Category Archives: Labor of love

Eckerd | The First Name in Second Chances

Posted on by
1

Surprising news came at the start of the year upon learning I was named a finalist for the 2014 Eckerd Children’s Hero Of The Year Award — Talent Category. Another surprise came when I arrived at the black-tie awards gala and learned Eric Law, a fellow member of New Generation of African American Philanthropists was a finalist, too. In fact Eric, executive director of Hands On Charlotte, was named the award winner that night. Other winners included Brendan Haywood of the Charlotte Bobcats (Treasure Category) and Kelly and Thomas Davis of the Carolina Panthers (Time Category). I’m thankful to Eckerd for recognizing doers and givers in our community and more importantly for supporting children and families needing second chances.

Below is a link to more information on the important mission and impact of Eckerd.

Eckerd | The First Name in Second Chances.

— VF

Swept Up

Posted on by
Reply

Last week, as a guest blogger, I posted a written piece on Collective Influence, the Community Investment Network (CIN) blog. CIN is a national network of donors and giving circles and its mission is to inspire, connect and strengthen African Americans and communities of color to leverage their collective resources and create the change they wish to see.

Charles W. Thomas Jr., photographer

My giving circle New Generation of African American Philanthropists is a member of CIN, and my experiences within the Network were instrumental in the development of Giving Back. I’ve posted the CIN blog piece here for followers of my blog. It’s titled “A Confluence of Influence,” because that is precisely what has swept the Giving Back Project into a whirlpool of exciting possibilities.

A Confluence of Influence

“The nation’s premier multi-cultural awards show celebrating the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors” — About the 43rd NAACP Image Awards

More on the awards program a little later…first, I’d like to say that you never know what life has up her sleeve. Until it’s revealed, the best we can do is to stay purposeful, pursue our passions and prepare for the twists and turns that come our way.

About a year into forming our giving circle, I approached the members of New Generation of African American Philanthropists (NGAAP-Charlotte) with the idea of publishing a book about Black philanthropy. [Click here to read the full story]

1621 Days

Posted on by
5

“If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning author

After one thousand, six hundred and twenty-one days, I can, at long last, announce the publication and arrival of Giving Back: A Tribute to African American Philanthropists—a new book that reframes portraits of philanthropy. Hallelujah!!!

Buy the book…and read more about Giving Back on these sites:

Valaida Fullwood (author), Charles W. Thomas Jr. (photographer) and Casajulie (cover and book designer)

Author Q&A on QCityMetro: Spotlight on ‘Giving Back’

Posted on by
3

An interview about Giving Back posted on QCityMetro.com today. It’s my interview with Michaela Duckett, who frequently profiles authors on what is one of Charlotte’s most popular blogs. Among other things, Michaela reveals five things about me. Most of them were probably little-known facts and trivia…that is, until today.

AUTHOR’S SPOTLIGHT: Q&A with Valaida Fullwood

by Michaela L. Duckett, 28 September 2011

 

Love’s Labor Finds Favor

Posted on by
2

Along with the rain, wonderful news continued pouring in over Labor Day weekend. In addition to Giving Back being featured on the blog PHILANTHROPY 2173, I learned the book may be released two weeks earlier than expected (!) and got to see a final printout of the book jacket. My long labor of love is finally taking full form.

And if that weren’t enough, Nelson Bowman—a fundraising expert, author on HBCU alumni giving and collaborator with Dr. Marybeth Gasman—provided this advance praise for Giving Back:

“Valaida Fullwood’s Giving Back provides full exposure to the philanthropic treasures we as African Americans have always shared but are rarely credited with in discussions of African American philanthropy. This photographic masterpiece, which certainly tells a story, gives viewers an opportunity to develop their own story as well. What a way to learn!”

— Nelson Bowman, III, director of development, Prairie View A&M University

My gratitude grows daily, and I can barely wait until the book’s public release. VF

51 months and counting

Posted on by
2

51 months in the making

392 manuscript pages

8000 social media connections…and growing

76 wise and revealing quotes from the ages

200 narratives on what it means to give back

180 portraits of everyday Black philanthropists

4 centuries of an American legacy rooted in Africa

33 photo shoot locations

999,999 reasons to give

1 book to reframe portraits of philanthropy

It’s been a long journey, covering a lot ground. But it wasn’t traveled alone…and it ain’t over yet. Every day on the way to the October release of Giving Back presents a rugged trail of things to do—marked by steep learning curves, nerve-wracking ledges, inevitable road blocks and surprise mountaintop highs.

Stretches traveled with companions bring welcomed relief. Joining my sometimes lonesome walk are my family and friends and unexpected folks who brighten my spirits and share the load. Encounters with kind encouragers replenish my often-dry canteen with optimism. “Seizing the day” the other night with Michelle, Kathryn and Katie…and Emeril…did just that!

Pushing through the longest hauls, like now for instance, are a little less daunting when I recognize I’m not alone. It’s a comfort knowing at arm’s reach are circle members from New Generation of African American Philanthropists, the project’s photographer Charles Thomas and Dimeji Onafuwa and India Simpson of Casajulie. Without them, this trekker would have headed home 40-some months ago.

