageacademy.com
Nonprofit: Virginia Holocaust Museum, teaching “Tolerance Through Education.”
Gift pick: The conversion of a freight elevator to a passenger elevator, so more visitors can benefit from the museum’s unique educational experience.
Price: $85,000
Contact: 257-5400
Web site: www.va-holocaust.com
Nonprofit: Shaolin Dragon School of Kung-Fu develops self-esteem, self-respect, patience, physical fitness, discipline and academic excellence in at-risk children in the City of Richmond (primarily in the North Side area). These goals are achieved through an after-school program, martial arts summer camp, traditional Shaolin Kung-Fu training, public exhibitions and martial arts tournaments.
Gift pick: Down payment toward the purchase of a building for conducting and expanding our program in Richmond’s Highland Park community. Our desire is to remain in this community — to revitalize it and to serve and support its residents and give them a place where they have an opportunity to improve themselves.
Price: $100,000
Contact: 767-6168
ENVIRONMENT
Nonprofit: The Chesapeake Bay Foundation works to “Save the Bay” through environmental education, advocacy, restoration and land conservation.
Gift pick: Volunteering to help save the bay.
Price: Free for you, priceless for the bay
Contact: 780-1392
Web site: www.cbf.org
Nonprofit: Friends of Chesterfield’s Riverfront works on education and outreach initiatives focused on river conservation and river enhancement in the James and Appomattox rivers.
Gift pick: Canon PowerShot 7.1MP Digital ELPH Camera – Silver
Price: $200
Contact: 796-1703
Web site: www.chesterfieldriverfront.org
Nonprofit: Capital Region Land Conservancy promotes the conservation of the capital region’s historically significant land, scenic natural areas and ecologically sensitive land, water and wildlife resources.
Gift pick: Wi-fi ready laptop computer and Microsoft Office 2007 software
Price: $1,500
Contact: 745-3110
Web site: www.capitalregionland.org
FAMILIES IN NEED
Nonprofit: Henrico County CASA Inc. provides court-appointed volunteers to act as advocates for children who are the subject of judicial proceedings involving allegations of child abuse or neglect or children in need of supervision.
Gift pick: One month of advocacy services for a child.
Price: $100
Contact: 501-1675
Nonprofit: Jackson-Feild Homes educates, equips and empowers teenage girls and their children.
Gift pick: A skein of yarn ($2) for our girls to crochet and knit — one of their favorite pastimes. Or throw a baby shower for a newborn of a teen mom.
Price: $2-$250
Contact: 354-6929
Web site: www.jacksonfeild.org
Nonprofit: Mended “Little” Hearts of Richmond, a program of the Mended Hearts Inc., is a support group for the families and caregivers of children affected by congenital and acquired heart defects. We provide care packages for families while their children are in the hospital.
Gift pick: Travel-size toiletry items, disposable cameras, long-distance phone cards, journals, stress relief items, word search books, playing cards, magazines and gas cards.
Price: $2-$100
Contact: (757) 812-5622
Web site: www.mlhrichmond.org
Nonprofit: First Things First of Greater Richmond offers a boot camp for new dads to “Strengthen Families for a Better Community.”
Gift pick: 300 Daddy Packs from the National Fatherhood Initiative to distribute to new dads through several partnering hospitals and social service agencies.
Price: $10 each. Give all or some; total $3,000
Contact: 288-3431
Web site: www.FirstThingsRichmond.org
Nonprofit: The Central Virginia Foodbank provides annually almost 13 million pounds of healthful food to hungry children, seniors and adults in the region.
Gift pick: Enough food for 80 holiday meals for adults, or 160 holiday meals for children.
Price: $10
Contact: 521-3275 or tmessenger@cvfb.org
Web site: www.cvfb.org
Nonprofit: CARITAS mobilizes Greater Richmond through its congregations to protect individuals and families in crisis and empowers those who strive for housing independence.
