Christmas for Kids Program 2025

Dear Ms. Valli,

On behalf of the Virginia Beach Rotary Club, it is my great pleasure to congratulate you on being selected as a 2025 District Grant Award Winner.

This year, your organization has been awarded $1,000 in support of your work. These District Grants are designed to fund small-scale, short-term activities that address needs in our community, with a special emphasis on Rotary’s areas of focus such as health, education, and poverty reduction.

Your application stood out because of the meaningful impact your efforts are making right here in Virginia Beach. We are grateful for the dedication, creativity, and service you bring to improving lives in our community, and we are proud to partner with you through this grant.

Congratulations again, and thank you for the important work you are doing.

With appreciation,

Jonathan Wackerly
Virginia Beach Rotary Club
Rotary logo

Mr. TurnerMr. Turner has worked as an educator for over a decade, first as a full-time Kaplan tutor before shifting into the public-school setting. Mr. Turner originally provided New York City public schools with SAT and ACT tutoring programs on behalf of Kaplan test prep. Since moving to Virginia Beach with his wife and daughter in 2015, Mr. Turner has taught, tutored, and coached students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. He has provided Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy to students with autism ranging in ages from 3-16. As a special education teacher with Norfolk Public Schools, he taught a group of 3rd and 4th grade students with Emotional Disabilities. Through the coordinated support of families, co-teachers, and supportive administration, his team of students (dubbed the “SuperDolphins”) achieved a collective SOL pass rate of over 80 percent. Mr. Turner currently works as a Special Education teacher at Green Run High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and believes strongly that relationship-building and play-based learning are the foundations of academic recovery and long-term success.