One of the most significant characteristics of our community is the myriad of charitable organizations attempting to do nothing more than help our less fortunate. Be it through providing shelter to the homeless, counsel to the abused, or love to children in need, Hampton Roads has hundreds of active charitable organizations lending a hand where it is needed the most. Understanding the significance of these organizations, and how much they can improve the lives of persons in need, Beach Ambassadors is aiming to serve as a vehicle to raise awareness about the different charities and assist these charities raise money for their continued success in the community.
Operation Smile
Operation Smile in Virginia Beach believes every child suffering from cleft lip or cleft palate deserves exceptional surgical care. Locally founded, the international medical charity has provided more than 240,000 free surgical procedures, in over 40 countries, for children and young adults born with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities over the past 33 years. Operation Smile also strongly believes in empowering educators and students to create local and global movement through pillars of leadership, education, service and advocacy. Each year, Operation Smile Student Programs hosts the International Student Leadership Conference (ISLC). The goal of the conference is to inform educators and students on the value of service within their local communities and help them establish a lifetime of giving to others.
St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children
St. Mary’s Home in Norfolk is a special place full of love and laughter, where children and young adults from all across Virginia live, play, go to school and receive complex, professional, around-the-clock care in a nurturing, comfortable environment to help them achieve their fullest potential. We are a long-term pediatric residential care facility dedicated exclusively to children with severe physical and intellectual disabilities and one of only about 100 facilities of its kind nationwide. Staff provide medical, therapeutic, educational and recreational services for as many as 92 children and young adults, ages newborn to 21 years. With the opening of The Albero House in 2013, St. Mary’s also can care for up to 12 adults older than age 21.
Seton Youth Shelters
Seton Youth Shelters leads the way in delivering critical help to teens in crisis throughout Southside Hampton Roads. The caring staff offers hope and confidence to teens and parents while creative implementation of programs provides added capability. Teenagers in crisis end up at Seton Youth Shelters because of the hope offered to them and their parents. We offer hope of reconciliation, understanding, and love. In over 90% of cases, reconciliation is successful. Seton Youth Shelters leads the way in delivering critical help to teens in crisis throughout all of Hampton Roads. The caring staff offers hope and confidence to teens and parents while creative implementation of programs provides added capability. Help, compassion, and healing start here. We invite you to join us!
REACH
Reading Enriches All Children (REACH, Inc.) is a local nonprofit who supports the literacy needs of at-risk and homeless children. REACH looks to reverse the trends of illiteracy in our community through their Shelter Read-Aloud and Growing Readers Programs. REACH wants to ensure that at-risk or homeless children in the community have access to free books. REACH uses these programs to foster the love of reading and promote its importance for all children.
For-Kids
Housing: ForKids gives shelter to over 50 families in crisis. Families have a safe place to stay while they gain essential skills, stabilize employment, reduce debt and work toward self-sufficiency.Education: Over 300 children find tutoring, mentoring and coaching through a variety of educational opportunities. Hot Meals and Homework provides at-risk children with weekly tutoring and a hot meal for their entire family.Clinical Services: Clinical counseling, health care advocacy, employment counseling, budgeting classes, parenting classes and safety classes contribute to the self-sufficiency of 175 parents and their children.Donate. Volunteer. Advocate.
Equi-Kids
Founded in 1989, EQUI-KIDS Therapeutic Riding Program has grown to become one of the largest accredited equine riding programs in the country benefiting the special needs community. Our team of hard-working horses provide equine-assisted activities to a diverse group of riders each week and our programs offer support to individuals with disabilities such as Down syndrome, autism, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, amputation, mental and physical disabilities, attention deficit disorder and more. Therapeutic riding helps to develop self-awareness and self-confidence, improvement in concentration and fine motor skills, and physical benefits including muscle strengthening and stretching. Our horses provide the challenged rider with a feeling of freedom and independence that may be limited in their everyday life.
