25th Anniversary

August 31, 2022

The second charity we are featuring this month is Prevent Child Abuse America. For 50 years, they remain the largest organization committed to preventing child abuse and neglect before it happens. Their success relies on a national network of state chapters and nearly 600 program sites that provide parents and caregivers a wide variety of services and resources within their communities.

Prevent Child Abuse America not only handles the issues of abuse and neglect, but also prevention strategies based on scientific research. This information is then put into action by raising awareness and advocating for policies at the national, state, and local levels.

Today, we are donating $25,000 to our local chapter, FamiliesForwardVA, so that they can help disrupt cycles of child abuse, neglect, and poverty by strengthening Virginia’s families and communities. FamiliesForwardVA works with 51 local affiliates and oversees programs such as CHIP, Healthy Families, Circle of Parents, and Parents as Teachers, just to name a few. They hold countless resources for families in need of support, education, and advocacy. Our donation will directly aid in their ability to expand programs, increase education to parents, and grow the child abuse prevention space.

**To find your local chapter, visit https://preventchildabuse.org/where-we-work/.
To discover ways to donate, learn more about PCA America, or for resources, please visit www.preventchildabuse.org. For more information about FamiliesForwardVA, please visit www.familiesforwardva.org

September 21, 2022

It’s that time of year again. The summer flew by, and school is in session. This September we are highlighting Scholarship America, the nation’s largest nonprofit, private scholarship organization.

For over 60 years, Scholarship America has held true to their mission of helping ALL students pursue and achieve a higher education. They stand on the core principle of equity by advocating for all students, regardless of ethnicity or economic background. Respect and inclusion are the cornerstones of their culture, with an ongoing commitment that there is always room to do more.

In addition to working with more than 1,300 partners to provide scholarships and emergency grants, their initiatives include Dollars for Scholars, a coalition of local, community-based scholarship organizations, Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, which provides assistance for dependents of those impacted by the September 11th attacks, and the Dream Award, a multi-year, performance-based scholarship fund targeted toward students who have overcome adversity to start higher education, but who face financial barriers to finishing. In 2021, Scholarship America awarded over 73,000 scholarships totaling $260 million, and gave $5.3 million in emergency aid to more than 4,000 students.

Perhaps the charity’s founder, Dr. Irving A. Fradkin, said it best: “The most valuable asset this country has is not gold or oil, but the minds of young people.” In continued celebration of our 25th Anniversary, we are donating $25,000 to Scholarship America for education for every student.

To learn more about their resources and scholarships or to donate, please visit www.scholarshipamerica.org.

October 2, 2022

Today is Wrongful Conviction Day. Started in 2014 by the Innocence Network, a coalition of 71 innocence organizations from all over the world, this day annually honors the wrongly convicted and spreads awareness through personal testimonies.

“The Innocence Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. Our work is guided by science and grounded in antiracism” (www.innocenceproject.org). This mission is unbelievably powerful and the Innocence Project works tirelessly for it. Access to post-conviction DNA testing, misapplied forensic science, inadequate defense, and false confessions are just some of the areas of the criminal legal system where the Innocence Project has made a difference. The organization advocates for reform on every level, and its work is backed by comprehensive scientific research.

We want to bring awareness to those who are wrongfully convicted by donating $25,000 to the Innocence Project. This donation will aid in continuing the fight for criminal and racial justice reform, improving case law through targeted legal work, and supporting those who have been exonerated as they rebuild their lives post-release.

**To make a donation, to read more about the policy campaigns that the Innocence Project is spearheading, or to sign petitions that help root the criminal legal system in equity and accountability, visit www.innocenceproject.org.

October 28, 2022

The Cancer Research Institute’s central mission is to save more lives by fueling the discovery and development of powerful immunotherapies for all types of cancer. This mission wouldn’t be possible without the integration of help from researchers, scientists, patients, and advocates. What began in 1953 as an inspiration to a daughter, who aimed to continue her father’s ground breaking discoveries of cancer immunotherapy, has turned into a leading foundation for pioneering new discoveries in cancer research. Since that time, the Cancer Research Institute has joined with other research programs to expand the knowledge of all advancements in the field and to collaborate worldwide to utilize the most effective immunotherapies against cancer, and to ultimately, save lives.

