VCU grads donate $250,000 for pharmacy professorship

Ron and Nancy McFarlane met and fell in love while students at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy.

They married not long after their 1980 graduation from the university they admire and respect.

The McFarlanes, who live in Raleigh, N.C., where they own MedPro Rx Inc., a provider of specialty pharmacy services to clients with chronic illnesses, enjoy supporting their alma mater.

They recently donated $250,000 to the VCU School of Pharmacy for an endowed professorship in pharmacy practice.

"It's where we got educated," said Ron, a Roanoke native whose dad graduated from the school in 1954. "It's a wonderful school, and they're really trying to do a lot of wonderful things, and they have a lot of needs."

Nancy, who grew up in Arlington, said the school has a special place in their hearts.

"I think it's important to give back to your community and help in any way you can. We understand the importance of medical and pharmacy education. I'm happy we're in a position where we can help the school."

MedPro Rx was named the fastest-growing, privately held company in the Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill areas by the Triangle Business Journal in 2008.

In 2007, the McFarlanes established the Phi Delta Chi Scholarship in memory of Daniel A. Herbert, a 1966 graduate and founder of Richmond Apothecaries.

They also created the Nancy L. and Ronald H. McFarlane Scholarship as a tribute to the years they and other family members spent at the Medical College of Virginia campus.

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The 14th annual Women & Wellness Breakfast and Luncheon Series raised $210,000 for breast-cancer research at the VCU Massey Cancer Center.

Anne Thompson, a veteran national broadcast journalist and breast-cancer survivor, was the keynote speaker.

The events have raised more than $1.6 million for breast-cancer research at Massey.

Sponsors include The Jenkins Foundation and Wachovia.

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The Richmond chapter of Ducks Unlimited, a wetlands-conservation nonprofit, has raised more than $100,000 for habitat conservation in 2008.

The chapter's effort landed it on the President's Top 100 list from more than 3,500 chapters nationwide.

Ducks Unlimited works to conserve, restore and manage wetlands and habitats for North America's waterfowl. The organization has conserved more than 11.6 million acres of waterfowl habitat in North America.

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American Family Fitness donated $25,000 to help send eight athletes and two coaches to the Special Olympics World Winter Games last month in Boise, Idaho.

More than 2,500 athletes competed in seven sports: alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, figure skating, floor hockey, snowboarding, snowshoeing and speed skating.

Virginia's athletes took home three gold, four silver and seven bronze medals. They were:

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Bowlers raised nearly $10,000 for the Children's Hospital Foundation.

The 15th annual bowl-a-thon and second Battle of the Banks Bowl-a-thon included 25 teams with members from area businesses and civic groups, including Direct Mail Solutions, American Family Fitness, Hill Phoenix and Fifth Baptist Church.

Participating banks with teams were BB&T, Bank of Virginia, Dominion Credit Union, First Market Bank, Village Bank, Virginia Commonwealth Bank and Wachovia.

Contact Robin Farmer at (804) 649-6312 or .