577 is here for you, and you are the reason that 577 blossoms and bears fruit.
The 577 Foundation was planted as a seed of an idea by our founder, Virginia Secor Stranahan. This seed of generosity, this vision for an environmental and creative learning commons, was a nugget of hope that Virginia shared with all of us openly.
577 woke up and germinated.
Over the succeeding 34 years, the seed of 577 was given the right conditions to flourish. We gathered to learn together and discover passions that give us meaning, in inspiring, welcoming spaces and natural areas to explore.
The seed sprouts and thrives.
Even today, warm-hearted generosity abounds at 577, flowing from charitable gifts from you through staff, volunteers, visitors, and learners of all ages from all walks of life.
577 flowers, fruits, and reseeds with more generosity in another person, all thanks to you.
Your ongoing gifts to 577 make it a place to feed your curiosity, experiment, relax, connect with others, and share. And your donations provide the gift of discovery, connection, and creativity to others in the community.
You truly make 577 unlike anywhere else. Your contributions — of all types — make it special.
Your gifts are the reason someone feels peaceful today. Your generosity initiates meaningful relationships among people who may not have met if it weren’t at 577. You give people the opportunity to nurture an interest or a garden, feeding people who otherwise might have gone hungry today — literally and metaphorically.
You realize how special 577 is, how valuable it is, and how much you want it to thrive. You invest in what is important to you, and now’s your chance to invest in 577 with a gift toward the parts of 577 that matter most to you.
This has been a big year for 577, the culmination of many years of hard work. After years of planning, here’s just a snippet of what has been accomplished in 2022:
- Increasing 577’s environmental emphasis and education, honoring Virginia’s legacy and commitment to conservation
- Reopening classes post-pandemic, providing more learning opportunities than ever, and expanding classroom space into Virginia’s House
- Increasing the number of new community instructors by 150% so they can teach their interest areas to you, keeping class sizes small and fees low so everyone may participate
- Identifying ways to make 577’s spaces more physically accessible for all students
- Announcing our refreshed mission statement: Open to all, 577 builds a creative, caring community through curiosity and lifelong learning
- Unveiling the new honeybee logo that’s so fitting for 577 and symbolic of Virginia
- Rebuilding and launching a new website at 577foundation.org! What a difference!
- Reimagining and reopening the Book Center as the Welcome Center & Curiosity Shop
There are more fresh plans coming for 577, many opportunities for 577 to bloom. Click HERE to visit our donation page to view a few special areas of need for you to invest in, as well as the ever-present Serendipity Fund that is used for unexpected, serendipitous opportunities that arise.
With Gratitude,
Heather
Heather Gallant, Executive Director
