WILLIAMSBURG — The Sotherly Foundation has a mission focused on supporting veterans in a lasting and meaningful way.
The Sotherly Foundation is the 501(c)(3) charitable foundation arm of Sotherly Hotels, a publicly traded hotel real estate investment trust based in Williamsburg.
Roughly ten years ago, the Sotherly Hotels’ Board of Directors set out to form a charitable foundation focused on assisting wounded veterans. Since then, the organization has provided numerous grants and gifts to deserving veterans.
“I guess the genesis of it was that we have a significant number of veterans on our board,” said Drew Sims, president of the Sotherly Foundation. “We wanted to do something that was veteran-focused and that was how we formed Sotherly Foundation.”
That assistance has come in many forms: direct monetary assistance to veterans, purchasing a home for a veteran’s family, construction of a special therapy pool for a disabled veteran, purchasing a special handicap vehicle, the payoff of student loans, as well as assistance with housing costs.
Since its inception, the Sotherly Foundation has assisted six veterans and their families by providing more than $430,000 in direct funding. The foundation is run entirely by volunteers and has no paid employees. Over 99% of its raised donations go to impacting the lives of veterans. According to the foundation, other than legal filings, it has no additional overhead.
The Sotherly Foundation highlights that its giving does not come with any agreements or conditions. For example, a home it purchased for a young, wounded Marine and his family was donated free and clear. The veteran is not required to make any filings or attestations to the foundation. The Sotherly Foundation said its underlying goal is to provide whatever assistance a veteran needs to give them a better life — no strings attached.
To learn more about the foundation, visit its official website.