Gift pick: A 24-hour period of emergency shelter, three meals, love and hope from congregational volunteers, and a book to keep each week through our First Book program.
Price: $33
Contact: 358-0964, ext. 304
Web site: www.caritasshelter.org
Nonprofit: St. Joseph’s Villa’s Donation Center receives approximately $1 million in goods each year and distributes them to the more than 600 clients each day, including women transitioning out of homelessness, at-risk youth and low-income families.
Gift pick: Volunteering in the donation center and helping receive, sort, display and distribute goods.
Price: Time: at least two hours per week
Contact: 521-5577
Web site: www.NeverStopBelieving.org
Nonprofit: As the number of deaths and injuries from drunk driving increases, MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) continues to work to stop drunk driving, to support the victims of this violent crime and to prevent underage drinking.
Gift pick: Volunteer with MADD to help recognize the lifesaving work of law enforcement, or provide training for a volunteer victim advocate, fund prevention programs in elementary, middle and high schools.
Price: Recognition supplies, $20; advocate training, $100; prevention program, $250
Contact: 353-7121
Web site: www.maddva.org
Nonprofit: The YMCA of Greater Richmond builds strong kids, strong families and strong communities by nurturing a healthy spirit, mind and body for people of all faiths, races, ages, abilities and income levels.
Gift pick: If you can’t afford to send a disadvantaged child to camp for the summer ($2,500), perhaps you can give a child one week of after-school child care.
Price: $75
Contact: 474-4405
Web site: www.ymcarichmond.org
Nonprofit: Resource Information Help for the Disadvantaged (RIHD) is a volunteer group dedicated toward reducing crime and recidivism through activities that help promote self-rehabilitation and through advocacy for “smart” laws.
Gift pick: In an effort to promote family intervention and prisoner rehabilitation, we provide monthly overnight-stay van trips for families to visit their family members in faraway prisons (8-12 hours away from Richmond). Help provide the cost monthly for each round trip (van rental, vehicle insurance, gas, driver fee and hotel). Donations defray the cost from the families and children.
Price: $893, although any amount is appreciated.
Contact: 562-2123
Web site: www.rihd.org
Nonprofit: B.E.T.H.E.L. Ministries (Believing and Exceeding Through Hope Empowerment & Love) is a community outreach mission project offering a fresh start for single mothers and their children. We help women and children attain and maintain self-sufficiency
Gift picks: Pizza for youth to eat at our weekly support-group meetings for single mothers. Or, help us rent a larger storage space because we’ve outgrown our small one.
Price: Pizza $280 per session / two sessions per year, $560; Storage rental, about $1,200/year.
Contact: 364-0460
Web site: www.whatsnextfreshstart.org
Nonprofit: William Byrd Community House, a comprehensive social services agency, provides programming in early childhood education, after-school care, teen and young adult programs, a seniors program, emergency relief and casework, and nonprofit capacity building to the Richmond community.
Gift pick: A one-week summer camp scholarship for an elementary-school-aged child.
Price: $79
Contact: 643-2717, ext. 323
Web site: www.wbch.org
Nonprofit: The mission of Transitions Family Violence Services is to build safe and healthy families on the Virginia peninsula. The agency assists adult and child victims through the provision of shelter, counseling and advocacy services. We work to increase awareness of domestic violence and provide opportunities for community members to participate in our mission.
Gift pick: Assistance in paying utilities for the Second Stage Shelter in Newport News.
Price: $2,000
Contact: (757) 247-1441
Web site: www.transitionsfvs.org
Nonprofit: The Greater Richmond ARC (Association for Retarded Citizens) creates life-fulfilling opportunities for individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities, in partnership with their families.
Gift pick: One month’s rent for our after-school program to help working parents get the care they need for loved ones with developmental disabilities.
