Foundation for Roanoke Valley Awards Grant to Prevention Council of Roanoke County

Foundation for Roanoke Valley announced that it has awarded a grant of $70,000 to Prevention Council of Roanoke County for its Urgent Love Initiative.  The grant comes from the Foundation’s Thomas P. and Lewise S. Parsley Fund which was established in 1991 to support a number of interests including community outreach programs that address substance abuse.

The Urgent Love Initiative is a research-supported model of community engagement to directly address our region’s runaway opioid epidemic. Extending across 26 counties in southwestern Virginia, the nonprofit grassroots initiative will put actionable information and resources at the fingertips of those who need it, along with video-rich content to bring local faces and voice to the epidemic of addiction.

“Moving the conversation of addiction out of the shadows and into greater community awareness, this unique “all-in” approach of local engagement will create opportunities for local communities to collaborate in affecting change – including media partners, the medical community, faith communities, local businesses, educational institutions, local governments, law enforcement, addiction treatment providers and nonprofit stakeholders,” says Nancy Hans, Executive Director of Prevention Council of Roanoke County,  “Working with sister organizations and funding partners, this initiative will generate shared ownership for the challenges facing our neighbors, as an evidence-based model of engagement that can be shared across the state and the nation.”

Alan Ronk, Executive Director of the Foundation, noted “Mrs. Parsley created her fund over 25 years ago, and although she is no longer with us, her concern for the community continues to make important work like this special initiative possible.   We look forward to the many lives changed for the better through her generosity and through the leadership of the many folks involved.”

For more information on the Urgent Love Initiative, please visit www.UrgentLove.org.

For more than 29 years, Foundation for Roanoke Valley has enabled those who love the community to easily give back.  The Foundation currently holds and administers 324 named endowment funds established by individuals and families for the perpetual benefit of the community.  For more information about the community foundation, visit www.foundationforroanokevalley.org.

Photo Credit: Hank Ebert