I’m very happy to share the news of a most generous $250,000 gift Arlington Free Clinic has received from longtime volunteer, gala fundraiser, and board member Diane Naughton and her husband Tim. Diane reached out with the news toward the end of the year as she was wrapping up her most recent term on the board. Tim had just announced his retirement from AvalonBay Communities, Inc. as its CEO. Their plans for the future were taking shape and included spending more time in Charlottesville near their beloved alma mater, UVA. And so, Diane – after more than a decade of volunteer leadership at AFC – was also going to be stepping into new roles.
“We wanted to do something significant to support the Clinic in celebration of Tim’s retirement, as well as my stepping down from Board leadership at AFC,” shared Diane.
As amazing as their gift was, that wasn’t all. AvalonBay would be matching the Naughton’s gift with its own $250,000 contribution in honor of Tim’s leadership. Tim’s company has a long history of support of AFC through donations, Gala sponsorships, and hundreds of employee and resident volunteer hours. What a wonderful tribute to Tim, whose legacy includes both visionary leadership and a commitment to building a culture of philanthropy at his company.
The Naughton’s and AvalonBay’s combined $500,000 investment will support Arlington Free Clinic’s mental health program. The Naughtons have always been impressed by the holistic way AFC approaches care—if a patient needs help managing their diabetes, support for anxiety around a family situation, nutrition counseling to lose weight, even help with jobs, housing, and groceries, it’s all here at the Clinic. But, shared Diane, “we decided to focus on AFC’s mental health program as we knew how much the need had increased during COVID. Our patients have so many challenges already.”
Beyond the direct impact on the mental health needs of our patients at this critical time, the Naughton’s gift has inspired us to consider what we might accomplish by offering donors the opportunity to make impactful, program-specific investments in areas of greatest need. Stay tuned for updates as we prepare to dream big.