Cost: $5,000
Contact: 358-1874
Web site: www.RichmondARC.org
Nonprofit: Vessels of Mercy International Inc. is a relief and development organization committed to alleviating suffering and poverty through the strategic tools of vocational training, disaster relief, medical, dental, vision care clinics, and providing food, clothing, clean water and recreational projects to reach inner city youth.
Gift pick: Industrial sewing machine ($1,500) to train and equip women for a trade, or vision care equipment ($8,000) to help offer better sight and glasses for those in need.
Price: $1,500-$8,000
Contact: 740-4575
Web site: www.vesselsofmercy.org
Nonprofit: Crater Community Hospice Inc. is passionately committed to providing loving care of the highest quality for families facing serious illness, death and grief.
Gift pick: A healthy, safe and functional office space that we can call our own, and 147 stockings filled with holiday cheer for our dedicated board, staff and volunteers!
Price: $1 million
Contact: 526-4300, or info@cratercommunityhospice.org
Web site: www.cratercommunityhospice.org
HEALTH AND MEDICAL SERVICES
Nonprofit: LifeNet Health is the organ and tissue donation agency for Virginia.
Gift pick: Sign up as an organ and tissue donor at a DMV office or online at www.save7lives.org. When you die you could save seven lives and help more than 50 people. Approximately 2,500 Virginians are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. Signing up to be a donor is the best gift you can give.
Price: Free and a few minutes of your time.
Contact: 755-6048
Web site: www.save7lives.org
Nonprofit: The American Heart Association educates the community on how to lower the risk of heart disease and stroke and live longer, healthier lives.
Gift pick: A “Healthy Recipes Kids Love” or “Healthy Soul Food Recipes” magazine cookbook to a Richmond family that has committed to improving its lifestyle by learning to eat heart-healthy.
Price: $2 per cookbook ($288 for a box of 144)
Contact: 965-6512
Web site: www.americanheart.org
Nonprofit: Fan Free Clinic provides medical treatment, health education and social services to those in the Richmond area with limited access to care. We place special emphasis on welcoming the least served.
Gift pick: Stock the cabinets of a client in need with food for a week.
Price: $15 (add bus tickets so the client can pick up the groceries, $2.50 round trip)
Contact: 358-6343
Web site: www.fanfreeclinic.org
Nonprofit: The Richmond Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s promise is to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality of care for all and energizing science to find the cures.
Gift pick: Help us celebrate Komen’s 25th anniversary by donating $25 to the Richmond affiliate in honor of or in memory of someone special in your life. Your donation will help fund a mammogram ($100) or provide breast health education for an uninsured or underinsured woman in the Richmond Affiliate’s service area.
Price: $25
Contact: 358-7223
Web site: www.komenrichmond.org
Nonprofit: American Red Cross, Greater Richmond Chapter helps prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.
Gift pick: A tank of gas for a volunteer to drive five elderly patients to life-saving medical appointments such as chemotherapy or dialysis.
Price: $30
Contact: 780-2255
Web site: www.greaterrichmond.redcross.org
Nonprofit: Brain Tumor Resource and Information Network (B.R.A.I.N.) is a Richmond-based, all-volunteer organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of brain tumor survivors, increasing public awareness and raising funds to aid in the research to eliminate the disease.
Gift pick: A tote bag full of educational and support information for newly diagnosed brain cancer patients and their family. Distributed through hospitals and doctors’ offices at the time of diagnoses.
Price: $30 each, or $6,000 for all of 2008
Contact: 749-3649
Web site: www.brainsite.org
Nonprofit: Noah’s Children is Central Virginia’s only pediatric hospice and palliative care program. We provide comprehensive and compassionate care to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, regardless of their ability to pay.
Gift pick: Gift cards for local grocery stores for families of patients.
Price: $50
Contact: 213-0360
Nonprofit: American Red Cross, Greater Richmond Chapter helps prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.
