Bill Text: VA HR10 | 2018 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the Virginia Gentlemen Foundation.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-01-12 - Bill text as passed House (HR10ER) [HR10 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2018-HR10-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the Virginia Gentlemen Foundation, a Virginia Beach-based nonprofit organization that has given generously to the community by funding medical research for ALS and developing, funding, and building first-class amenities for wounded veterans, children with disabilities, and Gold Star families, celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2017; and
WHEREAS, the Virginia Gentlemen Foundation was established in 2007 by a group of young men who were determined to enhance the lives of the residents of Virginia Beach and citizens throughout the Commonwealth by helping families affected by disabilities; and
WHEREAS, when a member's brother, Josh Thompson, was diagnosed with ALS, also called Lou Gehrig's disease, shortly after the group's founding, the Virginia Gentlemen Foundation made fighting the disease a key part of its mission; to date, the group has raised millions of dollars for ALS research and patient care services; and
WHEREAS, since 2008, the Virginia Gentlemen Foundation has organized the annual JT Walk and Beach Party to benefit ALS research and community projects; other yearly fundraisers include golf tournaments and the Superfest Oysterbowl; and
WHEREAS, along with its ALS fundraisers, the Virginia Gentlemen Foundation has spearheaded community projects such as JT's Grommet Island Park in Virginia Beach, the nation's first handicap-accessible oceanfront playground; and the Grombulance, a mobile neonatal-pediatric intensive care unit that was donated to Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk; and
WHEREAS, the Virginia Gentlemen Foundation has also awarded research grants to numerous institutions including Johns Hopkins Medicine, Duke University, Cedars-Sinai, Emory University, Eastern Virginia Medical School, and the University of Michigan; and
WHEREAS, in 2018, the Virginia Gentlemen Foundation will open JT's Camp Grom, a $16 million, 70-acre adventure camp in Virginia Beach that will serve as a first-class retreat for wounded veterans, children with disabilities, and Gold Star families; and
WHEREAS, the Virginia Gentlemen Foundation's charitable activities have raised funding and awareness for countless people affected by disease and stand as a superb example of good citizenship; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Virginia Gentlemen Foundation hereby be commended for its commitment to helping others and serving Virginia Beach and the Commonwealth on the occasion of its 10th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Gentlemen Foundation as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the group's achievements and best wishes for continued success.
