RICHMOND – On Thursday night, the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy paused to look back at the work done in the past year and to honor two individuals and two faith communities for many years of faithful service to the Commonwealth.
Dr. William Hazel Jr. was selected Policy Leader of the Year; former interim director the Rev. Charles Swadley was Citizen of the Year; the Islamic Center of Virginia was presented the “Beacon of Light” award and the Virginia Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America received the “Faithful Voice” award.
The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy is the oldest interfaith organization in the Commonwealth, advocating for Virginia’s poor and disadvantaged since 1982.
Hazel, in his second term as Secretary of is serving his second term as Secretary of Health and Human Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia, was also the keynote speaker for the evening, and spoke about a range of healthcare issues, including the fate of Obamacare and Medicaid expansion in Virginia.
“It’s hard to know exactly what incoming administration will do,” Hazel said. “What they want to do collides with the reality in Washington and it changes. They’re going to repeal and replace Obamacare? First of all, Obamacare is a lot of different things. Sure, there’s room for improvement, and it can be improved. So let’s think about how we help improve it instead of replacing it. It they can to call it ‘replace’ that’s fine, but let’s improve it.”
“Medicaid has been around since 1965 and is currently serving over 1.1 million people (in Virginia). I think the rules of the game might change a little bit. Better off having program reformed than doing away with it entirely. … I’m frustrated because I wanted (Medicaid expansion) to happen this year in Virginia, but I don’t see the General Assembly doing it now.”
Hazel also talked about the growing healthcare crisis of opioid and other addictions in Virginia.
The leading cause of family breakup is substance abuse,” he said. “How do we get faith community, education and human services pulling together in the same direction? All of these groups have to have a common vision. Think about the social things we have to do for people to allow them to be healthy and productive.”
Hazel concluded his talk but asking faith communities to do three things to support the state’s work on addictions and mental health.
“We need to teach children to say no. That sounds trite, but it’s real important. Religions has lost ability to influence children like they did when I grew up. We need that back. We need to remember that not all pain requires opiates for treatment. We have been turned into pushers. We are expected to treat your pain. Several years ago I did a number of knee replacements in Bolivia; not one patient took an opiate for their pain. And finally we need to understand that not all people who are addicted end up permanently in jail or mental health institutions. They have to go some place after that, coming to something we could call home. And to stay in recovery, they need to be able to support themselves and their family. What’s the first things we do now when we hire? Background checks, drug screening… and yes, those things may be necessary, but we may need to rethink that because we need these people to be back and be productive, sustaining themselves and their families.”
Here are short bios of the award recipients:
Beacon of Light Award: Islamic Center of Virginia
The Islamic Center of Virginia was founded 50 years ago by a small but diverse group of Muslims who gathered together for worship in homes and temporary locations. For several years they met at Pace Memorial United Methodist Church at VCU’s Monroe Park campus. In 1982 the growing community purchased land at 1241 Buford Road in Bon Air. The first phase of the Islamic Center was completed in 1985. Since that time the Muslim community has grown to more than 10,000 persons in the Greater Richmond area. Ammar Amonette is the current Imam.
“As the leading Muslim institution in Central Virginia, the Islamic Center provides religious, charitable and social services to the entire community, and has taken leadership outreach, community service and interfaith dialogue,” said Dr. Amad Damaj, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology at VCU and key leader in the region’s interfaith community. “Islamic Center of Virginia has been involved with many local organizations such as Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, Habitat for Humanity, CARITAS, James River Advisory Council, Boy Scout of America, Bon Secours and many others.”
The President of the Center, Dr. Abo Qutubuddin, accepted the award Thursday night saying that the people of the Metro Richmond area “need to know that we are your neighbors, and we strive to be good neighbors.”
Faithful Voice Award: Virginia Synod, ELCA
One-hundred-fifty Lutheran congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are joined together as the Virginia Synod. Led by Bishop James F. Mauney and headquartered in Salem, the Synod has a wide range of ministries, but are especially being honored this year for its work to end hunger among Virginia’s children.
Virginia Feeds Kids is an interfaith and interagency initiative of the Synod designed to help Virginians find and feed hungry children. Statistically, more than 300,000 children come to school hungry in the Commonwealth every school day. Virginia Feeds Kids includes weekend “backpack” feeding efforts, summer programs and advocates for expanding the state’s school breakfast program with the governor and General Assembly.
“By establishing the goal of feeding every child in Virginia by the 500th anniversary of the Reformation – 31 October, 2017 – I intend for the Virginia Synod to learn how to work as an ecumenical partner in bringing together a diverse bland of sacred and secular organizations to identify and nourish children in need,” wrote Bishop Mauney earlier this year. “It is my fervent hope that through meeting this challenge, we will create a sustainable working infrastructure throughout the Commonwealth that will end childhood hunger in our state.”
Eric Carlson, the chair of the Virginia Synod Childhood Hunger Task Force, accepted the award and asked for all churches to do more to fight hunger among children and adults.
Citizen of the Year: Rev. Charles Swadley
Rev. Swadley is a retired United Methodist pastor living in Williamsburg. Ordained Elder in 1979, he served United Methodist congregations at Sleepy Hollow in Falls Church, Williamsburg, Toano, Boulevard in Richmond, Cornith in Sandston and Lakeside in Richmond before his retirement in 2011.
In addition to serving as a past Board of Directors chair for the Virginia Interfaith Center, Swadley has been a life-saver for the organization, stepping in twice as interim Executive Director when his wise counsel was needed. Currently he is serving on staff as Faith Outreach Coordinator.
He has worked with the Virginia Conference Board of Church and Society, the Bishop’s Committee on Children, the Council of Bishops Task Force on Children and Poverty, the Commission on Interfaith Relations, the Jubilee Fund, the Williamsburg-James City County School Board and the Virginia Council of Churches, where he received the 2015 Faith In Action award.
Growing up in Tarpon Springs, Florida, he earned a degree in Classic Languages from Florida State University and is a graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington. He also served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve. He and his wife, Sue, have five children and four grandchildren.
Policy Leader of the Year: Dr. William Hazel Jr.
Dr. Hazel oversees 11 state agencies with more than 16,000 employees and approximately one-third of the state budget. Prior to his appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Resources Dr. Hazel spent 22 years as an orthopedic surgeon in Herndon. Hazel serves as Secretary of American Medical Association, has been a participant in the AMA House of Delegates, the association’s policy-making body, since 1984 and also serves as Trustee. Hazel has held many leadership positions in organized medicine, including president of the Medical Society of Virginia, president of the Inova Fair Oaks Hospital medical staff, and chair of the Inova Health System Medical Affairs Council, responsible for the staff of five Inova Hospitals.
Dr. Hazel volunteers as the physician for Chantilly High School in Chantilly, and has worked for the Washington Redskins and as the D.C. United professional soccer team physician. He and his wife, Cindy, live in Oakton; they have two grown children and two granddaughters.
About 200 people attended the annual gathering, held at the Virginia Holocaust Museum. Sponsors for the evening were Del. Jennifer McClelland, Julie and Bruce Swanson, Kim Bobo, Phyllis Albrighton, Charles and Sue Swadley, AFL-CIO Virginia Chapter, IBEW Local 26, The Islamic Center of Virginia, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the Baptist General Convention of Virginia, Butler Royals law firm, Stratavan Financial, LLC, Crater Community Hospice of Petersburg, Holy Family Catholic Church, and VICPP’s Northern Virginia Chapter.
Virginia Interfaith Center officers returning for 2017 are Frank McKinney, president; Dr. John Copenhaver, vice president; Davis Balderston, secretary; and Julie Swanson, treasurer.
