From left, Kimberley L. Martin and Rose Giles (Photos by Jay Paul)
Rose Giles’ desire to help educate others began at Hampton University in the 1970s. She attended the university with the assistance of a scholarship from Gwendolyn Brooks, the renowned poet, writer and first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize, for her book “Annie Allen.”
“It was a monetary award based mostly on need and the ability to write a compelling essay,” Giles recalls. “It also seemed to be something personal [Brooks] was doing at the time to help students at colleges throughout the country.”
Vowing then to someday help educate future college students, Giles’ desire increased 12 years ago after a near-fatal accident and severe back injury left her immobile for several months.
“For a while I had to move back in with my parents. I remember my parents had to turn me in bed and I thought, 'Lord, is this it for me?' ” says Giles. “It was during this period of my life that I made a commitment to make a difference in the lives of students who are experiencing adversity.”
Merging her passions for brand development, event planning and helping struggling students, Giles created the nonprofit Virginia Higher Education Fund (VHEF) in 2010. She also created Jazz Inside Out, an event to raise funds for students in need. This year’s event will take place June 9 at the Willow Oaks Country Club.
Giles’ progress in seven years is impressive. At the first Jazz Inside Out event in 2011, one $1,000 Momentum Scholarship was awarded. This year VHEF will award 12 of the scholarships.
Giles, a former public school speech and language pathologist, says several medical practices and other businesses have made contributions to the fund ranging from $2,000 to $2,500. Other partnerships have included Martin’s, Southwest Airlines and the Virginia Lottery. Such giving has allowed VHEF to provide Momentum Scholarships and laptops to more than 100 students since its inception.
Another Richmond-area nonprofit, the KLM Scholarship Foundation, formed in 2002, shares goals and objectives similar to the VHEF.
As the youngest of 13 children, Kimberley L. Martin saw many of her older siblings attend and graduate from college with the assistance of federal grant programs that were plentiful during the 1960s and 1970s. But when Martin sought financial assistance in 1985, the climate for such funding had changed.
Because many of her siblings were no longer at home in Portsmouth, Martin was considered “an only child,” and her parents’ income was deemed too high for her to qualify for grants and other tuition-free programs. Student loans helped Martin pay for her education at Virginia State University, but didn’t cover the cost of books and other expenses.
Martin decided she would one day help college students obtain their degrees. “I’m going to [earn] millions,” the business information systems major anticipated.
Approaching her mid-30s, Martin says, her million-dollar income hadn’t yet materialized. She says a “conversation with God” made her seek donations from family and friends to provide book scholarships to college students. Based on the demand for the initial funds distributed, the KLM Foundation was created in 2002 to award scholarships to cover books to students attending four-year colleges in Virginia.
In 2003-04, Martin’s foundation gave $1,500 to deserving students. By August 2016, the foundation’s total distribution had reached $184,600 in book scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $1,500, with more than 200 student recipients. In August, the foundation will distribute $30,000, $1,000 each to 30 students. The scholarships are given to students who excel academically (with a minimum 3.0 grade point average) or face financial obstacles.
Most of the funds are raised during what has become the organization’s signature event — The KLM Scholarship Foundation Black & White Affair. This year’s event on April 1 at the Science Museum of Virginia drew more than 700 people.
Beyond the evening’s glamour and glitz is a willingness from attendees to support a cause to which they feel connected, says Martin, whose day job is serving as an IT project management office manager at the Virginia Information Technologies Agency.
Martin admits that, aside from “wonderful support from UPS,” she has yet to secure significant grants from major corporations.
“Many of us lack the resources and connections for raising the large funds needed to help those from low-income communities; therefore, working collaboratively and not competitively is essential,” Giles says.
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