2023 Award Recipients | First Lady of Virginia (2024)

Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation is a metro area community development corporation focused on cultivating housing and financial self-sufficiency for primarily Black, Hispanic and Latino and women-led households. It is Central Virginia’s oldest, historically Black-led community development corporation. Their mission is to build viable, thriving and sustainable communities through affordable housing and wrap-around support services.

Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation has built homes in over a dozen neighborhoods and developments throughout the Richmond area, totaling over 750 units of affordable housing with 450 as single-family affordable homes. In 2022, the organization served nearly 800 clients through their housing counseling and educational services, including foreclosure prevention, rent relief and workforce development tools.

Cameron’s Coffee & Chocolates is a business enterprise of nonprofit Every1 Can Work and provides permanent employment opportunities for young adults living with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

At Cameron’s Coffee & Chocolates, employees with intellectual disabilities work alongside volunteers and culinary specialists to produce delicious chocolates as well as other food products and services. They develop essential workforce readiness skills that serve them beyond their time at the shop and into their broader lives and careers.

Cameron’s Coffee & Chocolates first opened in 2013 with three employees with intellectual disabilities. Today, it employs 23 workers with intellectual disabilities and is serving as a model to other U.S. states and nations on how to effectively empower individuals with disabilities. On October 1, 2023, Cameron’s Coffee & Chocolates will celebrate its 10th anniversary.

Virginia Space Flight Academy (VASFA) is an educational nonprofit partnered with NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility encouraging space flight exploration through a combination of year-round classroom programming and summer space camps.

Established in 1998, VASFA’s camps and programs aim to spark interest and expand opportunities for students interested in learning about space flight and exploration. They have strengthened their program offerings through partnerships with national players in the space industry, holding a Space Act agreement with NASA that allows campers behind-the-scenes access at NASA’s flight facilities on Wallops Island.

Having served over 6,000 students since their founding, VASFA is celebrating their 25^th year in operation in 2023. Their camp operations and educational offerings continue to grow and draw students from all over the Commonwealth and across the country, with over 50% historically reporting that they are residents of Virginia.

The Boulder Crest Foundation (BCF) isa nonprofit retreat facility that serves veterans, first responders, and their families.

Opening its doors to guests in 2013, theBoulder Crest Foundation recently received a 2023 Spirit of Virginia Award at its 10th anniversary celebration.The foundationprovidesevidence-backed practices to encourage Post-traumatic Growth programming and restoration while conducting invaluable research. To date, the foundation has served over 3,500 Virginians and an estimated 100,000 persons across Americaat no cost to participants.

With 37 beautiful acres in Northern Virginia complete with a labyrinth, garden, horse therapy, sport facilities, communal areas and more, as well as a second facility in Southwestern Arizona,Boulder Crest providesa place for individuals to find peace, draw strength, and interact with others with similar experiences. The foundation is setting the standard for productive and effective ways to help military, veterans, first responders and their families all across the nation.

The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia (WFV) is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to conserving land, providing public access and outdoor recreational opportunities, and strengthening the commitment of the Commonwealth to the future of sportsmanship.

Founded in 1997, The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia aims to inspire a passion for outdoor recreation through the preservation of lands used for hunting, fishing, and exploring nature.The organization has been integral in acquiring nearly 14,000 acres of land, much of which is now owned by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources to manage for public access and wildlife habitats. With the nearly 4,000 acres that the WFV owns itself, they offerhunting, fishing, and shooting sport experiences for youth, veterans, wounded warriors, and others for whom these unique, guided adventures would otherwise be unavailable, as well as the general public.

With several youth hunts and hunting workshops designed for younger generations, The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia aims to spark a love of nature in the leaders of tomorrow while teaching them to be respectful of the world around them. To cater nature to the WFV Wounded Warriors, veterans, and mobility-impaired individuals, the nonprofit has also designed wheelchair-accessible blinds and offer a four-wheel utility vehicle for transport around the properties. In 2014 the foundation also launched a grant program that provides funding to schools, agencies, and nonprofits that aim to connect youth to nature. This grant program has benefited over 69,000 youth.

God’s pit crew is a non-profit, faith-based disaster response team of over 1,100 volunteers who wish to serve others in their time of need.

Motivated by the devastating Oklahoma City tornados of 1999, Danville residents Randy and Terri Johnson began a mission to serve countless communities throughout Virginia, across the nation and abroad that have been affected by disaster.

Today, God’s Pit Crew has expanded to a national, volunteer-backed operation combatting humanitarian crises caused by wildfires, hurricanes and other disasters. In 2022, the organization distributed over 3.4 million pounds of food, water and essential products to individuals and families across the United States, as well as over 30,000 survival kits colloquially known as “Blessing Buckets.”