Donor Resources
Current Donors
My family and I have been truly blessed. Our desire is to be active and impactful members of our community through our giving.
I am so proud to be a supporter of the Foundation’s endowment challenge program which will help ensure the future of groups like the Elizabeth River Project. The Foundation is also very personal to me because they have given scholarships to students from the Clayton Robertson Scholarship Fund.
I am honored that the Foundation administers a scholarship fund in my name. I couldn’t help the children if it wasn’t for their support.
The Foundation is at the center of positive change in Portsmouth. I am proud to partner with them in so many ways.
We have an interest in many nonprofits and opportunities: Teaching the homeless “how to fish”, bringing STEM to children, and healthcare. We donated our office building to the Foundation and are happy that they have put it to such good use. In due time, the Foundation will get ‘another round’ from us because they are uniquely qualified to address our community’s needs.
Working on the scholarships and the reception at the Southeast Virginia Community Foundation has given me an opportunity to be actively involved in carrying on legacies that were important to my father — giving back to the community and education.
Honoring Our Donors
Cherry Rug Cleaning and Storage opened its doors in 1947 to provide the local community with rug cleaning and storage services. In 1964 it was changed to Cherry Carpet, Inc. and was changed again in 2008 to Cherry Carpet and Flooring to reflect the fact that it sold and installed all types of flooring not just carpet. It evolved into one of the largest and most trusted flooring retailers in the region. Known for their decades of service and generosity, Arthur and Martha Cherry created a permanent legacy fund upon their passing. Recent grants from the fund provided childcare for low-income children at Children’s Harbor and food for schoolchildren in the Foodbank’s Backpack Program.
Served as faculty member in the College of Sciences at Old Dominion University from 1939-1977, teaching chemistry, astronomy, and geophysical sciences. Sherwood served as Chair of the Chemistry Department from 1941-1969. When he passed in 1990, he endowed a scholarship in his name.
Today, the fund provides four-year scholarships to six high school graduates each year.
For years, Mrs. Watson donated $15 to the Community Foundation’s Flag Fund. She lived modestly in the same house for most of her adult life and was loved by family, friends, and neighbors. When she passed in 2012, she left much of her estate to 11 charities, each surprised to receive such a significant bequest.
Richard Wood, Sr. was a long-time newspaper executive from Portsmouth and one of the original seven commissioners of Eastern Virginia Medical Authority. EVMA was the predecessor organization to today’s EVMS. Richard’s wife, Dona, was a successful businesswoman and active civic volunteer. Upon Dona’s passing in 2000, the family made an impact gift to EVMS and established both the Dick and Dona Endowment Fund and the Wood Family Donor Advised Fund at the community foundation. Today, their children, Richard Wood, Jr. and SEVACF Board Member Tom Wood continue the family legacy with their involvement in charitable causes.
