Nine months and a whole world ago, we were putting the finishing touches to plans for a magnificent celebration of Hampton Roads Academy’s 60th Anniversary when Governor Ralph Northam announced the restriction of all gatherings to 100 people or fewer in response to the rising number of cases of Covid-19 in the Commonwealth. Fresh off the successful opening and dedication of the new Lower School Wing, Dining Hall and Hydroponics Lab, we were eagerly anticipating a splendid bash in honor of our first 60 years of growth and continual improvement in our mission to prepare students to excel intellectually, artistically and morally in higher education and life. In spite of all the hard work of our dedicated band of volunteers on the 60th Anniversary Committee, we reluctantly had to cancel this event, and subsequently, a whole host of other events, assemblies and ceremonies, re-imagining them wherever we could as virtual or otherwise modified occasions. In these pages we commemorate equally the starkly different time before Covid-19 and the time during Covid-19, while celebrating the constancy of the
HRA spirit during both times in our students, families and friends as they rose to the challenges of the day.
That
HRA spirit is reflected in the progress our community of donors and loyal supporters has made in advancing our mission against all odds and building a stronger community as a result. As though to prove a point and show defiance in the face of adversity, you rallied to deliver a robust annual fund that surpassed all our most optimistic expectations. This assured that we would be able to cover the greatly increased costs of delivering at first, a strong distance learning program and now, a safe and complete on-campus experience for our student Navigators. The generosity of our entire community of alumni, parents, grandparents,
Trustees,
faculty and staff makes this all possible.
In addition, our Endowment Fund has been strengthened this year by two events - first, a very generous unrestricted gift from a loyal donor and secondly, the adoption by the Board of Trustees of a new component fund, the Mary P. Blalock Philanthropy Fund. The accumulation of unrestricted gifts to the Endowment Fund provides financial stability, allowing the school’s administration to respond to future challenges, known and unknown alike. Covid-19 has given us a foretaste of how critically important it is to have a strong endowment. The new Mary P. Blalock Philanthropy Fund is forward-looking also, intended to develop a new generation of philanthropists among our students. This exciting and unique fund has been established in memory of HRA’s beloved Mary Blalock, who worked tirelessly for over 15 years to advance the mission of the school, most recently as Director of Advancement.
In the same spirit of looking to the future, the newly formed Planned Giving Committee is dedicated to helping donors establish a legacy at HRA by providing for the school in their estate plans. Members of the committee are eager to share their own experiences and demonstrate how, alongside providing for your surviving family, your legacy gift can help secure HRA’s future.
While we continue to meet the challenges of today, the future looks bright for
Hampton Roads Academy and it is due to your generosity and the support of the whole community. Thank you for all you do!