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April 6, 2001
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Major Gifts Put Capital Campaign More Than Halfway Home
After receiving several major gifts in recent weeks including a $250,000 grant from The Norfolk Foundation, the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum Capital Campaign is nearing the $5 million mark – more than half of its goal
“We’re delighted to receive this generous gift from The Norfolk Foundation,” said Bob Aston, the Hall of Fame’s Capital Campaign chairman. “This recognition and support from such a well-regarded regional foundation underscores the significance of the Hall of Fame’s plans and what the new museum will mean for Hampton Roads and all of Virginia.
The Hall of Fame is conducting a $9 million capital campaign to raise funds for the new Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, slated to open in 2003 in downtown Portsmouth.
With award-winning national designers handling the project, plans for the Commonwealth’s official sports hall of fame call for a 30,000-square-foot building on two floors. The museum will house novel interactive exhibits, fascinating interpretive displays, legendary sports memorabilia, an education outreach division focusing on health and fitness, a 125-seat theater, changing exhibitions, sports activity area, and the Hall of Honor, a tribute to Virginia’s greatest athletes.
“In spring 1999, we quietly began talking to people and we found that many people were just as excited as we are about the new Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum,” said Aston. “Our presentations have met with much success. Besides The Norfolk Foundation gift, more than 100 lead gifts have come in, and it’s so exciting and satisfying to know that we’re more than halfway through the course.”
The Norfolk Foundation was founded in 1950 and is the oldest community foundation in Virginia. In 2000 the foundation distributed more than $4.7 million in grants throughout Hampton Roads for nonprofit organizations and scholarships. When asked why The Norfolk Foundation chose to support the Hall of Fame, executive director Angelica D. Light noted two primary factors – the museum’s role in Portsmouth’s redevelopment efforts and the museum’s ambitious plans for education outreach programs across the Commonwealth.
“What is most appealing about the museum is its potential to anchor downtown Portsmouth redevelopment. It should enhance the urban waterway that stretches from Portsmouth to Norfolk,” said Light. “The Norfolk Foundation also was impressed with the museum's plans for outreach education.
Those education plans include youth programs for grades K-12 that can be presented at schools and other off-site venues. To extend its reach in the communities, the Hall of Fame also plans to partner with groups such as youth clubs, scouting organizations and recreation centers to stage joint programs featuring Hall of Fame inductees teaching children about the life values that athletics reinforce.
In addition to The Norfolk Foundation grant, the Hall of Fame Capital Campaign has received several other lead gifts. Recent major donors include SunTrust Bank, BB&T Bank, Scott & Stringfellow and the Norfolk Sports Club.
“SunTrust – as well as most companies today – are looking for employees with strong values and honorable work ethics,” said William K. Butler, II, president and CEO, SunTrust Hampton Roads. “The museum’s education plan focuses on the positive character traits that participation in athletics can help develop – values such as leadership, integrity, teamwork and discipline. That’s why the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame project is exciting for us.”
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(Back to Sports Page)
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