The Cabell Brand Center was founded in 1987 with a dedication ceremony with the then President of Roanoke College, Norman Fintel, and guest speaker Sargent Shriver. Scores of local business people and friends attended the ceremony on the Roanoke College campus.
The Center was founded primarily to give students in the colleges of this region an opportunity to study and research issues of poverty, the environment, and peace. The idea was to supplement student academic projects. The student would conduct his/her research for class credit and ultimately supply the Center with a copy that would be filed and sometimes published. The Center would pay the student a stipend of $500 to $1,000 and in some instances a class project of up to $5000.
The money used for these research projects came from foundation grants or from annual contributions from local corporations, business people, local organizations and individuals.
Over the 20 year period, the Center awarded and had relationships with over 500 individual projects and students at Roanoke College, Hollins College, Virginia Western Community College, Radford University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia Military Institute, Washington Lee, and Lynchburg College.
One of the Center's best research projects was a contest for students at all of the above named colleges and universities to submit a paper on what they felt was the single most important environmental issue they would face during their lifetime.
There were 3 winners with the top winner winning a $5000 fellowship for writing the best research paper, as selected by a panel of independent judges from the community.
In the year 2004, the Center moved from Roanoke College to Greg Lewis's office of Smith Lewis Archatechs who specialize in Environmental Buildings and construction. The board of the Cabell Brand Center decided to retrench its activities and focus on specific environmental projects. The Center had a relationship for two years with Greg Lewis, who sponsored the C2C home building contest, which was international in scope.
When this was concluded, the Center turned over its assets to the New River Foundation so they could continue to award projects and research grants to students as funds became available.
In addition to the student projects, the Cabell Brand Center has helped sponsor sustainable development seminars at Hollins College, Roanoke College and Ferrum College, with literally hundreds of participants at each of these seminars and with nationally recognized speakers.
In 2007 the Cabell Brand Center, with board approval, decided to concentrate its environmental projects to water with a particular focus on rainwater harvesting.
The subject of sustainable development is so broad and complex that it was decided after 20 years of broadly focused efforts, the Cabell Brand Center will now focus on local implementation for saving water, reducing stormwater and wastewater runoff, and educating the public of the benefits of rainwater harvesting. For this, we have already received one grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment and have applied for several others.
David Crawford was recently appointed President of the Center. Since David Crawford, also President and founder of Rainwater Management Solutions, focuses exclusively on water projects, it was natural for him to assume responsibility of President of the Cabell Brand Center with Cabell Brand staying as chairman.
Since David Crawford became President, the Cabell Brand Center has became the leader in Virginia for fresh water issues. First, we produced Virginia's first Rainwater Harvesting Manual and then revised and updated it. It is now the standard for Virginia and other states are copying it. All of this is on line and available to the public free. The close relationship with Rainwater Management Solutions has led to several foundations and State grants to implement rainwater management and storage at schools and public buildings. Private buildings are following suit as seen in the RMS web site.
The water research efforts are accelerated with the addition of Dr Tamim Younos, formerly head of the Virginia Water Resources Research Center at Virginia Tech University for over 20 years, who is working to publish techniques of storm water management and energy conservation.
The activities of Cabell Brand in the Poverty and Peace (conflict resolution) areas are documented in Cabell Brand's book "If Not Me Then Who". These efforts are expanding with the relationship with the U.S. Institute of Peace, The Carter Center, Rotary International Peace Fellowship programs and others. This all ties into the Cabell Brand Center's previous contracts with UNDP (United Nations Development Program) and the World Bank in economic development projects in Bangladesh. India, Egypt, and Botswana.
The Poverty objectives of the Cabell Brand Center continue with TAP (Total Action Against Poverty) in the Roanoke Valley and the expansion of the Shepherd Poverty Program from Washington and Lee University to scores of the colleges and universities in the country.
The addition of college fellowship and scholarship opportunities underline the value of having a non-profit corporation working closely with both a profit making Company and scores of cooperating organizations as explained elsewhere on this web page.
HISTORY
Ninevah Wygal with Roanoke College Student in the Cabell Brand Center Library.
Ninevah Wygal worked with Cabell Brand from 1951 to 2005, and was Director of the Cabell Brand Center from its founding in 1987 until 2005.
Bev Fitzpatrick now Executive Director of the Virginia Museum of Transportation and Robert Manetta of Legal Council for Carilion Clinic conferring with Cabell Brand on local economic issues
Roanoke College poster promoting the Cabell Brand Center Fellowship Program
Sargent Shriver dedication of the CB Center
Picture of the founding of the Oliver Hill Foundation at the Cabell Brand Center
