A husband and father of four was in his hometown of Virginia Beach for work when he tragically lost his life in a car accident. The River Ellis Foundation stepped in to cover the costs for his family to travel from Texas to Virginia Beach, allowing them to attend his...

A 14-year-old boy lost his mom in October and moved in with his dad. Having been homeschooled his entire life, he faced challenges adjusting to public school for the first time. After his mom's passing, her boyfriend sold all their belongings, including the boy's...

A husband and father of four was in Virginia Beach for work when he tragically lost his life in a car accident. The River Ellis Foundation stepped in to cover the costs for his family to travel from Texas to Virginia Beach, allowing them to attend his funeral and say...

Five children were home alone when they found a stranger floating in their pool. They called 911 and witnessed the paramedics trying to revive the man who ultimately died. The children were all very traumatized after this incident did not feel comfortable remaining in...

After unexpected loss of brain activity, a homeless couple lost their newborn baby. They could not afford cremation costs. REF covered this cost for the couple.

Eight Chesapeake families lost everything they owned after their apartment building caught on fire. REF provided gift cards to all eight families so that they could purchase basic clothes and necessities.

A 14 year old with muscular dystrophy became very sick, leading to heart issues. This ultimately resulted in a very unexpected and sudden death. REF covered funeral costs for this family.

A local school counselor unexpectedly lost her 19 year old stepdaughter. She and her husband had to travel back and forth to Iowa for the funeral. REF provided several weeks of groceries for this family to offset the unexpected costs of travel and being out of work.

A local grandmother got emergency custody of 2 kids because their mom had substance abuse issues and was charged with abuse and neglect.  The children would have been sent to foster care if the grandmother didn't step in to help. REF helped grandmother cover the cost...

A child was outside playing in her yard when she was shot and paralyzed by a stray bullet. The child spent months recovering at CHKD, during which time the family moved to a new home so that she didn't have to go back to the scene where the shooting occurred when she...

A mom and her two children had their ceiling cave in at their apartment, ruining the mattress that the children slept on. The family was able to move to a new apartment, but had nowhere for the children to sleep. REF provided a new mattress for the children.