Gift pick: Dog and cat mannequins to practice CPR in our pet first aid classes
Price: $175 (dog), $40 (cat)
Contact: 780-2255
Web site: www.greaterrichmond.redcross.org
Nonprofit: Alzheimer’s Association Greater Richmond Chapter provides education and support for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and their families and caregivers.
Gift pick: $100 pays for 10 hours of helpline service, or $1,000 provides a respite scholarship so a caregiver can take a break from care-giving responsibilities.
Price: $100-$1,000
Contact: 967-2580
Web site: www.alz.org/grva
Nonprofit: The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) of Central Virginia raises money to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes, which strikes children suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin every day to live.
Gift pick: If you can’t afford to invest in JDRF’s research drive to cure diabetes ($1,000+), consider sponsoring a child with diabetes so he or she can attend Camp WannaCure in Richmond this summer. There, children with diabetes can enjoy a typical camp experience, including arts and crafts and swimming, with supervision from medical professionals.
Price: $125
Contact: 254-8014
Web site: www.jdrf.org/centralvirginia
Nonprofit: The Brain Injury Association of Virginia’s mission is to create a better future through brain injury education, awareness, advocacy and support.
Gift pick: An HP LaserJet 4250 printer or a laser fax machine with document feeder minimum capacity of 30 sheets
Price: $900 printer; $300 fax
Contact: 355-5748
Web site: www.biav.net
Nonprofit: American Red Cross, Greater Richmond Chapter helps prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.
Gift pick: Oil change for the 17 vehicles in the Red Cross fleet.
Price: $425
Contact: 780-2255
Web site: www.greaterrichmond.redcross.org
Nonprofit: The Healing Place is Richmond’s regional substance abuse recovery center that houses 200-plus men who are working through the AA 12-step recovery program. Men in the program do not pay to participate in this peer-based, nonmedical, model but they keep the center running by cooking the food, cleaning, washing clothes and linens and performing general maintenance to the building at 700 Dinwiddie Ave.
Gift pick: Pay for a person to go through The Healing Place Program. Studies estimate that a homeless, addicted person on the street can cost the region up to $40,000 a year in emergency care, shelter beds and food, etc.
Price: $25 a day or $9,200 for the year
Contact: 230-1217
Web site: www.thpva.com
Nonprofit: LINC, Legal Information Network for Cancer, is a grassroots community organization that helps cancer patients deal with the business side of their illness by providing pro bono legal and financial counseling as well as referrals to other agencies that can assist them.
Gift pick: A new network server for the office (approximately $5,000). Or support one cancer patient with the support provided by LINC for $50.
Price: $50-$5,000
Contact: 644-5490
Web site: www.cancerlinc.org
Nonprofit: Delta Dental’s Smart Smiles program grants the wishes of disadvantaged children who are members of the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Richmond to receive quality comprehensive dental care for the uninsured/under-served, transportation, home-care dental supplies and oral health education. It helps to eliminate long-term illnesses such as premature births, lung disease, heart disease, many hours of missed school time or even death.
Gift pick: The average cost of a dental visit for an uninsured child.
Price: $160
Contact: 359-5250, ext. 221
Web site: www.smartsmiles.org or www.bgcmr.org
Nonprofit: Linking Lives of Hanover Adult Center is a community-based day support program for adults with mental retardation. Each participant receives individualized training and support to achieve their greatest potential. As a result, each participant’s life link to the community is reinforced and supported.
Gift pick: Nintendo Wii and game pack, and a small TV
Price: $500
Contact: 746-2250
Web site: www.hanoveradultcenter.com
Nonprofit: The commonwealth’s physicians are improving the health of Virginia’s patients through the good works of the Medical Society of Virginia Foundation.
Gift pick: A 90-day supply of medication for a chronically ill patient without prescription insurance coverage.
Price: $566
Contact: 377-1049
Web site: www.msvfoundation.org
Nonprofit: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and multiple myeloma and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. The Virginia chapter provides patients financial reimbursement for some medications, transportation and procedures. It also offers $2,500 to qualified patients to help cover the cost of insurance co-payments and/or insurance premium costs for prescription drugs.
