burghealth, Author at Williamsburg Health Foundation

Williamsburg Health Foundation Celebrates Bill Pribble’s 20 Years of Dedication and Commitment

Oct 12, 2023 | News

Williamsburg Health Foundation Celebrates Bill Pribble’s 20 Years of Dedication and Commitment

October 13, 2023

The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) is pleased to honor and celebrate the remarkable two-decade career of its Vice President of Programs, Bill Pribble. Today, we recognize Bill’s extraordinary contributions to WHF as well as his unwavering dedication in supporting countless community partners over the past 20 years.

Bill joined the Foundation in 2002 as a Grants Administrator shortly after graduating from Virginia Tech, when WHF was still a part of Williamsburg Community Hospital. In 2003, he was instrumental in the transition of WHF to a private foundation, and in 2010 he was promoted to Program Officer. Later, he rose to Senior Program Officer, and finally, as of April of this year, he was appointed to Vice President of Programs, where he is responsible for overseeing the awarding of nearly $5 million annually to local nonprofits and government agencies.

Throughout his remarkable career, Bill has:

Championed Our Mission: He has been a strong advocate for the mission of the Foundation and has consistently worked to improve access to healthcare, promote wellness in the community, and advance our philanthropic efforts. Bill has been particularly involved in managing the Foundation’s grants portfolio in the healthy eating and active living area.
Built Partnerships: Bill has been instrumental in forging meaningful partnerships with local healthcare organizations, nonprofit organizations, and leaders in the community, who are focused on improving the health and wellbeing of people in our community. Over the years, he has managed partnerships between the Foundation and Avalon, Bacon Street Youth and Family Services, Center for Child and Family Services, Child Development Resources (CDR), Colonial Community Corrections, Community Housing Partners, FISH, Grove Christian Outreach Center, Virginia Health Care Foundation, Virginia Legacy Soccer Club, Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, and the Williamsburg-James City County School’s School Health Initiative Program (SHIP), among others.
Inspired Others: With his affable demeanor and historical knowledge of the Foundation’s work, Bill has been a tremendous colleague, friend, and mentor to those individuals and organizations associated with the Foundation throughout the years.

Deanna Van Hersh, WHF President and CEO, expressed gratitude for Bill’s contributions, saying, “Twenty years is an incredible milestone, and Bill has and continues to make a tremendous impact on the Foundation’s work and throughout the community. I am deeply grateful for his commitment and look forward to many more years of working together.”

Congratulations on 20 years at the Williamsburg Health Foundation, Bill!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Williamsburg Health Foundation has a corpus of over $135 million and distributes an average of $5 million in grants annually in the Greater Williamsburg Area. The Foundation also convenes agencies to address health-related challenges that cannot be solved by one organization or sector alone. For more information on the Williamsburg Health Foundation, visit WilliamsburgHealthFoundation.org.

Health foundation grants focus on supporting mental health throughout Williamsburg area

Oct 11, 2023 | News

Health foundation grants focus on supporting mental health throughout Williamsburg area

By

By BRANDY CENTOLANZA | bcentolanza@cox.net | Correspondent

JAMES CITY — As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Williamsburg Health Foundation said it remains more committed than ever to helping support and increase mental health services throughout the Greater Williamsburg community.

The foundation recently released its 2022 annual report, which revealed a total of $4,886,660 handed out to more than 40 organizations with a focus on mental health. Fifteen of those recipients were first-time grantees.

“The foundation has long recognized the significance of mental health and its connection to overall well-being,” said Bill D. Pribble, the foundation’s vice president of programs. “As the mental health toll from the COVID-19 pandemic became apparent in our community, the foundation prioritized funding in 2022 for programs that increased access to behavioral health services. For this reason, the focus of our 2022 annual report is on mental and behavioral health.”

Grants were awarded in a variety of categories, including advocacy and capacity building, family services, healthy eating, active living, healthy aging, integrated care, behavioral health care, medication access and other services. Individual grants ranged from $3,000 to $670,000.

Williamsburg-James City County Schools received the largest amount of funds for its School Health Initiative Program.

