NRC Advocate in Life and Beyond

A giant in the philanthropic community passed away this summer. Joseph Antrim served on the Board of Trustees of numerous Richmond foundations. From his position on those boards, he helped direct funds to dozens of local non-profit organizations including the NRC.  With so many deserving organizations applying for support, I asked Mrs. Antrim if she had any idea how the NRC made it onto her husband’s philanthropic radar screen? “Joe was a good judge of character.  He had a knack for recognizing strong leadership. He was particularly fond of small organizations that serve at-risk youth. The NRC couldn’t have been a better fit.”

Joseph Antrim served on the boards of the first two foundations to invest in the NRC. In 2003, when NRC board members were busy organizing hair shows, art auctions and 5k walks to raise money to buy an old post office, the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation and the Cabell Foundation came to the table with capital grants that made the purchase possible. A few years later, with Joe serving on The Community Foundation’s board, support for NRC programs began to find its way to the NRC.

All these years later, from an obituary listing the foundation boards Joseph Antrim served on, we discovered the NRC had an advocate.  A big-hearted man who extended his philanthropic reach to include a remote grassroots center in an east end community many had written off. Even now, after his transition into a more vast reality, Joe Antrim continues to support the NRC. In honor of Mr. Antrim, the Cabell Foundation graced the NRC with a $50,000 grant, a gift in memory of a man who actively contributed to the well-being of others.

Thank you Joe.

Mary Lou and Annette