West Nova News

The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties was one of five groups to be honored as part of the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 Leadership Awards with inclusion in the #StrongerTogether category created to recognize contributions made to offset the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amy Owen, Community Foundation president and CEO, told the West Nova News that the foundation created a Community Emergency Relief Fund to address needs specific to the coronavirus pandemic.

(1:20) “We’re very honored that the Chamber has taken this time to acknowledge – it’s not just our work, what it really ends up doing is acknowledging the hundreds of donors who contributed to the Community Emergency Relief Fund, and then all of the nonprofit organizations that it has supported, and the people they are supporting who had, just extraordinary needs, and continue to have extraordinary needs during COVID,” Owen said.

Owen acknowledged that the concept of #StrongerTogether fits well with work of a community foundation. One of the early successes for the foundation in dispersing Community Emergency Relief Fund dollars was in getting two separate nonprofits – Loudoun Cares and Catholic Charities Leesburg – to work more closely together.

(2:33) “They agreed to truly become joined at the hip, to begin answering phone calls for people in need, so it expanded the team,” Owen said. 

The willingness of the organizations to adjust their efforts to respond better to the needs of the community made a big difference, she said.

(3:02) “They became a major vehicle for us to provide grants to them, which in turn provided funding for rental assistance in the community,” Owen said. “That’s been such a vexing issue for so many folks who are out of work, is just staying in their homes.”

As a central clearinghouse for community-building grants for nonprofits, the foundation saw first-hand the mixed effects from the pandemic in the donations it received, Owen said.

(4:25) “The number of donors was down by about 30%, but those who donated gave about 50% more,” Owen said. 

The end result, as those who could give, gave more generously, was actually an overall increase, she said.

But there are still significant needs in the community, especially for housing and utility assistance, Owen said.

(5:05) “The organizations that are providing that, from Good Shepherd Alliance to Loudoun Abused Women's Shelter to Volunteers of America Chesapeake – supporting housing is, I just think, super-crucial right now,” Owen said.

Owen said that it may be months before many who rely on the assistance of such organizations are going to be able to get back on their feet.