Funded significantly through revenue raising ventures such as an annual Christmas CD performed by the great jazz musicians of our time, Bill has developed an incredible arts, education and workforce training facility. In his new book, Make the Impossible Possible, you can learn more about his incredible story.

Also, check out Mimi Silbert, founder of the Delancey Street Foundation, which helps felons get re-integrated into society by employing them productively. I heard Mimi speak in Denver some years ago, accompanied by two of her felons. She began by taking in some of these people and doing odd jobs, eventually realizing how good they were at moving heavy furniture. A variety of business ventures ensued, all successful, culminating in building out a wharf in San Francisco and developing several other programs around the country, employing thousands of felons each year.

In the Richmond community, Boaz and Ruth is engaging ex-prisoners in furniture restoration. Positive Vibe Café is training the physically disabled for the food service industry. And, Feed More, Inc. is the merged successor to the successful Central Virginia Foodbank and the equally successful Meals on Wheels. Two feeding organizations building a shared kitchen facility…what a concept!

The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia has been innovative with its investments. While our investment track record ranked among the best of foundations our size, we aspired to achieve rates of return similar to those of the big universities - Harvard, Yale, Stanford, University of Virginia or University of Richmond - which generally have exceeded our returns by 4% or more in all time periods. An extensive study of possibilities led us into a partnership with the University of Richmond, where we now co-invest with their endowment. Thus, we get the full diversification of their approximately 100 managers investing in many more asset classes than we previously could access. And, we get the same return they do, less a fee. Other nonprofits are now signing up to join this partnership, and smaller ones participate through agency endowment funds at The Community Foundation. The long-term benefit to our community should be tremendous…if, as they say, past performance proves indicative of the future.