Events

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Rhythm Project Brings Sound of Music to St. Mary's Home

The Rhythm Project All Stars filled our Atrium with the sounds of steel drum music during a free, public concert on April 26. The All Stars are the premier performing ensemble of The Rhythm Project world percussion and dance ensemble founded by The Virginia Arts Festival. Read more about the concert here.

 

Board Holds Annual Meeting, Selects President

The Board of Trustees of St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children held its Annual Meeting & Dinner at the Home on March 26. The Honorable Ralph S. Northam, senator from Virginia's 6th District, gave the keynote address. Read more about the meeting here.

Richard N. Knapp, chief operating officer of Virginia International Terminals, was appointed president of the Board. Vincent A. Napolitano, president of Napolitano Homes, was appointed vice president of the Board, and Thomas W. Godfrey Jr., president and CEO of Colonna's Shipyard, was appointed secretary. George L. Consolvo of the Kaufman & Canoles law firm will continue as treasurer.

The event was made possible through the generosity of two companies with close ties to SMHDC: Paul Finch & Associates, P.C. and S.B. Ballard Construction Company. Architects PF&A designed SMHDC's state-of-the-art, 88,000-square-foot facility, which opened in February 2005. S.B. Ballard was the general contractor for the project.

 

Auction Nets Nearly $50,000 for Children of St. Mary's Home

Lisa Suhay displays a copy of her book "There Goes a Mermaid" while artist Georgia Mason holds a painting of the mermaid she will sculpt for the children of St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children -- and decorate with their help.

An auction organized by the Auxiliary Board of St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children raised nearly $50,000. Part of the money will be used to provide summer camp scholarships; the Auxiliary will grant other requests in the coming months. Click here for auction details; read a news release about the auction results here; read more about the auction here in The Virginian-Pilot and at our new blog.

The auction also included the opportunity to get the children of SMHDC a mermaid of their own, since the Home is sponsoring a special edition of the children's book "There Goes A Mermaid" by Norfolk author Lisa Suhay. Congratulations -- and many thanks -- to the man behind the winning bid of $5,000: Carl M. Albero, a member of St. Mary's Board of Trustees.

 

Home for the Holidays

(photo courtesy of Philip Holman)

 

Norfolk artist Germaine Clair built a gingerbread version of St. Mary's facade for the cover of our 2008 holiday card. Philip Holman, an art teacher at the Visual & Performing Arts Academy at Salem High School in Virginia Beach, photographed the gingerbread house, along with some of the children at SMHDC, for the card. You can see more of Holman's work here. To see more photos of children and staff having fun watching the gingerbread house come together click here.