PETERSBURG, Va. — The Cameron Foundation’s conference rooms on South Sycamore Street were once considered community hubs for local nonprofits. That is until the coronavirus entered into our lives.
“We have been making these rooms available for many years,” said foundation president Nadine Marsh-Carter. “In fact, in 2019 before the pandemic struck, we had over 1,500 folks use the space.”
Now that the World Health Organization has declared an end to the COVID pandemic, Marsh-Carter and her team are inviting nonprofits to return to these workspaces.
More than 70 organizations took advantage of the free conference spaces prior to the pandemic.
One room can hold up to 60 individuals. The other room can easily fit 20 people, and they both include audiovisual equipment and wireless internet service.
“Our goal in making this room available is to facilitate improved outcomes through convening, through learning, through educational opportunities by making this space available,” Marsh-Carter explained.
The Cameron Foundation is a “health legacy foundation,” and was established in April 2003 out of the sale of the non-profit Southside Regional Medical Center to Community Health Systems, a for-profit entity.
The foundation manages the proceeds resulting from the sale.
Their service area includes the cities of Petersburg, Colonial Heights and Hopewell; the counties of Dinwiddie, Prince George and Sussex; and the portion of Chesterfield County lying south of Route 10. This is the area that historically was served by the hospital when it was a public hospital.
The foundation makes the spaces available to nonprofits at no cost. For-profit organizations also are welcome to meet in their facilities, and can do so by making a donation of at least $300 to one of the many nonprofits in the Cameron Foundation’s service area.
Those interested in reserving a meeting room may contact The Cameron Foundation by email reservations@camfound.org at least two weeks in advance of the meeting date to determine if the desired space is available.
Once confirmed, the nonprofit or business will need to submit the required forms found on Cameron’s website. You can also call the foundation at (804) 732-8900 with questions or to arrange a walk-through of the spaces.
The Cameron Foundation is named after William E. Cameron, editor of two Petersburg newspapers (The Daily News and The Daily Index).
Cameron served as the Mayor of Petersburg (1876-81) and the Governor of Virginia (1882-86), and he was instrumental in supporting education for African Americans, according to the foundation. He also played a major role in the founding of Virginia State University.
