Nota Bene: VCIC Humanitarian Awards Dinner

As I have written previously, colleges have special opportunities and obligations to establish behaviors of inclusiveness, to work for social justice, and to achieve progress for everyone by doing what they do best: teaching and illuminating. As part of that, we must strive to convert divisive thinking into positive action. That said, I am serving as chair of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities 54th Annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner. The event will take place next Thursday, March 22, at The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center.

Humanitarian Awards are presented to individuals and organizations demonstrating a commitment to the promotion of respect and understanding among people of diverse racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. We extend our sincerest congratulations to this year’s honorees: Kim W. & Valerie K. Brown; Cathy M. Lewis H’09; Lemuel E. Lewis (a Trustee Emeritus of Virginia Wesleyan University, whom we were proud to nominate); William L. Nusbaum; Angela D. Reddix; and Eggleston (Distinguished Merit Citation). We look forward to celebrating each of these deserving recipients and sharing our gratitude for their many contributions toward a more inclusive Virginia.

In addition to planning and logistics for the evening, part of my role as dinner chair is to help raise funds to support the efforts of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities and secure sponsorships for this special evening. I would like to personally thank our Corporate Level Sponsors: Birdsong Corporation, Landmark Media Enterprises, LLC, and Sentara Healthcare. And also our Table Level Sponsors: Charles Barker Automotive, Dominion Energy, The Dragas Companies, KPMG, MacArthur Center, Markel Corporation, Norfolk Airport Authority, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Owens & Minor, Inc., Port of Virginia, S L Nusbaum Insurance Agency Inc., Beth N Curtiss & Charles S Nusbaum, S.L. Nusbaum Realty Co., Smithfield Foods, Inc., SunTrust Bank, Towne Benefits, Virginia Beach Economic Development, Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay, Williams Mullen, and WHRO Public Media. Full tables and individual seats are still available, and reservations can be made online at: http://www.inclusiveva.org/awards/humanitarian/tidewater/

The list of past honorees of this highly respected award is impressive, and I am proud to share that many recipients with strong connections to Virginia Wesleyan are among those names. These include former Trustee G. Robert Aston Jr. (2002), Trustee Emeritus George Birdsong (1997), Virginia Wesleyan’s Center for the Study of Religious Freedom (2001, Distinguished Merit Citation), former Virginia Wesleyan President Lambuth Clarke (1991), former Trustee B. Minette Cooper (2000), Trustee Mary H. Haddad (2004), Trustee Vincent J. Mastracco (2000), Robert C. Nusbaum (2013), Voices of Faith with Jim Bergdoll (2016, Jeffrey B. Spence Award for Interfaith Understanding), and Craig S. Wansink (2017). I am also preceded in my dinner chair role by Lambuth Clarke (1979) and Henry Clay Hofheimer (1965).

Virginia Wesleyan’s Center for the Study of Religious Freedom sponsors several presentations and workshops in conjunction with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities each year—including the Nexus Interfaith Dialogue series. The center’s associate director, Kelly Jackson, has served on the VCIC Tidewater Chapter since 2004 and was chapter chair from 2014–2017. We are grateful for her service to both organizations and her dedication to a more inclusive society.

Virginia Wesleyan’s ties run deep with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, and we are honored to work so collaboratively with this like-minded organization. I am honored to serve as chair of the 2018 Humanitarian Awards Dinner and look forward to this very special evening.