Category: Newsletter

The Virginia Women’s Chorus received a 2018 Jefferson Trust grant to commission a musical piece by music composer Ola Gjeilo to celebrate the Bicentennial of UVA and to commemorate the history of women at the university. Read more about the chorus here.

The annual Madison Lane and Rugby Road Charitable Trust Visual Arts Prize is intended to expand students’ opportunities for creative expression and to showcase significant accomplishments in the Arts. A $2,500 award is presented through The Jefferson Trust in partnership with UVA Arts to one undergraduate or graduate student each spring. A student’s submitted work must be created while he or she is enrolled at UVA, and eligible medias include: drawing, painting, watercolor, film/video, photography or sculpture.

The 2018 Madison Lane and Rugby Road Charitable Trust Visual Arts Prize was awarded to Grace Patrice Anyetei-Anum for her photograph entitled “Re-Presenting the African Woman.” This photograph is part of her thesis exhibition entitled “Re-Presenting the African Woman”, where she is hoping to use her photographs as a way of enlightening her fellow Americans about the diversity that exists on the African Continent. There are 54 different countries with over 1,500 languages spoken, but for many years Africa has been mistaken for a country. Anyetei-Anum photographed women from different countries in Africa she met at UVA to achieve her goal, with clothing serving as a way to make clear distinctions among the cultures and between being African and being African-American. Anyetei-Anum said, “Although we are all black, differences do exist in our various cultures.”

The idea is simple: everybody has a story to share. Project co-leads Amy McMillen and Alicia Wang were abroad in Copenhagen when they heard about the international organization, The Human Library. “It was such a simple yet beautiful concept, we decided to bring it back to Charlottesville,” says Amy.

The Human Library at UVA is a project that enables students, faculty, and staff at the University of Virginia to verbally share their stories and engage with other community members willing to learn. Each participant is either a “reader” who will stop by to listen to a story, or a “book” who is an individual with a story they would like to share. The project has spotlighted issues that are traditionally difficult to grapple with, such as mental disorders and immigration. But the Library also lets students share unique parts of their identity through constructive dialogues and Q&A exchanges. The sheer variety of stories shared through the Human Library has led the project to immense success with their past events, including their most recent on April 6^th. This event was a chance for students to hear from their peers on topics like picking a non-traditional path in the healthcare industry, overcoming breast cancer, and dealing with deafness.

We asked Amy what her goals are for the future of this project. “My hope for the Human Library is for people to continue to have the courage to tell their stories as well as listen to others who are different than themselves,” she says. The Human Library is meant to extend beyond just UVA’s Grounds to touch others in the Charlottesville community. “An overarching goal for the project is to help connect the University and the surrounding Charlottesville area, as we have so much to learn from each other. In the future, I hope that the Human Library continues to partner with the community and elevate people’s stories that otherwise may not be recognized or understood.”

Reflecting on the concept of The Human Library, Amy shares her own story with the Trust. “If I were to be a book for the Human Library, my title would be In Between. Ever since I was born to an American father and a Chinese mother, I have been a bridge between two cultures and have learned how to balance opposite entities. When I was ten years old, I went from living a highly privileged lifestyle in China to moving to the Land of Opportunity and cleaning houses with my family every weekend to keep food on the table.” Stories such as Amy’s demonstrate how narrative storytelling can build empathy and break barriers between people, making for genuine conversation and powerful dialogue that breaks through surface-level chatter.

The Jefferson Trust is excited to support such a meaningful, student-led initiative, and we look forward to continued success from The Human Library at UVA. Check them out on Facebook.

Each spring, The Jefferson Trust awards two $2,500 Intramural-Recreational Awards to club athletic teams that excel in the areas of commitment, leadership and service to the community. This year, the Virginia Women’s Club Lacrosse Team and Quidditch at the University of Virginia were recipients.

The Virginia Women’s Club Lacrosse Team is comprised of 30 members, representing a variety of areas of study in the McIntire School, Nursing, Engineering, Curry School, and various majors in The College. The Club meets for practice 4 times a week and travels to tournaments 1-2 weekends each month. Organization, timeliness, and communication are necessary attributes to keeping all 30 members on track for success both on and off the field.

Virginia Women’s Club Lacrosse has grown extremely well over the past two years: from an 8-7 record in 2016 to a 13-5 record (including a WCLA National Championship bid) in 2017. In RPI rankings, the team jumped from 22nd in the country to 12th in just one year, and currently place 8th out of 82 WCLA Division-1 programs. Most recently, they went 3-1 at the 2018 Santa Barbara Shootout. Some of the Club Lacrosse Team’s off field involvements include coaching local youth teams, participating in the One Love Foundation, Lacrosse the Nation, Camp Kesem, donation collections to Heal C’ville Fund and One Goal. 23 of the club team members are also active in their respective sororities community service and events as well.

As the club lacrosse team strives to continue to strengthen the program, it is essential they play the most competitive teams on the highest (and farthest) stages. They are very grateful for the Jefferson Trust Award to help them achieve this. Currently the team is ranked #7 in the nation (2^nd in their region) and has received an at large bid to the National Championship in Round Rock, TX in May.

Founded in 2011, Quidditch at the University of Virginia is looking to have a season of unparalleled success this year. Their record has improved to 29-4, compared to a 13-11 record in 2016-17 school year. These wins have come from tournaments in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship, where the club earned second place among nineteen teams. This semester the team has gone undefeated, winning three tournaments while beating rivals such as Duke, Virginia Tech, and UNC. These successes have solidified the Quidditch Club as the fourth ranked team in the nation, making their fourth consecutive appearance at the US Quidditch Cup in Round Rock, TX in late April. At the Quidditch Cup, the team went 4-2, reaching the sweet sixteen round.

The entire Quidditch Club is comprised of two teams: the competition-oriented A team, who will represent UVA at the US Quidditch Cup, and the B team, creating an inclusive environment for students who want to play quidditch, but have tight schedules, or are looking for fun ways to exercise and meet new friends. A fun side to playing quidditch so closely intertwined with a worldwide acclaimed book is getting to share the hobby with others. Quidditch Club at UVA continues their “kidditch” program at a local elementary school in the fall, giving quidditch demonstrations at a “Wizards in the Woods” event in the summer, and the club has been invited to open a game for Minor League Baseball’s Richmond Flying Squirrels. Quidditch at UVA takes great pride in representing the University of Virginia at community events, in their competitions, and educating more people as interest in the sport continues to grow!

Executive Director of the Jefferson Trust, Wayne Cozart, presented an overview of The Jefferson Trust as a successful donor-directed philanthropy at the regional advancement conference CASE III in Atlanta, Georgia this month. Mr. Cozart discussed the success of the Trust as a means of actively involving alumni and parent donors in the ongoing life of the University of Virginia. He spoke about how an endowment like the Jefferson Trust, built on gifts by alumni, parents, and friends, can provide unrestricted dollar support to various areas of the University. He shared that the Trust not only provides opportunities for donors to support the University, but also for those donors to be active in choosing which new grants receive funding each year. This concept is new to higher education and creates an actively involved volunteer group who provide financial support to the University while becoming more personally involved in the active life of the institution. Several individuals attending the presentation expressed interest in starting a similar program at their institution.

UVA’s Disability Studies Initiative is holding its third biennial symposium this Friday, February 23. The symposium, funded in part by a grant from the Jefferson Trust, is free and open to the public. Take a look at the event schedule here.