Get to know some of the Top 40 Under 40 Nonprofit Spotlight panelists!  And make sure to register for the big event this Wednesday evening at the Hippodrome Theater!

Avi Hopkins, Executive Director, U-Turn Sport Performance Academy

What are the top 3 things you want people to know about you?

1)      I believe that balance is vital to growth and success

2)      I enjoy the opportunity to inspire or cultivate excellence in others

3)      Attitude is everything

What is the number one way you keep yourself or your organization learning and growing?

Engage in as much as you can related to your mission, interest or passion.

How does your work or organization help empower individuals, advance organizations and strengthen community?

The vision of U-turn is three-fold: to develop youth to be skilled athletes while offering Christian mentoring to them; to reach out and support at-risk youth; and to model servant leadership while offering resources to the Richmond community.

Brandi Daniels, Director, Youth Health Equity Leadership Institute

What are the top 3 things you want people to know about you?

1)  My family consists of my husband, Frank, and three children Asean, Daevon, and Zoe

2) I consider myself to be a lifelong learner: Masters of Education, graduate of Emerging Nonprofit Leaders Program #7, and expected June 2015 120hr Certification in Nonprofit Management with Partnership for Nonprofit Excellence’s Nonprofit Learning Point

3) My hobbies include singing, movies, going out to dinner, travel, and I welcome new cultural experiences

What are the top 3 things you want people to know about your organization?

1) Youth Health Equity Leadership Institute (YHELI) youth could truly benefit from professional mentorship opportunities via guest lectures, job shadowing, and ‘pen-pal’ correspondence.

2) The East District Family Resource Center, which was established in 1998, serves as YHELI’s fiscal agent and centers all of its programs/services on the national family support model.

3)  Programs/services include – Emergency Assistance Programs, Career & Workforce Development, and Education & Outreach Initiatives

How does your work or organization help empower individuals, advance organizations and strengthen community?

In an effort to Building Our Community-One Neighbor at a Time the East District Family Resource Center serves wide range of client populations within seniors, adults, youth, as well as children dynamics to assist the access of needed resources while striving towards self-sufficiency goals. Our network hopes to empower clients’ own life which also positively impacts the community around them by way of a multi-faceted support system.

Erin Thomas-Foley, Director of Education, SPARC

What are the top 3 things you want people to know about you?

1)I have been working in Richmond as an actor (VA Repertory Theater, Firehouse Theater, Film) and teaching artist (SPARC, currently Director of Education) for the past 17 years.

2) I have received multiple awards and recognition for the creation of LIVE ART, a unique inclusive performing arts program for students with and without disabilities that culminates in a concert featuring students alongside nationally recognized musicians.

3) I am the proud mother of Sophia (6) and Daniel (4). (And proud wife of Tony Foley!)

What is the number one way you keep yourself learning and growing?

By keeping an open mindset to new opportunities, being disciplined and dedicated to working hard every day and to find ways to keep the passion inside you ignited and refreshed.

How does your work or organization help empower individuals, advance organizations and strengthen community?

With an amazing staff of teaching artists, SPARC is dedicated to offering quality arts experiences to the next generation of Richmond, VA. From professionally staged performances to outreach programs in schools, young people of all ages are profoundly influenced by the experiences they have at SPARC. These experiences with teachers, artists, performances or concerts help build confidence, courage and acceptance that will transfer into any field or career that our students choose later in their lives – thus hopefully shaping the future quality of our Richmond Community for the better.

Johnny Hugel & Josh Epperson, Co-Founders, FeastRVA

How does your work or organization help empower individuals, advance organizations and strengthen community?

Feast RVA is an organization that supports creative & community-focused creators. Our primary platform is a quarterly dinner that we host that provides a platform for a few local projects to raise awareness and funding for their cause. By bringing people from across Richmond together and giving them the opportunity to connect on a common cause.

What are the top 3 things you want people to know about your organization?

1) Feast RVA is intended to be as inclusive as possible. We try to keep our dinners as approachable as possible, but also host Happy Hours as an attempt to provide a free event anyone could attend.

2) YOUR project could be perfect for a Feast RVA dinner. When talking to our friends and community members the most surprising question we get regularly is “but it’s not right for my project, right?”

3) Feast RVA is a fun & easy way to get involved and make a true impact for other members of the Richmond community.

What is the Number 1 way you keep yourself learning and growing?

We constantly try to surround ourselves with different areas of the Richmond community, extending the breadth and depth of the organization, and expanding our perspective on the definition of the word community.

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Hear more from leaders in our community at the Top 40 Under 40 Nonprofit Spotlight with YNPN RVA and Style Weekly on 11.12.14 at the Hippodrome Theater.  Register here!