Community Foundation for Northern Virginia's Future Fund gala attendees gathered to listen to award winners and gala chairs at the top of the Potomac Riverboat Company’s Cherry Blossom. Grants were given to local nonprofits working on behalf of military veterans in our region. Photo by Veronica Bruno.
Alexandria — The Future Fund held its gala aboard the Cherry Blossom on Friday, May 16. The Fund raised approximately $52,000 that evening. The Future Fund engages young professionals in their 20s, 30s, and 40s in philanthropic efforts.
The event honored two 2014 grant-winning organizations: Linden Resources and Quality of Life Foundation. $20,000 grants were given to each organization and will go toward supporting families of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Marcy Johnson, 2014 Future Fund co-chair, thanked those in attendance and recognized the event's sponsors: “The grants committee has put in months of hard work. It's a huge undertaking.”
Linda Chandler, CEO of Linden Resources, said, “We help people with disabilities with meaningful employment. We've secured meaningful jobs for 10 vets with disabilities.”
Mike Zeiders, founder, president and chairman of the board for the Quality of Life Foundation spoke about the generations of individuals his organization have helped. He described Quality of Life Foundation as an organization that “steps forward to make a difference. Let me share a little about these families” as he told about the needs Quality of Life works to fulfill. “Our relationships with these families are long. The kinds of support we give those families helps to do their financial planning. We truly are making a meaningful difference in the lives of these families.”
Jessica Tadlock, 2014 Future Fund Events Committee chair called the gala “the best party in the Washington, D.C. area.”