Impact Stories

Raise the Region

October 13, 2023
Dear Community Foundation Friends and Supporters,

Last Friday evening we came together for the Community Foundation’s 2023 Raise the Region Gala to celebrate our home, Northern Virginia, and the change-makers in it who never fail to help meet the region’s challenges and expand its opportunities. Our theme for the event was renewal, as every community, and everything in it, must be continuously renewed and reimagined.

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October 11, 2022
Dear Community Foundation Friends and Supporters,

Last Friday evening, we gathered for the first time in 3 years to celebrate our region’s resilience, success, and growing sense of home and place. As always, your support literally helped Raise the Region!

More than 500 guests joined us in person and another 100 tuned in to the virtual live stream. It was an incredibly heartening reunion and opportunity to celebrate the ties that bind us all together. Your support and generosity were unprecedented. The event raised a total of $650,000, which will help the Community Foundation build a community that works for everyone. 

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September 28, 2022
Corporate and individual sponsorships are a critical tool for the Community Foundation to lead and convene the community. One of our 2022 Raise the Region Gala sponsors is Peraton, a tech and cybersecurity firm based in Herndon, Virginia. Peraton have experienced a meteoric rise since their founding in 2017, and were expected to be worth $5 billion dollars in 2021. We spoke with Stefanie Hale, Corporate Citizenship lead, about what community building means to Peraton.

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October 14, 2021
Philanthropist, author, entrepreneur, and lawyer Karen Schaufeld has been named Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s 2021 Community Leadership Honoree. The Community Leadership Award is given each year to an individual who is a demonstrated leader with a long history of commitment to supporting the Northern Virginia region through volunteer and community service and charitable giving.

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October 14, 2021
A record fundraising total of more than $500,000 was raised during Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s 2021 Raise the Region, an annual, mission-critical fundraiser for the Community Foundation.

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October 7, 2020
The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia hosted its first virtual Raise the Region Gala on Friday, October 2, 2020. Business, philanthropic, and community leaders joined us from their own homes across the region and the nation to take part in this live-streamed event.

Hosted by NBC4’s Leon Harris, 2020 Raise the Region gala is an annual mission-critical fundraiser that enables the Community Foundation to respond to need, seed innovation, and lead and convene the community. The theme for this year’s event was Building a Community that Works for Everyone.

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September 4, 2020

2022 RTR BannerFriday, October 18, 2024

Hilton McLean Tysons Corner
6:30 - 10:00 pm | 8:30 pm Hybrid Program

2023 GalaHonoring Kristina Bouweiri with the 2024 Community Leadership Award

Black Tie Affair | Cocktail Reception & Elegant Seated Dinner
Silent and Alive Auctions | Virtual Attendance Options


Join the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia on Friday, October 18th at the Hilton McLean Tysons Cornerfor the 2024 Raise the Region Gala.

The Community Foundation will welcome 700 of the region’s business, philanthropic, public, civic, and community leaders to this signature, black-tie event that serves as a celebration of the power of local philanthropy.

Help the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia build a community that works for everyone. 
Join Us!      Tickets & Sponsorships      Support the Auction


About the 2024 Community Leadership Award Honoree

A pillar of the Gala celebration each year is the Community Leadership Award, presented annually for outstanding community service and dedication to improving the quality of life for all Northern Virginians. This year’s award will be presented to Kristina Bouweiri, President & CEO of Reston Limousine, the largest luxury transportation provider in the Washington DC area.

With over 230 vehicles and 335 employees, her innovative strategies drive growth. Committed to philanthropy, she has facilitated more than $1.5 million in donated transportation to charities. As a board member of influential organizations like Enterprising Woman Magazine, she empowers women entrepreneurs. Her global perspective, born from living in Japan, Brazil, and other countries, enriches her leadership. A graduate of George Washington University, she speaks multiple languages and champions education and children’s welfare initiatives. Kristina's legacy embodies entrepreneurial success, philanthropy, and community leadership.

Read Kristina's Full Bio


2024 Raise the Region Gala Sponsors


Auction Sponsor

Truist Wealth

Individual tickets are $350. Sponsorships start at $1,000 and include visibility throughout the year and during the event.

