Virginia Natural Gas recently committed $250,000 to assist local nonprofit ForKids in opening two Financial Opportunity Centers in Chesapeake and Suffolk.
The centers will help low-to-moderate income families in securing financial stability through workshops and coaching. Families will learn to build effective money habits and achieve their career, financial and personal goals. ForKids plans to hire four coaches for these FOCs and assist 100 participants a year.
“Virginia Natural Gas is thankful of our long-standing relationship with ForKids and grateful for the work that they are doing to improve lives in our community,” Robert Duvall, president of Virginia Natural Gas, said in a news release. “Our hope is that these Financial Opportunity Centers will help Hampton Roads residents achieve their career, financial and personal goals.”
According to Thaler McCormick, ForKids CEO, the centers are a collaboration between LISC Hampton Roads, who also provided a $300,000 grant, and Virginia Natural Gas, to “help break the cycle of poverty and help to create opportunity for families to achieve greater economic self-sufficiency.”
“ForKids’ mission is breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty. For too long all our resources have gone to addressing homelessness. The opening of the Financial Opportunity Centers in Chesapeake and Suffolk gives meaningful tools to lift families out of poverty,” said McCormick. “We are grateful to LISC Hampton Roads and Virginia Natural Gas for believing in our work and investing in this community.”
ForKids is one of the largest providers of services to families experiencing homelessness and poverty in Virginia. The ForKids Housing Crisis Hotline, which serves 14 cities and counties in Hampton Roads, is the central point of contact for all persons experiencing a housing crisis throughout Southeastern Virginia.
On any given day, ForKids in-depth programs assist approximately 290 families including 870 children and provides critical services to more than 70,000 individuals each year.
