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Kathryn Yarzebinski, President & CEO
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(Lynchburg, VA – March 10, 2026) - The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation announces recipients of The Quillian Award
On February 15, 2026, the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation named Dr. Jim Wright and Mrs. Marty Wright as the fourth recipients of the Quillian Award.
The Quillian Award was established in 2011 to honor Margaret and Bill Quillian who exemplified philanthropy, endowment giving, and service to community during their lifetime. Other recipients of the Quillian award include: Margaret and William F. Quillian, Jr. in 2011, Rosel and Elliot Schewel in 2012, and Ellen and Bill Jamerson in 2018.
Through decades of volunteerism, board leadership, and advocacy, Jim and Marty have made lasting contributions to strengthen our community’s health, equity, and culture.
“The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation is honored to recognize Jim and Marty for their lifelong dedication to others and to their community with our highest honor, the Quillian Award,” said John Stone, Chair of the GLCF’s Board of Directors.
For a more detailed overview of their contributions to our community, please visit lynchburgfoundation.org/wright
Following Jim and Marty’s wishes, event proceeds benefitted The Free Clinic of Central Virginia in support of their efforts to recover from severe damage at their downtown Lynchburg location, which resulted from a 2024 fire.
Jim and Marty’s family and friends gave over $65,000 in their honor. Jim and Marty are proud to support this organization’s continuing commitment to providing accessible healthcare to our community.
“The Quillian Award was a complete surprise. It has taken a while for its significance to sink in,” said Dr. Wright. “We are honored, of course, not only by the award, but by the tremendous outpouring of support for the Free Clinic. The clinic needs help to pay its renovation costs, and our friends stepped up in a big way.”
“We are incredibly grateful for everyone who honored Jim and Marty Wright by supporting our recovery,” said Dr. Derrick Brown, Executive Director of the Free Clinic of Central Virginia. “Now more than ever, our uninsured neighbors need the support and services of our Clinic. The generous donations we have received provide access to compassionate, comprehensive health care. This support reminds us that Lynchburg shows up for one another, and we are honored to steward that generosity into real impact for the patients we serve.”
The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation was founded in 1972 and works to solve our community’s greatest challenges by providing grants and scholarships, and by helping individuals, families, and organizations create their charitable legacy. Since 1972, the GLCF has granted over $37 million to a wide variety of local nonprofit organizations including human services, animal welfare, arts, education, and historical preservation organizations. The GLCF offers two grant cycles annually: fall and spring. The next grant deadline is March 15, 2025. In 2025, the GLCF awarded over $2.6 million to 253 charitable organizations.
For more information on how to apply for a grant, to start your own charitable fund, or to make a gift to one of the 340 existing funds at the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation, please visit www.lynchburgfoundation.org
The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation (GLCF) works to solve our community’s greatest challenges by providing grants and scholarships, and by helping individuals, families, and organizations create their charitable legacy in Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell counties.