We want to honor our loved ones that we have sadly lost to cancer and help fund the continuing mission to find cures by gifting $25,000 to the Cancer Research Institute. They are proud to have one of the lowest overhead expense ratios among non-profit organizations and our donation will go directly to fund programs that lead to breakthrough discoveries of powerful immunotherapies. They turn donations into research through grants and fellowships that help provide critical resources for laboratory work and clinical trials. We support their goal that, together, we can change the way cancer is treated and cured.

**To learn more about their innovative clinical research, to give a gift in memory of a loved one, or for more information, please visit www.cancerresearch.org.

November 7, 2022

In celebration of National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, we are highlighting an established charity that promotes the vital role that animal shelters have in communities all over the country. For over 100 years, American Humane has become a leading non-profit organization for the rescue, education, reform, and awareness they bring to animal welfare.

Their programs and initiatives range from partnerships with national associations in farming, conservation, and film industries to the largest network of disaster emergency response teams in America. They also provide life-saving service dogs to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and recognize military dogs’ heroic service on and off the battlefield. In 2021, American Humane rescued and sheltered more than one million animals affected by cruelty cases, the Covid19 pandemic, and natural disasters due to wildfires and hurricanes. Their Second Chance® Grants give support to local shelters that are burdened with the high expenses of sheltering and providing medical care.

Today we are donating $25,000 to American Humane knowing that 91 cents of every dollar will go directly to giving animals a second chance at life.

**For more information, to give a donation in memory of a pet, or to learn more about American Humane’s programs, visit www.americanhumane.org.

November 21, 2022

On any given night in America, more than half a million people are homeless. The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to end homelessness in the United States. Since its start in 1983, this organization has transformed into to a national network of over 10,000 providers, public agencies, and private partners called The Alliance. They have grown by implementing strategies that successfully builds knowledge by using research and data to discover what works to end homelessness, improving policy by educating leaders and policymakers, and enhancing the capacity to help communities by providing training, technical aid, and tools to public agencies.

Their mission to end homelessness is what drives them because it’s how they measure their impact. Today we are donating $25,000 to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Our donation helps develop quality data and research so they can educate policy makers and help improve legislation and funding for homelessness assistance.

**To learn more about their initiatives, donate, or to find statistics on homelessness, visit www.endhomelessness.org

December 14, 2022

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats, and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. To do that, St. Jude needs to continue to be at the cutting edge of the latest medicine and research in fighting diseases such as cancer, sickle cell disease, and neurological disorders, all while freeing families from the biggest burden of getting life-saving healthcare: the cost. 

Unlike other hospitals, the majority of funding for St. Jude comes from generous donors. Donations are used to fund breakthrough research powered by some of the brightest minds in science. St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate for childhood cancer from 20% when the hospital opened in 1962 to more than 80% today. Donated funds are also used to support the daily operations at St. Jude, where no family ever receives a bill. Every donation truly does make a difference. Supporting St. Jude also has special meaning for our CEO Donna Spurrier. Her father, Jess Duboy, worked with the founder, Danny Thomas on numerous occasions to support his mission. Today we are donating $25,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital so that we can make a difference in the way childhood cancer is treated. 

**During this season of giving, please consider one of these 25 ways to support the lifesaving mission of St. Jude from small acts of kindness to monetary donations: https://www.stjude.org/give/25-ways-to-support-now.html

December 21, 2022

The Global Fund for Women was established over 30 years ago to fill a critical gap in funding for local women’s rights organizations. Today, they remain the leading global fund of gender injustice organizations, initiatives, and movements worldwide. Women, girls, and gender nonconforming people face incredible challenges to their safety, success, and human rights. Donations to this nonprofit foundation help ensure that more money, resources, and decision-making power goes directly to supporting grassroots initiatives through grants that benefit women, girls, and all marginalized people. www.globalfundforwomen.org

As this year closes, I have immeasurable gratitude for our achievements and conclude our 25th Anniversary celebration by donating $25,000 to the Global Fund for Women so that they can continue to defend women’s rights and support movements that lead to equality. This donation is given on behalf of the incredibly smart, hardworking women who keep Spurrier Group advancing everyday and who are inspiring the next generation of women.

-Donna Spurrier