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2022 SESSION
22107619DWHEREAS, Elizabeth M. Kates was the first female warden in the history of the system of prisons operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia; and
WHEREAS, in 1934, Elizabeth Kates commenced her tenure as warden of the Virginia Correctional Center for Women (VCCW), located in Goochland County, with an inmate population of 13; and
WHEREAS, well in advance of many in her profession, Elizabeth Kates believed that “inmates in prison could benefit from personal growth, and by learning the necessary job skills to become productive members of the community after paying their debt to society”; and
WHEREAS, when the inmate population grew and inmates’ needs changed, Elizabeth Kates called upon members of the Richmond Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women to assist her in meeting inmates’ needs for vocational training and general education; and
WHEREAS, Pi Beta Phi members responded enthusiastically and sacrificially, resulting in the creation of The Elizabeth Kates Foundation in 1942; and
WHEREAS, The Elizabeth Kates Foundation enables VCCW inmates to enroll in on-site community college courses in several subjects; and
WHEREAS, The Elizabeth Kates Foundation also enables VCCW inmates to earn an associate’s degree through the “Campus within Walls” program of Southside Virginia Community College; and
WHEREAS, The Elizabeth Kates Foundation offers scholarships that provide inmates with the expenses for tuition, books, and supplies; and
WHEREAS, The Elizabeth Kates Foundation also provides scholarships enabling inmates to enroll in correspondence courses through several national universities; and
WHEREAS, The Elizabeth Kates Foundation further supports the VCCW’s highly successful program in horticulture, offering inmates a certificate in Career and Technical Education (CTE), thus enabling inmates after release to secure employment in horticulture, landscape, and nursery firms; and
WHEREAS, The Elizabeth Kates Foundation also conducts two book club programs for inmates, one to assist women in earning the General Education Diploma (GED) and one to assist women who have earned the GED to further their education; and
WHEREAS, Elizabeth Kates served as warden of the Virginia Correctional Center for Women for 30 years, from 1934 through 1964; and
WHEREAS, Elizabeth Kates, who passed away in 1965, bequeathed to The Elizabeth Kates Foundation funds sufficient to help support her life’s work well into the future; and
WHEREAS, members of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women, and all who support the vision of Elizabeth Kates, are commemorating the 80th anniversary of the establishment of The Elizabeth Kates Foundation in 2022; and
WHEREAS, because the population of the Virginia Correctional Center for Women now numbers some 550 inmates, the work of The Elizabeth Kates Foundation is as important as it has ever been; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, That The Elizabeth Kates Foundation be commended for eighty years of devoted service to the inmates of the Virginia Correctional Center for Women; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to The Elizabeth Kates Foundation whose members and supporters this year are celebrating the life and legacy of Elizabeth Kates and the Foundation she inspired.