— VF

A Thousand Words Spoken

Posted on by
3

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.” — Henry Ward Beecher

Today is the birthday of Charles W. Thomas, Jr., the photographer for Giving Back. I’m taking the occasion to publicly thank Charles for collaborating with me on this project. Our dispositions and skill-sets proved a good match; however, it was a shared pride in our cultural heritage and love of our community’s stories that defined our work together. (Though, my loyalties as a Tarheel might rightfully be questioned for working so well with a Duke grad! Sorry about that.)

Still an amazingly vivid memory, my initial conversation with Charles happened almost four years ago. We had crossed paths professionally, but neither of us truly knew the other or had never even had a one-on-one conversation. Months earlier, I had conceived of and mapped out the book project and was now in search of a photographer.

I wanted to find someone who would approach the project with an artist’s eye and could capture the striking beauty of our people and our stories. Knowing of his affiliation with The Light Factory Contemporary Museum of Photography and Film, Charles had been on my list of prospective photographers, and several people in Charlotte’s arts community also had suggested I meet with him.

During our meeting, I unfolded my vision of the book and shared notes from a concept paper. Charles held an amused look as I rambled on about what I envisioned and the timeline and the resources and the logistics for making it happen. He expressed his past desire to pursue a similar concept. As we talked further, there was clear alignment of our values and artistic aspirations.

A crucial move, choosing Charles as my photography partner on the project was no doubt divinely inspired. His collaboration has been a God-sent steadying force—from his initial blind faith in my vision to his level-headedness, patience, professionalism and generosity. During the photo shoots, he established a trusting rapport with each person and thus captured telling images. He also was easy about the unexpected twists and turns of the project and the constant stream of ideas coming from me.

You will soon see, in each of the 180 photographs featured in Giving Back, a thousand words spoken not only about every subject but also about the wide soul and genius nature of Charles Thomas.

Thank you and have a happy birthday Charles!

— VF

Over the Moon

Posted on by
1

Over the past week, I’ve begun receiving “advance commentary” on Giving Back. Selected readers of prominence, from across the country, have been more than generous with praise of the book’s stories and photography, and their affirmation means the world to me.

For more than four years, I was burrowed deeply in a writer’s hole and afflicted with a brutal case of tunnel vision in order to make this book happen. Making it happen meant not only generating the book’s content but also raising considerable funds and navigating the publishing industry, all of which were foreign to me.

Nevertheless, nothing could keep me from where my sights were cast. With remarkable clarity from the start, my mind’s eye held tight a vision that only sharpened over time. Though the vision was clear, the path was uncertain…really uncertain and seemingly treacherous at times. Trusting a gut sense while feeling my way through the dark and benefiting from gracious gestures made by Charles, family, friends and giving circle members helped move the book project forward.

After following a path that has tested every ounce of my soul and being, I’m sent higher than the sky to find that Giving Back can withstand the brightness outside the burrow and, in fact, shows best in the light of the wider world. When readers tell me they’ve seen, felt, thought and learned the things I long hoped someone…anyone…would, then it seems the years, the sacrifices and the times being misunderstood have been worth it.

Here’s one of the submissions from an advance reader that sent me flying over the moon:

“Astonishing . . . so beautiful, so deep and yet so inviting.

“Giving Back belongs in every American home, not just every home of Americans of African descent. Each page connects the readers and the children they love to generosity that God, the Declaration of Independence and our awe-inspiring Black forebears taught us all.  A visual triumph. A story that has not been told!”

— Dr. Claire Gaudiani, author of The Greater Good, Generosity Unbound and Daughters of the Democracy  

Rich Aunt

Posted on by
4

An excerpted vignette story from the forthcoming book Giving Back: A Tribute to Generations of African American Philanthropists

A soup kitchen?  The morning my mother called with news that a great-aunt had begun organizing free daily meals in a fragile part of town is as vivid to me today as it was nearly twenty years ago.

Expectations of service are handed down like heirlooms in my family, and Aunt Dora figured prominently in a long line of givers. Even so, I had never imagined such a bold move or demanding commitment from my grandmother’s reserved younger sister. Widowed and seventy-something at the time, Aunt Dora had selflessly looked after people her entire life as a mother, grandmother, foster mother, den mother and church pastor. I was at a loss as to why she was launching a community food program on the heels of her retirement from the church. Hadn’t she given enough? Wasn’t it time to pull back?  To the contrary: It was precisely at this point she sought to commit herself anew.

I later learned it was in meditation during a silent spiritual retreat that Aunt Dora received the answer to her quest. “Feed the hungry” was her directive, and she founded Our Daily Bread Kitchen Inc. Since that day the kitchen has flourished and now serves free meals to over ten thousand people a year. Aunt Dora’s ongoing, obedient responses—constructing a larger, new facility and preparing meals, still, as she nears ninety—have removed any of my questions about the ceaseless bounty of service for fortunate heirs.

— VF

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” —  Mother Teresa

Reframing portraits of philanthropy

Posted on by
1