Help us help those who are suffering from mental health challenges in the Roanoke Valley
The Mission of Family Service of Roanoke Valley is to transform lives by healing trauma and restoring hope for families and individuals of all ages through mental health counseling, case management and life skills education. The organization began in 1901. As the pandemic continues, FSRV is still helping additional individuals right here in the Roanoke Valley learn to cope with the effects of trauma and stress, in addition to those that originally that were already seeking our services. FSRV does so much fundraising because many clients are either under-insured.
Family Service of Roanoke Valley is asking us to rally our friends, family, and networks to support their work. By making a donation to our duo, you will help support more Family Service Counseling, Youth Development, Guardianship, and Personal Affairs Management services for the Roanoke Valley. This funding will go towards restoring health and hope in our community.
Please consider supporting our Celebrity Champion Duo and giving to Family Service of Roanoke Valley!
(Please note that donations are non-refundable).
Delegate Sam Rasoul - My sisters, brother, and I grew up in Virginia where my family had settled in the Roanoke Valley after leaving war-torn Palestine in the late 1960s to find a better life. I grew up in a corner store in the Hurt Park and Blue Stone neighborhoods, where we learned the value of community and taking life one challenge at a time.
As a religious and ethnic minority in Southwest Virginia, I learned the value of building bridges wherever I could find them. Our neighborhood friends might need some groceries until payday, and our family business stepped up to help them out however we could because we believed in the value of serving our community.
With the loving support of my life partner, Layaly, I was drawn to a life of public service. I was eager to find ways to elevate the voices of everyday Virginians while forging lasting coalitions. In 2008 I ran for Congress as the youngest candidate in America. An idealist with much to learn, my core philosophy stayed simple: Treat people as I would want to be treated. Layaly and I have been blessed with three awesome kids: Jennah, Amirah, and Issa. The innocence and wisdom of my children keep me grounded and hopeful. They are a big part of the reason I'm working to help build a better, brighter future for all Virginians.
In 2014, the beautiful people of Roanoke entrusted me with the opportunity to represent our community in the Virginia House of Delegates. I immediately got to work rejecting special interest PAC donations, starting the Impact Center initiative which helps empower new age leaders, and modeling a new approach to politics in our Democratic Promise initiative which builds goodwill by investing in our neighbors.
Tom Field - I am honored to participate in this Family Service of Roanoke Valley campaign. I’m going to guess that whatever “celebrity status” I possess comes from my position as founder and publisher of our business journal, Valley Business FRONT magazine. But I did have an exceptional run as a girls basketball coach for the Glenvar Rec Club back in the early and mid 2000’s, so perhaps it’s that.
I’m even more tickled to have Delegate Sam Rasoul as my Champion Partner! Wow… did anyone tell Sam who he got linked to? Sam has that winning smile that would warm anyone. Even his political rivals probably have to just put on sunglasses, bow their heads a bit, and walk away.
I think our partnership is a good one because we both care about Roanoke. A lot. We’re embedded here, as I like to say, in body and spirit.
My background includes marketing and writing and graphic and production and media stints—from early childhood to school to freelancing to professional positions to the establishment of my own agency. Roanoke has been a great market for my trek and ventures.
But more importantly, Roanoke has been a great place for my family. I grew up here (Melrose/Peters Creek), I went to school here (Conehurst, Glen Cove, Northside, Fleming), including college (VWCC, Roanoke College), worked here, and raised my family here. Heck, we even stayed involved in our kids’ schools here. We tried not to be helicopter parents; but we probably were sort of “reconnaissance drones” now that I think about it.
The point is, family is everything. And beyond all the stories from my 58 years of assembling them, we celebrated a bucket load of milestones in just the past five years alone: Three college graduations; three weddings (my wife, Emily and I have three daughters); and this year—our first granddaughter. Somehow, I’m still solvent. I think.
I am not, however, uber rich. Therefore, I can’t give the moneys to Family Service of Roanoke Valley that this worthwhile organization needs and deserves. I could use your donation. Please? Or just look at Sam. Surely, his smile is all you need to give.
