The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is hosting a reception to celebrate the nonprofit’s 25th anniversary at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, April 7, at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke.
The event will highlight the projects and programs within the national park that have been made possible thanks to the support of donors, volunteers, and community partners. Guests are invited to enjoy drinks, hors d’oeuvres, live music, and a special awards ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.
“We are so happy to celebrate this milestone with the Roanoke community,” said Carolyn Ward, CEO of the Foundation. “The support of gateway communities along the Blue Ridge Parkway is vital to our mission and work.”
Conservationist and retired attorney Broaddus Fitzpatrick will be awarded the Pat Shore Clark Stewardship Award. This honor recognizes exemplary individual service in advancement of the Foundation, and is named for its first recipient, Pat Shore Clark, a board member, major donor, and volunteer. The late George Kegley, a journalist, volunteer, philanthropist, and champion of preservation, will posthumously be honored with the Legacy Service Award. The Peaks of Otter Lodge operated by Delaware North will receive the Corporate Champion Award.
Guests will also learn about the nonprofit’s plans for the future including the funding of a youth conservation crew that will repair trails at Humpback Rocks on the Parkway this spring. The nonprofit is also behind the Kids in Parks program, which will be installing family friendly TRACK Trails in Roanoke. Since 2013, the Foundation has supported programming at Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, Va., including the venue’s annual summer concert series.
The Foundation’s past projects in Virginia include rehabilitation of historic Polly Woods Ordinary and Johnson Farm, upgrading the Abbott Lake Loop Trail at Peaks of Otter to meet ADA guidelines, a bioblitz survey of flora and fauna at Rock Castle Gorge, and more.
The event’s premier sponsor is First Citizens Bank and reception sponsor is Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge.
Guests are asked to purchase tickets in advance at BRPFoundation.org/roanokereception.
