My Nonprofit Reviews

I have attended VCIC Project Inclusion programs for high school students as an observer and corporate training as a participant, and because, like all of us, I see the great need for the kind of mediation and diversity training that the VCIC provides, I serve on our local VCIC chapter board. No other nonprofit organization in our state provides this expertise and capability. Its reach, though, is national, because the programs and materials it has developed are models for other organizations. At a time of great polarization and the reemergence of overt discrimination based on race, religion, and other factors, the need has never been greater.

I have known about the VCIC for over 25 years, but it was not until I became a recipient of its Humanitarian Award in 2011 that I came to fully grasp its mission and accomplishments. What other organization, at least in Virginia, has as its mission the strengthening of individuals, educational institutions, businesses and government by teaching intentional methods to promote diversity and inclusion? With the resurgence of religious and ethnic bigotry in recent years, the beacon that is the VCIC has shone brighter than ever and its services have never been in greater demand. It is an extremely well run, lean organization deserving of all the help I can give it.

The work of this well-run nonprofit is difficult to explain but in my 72-year lifetime it has never been more important. The VCIC helps individuals, governments, educational institutions and businesses be successful through diversity. VCIC-developed programs are replicated by similar organizations across the country. It does crisis-intervention work, holds regular workshops and retreats for high schools and colleges, advises municipal governments and provides training sessions for businesses. The fees is charges those who can pay do not cover its expenses; it is a not-for-profit organization. The VCIC is a strong voice not only calling for inclusion but teaching us how to achieve it.

The VCIC works like no other secular organization to promote inclusiveness and diversity. As its reputation inside and outside of Virginia has grown, its staff and work have grown. In the first 11 months of the 2015-2016 fiscal year it has conducted 227 programs or events in Virginia, reaching over 16,500 people. It conducts 3 and 4-day sessions for public schools, colleges and universities, as well as businesses and government agencies. It provides workshops to promote diversity in higher education, inclusive workplace initiatives and community programs. In my hometown of Lynchburg, Va., the city school administration consulted the VCIC following a racial incident at a middle school. The VCIC formulated a plan and conducted multiple public listening sessions and used the public's input to help the city school administration formulate a meaningful, effective community and school response that will have lasting benefit for the entire community. VCIC is a lean, well-run organization with a hardworking, dedicated staff that does vital work to promote a more just, inclusive society.

In an increasingly crowded and cantankerous world, it is ever more important that we learn to live and even thrive together--to respect and celebrate our differences and draw strength from them. Few nonprofits have as their sole focus teaching individuals and organizations how to do that, and none does it better than the VCIC. It is well-run, fiscally responsible and highly effective and as a result, the demand for its services increases every year.

No other organization in our state does what theVCIC does. It is a non-religiously affiliated organization that strengthens communities by helping people to understand how religious, racial and cultural diversity helps us build a stronger, more nurturing and more peaceful society. They work through schools, businesses and governmental institutions to train individuals to identify problems and devise concrete plans to address the problems. My daughter attended a VCIC three-day program while in high school and it was a life-changing event. I have observed the VCIC in action at a retreat for college students and was impressed by the emphasis on problem identification and the development of detailed, long-range plans to address the problems, and the plans for follow-up to assure implementation. This organization is about dealing in rigorously effective ways with real-world prejudice.

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In February 2013 I had the opportunity, as a board member, to sit in on a training session for local college students run by the VCIC. This was a three-day retreat; I attended one morning. I was struck by the professionalism of the staff and by the collaborative approach that this organization encourages to address a major social problem--discrimination. Even though I have heard about this organization for years, I was invited to join the board only last year and this was the first time I had seen it in operation. To say that I was impressed would be a gross understatement.

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