The WRIC ABC 8News team supported our community on Founder’s Day 2023
We give back to our community on Founder’s Day. Nexstar television stations across the nation join forces annually in June to make an impact in the lives of the people we share our news with every day.
In 2023, WRIC ABC 8News team members volunteered in the community on Friday, June 16, by helping to sort, prepare and hand out food to those in need at the Chesterfield Food Bank, as well as working in our offices assembling cleaning kit donations for CARITAS.
8News had also planned a riverfront trash cleanup with Friends of the James River Park, but unfortunately, due to the weather, the event was canceled.
Read more about our 2023 volunteer efforts here.
LEARN ABOUT THE 2023 RECIPIENTS
Friends of the James River Park
Mission: The nonprofit organization helped to create the 10-year Master Plan for the James River Park System and advocates for protecting the land and environment of the 600-acre urban park.
Chesterfield Food Bank
Mission: Fighting food insecurity for children, families, individuals and seniors from their headquarters in Chesterfield County since 2010.
CARITAS
Mission: CARITAS helps people transition from homelessness and/or addiction into housing and needed support services.
Founder’s Day 2022
In 2022, WRIC ABC 8News team members spent the day at St. Joseph’s Villa, working on the inside of the Richmond Public Schools Lit Limo, took on a few beautification projects at Bensley Elementary School with Hope For Learning and donated our time to help work with Feed More’s Meals on Wheels program. Read more about our 2022 volunteers.
LEARN ABOUT THE 2022 RECIPIENTS
Hope for Learning
Mission: Hope For Learning Foundation provides reading materials and supplies to underprivileged children from kindergarten through fifth grade and, through tutoring and mentoring, encourages them to discover the lifelong joy of literacy.
Richmond Public Schools, Lit Limo
Mission: A mobile bookmobile, part of Priority 5 of RPS’ Literacy Plan to “engage all families to build a culture of joy for reading and writing” by bringing books directly to students and families.
Feed More, Meals on Wheels
Mission: To help keep homebound seniors and disabled neighbors independent and in their own homes for as long as possible by bringing them fresh, diet-specific, made-from-scratch meals.
St. Joseph’s Villa
Mission: Provides children and families facing homelessness, developmental disabilities, mental illness and other challenges. the opportunity to succeed through a wraparound approach to education, therapy and care addresses individual needs
Founder’s Day 2021
In 2021, WRIC ABC 8News team members spent the day helping clean up the grounds at Maymont in Richmond. We loved donating our time to help improve a favorite local destination.
But we also tried something new. We hosted a donation drive to help support local organizations that support our community. Four local nonprofit groups received items from our donation drive: Tech for Troops, Soles 4 Souls, Health Brigade and Urban Baby Beginnings.
The 8News team hosted a donation drive-thru for four local nonprofits and volunteered at Maymont Park as part of Nexstar’s Founder’s Day of Caring. (Photo: 8News) 
Members of WRIC-TV’s team spent Thursday cleaning up the grounds at Maymont Park in Richmond, donating time to help improve one of the area’s favorite local destinations. 
The 8News team spent the morning in Maymont pruning, weeding, and laying mulch for the gardens next to the historic manor. (Photo: 8News reporter Tyler Thrasher) 
Weekday Sports Anchor Natalie Kalibat (left) and Digital Reporter Tyler Thrasher (right) cleaning up Maymont Park. (Photo: 8News reporter Tyler Thrasher) 
Evening News Anchor Juan Conde (right) and Digital Team intern Chloe Abbott (left) “deadheading” old blooms at Maymont (Photo: 8News reporter Tyler Thrasher) 
Reporter Ben Dennis hard at work in the gardens at Maymont. (Photo: 8News) 
Evening News Anchor Juan Conde (left) and Digital Reporter Tyler Thrasher (right) weeding near the historic manor at Maymont. (Photo: 8News reporter Tyler Thrasher) 
The 8News team ran the donation drive-thru, handling donations as they arrived. (Photo: 8News) 
The donation drive-thru was operated on the lot of one of the represented nonprofits, Tech for Troops. (Photo: 8News Reporter Tyler Thrasher) 
HR Administrator Tarsha Thompson was on duty unloading donations from cars. (Photo: 8News) 
Health Brigade collected food pantry and everyday items at the donation drive-thru. (Photo: 8News) 
Soles4Souls was one of the nonprofits represented at the donation drive-thru event, collecting shoes and clothing. (Photo: 8News)
LEARN ABOUT THE 2021 RECIPIENTS
Tech For Troops
Mission: Provide veterans and children of veterans in need with free, refurbished computers and opportunities to partner with businesses that provide training and networking experiences.
Soles for Souls
Mission: To turn unwanted shoes and clothing into opportunities by keeping them from going to waste and putting them to good use. By providing relief, creating jobs and empowering people to break the cycle of poverty.
Urban Baby Beginnings
Mission: Reduce hospitalizations and depression/anxiety experienced by families struggling to meet their child’s basic needs. One in four families needs diapers. Urban Baby Beginnings diaper bank distributed 2.8 million diapers to 7,500 babies during the COVID-19 crisis. A lack of clean diapers can increase emergency room visits due to skin infections and depression/anxiety by the mother/family member.
Health Brigade
Mission: Health Brigade carries on a 50-year legacy as Virginia’s oldest free and charitable clinic offering a growing array of medical, mental health, community outreach and care coordination services for low-income and uninsured persons.