Congratulations R.E.A.L. Life

We had another great River City Givers meeting last night!  We now have 53 members, and 31 of our members were present last night!  We had four ladies submit names into our charity nomination fish bowl, so we were able to draw three charities for consideration: the REAL Life Program, NEW Scholarship Fund, Center for Healthy Hearts.

We are thrilled to announce that the REAL Life Program of the Richmond City Justice Center (RCJC) is the recipient of funds from our April meeting!  With 100% participation, they will receive $5,300 for their work in our community.  Below is a bit more about what they do to work toward addressing the problems of addiction, with the goal of reducing recidivism among incarcerated men.  Their facebook page gives a really in-depth look at some of the amazing work they do!

Recovering from Everyday Addictive Lifestyle (R.E.A.L.), a program name created by the male residents, is the RCJC’s premiere program. R.E.A.L. has a purpose of reducing recidivism through ensuring the individual is prepared for re-entry into society. This is done by assisting residents of the RCJC to positively and comprehensively address their addictions and behaviors, while appropriately modifying their thinking.

http://www.richmondgov.com/Sheriff/DivisionInternalProgram.aspx#.WPeHAvnyu70

https://www.facebook.com/The-REAL-Program-1732448220322510/

The other two charities that were not chosen last night, but are also doing amazing work are the Center for Healthy Hearts and the NEW Scholarship Fund.  Below you will find links to both of their websites- please check them out and learn more about the work they are doing in our community.

http://www.centerforhealthyhearts.org/

http://www.networkofenterprisingwomen.org/

We also received an update from the Maggie L. Walker Community Land Trust and they have made significant steps forward in their work in Church Hill.  They have hired a part-time advocate, Nikki, who now has an office in Church Hill and they are hoping to house their first family by the end of this year!  They expressed such gratitude for our gift to them - and what a difference it has made for them - and we were all eager to hear from them!