WILLIAMSBURG — Pathways of Hope, a new foundation established to enrich the community through social support, will be holding its first fundraising event in October.
According to its website, the new 501(c)(3) organization offers resources and collaborates with community organizations and government entities to address pressing social issues in the City of Williamsburg and James City, upper York and New Kent counties. The nonprofit makes available financial assistance to parents and guardians for childcare, tutoring services for children at risk, a daycare program for seniors 55 and up and caregiver training and support.
The organization hopes to raise $100,000 as its first fundraising events to help parents who can’t afford preschool and daycare for their children through scholarships.
Board members Denise Fehrenbach and Paula Corbett Simmons both served on a committee 15 years ago to research preschool and childcare needs, particularly in upper James City County. It was also something their church, Hickory Neck Church, had been looking into. While they found there was a need, at the time, the economy made it unfeasible for them to address it.
Later, the Kensington School rented land and erected a temporary building to start a second location in upper James City County and began looking into scholarships. Having served on the previous committee, Fehrenbach and Corbett Simmons were also pulled into this committee.
“As we talked, we started saying, we need to offer preschool help throughout the county, not just Kensington. And they’re for-profit, so there are a lot of places that are nonprofit as well. So we wanted to help in all aspects of that,” said Simmons. “Then we talked, we knew some senior organizations were disbanding, so that was going to create a gap. So we kept expanding our focus. But our first goal is the preschool childcare. And then, as we were establishing ourselves, we said, we need to be independent from the churches.”
The first big fundraiser for the organization will be a classic car show on Oct. 11. The event will take place in the Kensington School and Chesapeake Bank Data Center Parking Lot. The organization hopes to have up to 150 cars for the event.
The event will feature a DJ, and registration has begun for drivers interested in showing their classic cars. They are also seeking community sponsorships, as well as contributions for a 50/50 and a raffle. Food trucks will also be on site for the event.
The event is free and open to the public for attendees; there is a fee to register a car for the event. The show will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 11.
Later this year, the organization will hold an online art auction, with details to be released at a later date. Pathways of Hope says it has already started collecting art pieces for the auction.
To learn more about how to donate, volunteer, or register for the car show, visit the Pathways of Hope website.
