Vote for your favorite charity on Facebook to help the organization get a share of a $3 million giveaway by Target. The 10 charities in the running include the Salvation Army, Red Cross, PTA, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Feeding America, HandsOn America and National Park Foundation. Go to Facebook.com /Target, log in to your Facebook account and click to cast one vote per day. Voting ends tomorrow.

A soaring adoption rate for healthy dogs and cats has secured a $230,200 Lifesaving Award for the Richmond SPCA and the city’s Animal Care and Control Division from Maddie’s Fund, a national pet-rescue foundation in California founded by software executive Dave Duffield. Richmond is the fourth community nationwide to receive the Lifesaving Award.

St. Bridget School will get new central heating and air-conditioning systems this summer in a project aided by an initial $500,000 gift from Dr. and Mrs. Gerald Keightley of Richmond, longtime parishioners. The first phase of a $3.75 million campaign for St. Bridget Parish also will include new windows for the school building, a fire-suppression system and wiring for technology improvements.

The Richmond Police Athletic League got a $1,686 boost from Rob Ukrop’s 39th birthday on April 2. For his 13th annual celebration at Chuck E. Cheese, the birthday boy provided the pizza and tokens. Participants contributed $1 or more to support the league.

. . . Dominion Virginia Power has donated $400,000 in smart-grid equipment and started a $45,000 fellowship fund at the Virginia Tech engineering school.

As economic stresses increase, so do stresses on the family—sometimes resulting in domestic violence. The Jenkins Foundation is addressing the issue through grants totaling $85,000 to four organizations that work in the field of domestic violence prevention or treatment: Greater Richmond SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now), Hanover Safe Place, Safe Harbor and Commonwealth Catholic Charities.

A dating auction raised more than $5,000 for the Central Virginia Foodbank. Members of 30s/40s Richmond Singles raised the money. A social group, which regularly volunteers at the Foodbank, auctioned dates with six men and six women at the Capital Ale House in Midlothian during its largest fundraiser last month. The Foodbank can buy one pound of food with every 17 cents, said Tam Evans, the group’s volunteer coordinator for the community. With the proceeds “we can buy 49,000 pounds of food. That’s just mind-boggling that so many children won’t have to go bed hungry.“

The Cameron Foundation awarded grants totaling more than $1.2 million last month to 18 nonprofit organizations serving the Tri-Cities area. “The foundation makes other capacity-building investments in the local nonprofit sector in addition to grants such as these,“ foundation president Handy L. Lindsey Jr. said. “In order to continue serving the community in today’s environment, it is all the more critical that nonprofit organizations fully utilize the resources that are available, and we are mindful of our role as facilitators in this work,“ he said.

SunTrust, Dominion workers give $2 million to United Way SunTrust Bank and Dominion employees donated more than $2 million to the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg 2008 campaign. SunTrust Bank employees generated more than $1 million in support for the fifth consecutive year. “At SunTrust, our philosophy has always been, ‘Build your community and you build your bank,‘“ said Gail Letts, president and CEO of SunTrust Bank, central Virginia.

The gift of sight was improved for some area residents this year courtesy of the Virginia Eye Institute’s Cataract Mission. Patricia Bevins of Caroline County was among the 19 patientswho received free cataract surgery last month. “It’s like seeing in HD [high definition],“ Bevins, 55, said.

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.

The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation awarded Saint Paul’s College a $120,000 grant for scholarships for the 2009-2010 academic year. The grant will assist 25 female students at the school in Lawrenceville. “The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation has been a bedrock of scholarship support for Saint Paul’s College students for more than 28 years,“ said Dr. Robert L. Satcher Sr., Saint Paul’s president.

Six years ago when Anna Hanback was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer, she decided to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. So she organized a bake sale at the Virginia House of Delegates, where she works as the human resource director. The first event raised $500. The next year she added a silent auction. Each year the event grew.

The Verizon Foundation awarded grants totaling $3.6 million to Virginia nonprofits in 2008. The total includes direct grants to nonprofits and donations that match contributions made by Verizon employees and retirees. “Verizon recognizes the important role of our company and our 13,500 Virginia employees in helping to improve the communities where we live, work and play,“ said Robert Woltz Jr., president of Verizon Virginia.

Au pairs from six countries gathered a week ago to stuff bears for youngsters at VCU Children’s Medical Center. As part of a national effort, Cheryl Kircher, AuPairCare area director, and 20 au pairs gathered at the Short Pump Town Center’s Build-A-Bear Workshop to create and donate bears to 32 children. “For a bunch of adults, we had a lot of fun,“ Kircher said.

The John Randolph Foundation recently awarded grants totaling $436,500 to nonprofits working to better the lives of all residents in Hopewell and surrounding areas. “We’re excited to do that in these economic times,“ said Josie Craighead-Bailey, the foundation’s grant program officer. “Our board has consistently considered programs and projects that improve the health and quality of life of our community to be a main priority,“ she said.