From the Desk of the Chairperson

FROM THE DESK OF THE BOARD CHAIRPERSON

ANDREA L. STITH, PH.D.

Hello everyone! I'm sorry that I can't be there today, but I am happy to have this opportunity to say a few words. I promise I'll be brief! I'd like to acknowledge each of you in this room today and everyone who has, since our founding 26 years ago, done so much to help build the foundation from which we carry out our mission. We have accomplished so much and are grateful to you all.

The Foundation's mission and purpose is inspired by the strong conviction of our namesake and my grandmother, Martha Mason Hill. She believed that education is the key to the advancement of a community and to that of its individual members. By building on the strengths and resourcefulness of our community, the Martha Mason Hill Memorial Foundation aims to help meet the current needs of our constituency and to celebrate your many accomplishments. As demonstrated through the recent feature in the Richmond Times, the contributions of our volunteers, the excellence of scholarship and award winners, and the accomplishments of our organization are noteworthy and commendable.

Taking stock, I'd summarize that the Foundation is on a stronger financial footing than ever. With nearly $1M in endowment funds, fiscal practices have enabled us to act today and save for tomorrow. As for governance, I would first like to thank our board members, our first Chairman, James Stith who served for 20 years, and Alberta Stith, who has served as president for all 26 years. I am grateful for your generosity, dedication, service, and stewardship.

Similarly, I want to spotlight the committees and volunteers who make up the heart of the Foundation. You are the critical actors who connect us to the community. Without you, we would not have cause to celebrate. Nor would we have today's program or the reception following (thank you Garrett!). We are so very proud of our programs around literacy that were launched through the dedicated efforts of the late Anne Henderson, and realized through the hard work of the outreach committee. Anne developed the standard that we ask schools what they want and need, which has enabled us to help so many young students. Of course our volunteers do so much more such as organizing trips and sending care packages. While I can't name everyone, we know who you are and acknowledge your contributions.

In addition to our volunteers and board members, we also are grateful to the past scholarship and award winners who haven't forgotten us! You are so critical to the well-being and future of our community. I want to point out that this year, we are recognizing student leaders for the first time! We are in awe of their ingenuity and dedication, and are so happy to recognize and eager to learn from them.

Finally, we thank our many donors, school and government representatives, churches and other organizations who have sustained, enabled, inspired, and collaborated with us. It goes without saying that Union Grove Baptist Church, where we are meeting today, has done so much to, literally and figuratively, make today possible. We know we can't do it alone and we wouldn't want to! So today, I am proud, thankful, and optimistic for our shared future. We have many milestones still ahead of us and many dreams to fulfill. The legacy of my grandmother still guides us, and our mission is not yet fully realized. With that said, we are in a strong position to ask, "what's next" for us, the community and our students? I welcome your thoughts and aim, as Anne Henderson has taught us, to engage you in this conversation!

Congratulations again to our scholarship and award recipients, and a special thank you to our organizers, presenters, and speakers. You've all made today special...thank you all for celebrating with us today and for bringing so much to this Foundation!

Andrea Stith