BECKY CHALMERS AND ANNIE BEALE Connecting With Others TO IMPROVE OUR REGION At age 9 Madison Beale


knows that helping people is good. The Virginia Beach stu- dent recently raised $100 for the Virginia Aquarium by running a neighborhood lemonade stand. Each month she cheerfully saves part of her allowance to give back to the community. Madison’s desire to help


others has deep roots. She sees first-hand the joy of philan- thropy from her mother and grandparents who are connect- ed with the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. Her mother and grandmother have taken their involvement a step further by joining the leadership teams of their giving groups – the Beach Fund for Annie Beale and the Community Leadership Partners for Becky Chalmers.


In 2010 more than 150 philanthropists pooled their resources to tackle community needs through the Community Leadership Partners and the Beach Fund.


more info —


> communityleadershippartners.org


Annie Beale, Madison’s mom, is a member of the Beach Fund, a group of young philanthropists. Each member family donates $400 a year to join and par- ticipates in awarding grants to nonprofits each year. “Pooling your money


goes a long way, and you meet new people and learn about needs in the community,” Annie Beale says. In 2010 the Beach Fund channeled nearly $20,000 in grants to nonprofits helping children in Lake Edward, one of Virginia Beach’s poorest neighborhoods. Becky Chalmers, Madison’s grandmother and Annie’s


mom, grew up in what is now Virginia Beach in a family that taught the importance of community. Her father, the late Judge Floyd E. Kellam Sr., would leap up and head out to help as soon as he heard a fire alarm. He “enjoyed helping others and really cared about his neighbors,” she recalls. Chalmers lived in North Carolina for two decades before


Becky Chalmers (left) and Annie Beale are active philanthropists.


moving back to Virginia Beach in 2000. She appreciates her family giving her a roadmap for making a difference in people’s lives. Through their estate plans her late mother, Annie Kellam, and her late brother, Floyd Kellam, tapped Chalmers and her sister, Anne Kellam, to recommend grants from donor advised funds at the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. That connection introduced Chalmers to the community foundation concept and the satisfaction of awarding grants to tackle specific needs. In 2010 Chalmers and her husband Hap were among the


first to join the Foundation’s new giving group – the Com- munity Leadership Partners. The Partners bring together area philanthropists to pool donations and award grants in key areas. Chalmers is now a steering committee member of the Partners, which awarded $200,000 in grants last year to a dozen nonprofits helping preschoolers succeed in life. Chalmers is “so glad my brother and mother started a fund” at the Foundation. It connects you to the community, and “helping people is a good feeling.” She likes connecting with “a lot of people who get things done. I feel I can call the Foundation anytime I have a question.”


27


IMPACT


Photo by Glen McClure


Hampton Roads Community Foundation •


hamptonr oadscf.or g


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