3 people, 2 groups honored as Richmond History Makers

By: STAFF REPORTS | Times-Dispatch
Published: October 21, 2009

Three people and two organizations were honored last night at the Valentine Richmond History Center downtown as the 2009 Richmond History Makers.

About 350 people attended the awards presentation at the center on East Clay Street.

Mary Lou Decossaux founded Fulton Hill's Neighborhood Resource Center, which provides educational and cultural-arts programs for children and adults. It has served more than 3,000 people since it opened in 2005.

Decossaux, a 19-year resident of Fulton Hill, also established a neighborhood watch in the 1990s and founded several civic initiatives. The Neighborhood Resource Center is housed in an old post office building on Williamsburg Road.

"If you have a moment, ride up to Fulton Hill and come into that crazy little post office," Decossaux said in accepting her award. "You'd be amazed at what's going on."

LaVerne Spurlock helps Richmond schoolchildren. She worked as a school guidance counselor; served on the board of Partnership for the Future, and serves as a mentor to sixth-graders through Virginia Heroes, an organization founded in 1991 by Arthur Ashe.

"It helps the students to know that someone other than their teachers and their parents have an interest in them, and it helps them to see people who have been successful and to know what it takes to be successful," Spurlock said. "So, we serve as examples and we serve as guides."

James Schroeder, a dentist in Chesterfield County, helped start CrossOver Ministry about 25 years ago. CrossOver led to the creation of clinics that provide health care to Richmond's uninsured and low-income population.

Schroeder said he was humbled by his selection. He said CrossOver grew beyond the organizers' dreams.

"It started out of what I would call a faith movement, people who have received such gifts as dentistry or medicine, the ability to turn around and share those with those less fortunate," Schroeder said.

The Central Virginia Waste Management Authority provides recycling and solid-waste management programs for 13 jurisdictions -- from rural to suburban to urban -- in the Richmond region. Since the authority's inception in 1990, the recycling rate in the Richmond area has increased 50 percent.

"We are extremely proud and honored to be one of the recipients of the award, particularly in the area of regional cooperation," said Kimberly A. Hynes, executive director of CVWMA. "To be recognized in our efforts in regionalism is just fantastic."

ROSMY, founded in 1991, provides a supportive community for youths who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning their sexuality.

"This award is a true symbol of where Richmond has come and where we're moving in recognizing and valuing all youth and the importance of insuring them the opportunity to achieve their greatest potential," said Executive Director John Dougherty.