REF Provides Meals And Lodging After Hampton Family’s House Burned Down
The grandparents and sole providers of two special needs children found themselves without a home after their house burned down earlier this year. Without home insurance, this Hampton family was unable to afford a new house that could accommodate their grandchildren’s...
REF Helps Family Cover Funeral Expenses For 2nd Grade Boy
A rising 2nd grader in Virginia Beach passed away suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving behind a grieving family. His mother was unable to pay for his funeral service as a single parent who was already experiencing financial difficulties. The River Ellis Foundation was...
Donor Spotlight: Trish Gill
Trish Gill is from Virginia Beach and serves as the HR Benefits Manager at TowneBank. She lives with her husband, Tom, and daughter Darby (age 9). They also have a 9-year-old yellow lab named Arleigh and a 20-year-old cat named Kitty. Trish loves to spend her time...
DIY Paddle Out Toolkit
In honor of River's birthday each September, we hold a Paddle Out to celebrate the love that she continues to spread through The River Ellis Foundation. Due to COVID-19, we are unable to hold our paddle out in person this year, but we want YOU to have a DIY Paddle Out...
Meet The Board: Doug and Rachel Ellis
Doug and Rachel Ellis co-founded The River Ellis Foundation in 2018 when their daughter, River, passed away. Along with the Foundation, Doug is involved in a range of different community organizations. He is Past President/Current Board Member of the...
After Her Car Was Totaled, REF Helps Mother Purchase Vehicle To Accommodate Her Son’s Special Needs
When her car was totaled in a car accident, a mother found herself in the middle of a difficult situation. She relied on this vehicle to transport her 17 year old son with cerebral palsy to all of his medical appointments. Still making payments on her previous car,...
Told Their Baby Wouldn’t Survive; REF Provides Meals for Newport News Family
At 22 weeks pregnant, a Newport News mother learned that her baby had Down Syndrome along with heart failure so severe that there was no way he would survive. The mother went on to carry him until 28 weeks and 4 days when she gave birth to her baby boy weighing 1lb...
Meet The Board: Blair Fine
When approached by Doug and Rachel about helping with the River Ellis Foundation, the answer was an easy ‘yes’ for Blair. She helps out with development, and comes up with ideas on how to both fundraise and promote the organization. Blair is a...
Donor Spotlight: The Cupka Family
Meet Stephen and Cara Cupka, long-time supporters of The River Ellis Foundation and our donor spotlight for spring 2020.
Meet The Board: Annabelle Stiffler
Annabelle Stiffler focuses on helping to find funding for the River Ellis Foundation through a combination of Donor Gifts, Grants, and Public Engagement. She has been involved with the Foundation since its beginning and has long been a friend of the Ellis Family. In...
REF Helps Portsmouth Family After Child Shot In Front Of Home
A five-year-old boy ended up in the ICU after he was shot outside of his Portsmouth home. After being recently furloughed due to the COVID-19 crisis, his mother needed help purchasing a cell phone to communicate with family about the child's condition as only one...
Supporting Our Community Through COVID-19
REF Volunteers have been hard at work making PPE for our local healthcare workers. We also provided masks for the moms and dads at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital in order to protect their new babies from COVID-19. These times are difficult for all of us, and we are...