Our Recipients

1st Quarter 2026 Funds Awarded to SHOOD

The first quarter River City Givers meeting was held Tuesday, January 20, 2026 via Zoom. Thank you to Nadine Oswald for hosting on her Zoom account!
There were 13 members in attendance with 1 guest.

We started the meeting with a presentation from Captain Shaundra Coleman from the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office. She shared how our 3rd Quarter 2025 donation was used for Project Lifesaver. She informed us that they were able to purchase 14 new transmitters to be given free of charge to citizens who sign up for the program in the future. They also purchased 5 battery testers for users to have to make sure the batteries are functioning properly. Additionally, they bought several new bands: 2 leather bands that are more difficult to remove and some bands in different colors. Overall, they were very pleased with our donation and were able to use all of it in support of the program.

Three members submitted charities for consideration at the meeting:

Shelly Desbois shared about Northstar Academy which is a nonprofit private school licensed by VDOE that promotes education and career opportunities for individuals with disabilities who have academic, physical or social challenges. Northstar serves students with a wide range of abilities, including 12 of the 13 disabilities identified by IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).

Nadine Oswald shared about the Virginia Police K-9 Association. The goal of the Virginia Police K-9 Association is to provide veterinary services and products to those who care for these retired canine public servants. The organization partners with vets around the state, and the vet then sends the bill to the organization who pays it.

Mary Gill told the group about SHOOD which was founded in 2017 and the founder still runs the program. Their mission is to provide a pair of new or like new, well-fitting running shoes to economically disadvantaged communities and to deliver them with dignity.
Since 2017, they’ve given out over 38,000 pairs of shoes. It is 100% volunteer run.
Our donation in 2023 was used to purchase Race Day Bags filled with helpful items for the student athletes and the coaches. The bags have worn out, and any donation we give would be used to purchase new bags and items.

Ballots were tabulated and ……………….
The winner of this quarter’s funds totaling $4,900 is SHOOD!!

Congratulations to the Network of Enterprising Women (NEW) Scholarship Fund

7/19/2017

We are thrilled to announce the Network of Enterprising Women (N.E.W.) Scholarship Fund is the recipient of funds from our July meeting. They will receive $6,300 for their work in our community ($100 from each of 60 members plus $300 additional from a member passionate about the cause!).

The Network of Enterprising Women (N.E.W.) was started in 1988 by Shirley Wagner and Debbie Johnston, two professional businesswomen seeking to build a women’s networking group meeting on a monthly basis. These two women, joined by several others, met in a small local restaurant. Eventually, the group expanded and the meeting location moved to a larger restaurant. Along the way, N.E.W. became a nonprofit organization, with a board of directors, which hosts many events outside the monthly networking luncheon.

The main goal of N.E.W. is to assist and encourage women who desire to become established in business, and to promote and foster the exchange of knowledge and understanding of methods for success in establishing and maintaining a business.

Funds from River City Givers will support the N.E.W Scholarship Fund which provides multiple $1,000 scholarships to area high school senior girls to help offset costs.

Learn more about N.E.W. by visiting their website: www.networkofenterprisingwomen.org

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