Dominion supports Richmond Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker’ shows

The Richmond Ballet's "Nutcracker" will make a grand jeté to the new Carpenter Theatre this year with help from Dominion Resources.

The energy company has donated $85,000 to the ballet as exclusive title sponsor for the 2009 production of "The Nutcracker" in Richmond's CenterStage facility on Dec. 11-23 and Norfolk's Chrysler Hall on Dec. 4-6.

"What appealed to us about this, 'The Nutcracker' will be one of the first major productions in the new CenterStage facility," said Marjorie Grier, director of corporate philanthropy for Dominion. "It also supports the Richmond Symphony, which accompanies the ballet performance. . . . We operate all over the state, and the opportunity to support it in Norfolk as well was very appealing."

In previous gifts to the ballet, Dominion has directed its support to outreach programs for underserved audiences, especially children, who might not have a chance to see the ballet otherwise.

"This is a little bit different. We're excited about CenterStage reopening and glad to support it in this way," Grier said.

From the ballet's perspective, "it is a very, very exciting year, in a lot of different connotations" said Stoner Winslett, artistic director. "It's just great to have CenterStage open."

Because of economic stress in general and the new theater in particular, "this is an especially useful time" to receive such a large donation, she said.

"The beauty of being in the Carpenter Theatre, the audience will enjoy it so much. The stage is bigger than the Landmark, but the audience capacity is about half. The audience will be much closer to the stage. . . . We're really looking forward to the smaller theater. We believe it's a theater where every seat is a good seat."

To accommodate as many patrons, the ballet is adding two performances for a total of 14 in the 1,800-seat Carpenter Theatre. Last year, more than 25,000 people attended a dozen "Nutcracker" performances at the 3,565-seat Landmark Theater, where some seats rarely sold because they were so far to the side or back of the theater.

Ticket prices will increase slightly to a range of $15 to $125. More information is at http://www.richmondballet.com or (804) 344-0906

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Four local nonprofit organizations will share $90,000 from the Cameron Foundation in recognition of community service and organizational management.

The American Red Cross Southside Area Chapter has been chosen for the Cleveland A. Wright Award for Outstanding Community Service, which carries an unrestricted $40,000 gift.

Crater Community Hospice will receive $30,000 for demonstrating excellence in overall organizational management.

Pathways-VA Inc. and Virginia's Gateway Region each will receive an honorable mention gift of $10,000 for exemplifying excellence in one or more of the specific areas reviewed during the scoring process.

Awards will be presented Oct. 27.

The Cameron Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organization formed in April 2003 from the proceeds of the sale of Southside Regional Medical Center. The foundation's programs and activities are intended to benefit residents in those areas historically served by the hospital.

Contact the Cameron Foundation at http://www.camfound.org or (804) 732-8900.

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Four schools in Richmond received $6,255 in school supplies through the recent Tools for School drive by Verizon employees.

Dozens of Verizon work locations in Virginia collected $24,397 worth of new pens and pencils, rulers, crayons, backpacks and other items children need to start the school year at 35 elementary schools across the state.

Around the country, Verizon employees donated more than $500,000 worth of supplies to more than 400 schools and nonprofits, focusing on schools with a large population of students from low-income families.

The Richmond recipients were Chimborazo, Fairfield Court, Ginter Park and Maymont elementary schools.

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Two generations of the Currie family with ties to Union Theological Seminary have produced a gift of $639,000 for the school's campus in Charlotte, N.C.

The Rev. Thomas White Currie Jr., who died in 2005, received a doctorate from Union Theological Seminary in 1958. His son, Thomas W. Currie III, is dean of the Charlotte campus of Union-PSCE.

The elder Currie, who lived in Dallas, bequeathed $639,000 to Union-PSCE through the Texas Presbyterian Foundation.

His gift will underwrite an annual lectureship in missions and help fund a New Testament scholar position at the Charlotte campus. It also will establish a mission study exchange between both U.S. campuses and the Reformed Theological Seminary at Debrecen, Hungary.

The younger Currie, in an announcement of the gift, said his father "was passionately interested in the mission of the church, and he thought that Union-PSCE was just the right place for that mission to be planted in the hearts and minds of future pastors and teachers so that it could bear fruit throughout their ministries."

Contact Katherine Calos at (804) 649-6433 or . Send notices for Notable Gifts to .