WHEREAS, Mary Caligari Russo, a beloved family woman and vibrant member of the Virginia Beach community, died on March 19, 2014; and

WHEREAS, Mary Russo served for 46 years as a volunteer with the City of Virginia Beach, including as the City Council-appointed chair and founding director of the City of Virginia Beach Office of Volunteer Resources; and

WHEREAS, Mary Russo was appointed by former Governors A. Linwood Holton, Jr., and Mills E. Godwin, Jr., to the Drug Advisory Council, as well as to the Education Grant Review Committee; and

WHEREAS, Mary Russo founded many local programs, such as First Steps Virginia Beach, the Virginia Beach Citizen Corps, and the Virginia Beach Volunteer Council; and

WHEREAS, Mary Russo served as the chair of various state and local initiatives, including the United Drug Abuse Council, the Virginia Beach Drug Ford Focus Committee, the Sentara Bayside Hospital Ethics Committee, the Pendleton Child Service Center, the United Way Family Center, and many other programs; and

WHEREAS, Mary Russo's contributions to her community were recognized through numerous awards, such as the First Citizen of Virginia Beach, the Knights of Columbus Layman Award, the Benign Birth Salute the Women Award, the Virginia Council of Social Welfare Outstanding Citizenship Award, the Virginia Beach Bar Association's Liberty Bell Award, the City of Virginia Beach City Manager's Award, and Cox Cable's Great Citizen of Tidewater Award; and

WHEREAS, Mary Russo generously and tirelessly worked to recognize the individuals who gave their most precious gift—their time—by volunteering in all aspects of local government; and

WHEREAS, the Volunteer Recognition Garden at the municipal center in Virginia Beach was created in 1988 as a project of the Volunteer Council to honor volunteers such as Mary Russo, and it has been named the Mary Russo Garden in her honor; and

WHEREAS, as a volunteer coordinator, Mary Russo saved Virginia Beach over $20 million each year by having volunteers trained through her offices to perform needed services for the city; and

WHEREAS, throughout her 87 years, she served her community and was the wife of a Virginia Beach Circuit Court judge and the mother of three children, in whom she instilled a deep appreciation for the value of community service; and

WHEREAS, predeceased by her loving husband of 55 years, Mary Russo will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her children, Mary R. Riley, Lee Ann Russo, and Philip L. Russo, Jr., and their families, and citizens from across the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of a great Virginia citizen and a respected member of the Virginia Beach community, Mary Caligari Russo; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Mary Caligari Russo as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for her memory.