Goochland nonprofit raises $1M legacy fund in honor of longtime executive director

The front of GoochlandCares’ campus. (Photos courtesy GoochlandCares)

A Goochland nonprofit has unveiled a seven-figure fund dedicated to its outgoing, longtime executive director.  

GoochlandCares announced last month the creation of the “Sally Graham Fund for the Future,” a $1.1 million designated fund that will provide financial support for ongoing maintenance at the nonprofit’s campus at 2999 River Road West in the Goochland Courthouse area. 

The new fund was unveiled at a Jan. 23 event honoring Graham, who retired last year after 25 years of service to GoochlandCares. 

The organization’s 20,000-square-foot campus spans 12 different social and health care services, including medical and dental care, sexual and domestic violence services, a food pantry and transportation services, given that Goochland County offers no public transportation service. 

With the designated Graham fund in place, GoochlandCares is now able to free up other money for programming at the campus. 

“The purpose of the designated fund is to have an investment from which annual gains will be able to support the upkeep and maintenance of our physical campus,” Goochland Cares CEO Andrea Ahonen said. “Practically speaking, (it’s) a real game changer for people in the community.”

Ahonen succeeded Graham last August after previously holding senior positions in the nonprofit world at the Muscular Dystrophy Association and World Pediatrics. 

“I’m lucky enough to come in at a time where a tremendously solid foundation has been built,” Ahonen said. “We really get to make those minor improvements that will help sustain the organization’s mission.” 

Sally Graham

Ahonen said the new fund came about after a large group of staff, volunteers and board members were brainstorming a way to honor Graham upon her retirement last year. The decision was made to create a designated fund, and the team hoped they would be able to raise a couple hundred thousand dollars.

But longtime GoochlandCares donor Al Rider upped the ante, believing the group could raise $1 million.

“It made a lot of people a little nervous with such an audacious goal, but they got to work,” Ahonen said. 

Fundraising for the legacy fund happened over the course of a few months last year starting in July, Ahonen said. Staff members Adair Frayser and Emily Millhiser led the way for the campaign, and reached out to the many people who’ve supported GoochlandCares over the years for support. 

The fund hit the $1 million mark in November, and other donations trickling in through the end of 2024 brought the total to $1.1 million. 

Somewhere between 125 and 200 donors contributed to the effort, Ahonen said.

“These were gifts above and beyond their annual contributions to the organization, in recognition of all Sally has done,” she said. 

Along with the legacy fund, GoochlandCares unveiled a commemorative book titled “Sally Cares.” The book features the voices of over 75 GoochlandCares volunteers, clients and supporters telling stories about Graham’s work and life. 

Anecdotes in the book range from Graham’s sister Susan LaPointe talking about Graham’s natural caring instincts, to a GoochlandCares receptionist praising her for her willingness to teach.

“We couldn’t think of a better way to honor Sally than to reflect on the many lives she has helped shape, in their own voices,” said GoochlandCares Board Vice President Harry Baldwin in a release. “This book is just a small token of our appreciation for everything she has done.”

Andrea Ahonen

GoochlandCares was formed through the combination of two nonprofits in the county.

The first was Goochland Fellowship and Family Services, which was created in 1952 by a group of local women to provide resources to those in the area who didn’t qualify for state or federal aid.

The second was the Free Clinic of Goochland, which launched in 2000, before merging with GFFS in 2007 to become Goochland Free Clinic and Family Services. 

The board of the combined organization approved a 2016 capital campaign for a new 20,000-square-foot building along River Road, a project that was completed in 2018. Shortly after, the organization was renamed to GoochlandCares.

GoochlandCares operated with $5.62 million in revenue and $6.23 million in annual expenses in 2023, according to the nonprofit’s most recent public financial reports issued to the IRS.