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U.S. Virgin Islands, November 3, 2023 — The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) is pleased to invite nominations for the inaugural Maria Rodriguez Van Heurck Award.
Nominees will be evaluated based on the pillars of a giving spirit, selfless service, love for community, and choosing to find beauty in life. The nominee selected will receive $5,000 to be used in the USVI or BVI in support of charitable activities.
"Each year Virgin Islanders will have the opportunity to nominate an individual that shows up for people the way my mom did – with a smile on their face and with nothing expected in return," said Charlotte Van Heurck, Maria's daughter.
In partnership with CFVI, the Maria Rodriguez Foundation Fund was founded in 2021 by family and friends to recognize a member of the Virgin Islands community who embodies Maria’s spirit of selfless service. The Fund seeks to honor Maria by continuing her legacy of giving back to the community, in both big and little ways.
"While my mom won awards for her service, such as the relief flying she did after the hurricanes of 2017, what made her extraordinary was the way she approached the day-in-day-out realities of life," said Van Heurck. "Her instinct was to help, to give, to love, and to show up."
"CFVI will notify the community of how the award was spent," said CFVI President Dee Baecher-Brown. "In this way, Maria’s legacy of everyday acts of profound kindness may live on."
Residents in the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands are eligible for nomination. Nominations must be submitted by December 31, 2023, using the application in CFVI's online grant portal.
For more information regarding eligibility, the nomination process and application components, visit cfvi.net.
Individuals with additional questions are encouraged to contact Beth Nuttall, Director of Grants and Programs, at bethn@cfvi.net.
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