“The 2022 annual report demonstrates the foundation’s $4.9 million investment in both programs and initiatives that target risk factors affecting our population’s health,” Pribble said. “We are most proud of the work our community partners did to address social determinants of health and provide direct care to the underserved, unrepresented, and under-voiced populations in our community.”

Among the 2022 grant recipients for behavioral health care programs were Bacon Street Youth and Family Services, Center for Child & Family Services, Colonial Behavioral Health and Postpartum Support Virginia.

Those who received awards for integrated care programs were Colonial Behavioral Health, Community Access Network, Gloucester Mathews Care Clinic, Lackey Clinic and Olde Towne Medical & Dental Center.

As the foundation’s board reflects on the latest annual report, Pribble said there are still a number of community health issues WHF would like to address.

“The Greater Williamsburg area continues to wrestle with difficult and complicated health issues facing our community,” Pribble said. “The pandemic exacerbated some of these ongoing issues and brought others into stronger focus. Like other localities around the country, for example, Williamsburg must address the needs of our community’s aging population, the shortage of healthcare workers, and strategies for providing responsive and effective care to uninsured children and adults in our community.”

In addition to mental and behavioral health issues that arose from the pandemic, “three other unmet health needs have consistently ranked of highest concern: access to healthy food, affordable housing and transportation,” Pribble said. “The foundation remains committed to providing funding and building partnerships to address these areas.”

The foundation awarded funding for programs related to healthy eating and active living to The Arc of Greater Williamsburg, Colonial CASA, Grove Christian Outreach Center, Virginia Legacy Soccer Club, Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, Williamsburg Community Growers, Williamsburg House of Mercy, Williamsburg Soccer Foundation and Williamsburg-James City County Schools.

The Williamsburg Health Foundation was first established in 1996 to help improve the health and well-being for residents of the Greater Williamsburg area. The foundation has handed out more than $100 million in grants so far to support its mission.

“The Williamsburg Health Foundation remains committed to supporting the important work of our dedicated community partners,” Pribble said. “Through these partnerships, the foundation hopes to continue having an important role in improving the health and well-being of those individuals and families who work, play, and live in our wonderful community.”

To see the complete list of grant recipients, visit www.williamsburghealthfoundation.org.

Brandy Centolanza, bcentolanza@cox.net

https://www.dailypress.com/2023/10/11/health-foundation-grants-focus-on-supporting-mental-health/

Williamsburg Health Foundation Announces Publication of Annual Report

Oct 5, 2023 | News

Williamsburg Health Foundation Announces Publication of Annual Report

The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) is pleased to announce the publication of WHF’s Report to the Community for 2022, now available on the Foundation’s website at https://williamsburghealthfoundation.org/.

The report highlights the Foundation’s continued commitment to invest in local nonprofits that aim to improve health opportunities and the well-being of individuals living in Greater Williamsburg. The report also provides a breakdown of the grants awarded in 2022 to support more than 40 community partners and includes a look at the Foundation’s financials and stewardship of resources.

“We are happy to share our 2022 annual report and are proud of the work our community partners are doing to improve the health and well-being of individuals living in our community,” said WHF President and CEO Deanna Van Hersh.

To access the full Report to the Community for 2022, please visit https://williamsburghealthfoundation.org/about/. For additional information, please send inquiries to communications@williamsburghealthfoundation.org.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Williamsburg Health Foundation has a corpus of over $135 million and distributes an average of $5 million in grants annually in the Greater Williamsburg Area. The Foundation also convenes agencies to address health-related challenges that cannot be solved by one organization or sector alone. For more information on the Williamsburg Health Foundation, visit WilliamsburgHealthFoundation.org.

Williamsburg Health Foundation Names Deanna Van Hersh as New President and CEO

Mar 8, 2023 | News

WILLIAMSBURG, Va., March 8, 2023 – Deanna Van Hersh, a visionary leader in grantmaking and program management, has been named the new President and Chief Executive Officer, by the Williamsburg Health Foundation Board of Trustees. She began her new role on March 6.

Van Hersh succeeds Carol Sale, who recently retired after leading the Williamsburg Health Foundation for five years.

The extensive search led to an internal staff member with an impressive career background to carry out the strategic goals and mission of the Foundation.

