Anna Lou Schaberg named 2017 Alumni Star
VCU SOE alumna, other honorees to be recognized at Nov. 3 event
VCU School of Education alumna Anna Lou Schaberg (M.Ed. '70) has been named one of the VCU Alumni's 2017 Alumni Stars. Schaberg and the other honorees will be recognized in a special ceremony at the Science Museum of Virginia on Nov. 3.
Learn more about the 2017 Alumni Stars and how you can register for the event here. Below is Schaberg's bio which will be shared at the ceremony.
Anna Lou Aaroe’s transition from Douglas Freeman High School in Richmond, Virginia, to Richmond Professional Institute was a mere 12 miles.
Although she continued to remain close to her alma mater geographically, it wasn’t until long after she had earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from RPI and a master’s in education from its descendant, VCU, had raised two children and had retired from her education career that Anna Lou Aaroe Schaberg became an active alumna.
“In the ’60s, RPI/VCU was my Volkswagen school; it got me where I needed to go,” says Schaberg, a Life member of VCU Alumni. “Fifty years later, VCU is a BMW!”
Schaberg worked with Richmond Public Schools for 29 years, and for 23 of those, from 1977 through 2000, she coordinated programs for gifted students. She developed a variety of programs including SPACE (Special Program for Academic and Creative Excellence), which continues to serve gifted youth in city elementary and middle schools.
"I like to invest in dedicated people and innovative approaches to critical issues.”
– Anna Lou Schaberg
Schaberg had a deep interest in civic work and in 1982 joined the Richmond First Club, which generates conversation among regional leaders and residents on current topics of civic and public affairs. There, she met her husband, Bob Schaberg. Their marriage has proven to be an amazing partnership. At retirement in 2000, Schaberg began serving as executive director of the Bob & Anna Lou Schaberg Fund at the Virginia Nonprofit Housing Coalition. The fund supports nonprofit organizations and institutions that successfully help vulnerable populations become stable and thriving. Bob founded the fund and manages its finances, and while it began on a small scale, the fund now supports more than 55 organizations in greater Richmond with grant, gift and capacity-building programs.
“Because we now see a broad array of providers, we have grown from being reactive funders to being community collaborators and are often able to ‘connect the dots’ between nonprofits,” Schaberg says. “We have taken deeper dives into issues with initiatives around workforce development, homeless youth and affordable housing.”
A current initiative they are addressing is meeting the needs of the refugee population in western Henrico County. The fund has held a series of educational forums for service providers and is supporting the development of a hub for area services. VCU School of Education faculty have provided technical support with a service provider database, and a VCU Center for Refugee Entrepreneurial Opportunity is in development.
Schaberg, who serves on the Advancement Council for the School of Education, has supported the school’s service-learning program at four area middle schools. Taught by the school’s teacher candidates, she says, it is an important first experience for those planning a career in education. The fund also has been a staunch backer of CreateAthon@VCU, where students use their creative talents to help fulfill marketing needs of nonprofits in Richmond.
When thinking about her approach to community investment, Schaberg says it is simple: “I like to invest in dedicated people and innovative approaches to critical issues.”
Learn how you can support the School of Education here.