Sponsorships & Tickets


Questions: Contact Tara Nadel, Vice President of Marketing and Events at 703-879-7637 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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October 14, 2019

Annual Gala Raises $570,000 to Support Critical Needs in the Northern Virginia Region

(Oakton, VA) – Major General Carl H. McNair, Jr. (RET) of Springfield, Virginia has been awarded the 2019 Community Leadership Award presented by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. General McNair was recognized for his lifetime of community leadership, public service, and philanthropy during 2019 Raise the Region Gala held on Friday, October 4, 2019, at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner.

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October 14, 2019
Dear Community Foundation Friends and Supporters,

It was pure joy celebrating home and place with you at the Community Foundation’s 2019 Raise the Region Gala on Friday, October 4th. Thank you for coming, for supporting our work, and for helping us honor Major General Carl McNair (RET) with the 2019 Community Leadership Award.

The event raised $570,000, which beat our expectations. It was a terrific outcome made possible by the dedication and hard work of the Community Foundation’s Board, staff, our amazing event honoree Carl, an army of caring volunteers and auction donors, a tireless Gala Committee, Gala Chair Ki Ho Kang, and the generosity of our many wonderful sponsors and supporters listed here.

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October 10, 2018

Annual Gala Raised $636,000 to Support Critical Needs in the Northern Virginia Region

Ellen and Jim Dyke were recognized by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia for their history of passionate leadership and philanthropy with the 2018 Community Leadership Award at the Raise the Region Gala held on Friday, October 5, 2018 at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner.

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October 14, 2017
This interview is with Deborah Krat, Community Foundation Gala volunteer.

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October 10, 2017

Annual Gala Raised Over $530,000 to Support Critical Needs in the Northern Virginia Region

Mark A. and Brenda L. Moore of the Mark and Brenda Moore Family Foundation were recognized by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia for their history of passionate leadership and philanthropy with the 2017 Community Leadership Award at the Raise the Region Gala held on Friday, October 6, 2017 at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner.

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September 25, 2017
ChapelsThis is an interview with John and Virginia Chapel with the Chapel Family Foundation Fund at the Community Foundation. This fund provides direct grants to nonprofits and other programs benefiting child and youth development, poverty relief, health and aging, military personnel and their families, and community improvement. The Chapels are the 2017 Raise the Region Gala Challenge Sponsor, and are long-time supporters of the Gala.

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October 11, 2016

Annual Gala Raises Unprecedented $544,000 to Raise the Northern Virginia Region

J. Knox Singleton, CEO of Inova Health System, was recognized by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia for his history of leadership and stewardship, providing world-class healthcare to all members of the diverse Northern Virginia community, regardless of ability to pay with the 2016 Community Leadership Award. The longest standing community based recognition award in Northern Virginia, it was presented at the Community Foundation’s annual Raise the Region Gala on October 7, 2016 at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner.

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October 14, 2015

2015 Sweet Home Virginia Gala Raises $482,000, Engages Hundreds of Donors 

Jim Wordsworth of J.R.’s Goodtimes Inc. has been recognized with the 2015 Community Leadership Award by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia.  The Community Leadership Award is the most prestigious, longest standing community based recognition award in Northern Virginia, and was presented at the Community Foundation’s annual Sweet Home Virginia Gala on October 9, 2015 at the Sheraton Tysons Hotel.

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October 23, 2014

Annual Sweet Home Virginia Gala Raises Record Funds and Engages Over 100 Donors to Support Critical Needs in Northern Virginia

Richard Duvall, a partner at Holland & Knight LLP in the Government Contracts and Litigations practices, and the Holland & Knight firm were be recognized by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia for their philanthropic leadership in the Northern Virginia area with the 2014 Community Leadership Award. The longest standing community based recognition award in Northern Virginia that honors outstanding community service, it was presented at the Community Foundation’s annual Sweet Home Virginia Gala on October 10, 2014 at the Sheraton Tysons Hotel.

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October 30, 2013

Raises Funds to Support Local Critical Needs

J. Hamilton Lambert, former Fairfax County Executive and current Executive Director of the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, was honored with the 2013 Community Leadership award for his visionary leadership in the Northern Virginia region. The award was presented at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s 2013 Sweet Home Virginia Gala on October 25, 2013 at the Sheraton Premiere in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

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