Gift pick: Help a family afford to travel with their loved one to treatment for one year ($500) or help cover the co-pay cost of expensive cancer therapies ($2,500).
Price: $500-$2,500
Contact: 627-0400
Web site: www.lls.org/va
Nonprofit: Hanover Mental Health Association provides a transitional living facility for people with chronic mental illnesses who are ready to live independently. We have recently renovated a home in Ashland and are in the process of furnishing it for our first residents.
Gift pick: Washer and dryer.
Price: $1,000
Contact: 740-3064
Nonprofit: Evie’s Network is a Web-based peer network connecting women one-on-one who have suffered a stillbirth.
Gift pick: A donation of paper for the 10,000 one-page brochures to be printed and distributed to hospitals and women’s health services in Virginia, or a $1,000 donation to cover the paper stock.
Price: In-kind or approximately $1,000
Contact: 233-7272 or info@eviesnetwork.com
Web site: www.eviesnetwork.com
Nonprofit: The VOCAL Network is a program of VOCAL Inc. (Virginia Organization of Consumers Asserting Leadership), which works to bring Virginia’s mental health consumers together in a statewide network, to celebrate strengths and courage and to support each other in recovery through hope, learning and empowerment.
Gift pick: Five scholarships for attendance at our annual statewide mental health consumer conference in 2008.
Price: $1,000-$1,500
Contact: 343-1777
Nonprofit: Access Now recruits physicians to give free care to indigent patients who have medical conditions requiring specialty care.
Gift pick: Rosetta Stone software so employees can learn Spanish for the benefit of patients and physician volunteers.
Price: $1,180
Contact: 643-6631
Web site: www.ramdocs.org
Nonprofit: Community Futures Foundation/The Mill House provides community-based services for survivors of brain injury in the metro Richmond area.
Gift pick: A new or used minivan to transport clients to jobs, medical appointments and other program-related activities.
Price: $2,000-$20,000
Contact: 261-7050
Web site: www.communityfuturesva.org
HOMELESS SERVICES
Nonprofit: The Daily Planet provides primary health care, case management, mental health services, job training and substance abuse treatment to help homeless, uninsured and underprivileged individuals and families achieve self-sufficiency.
Gift pick: Employers! Internship and employment opportunities for our Project STRIVE participants.
Price: We pay Project STRIVE graduates an internship stipend while you provide them with invaluable on-the-job training and employment experience.
Contact: 783-2505, ext. 252
Web site: www.dailyplanetva.org
Nonprofit: Virginia Supportive Housing provides permanent housing and comprehensive support services to very low-income individuals and families who are homeless and/or who have disabilities in order to initiate and promote their transition from homelessness to productivity and independence.
Gift pick: GRTC Go Cards (bus tickets) to allow program participants to attend meetings, appointments, groups, etc., in order to assist them with maintaining their permanent housing.
Price: $5, $10, $25
Contact: 788-6825, ext. 207
Web site: www.virginiasupportivehousing.org
Nonprofit: Embrace Richmond provides furniture, household items and long-term support to individuals and families exiting Richmond-area homeless shelters.
Gift pick: We need twin-size mattresses, box springs and bed frames. We accept new and gently used items.
Price: $1-$250
Contact: 343-5008
Web site: www.embracerichmond.org
Nonprofit: HomeAgain provides housing and support services to Richmond’s homeless. The agency provides these services in two emergency shelters, a veterans’ transitional shelter and approximately 20 transitional apartments. Each night, 125 men, women, children and veterans call the agency home.
Gift pick: Bed and bath supplies. We need twin-size zippered mattress covers, sheet sets, blankets and comforters. The agency is also in need of towels, shower curtains and bath mats.
