The primary goal of the Christmas Shopping Tour is to deliver, through presents under the tree, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters and their families that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive and patriotic citizens.

The objectives of the tour are to help these children and their families throughout Hampton Roads experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation’s most valuable resources – our children; and to contribute to better communities in the future.

Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

The only camp of its kind on the East Coast, this 70-acre, fully-accessible beach-style adventure cap is designed to welcome everyone. Wounded veterans, families of fallen heroes, and adults and children with disabilities or special needs will finally have a place to call their own.

JT’s Camp Grom offers adventure rope courses, lakeside trails, and physical fitness activities ranging from swimming and wakeboarding, to archery and putt-putt. But it’s also a place to grow. By taking part in personal development activities, educational programs, entertainment and social gatherings, campers will go home with a new sense of self-discovery, independence and confidence—empowering them and improving their quality of life.

Be The Match Registry, or the National Marrow Donor Program, is the world’s largest and most diverse registry of potential marrow donors and donated cord blood units. With more than 9.5 million potential donors, our growing registry is helping more patients than ever before get the transplant they need.

Be The Match is a federally funded nonprofit organization that maintains a database of volunteers willing to donate a portion of their marrow or blood-forming cells to patients in need of a transplant. The growth of the Registry gives increased hope to the thousands of patients who are looking for a matched donor.

The Flame of Hope monument was conceived in 1972 as a volunteer project headed by Attack Squadron 43 at Naval Air Station Oceana. The monument provided squadron personal with a means to express their concern for the Prisoners of War and Missing in Action (POW/MIAs) of the Vietnam War.

The monument was built by volunteers from Construction Battalion 415 and sponsored by the Virginia Beach Jaycees and Oceana wives of the “They’re Not Forgotten” Committee.

The Virginia Beach Jaycees coordinated contributions from the community which enabled VA-43 to obtain 50 cubic feet of cement, a propane gas tank, the 34,000pound centerpiece, and fixtures for the plumbing for the torch. The Flame of Hope was formally dedicated on Friday, May 22, 1972.

The original intent of the monument was to have a live flame light the way for the return of all POW/MIAs from Southeast Asia, after which the flame would be extinguished. The dream of those promoting the monument was that “the flame burn briefly.” However, as the war continued, the Flame of Hope became a rallying point around which the Oceans wives’ “They’re Not Forgotten” committee campaigned for greater awareness of the plight of the POW/MIAs among citizens and the U.S. Congress.

In February 1973, the first of 565 American prisoners were released as a result of the Vietnam Peace Accords returned home and it seemed like the dream to have the flame extinguished upon gaining a full accounting of those missing was drawing near.

When “Operation Homecoming” ended, the fate of over two thousand military men remained a mystery and the Flame of Hope continued to burn. However, the oil embargo of 1973 brought public pressure to extinguish the flame as an energy-saving measure. On November 20, 1973, the flame was extinguished over the objections of those who feared for a loss of awareness of those servicemen who were left behind. A decade passed before members of the “They’re Not Forgotten” committee were successful in stirring public concern when very few remains of missing Americans had been returned and over 2400 Americans remained in an unaccounted status. Their campaign succeeded on March 25, 1964 when the Flame of Hope was reignited.

On May 1, 1994, the Flame of Hope was rededicated as a continuous reminder that those who were killed or remain missing in Vietnam must never be forgotten. The Flame of Hope will continue to light the way for POW/MIA families to gain a better understanding of the fate of their sons, husbands, fiancés and fathers.