Dominion Energy makes $1M donation to Virginia 4-H

Gift to help support in-person educational programming

Published February 5, 2021 by Sydney Lake

Dominion Energy Inc. has donated $1 million to Virginia 4-H, a nonprofit educational program for youth hosted by Virginia Tech, the university announced Thursday.

The donation marks the largest cash gift in the history of the state’s largest youth organization. Virginia 4-H educational centers serve more than 13,000 campers each summer, nearly 18,000 youth participate in overnight programming and more than 250,000 attend youth programs focused on STEM fields, agriculture, health living and civic engagement. The organization has more than 1 million alumni.

The Virginia 4-H Foundation is a division of the nonprofit Virginia Tech Foundation Inc.

“We feel that supporting Virginia 4-H is an important way that we can give back to our home state of Virginia,” Dominion Energy Virginia President Ed Baine said in a statement. “4-H holds a special place for youth across the state, and we are incredibly excited about this partnership. We are honored to be able to play a part in shaping our shared future.”

During the coronavirus pandemic, the group has not been able to provide in-person programming, and has instead provided at-home opportunities. These virtual activities don’t replace 4-H’s traditional programming, however, according to Virginia Tech. Dominion’s donation is the lead gift to the $4 million Virginia 4-H Educational Centers Campaign, which supports the vitality of in-person programming. Blue Ribbon Committee co-chairs Elizabeth McClanahan, former justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia and incoming Virginia Tech Foundation CEO, and John G. Rocovich Jr., former rector of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, are leading the campaign.

“4-H was founded on the belief that when kids are empowered to pursue their passions and chart their courses, their skills grow and take shape, helping them become true leaders in their lives, careers and communities,” Virginia Tech Foundation CEO John Dooley said in a statement. “I experienced that firsthand. 4-H shaped me as a youth and started me down my career path. We are sincerely thankful for Dominion Energy and its charitable foundation’s generosity and dedication to improving our commonwealth.

“The best gift we can give our kids is to provide skills that last a lifetime.”