Price: Complete bed ensemble, about $100; complete bath and shower set, about $75
Contact: 358-7747, ext. 103
Web site: www.homeagainrichmond.org
Nonprofit: Housing Virginia’s purpose is to create a more favorable environment for affordable communities that offer a wide range of housing opportunities for all people with different needs and income levels resulting in more stable, diverse and inclusive neighborhoods.
Gift pick: A donation toward a statewide educational conference to be held in Richmond in 2008, exploring proven techniques and strategies for providers and advocates of affordable housing for young working families just starting out.
Price: $100
Contact: 343-5774
Web site: www.housingvirginia.org
Nonprofit: Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity changes lives by making it possible for families to realize the dream of home ownership. We join forces with Richmond area low-income families, local government, businesses, faith groups, schools, associations and individual volunteers and donors to build decent, modest homes that families can afford to buy through interest-free mortgages we provide.
Gift pick: Sponsor the Holiday House for a day ($2,000) to help a Richmond family get closer to realizing the dream of homeownership, or donate a Ridgid heavy-duty portable table saw with stand to help construct the house.
Price: $450-$2,000
Contact: 232-7001
Nonprofit: AROS Inc. and The Grace House provide transitional housing for homeless single women and women with children.
Gift pick: A 12-by-14-foot storage shed to store donated items given by the community for women in need at The Grace House.
Price: $2,500
Contact: 267-1882
Web site: www.arosinc.org
NEIGHBORHOODS AND SPECIAL INTERESTS
Nonprofit: Not With These Hands.org is an all-volunteer organization created to increase civic engagement around issues of violence and to connect people to violence prevention resources in Greater Richmond.
Gift pick: Multicolored Sharpie (indelible ink) markers used by the community at large to decorate their fabric piece of the Greater Richmond Quilt of Non-Violence.
Price: $19 for a 24-pack
Contact: 730-1183
Web site: www.notwiththesehands.org (See the Quilt page for more details.)
Nonprofit: The Community Tax Law Project (CTLP) provides free legal representation to Virginia taxpayers who lack the means to remedy wrongful collection actions taken against them. Since 1992, CTLP has helped over 5,000 low-income working families and individuals in tax disputes. It’s the only organization of its kind in Virginia.
Gift pick: Postage to ship case representation materials for five families to volunteer attorneys.
Price: $35
Contact: 358-5855
Web site: www.ctlp.org
Nonprofit: Virginia Capitol Foundation’s mission is to support the ongoing restoration, preservation and interpretation of the Virginia Capitol, the Executive Mansion and Capitol Square.
Gift pick: Inscribe your name or honor a family member or friend on the “Front Door of Virginia,” with a brick at the Capitol.
Price: $250
Contact: Brick orders: (888) 201-9101; VCF office: 786-1010
Web site: www.brickordervacapitol.com
Nonprofit: Hands On Greater Richmond informs, inspires and engages volunteers through meaningful service and leadership opportunities to create positive change in our community.
Gift pick: A digital camera to capture all the smiling faces, dirty hands and great moments.
Price: $300
Contact: 330-7400
Web site: www.handsongreaterrichmond.org
Nonprofit: APVA Preservation Virginia’s Revolving Fund Program is dedicated to saving endangered historic residential and commercial buildings across Virginia from demolition and severe neglect. The program obtains endangered historic buildings through donations of property, options to purchase and, if needed, direct acquisition.
Gift pick: Used PC, minimum 512 MB ram, Pentium 4, with or without monitor.
Price: Used is great; new approximately $500
Contact: 648-1889, ext. 320
Web site: www.apva.org/revolvingfund/
Nonprofit: The Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods promotes the purchase and renovation of vacant and abandoned buildings in Richmond’s oldest neighborhoods.
Gift pick: An HP Color LaserJet 2800 All-in-One series multifunction printer/copier
Price: $699
Contact: 422-2148
Web site: www.richmondneighborhoods.org
Nonprofit: The Gay Community Center of Richmond provides funding for organizations in the Central Virginia area and provides space for LGBT organizations to hold a variety of events.
