Creating Quality Educational Opportunities

Patricia DeOrio

 

Ms. DeOrio is responsible for beginning the Riverside School, for children with disabilities, in Chesterfield County. Riverside is the only LD day school on the East Coast that has 1:1 tutoring for all students as part of the curriculum with 100% of the children matriculating at local high schools or progressing at higher-grade levels at specialized schools.

Demonstrating Innovative Solutions

Napi Ippolito

Created an innovative solution to the problem of safely connecting North of the River residents, VCU students and children to Richmond’s James River park and Belle Isle without illegally crossing railroad tracks or swimming the river. Richmond’s first Greenway Path provides bicyclists, hikers and mothers with strollers a scenic and educational passage to one of the nation’s largest inner city wilderness areas.

Fostering Regional Cooperation

Tinh Duc Phan

Mr. Phan created the Asian American Business Assistance Center (AABAC) with a strong regional cooperative spirit among all localities. The AABAC board consists of leaders throughout the greater Richmond region. Leaders are then appointed to represent businesses from various regions of the Commonwealth to establish grass roots work to attract attention on promoting various localities so the region overall will benefit from these positive efforts.

Improving Racial Equality and Social Justice

Marilyn Breslow

As Executive Director of Refugee & Immigration Services for over 20 years, she seeks grants to help refugees begin a new life in the US. She speaks at the General Assembly on behalf of immigrant and refugee rights and has instituted programs to help refugees adjust to their new surroundings. At times, even personally providing child care and transportation for those attending refugee ESL classes in order for them to obtain employment and become self sufficient.

Promoting Stronger Communities

DeeDee Goldstein & Ann Eisenberg

As co-chairs of and responsible for bringing Hadassah’s CHECK IT OUT program to the Richmond region, Goldstein and Eisenberg have dedicated themselves to bringing breast and testicular cancer awareness to approximately 12,000 Richmond area public high school students and VSU students over the past 9 years. Leading a small team of volunteers with the help of VCU’s Life Skills Center and Massey Cancer Center, they provide training, models and shower cards to promote early detection.