With about 50 well-wishers and a handful of children in attendance, this year’s recipients of the YWCA Outstanding Women Awards were announced yesterday in the gymnasium of the organization’s downtown office. The 10 winners—covering categories such as arts, health and religion—were selected from more than 80 nominees. Criteria included impact on the community, leadership skills, personal and professional achievement, and commitment to the YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism, empower women and elevate children.

Criteria included impact on the community, leadership skills, personal and professional achievement and commitment to the YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism, empower women and elevate children.

Sounding more like Malcolm X than Patrick Henry, Virginia political candidate Catherine Crabill warned of armed insurrection during a Northern Neck “tea party” last month. “We have a chance to fight this battle at the ballot box, before we have to resort to the bullet box,“ said Crabill, the Republican nominee for the 99th District seat in the House of Delegates.

The Richmond Memorial Health Foundation recently awarded grants totaling $744,000 to nine organizations focused on women and children’s health; aging and Alzheimer’s disease; and nursing and health education. The foundation’s total grants this fiscal year topped $2,046,000 despite the economy, said Jeffery S. Cribbs, RMHF president. “Our investment pool has experienced some declines over the last year, as [has] everyone’s,“ he said. “Our board felt that now is not the time to curtail our gift commitment to the nonprofit community. For this year, it’s probably greater than the most recent past.“

Ten area women received 2009 YWCA Outstanding Women Awards yesterday at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Proceeds from the luncheon benefit YWCA programs, including the Child Development Center, 24-hour crisis hot line and domestic and sexual violence programs. Each of the honorees spoke about something that has inspired them:

When she was named president of the YWCA of Richmond in 1963, Vernelle “Nell” Barnes Pusey said she had only one hobby, an interest in people. She credited her father, who ran a country store in Heathsville in the Northern Neck. “He believed every human being deserved respect,“ adding that she always was surrounded by people, including her father’s customers and her seven siblings.