Gift pick: Two Dell Inspiron 531 computers with wireless capability or the services of a Web designer.
Price: $950 each for computers; value of time donated by Web designer
Contact: 353-8890
Web site: www.diversitythrift.org
Nonprofit: Connect Richmond is an online resource that offers nonprofit information, community data, volunteer needs, nonprofit jobs, events and more.
Gift pick: Office space and/or billboard space to share our services with the community
Price: Office space: free or nonprofit-friendly price; billboard space: $5,000
Contact: 827-2168
Web site: www.connectrichmond.org
Nonprofit: The Neighborhood Resource Center is a grassroots educational and cultural center fostering personal growth and community change in Greater Fulton Hill, a low-wealth community in the East End. NRC programs include a sliding-scale Montessori preschool, GED classes, a recording studio, a community garden, and after-school programs such as dance, art and Girl Scouts.
Gift pick: Much-needed security lighting and cameras to keep center visitors and staff safe at night.
Price: $3,000
Contact: 864-5797
Web site: www.nrccafe.org
Nonprofit: Hope in the Cities facilitates honest conversation across race, class and jurisdiction on Richmond’s most difficult issues.
Gift pick: A dining table and 12 chairs for our office, around which leaders from Richmond’s diverse communities can discuss their hopes for the 21st century.
Price: $3,000
Contact: 358-1764
Web site: www.hopeinthecities.org
Nonprofit: Tricycle Gardens works to build community and sustainability through community gardens and urban greening. We see the evolving ecology of our city as an opportunity for residents to come together through the simple act of gardening.
Gift pick: A used pickup truck in good working condition to assist in building community gardens.
Price: Around $5,000 to $8,000
Contact: 231-7767
Web site: www.tricyclegardens.org
SENIOR SERVICES
Nonprofit: ElderFriends, a program of Family Lifeline, is a volunteer-based community outreach program that relieves isolation among Richmond’s “shut-in” elder population through ongoing friendly visitation and facilitation of self-advocacy.
Gift pick: If you can’t afford to help train and match a volunteer with one of the clients ($800), how about donating to cover the cost of one Visiting Volunteer Training Manual?
Price: $25
Contact: 249-5432
Nonprofit: Lifelong Learning Institute in Chesterfield is dedicated to providing educational, fitness and social opportunities for seniors through participation in classes, lectures, fitness and social activities.
Gift pick: Scholarships for membership for seniors who would otherwise not be able to participate because of financial constraints caused by fixed or limited income and/or medical expenses.
Price: $100
Contact: 378-2527
Web site: www.llichesterfield.org
Nonprofit: Lifelong Learning Institute in Chesterfield is dedicated to providing educational, fitness and social opportunities for seniors through participation in classes, lectures, fitness and social activities.
Gift pick: The cost to provide an additional 12-week fitness class.
Price: $300
Contact: 378-2527
Web site: www.llichesterfield.org
Nonprofit: Rebuilding Together *Petersburg repairs and modifies the homes of low-income elderly and disabled homeowners. We assure that they live in warmth, safety and independence.
Gift pick: Grab bars, tub seat, hand-held shower and other bathroom modifications.
Price: $350
Contact: 861-8686
Web site: www.rt-petersburg.org
Nonprofit: Circle Center Adult Day Services provides high-quality, cost-effective daycare for frail or functionally impaired older adults, and respite, education and support for their family caregivers.
Gift pick: 47-inch LCD-panel HDTV monitor will provide better viewing for all participants, especially those with sight impairments.
Price: $1,600
Contact: 355-5717
Web site: www.circlecenterads.org
Nonprofit: The mission of The Shepherd’s Center of Chesterfield is to enrich the lives of senior adults in our communities by offering interfaith volunteer opportunities for community service and lifelong learning and to help them stay active and independent in their own homes for as long as possible. Our volunteer drivers provide transportation service at no charge for older adults who lack transportation to their medical appointments, pharmacy pick-ups or grocery shopping. And our volunteer Handyhands provide help with minor home repairs to seniors in their own homes.