“The Board of Trustees is delighted to name Deanna as the President and CEO,” said Chairman Beth Davis. “Her accomplishments and leadership skills coupled with her philanthropic experience makes Deanna the perfect person to lead the Foundation’s efforts to provide healthy options and lifestyles for those living in the Greater Williamsburg area.”

Van Hersh is not new to the Williamsburg Health Foundation; she most recently served as the Director of Health and Wellness where she led the grantmaking for Advanced Primary Care, Medication Access, Integrated Care, and the Foundation’s increasing focus on the needs of older adults. She managed over $2 million in grants and contracts; including oversight of the Greater Williamsburg Chronic Care Collaborative, which works to strengthen the area safety net. In addition to her Foundation expertise, Van Hersh is equally dedicated and involved in several professional organizations, including the Virginia Funders Network, Grantmakers in Health, and Grantmakers in Aging.

Prior to joining the Williamsburg Health Foundation, Van Hersh spent 23 years with the Kansas Health Foundation (KHF) culminating with roles of Interim Executive Vice President and Vice President for Programs. As the Vice President for Programs, Van Hersh was credited with leading a grant-making staff to devise, implement, and evaluate $20 million in grants each year, focusing on healthy behaviors, access to care, civic and community engagement, and educational attainment.

“The Board of Trustees is confident that Deanna’s impressive track record of identifying opportunities, building partnerships and her high level of integrity and respect for others will serve to advance the Foundation’s mission to inspire collaboration, encourage innovation, and commit to investing in systems that improve the health and well-being of individuals in the community,” said Davis.

“I am honored by this opportunity to lead the Williamsburg Health Foundation,” said Van Hersh. “And I look forward to collaborating with community partners, this dedicated staff and Board of Trustees to work toward a shared vision of health opportunities for all.”

The Williamsburg Health Foundation has a corpus of over $135 million and distributes an average of $5 million in grants annually in the Greater Williamsburg area. The Foundation also convenes agencies to address health-related challenges that cannot be solved by one organization or sector alone. For more information on the Williamsburg Health Foundation, visit WilliamsburgHealthFoundation.org.

Williamsburg Health Foundation Announces Grants for December 2022

Dec 5, 2022 | News

On December 5, 2022, the Board of Trustees of the Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) approved 13 grants worth nearly $700,000 for local organizations that improve the health of the Greater Williamsburg community. “These recent grants raise the total of grants awarded by the Foundation over the past 25 years to over 100 million dollars,” said Carol L. Sale, President & CEO of WHF.

“This is an important milestone for the community,” said Sale. “It represents careful stewardship by current and past trustees and staff to make sure this community asset grows while distributing critical funds to improve the health of our community.”

In this latest round of grants, the emphasis has been on children’s mental health. “In our community, our commonwealth, and our nation, there is a mental health crisis, especially a children’s mental health crisis,” said Allison Brody, director of community engagement. “This made our program team take a hard look at ways to help more young people.”

“One thing we do is to try to disrupt the cycle of family violence which traumatizes children,” said Brody, referencing a grant to the Center for Child and Family Services. “We granted money to support Bacon Street Youth and Family Services to provide individual and family counseling services to clients experiencing mental health and substance use issues.”

WHF increased its support of Postpartum Support Virginia and its program Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies which it provides in partnership with Child Development Resources and their Motherhood program.

The Foundation also continues to support community understanding of trauma and its many lifelong repercussions through the

Greater Williamsburg Trauma Informed Community Network, or TICN, which is administered by United Way.

“We are also helping children mental health in the simplest way of all – getting children out to play,” said Sale. In the past few years, WHF has given small grants of $20,000 to Virginia Legacy Soccer to provide soccer to the community in various ways, including, most recently, offering it free of charge through the James City County Department of Recreation. Participation in the soccer program has exploded. It has gone from a couple hundred participants to over 700 in the last season.

Virginia Legacy Soccer Club estimates that 1,000 children will participate in the recreational soccer league each soccer season, and it just received $80,000 to support their play, “So much of what makes a child healthy emotionally and physically is having the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, so we see a diverse group of children taking advantage of this opportunity,” said Brody.

For full listing of grants click here >>>