FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 9, 2026
For more information:
Alison Harrison, Marketing and Communications Director
James Parnell, Scout Executive
Virginia Beach, Va. – The Norfolk Southern Hampton Roads Community Fund has awarded Scouting America Tidewater Council a $10,000 grant to support the council’s mission to serve youth in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.
“The Hampton Roads Community Foundation is pleased to partner with Norfolk Southern through this donor-advised fund program,” said Leigh Davis, HRCF’s vice president of donor engagement. “This unrestricted contribution recognizes the wonderful work of Scouting America Tidewater Council.”
The grant came as part of a five-year commitment by Norfolk Southern and the Hampton Roads Community Foundation to distribute $1 million annually through the Norfolk Southern Hampton Roads Community Fund to nonprofits working to improve life in the region.
Norfolk Southern has long supported the Hampton Roads nonprofit community. While it has relocated its corporate headquarters to Atlanta, the company remains committed to the Hampton Roads community and to engaging with nonprofit organizations in this region.
“Scouting America Tidewater Council’s mission aligns with the priorities of Norfolk Southern and the Hampton Roads Community Foundation for this grant,” said John Scheib, president of Scouting America Tidewater Council. “These include engaging youth to become self-sufficient, enriching our community by donating more than one million dollars in public service hours each year, and restoring and protecting our region’s land, forests, and natural waterways.”
“We are grateful for the Norfolk Southern Hampton Roads Community Fund’s partnership,” said James Parnell, Scouting America Tidewater Council Scout Executive. “Norfolk Southern and HRCF have a long and impressive history of supporting nonprofits in our community. This grant will help us continue to spread Scouting’s values and programs to more area youth.”
Scouting programs focus on character, leadership, outdoor adventures, wilderness and survival skills, personal fitness, first aid, citizenship, personal safety, family and reverence, sportsmanship, STEM education, and community service.
“At Norfolk Southern, we know that long-term success is rooted in the strength of where our employees live, and our business operates,” said Kristin Wong, Director, Norfolk Southern Foundation and Community Impact. “Scouting America Tidewater Council plays a vital role in driving real, meaningful impact across the region.”
About Norfolk Southern
Since 1827, Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) and its predecessor companies have safely moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Today, it operates a 22-state freight transportation network. Committed to advancing sustainability, Norfolk Southern helps its customers reduce approximately 15 million tons of carbon emissions each year by shipping by rail. Its dedicated team members deliver approximately 7 million carloads annually, from agriculture to consumer goods. Norfolk Southern also has the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern U.S. It serves most of the country’s population and manufacturing base, with connections to every major container port on the Atlantic coast as well as major ports across the Gulf Coast and Great Lakes. Learn more by visiting NorfolkSouthern.com.
About Hampton Roads Community Foundation
Hampton Roads Community Foundation (HRCF) began in 1950 as The Norfolk Foundation with total donations of $2,350. In 2010, the Virginia Beach Foundation merged with it to create the Hampton Roads Community Foundation – our region’s largest grant and scholarship provider. Over the past 75 years, HRCF has invested nearly $395 million into the community through non-profit grants and student scholarship awards. Learn more about the Hampton Roads Community Foundation at HamptonRoadsCF.org.
About Scouting America Tidewater Council
Established in 1911, Tidewater Council is the fifth oldest Scouting America council in the United States. Today, the council serves approximately 4,000 youth and 1,700 adult volunteers in the Virginia cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach, and the North Carolina counties of Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquotank, and Perquimans. To learn more about Tidewater Council or to sign your child up for Scouting, visit TidewaterBSA.com, email [email protected], or call 757-497-2688.
About Scouting America
Scouting America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®”
Scouting America welcomes all youth across America into its programs. Scouting aims to provide them with fantastic experiences outdoors and beyond, where they can grow in a safe environment. More than 130 million Americans have participated in Scouting’s programs since its founding in the United States in 1910. Today, more than one million youth are served by 477,000 dedicated adult volunteers in local councils nationwide.
To learn more about Scouting America’s mission, visit Scouting.org.
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