Gift pick: Xerox WorkCentre M20i Copier Printer.
Price: $1,741
Contact: 706-9198
Web site: wwwshepctrchesterfield.org
Nonprofit: Meals on Wheels Serving Central Virginia is a 40-year-old agency dedicated to providing balanced, nutritious and appealing meals to seniors, people with disabilities and disadvantaged populations.
Gift pick: Help ensure that no homebound neighbor has to worry about where to get their next meal in the event of an emergency. This gift will allow the agency to purchase shelf-stable food for emergency food boxes for our hundreds of clients.
Price: $10,000
Contact: 673-5035
Web site: www.MOWdelivers.com
SPIRITUAL
Nonprofit: Covenant Daughters Ministry Inc. provides parenting and life-skills classes for teenage moms between the ages of 12 and 19 and their families.
Gift pick: A 10- to 12-passenger van to transport teens to classes, doctor’s appointments, retreats and camp.
Price: Varies
Contact: 937-6350
Nonprofit: SpiritWorks Foundation helps individuals live free from the intergenerational cycle of addiction in their families.
Gift pick: Yoga classes for recovering addicts to help them reduce stress and develop an easeful body and peaceful mind.
Price: $14 for one class; $72 for 6 classes
Contact: 757-564-0001, ext. 4
Web site: www.spiritworksfoundation.org
Nonprofit: The United Methodist Urban Ministries of Richmond opens doors to hearts, homes and communities by co-developing and co-operating affordable housing communities where individuals, congregations and organizations collaborate to ensure food security, child care, educational supports, health care and faith development.
Gift pick: Cost to host 12 monthly meetings of the regional steering committee for Communities of Shalom.
Price: $150 per meeting
Contact: 231-9285
Web site: www.umumr.org
Nonprofit: Families1st/Faith Fellowship Ministries by CMU provides holistic parent development and family reunification through training, mentoring and support services.
Gift pick: Training services for one parent ($85) or 30 parents ($2,500)
Price: $85-$2,500
Contact: 649-0773
Web site: www.families1st.org
Nonprofit: Cross Over Ministry is a community-supported, faith-based free health clinic with three locations. It provides health education and health services for people who are uninsured and low income. CrossOver is a preventive strategy that helps keep people in financial crisis in their jobs and homes.
Gift pick: A dental visit for one person in need ($75); an entire year of comprehensive health care for one patient ($500); or sponsor all Cross Over Ministry programs for a day ($6,000).
Price: $75-$6,000
Contact: 262-3585, ext. 107
Web site: www.crossoverministry.org
Nonprofit: The Active Hand Ministry gets people actively involved with changing their own spiritual, social and economic conditions by training them in community organizing and forming grassroots organizations to demand changes in their conditions.
Gift pick: Our transportation needs repair, or we need other transportation.
Price: $700-$1,000+
Contact: 222-6264
Web site: www.tahm.org
Nonprofit:Women of God Walking in the Light Ministry has two distinct programs. ELITE works with at-risk youth from ages 15 to 19 and teaches them life skills. LIFE works with adults who are facing various credit challenges, homelessness or possible foreclosure. We teach them how to prepare a spending plan, assist with credit repair and equip them with the necessary tools to regain financial independence.
Gift pick: Xerox Copy Center C20 Digital Copier.
Price: $1,300
Contact: 523-8071, 519-7676 or 868-8134
Web site: www.wgwlm.ws
Nonprofit: The Bereavement Assistance Ministries International Inc. provides care and support to children and adults who experience the death of a loved one. We serve before, during and after the funeral.
Gift pick: Office space.
Cost: The building we’re looking at charges $4,500/month
Contact: 241-8540
