Eastern Shore center gets $1 million from Batten fund

MACHIPONGO

The Barrier Islands Center has received a $1 million grant earmarked for the Eastern Shore history museum's endowment fund for education.

The gift came from the Batten Endowment Challenge, established by Jane Batten and her late husband, Frank Batten, former chairman of Landmark Communications, predecessor to Landmark Media Enterprises, which publishes The Virginian-Pilot.

"She selects organizations she feels are best able to improve the quality of education for all ages in southeastern Virginia," said Angelica Light, president and CEO of Hampton Roads Community Foundation, which administers the Batten fund.

Executive Director Laura Vaughan said the gift is the largest single donation in the Barrier Islands Center's history.

In January, the center embarked on a campaign to raise money for various purposes, including an endowment fund for educational programs that teach schoolchildren and visitors about past and fading coastal lifestyles. The center has raised $1.7 million, including the $1 million Batten gift.

In addition, Batten, who lives in Virginia Beach, agreed to match every dollar raised for that endowment up to $500,000.

"The Barrier Islands Center is a vibrant and essential community resource on the Eastern Shore," Batten said in a news release. "It offers rich educational programs and appeals to a wide audience that cuts through age, income and demographic barriers."

The Batten funds will produce $45,000 a year in income for the center, which has an annual operating budget of about $200,000.

The center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is at the Almshouse Farm just off U.S. 13.

Teresa Annas, (757) 446-2485, teresa.annas@pilotonline.com