Dear Friends of Woodville,
We hope you are all well during this very unusual time. The pandemic has had a substantial effect on funding for rehabilitating the Woodville School. In January, working with Senator Norment and Delegate Hodges, we submitted a budget amendment to the General Assembly for $100,000 to fund the rehabilitation of the School and property. We were thrilled when the amendment made it all the way through the budget process, and we accelerated our planning for the building and parking area in anticipation of the funds. And then, in response to the economic threat posed by COVID-19, the Governor recommended, and the General Assembly approved, reverting spending of $874.6 million in this year’s budget, including the Woodville funds. Of course, we recognize the urgent needs of the Commonwealth, but cannot help but be disappointed by the loss of funds.
Nevertheless, work at Woodville School continues. Despite the budget and the virus, Board member James Newton has been repairing the ceiling and finishing the drywall. We look forward to the time when James will be able to have a volunteer crew working with him!
We are also working on a site plan that will allow us to invite the community in to visit this historic building. We are grateful to Kay Van Dyke, registered architect and dedicated community volunteer for her help in designing the inside and outside spaces. We also need YOUR help to raise the funds necessary to make the site plan a reality. In this time of so many needs in our community, it is difficult to ask for financial support.
But if you can help us reach our goal of preserving this important Rosenwald school building and the educational and social history of Gloucester’s African American community, please make a donation by Paypal (click on “DONATE” button at the bottom of this page) or mail. And if you are doing a lot of online shopping during these stay at home days, don’t forget to name the Woodville Rosenwald School as your charity on Amazon Smile. Stay healthy and safe and we hope to see you at the Woodville School when we can gather again.
Warm Regards,
The Board of Directors of the Woodville Rosenwald School Foundation
We are a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit foundation. All donations are tax-deductible.