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As the clock winds down on an eventful 2010 and the first decade of a new millennium, and we head into the unknown of a new year and new decade, we can and should take pause over the next few days to reflect on what has been. But also what could be and how to bring it to fruition — personally and in the public square.

It hardly seems possible that another decade has whisked by. Watching not only a couple digits change, but all four at the millennium, was quite something. It’s been tumultuous — an impeached president left office and one who barely won came in; sneak terrorist attack, war, roaring economy, economic panic and Great Recession; leftist electoral wins and a conservative comeback (started here in Virginia).

While there are many highlights from 2010 on which to reflect upon, here we mention, briefly, a local one: this blog. Thank all of you for making it immensely popular. We have doubled our readership, easily, over the last year, and thousands visit this site every month. We greatly appreciate your loyalty. But 2011 only will get bigger and better. We have plans for many upgrades and features — starting with a bang as the General Assembly gets underway in a couple of weeks and we bring you unrivaled coverage with our many sources and lobbyists.

We will need you then more than ever. Stay engaged to bring positive, conservative change to restore our traditional values to the Commonwealth. Not only will we need you to stay informed here, but to stay on top of it all by joining us on Facebook and following us on Twitter. The GA moves fast and we’ll pump out crucial information through those sites, as well as our highly praised e-mail alert system (sign up here). When your legislators need to be contacted to vote for or against a bill, we’ll let you know through all of these systems as well as this site, which will have more detailed analysis. Our numbers on all of our social media sites are good, but as the stakes in Richmond get higher, we need every possible conservative activist engaged. So help us spread the word!

In the meantime. we will heed our own advice and take advantage of the next few days to unwind and recharge and reflect, and have some fun. We hope you do, too. From all of us at The Family Foundation of Virginia — the Board, staff, volunteers and thousands of grassroots activists across the Commonwealth — we wish everyone a joyful, safe, healthy, prosperous and happy New Year.

Please accept this eclectic mix of styles and versions of some of our favorite Christmas music as our audio post card to you for a Merry, Holy, Joyous  and safe Christmas. From the Board, staff, volunteers and supporters across the Commonwealth, on behalf of the Family Foundation of Virginia, may God’s blessings be with you this Christmas and throughout the New Year. 

Thanksgiving is a special time of year. More than a prelude to a crass commercial time, it celebrates a recognition of God not only in the creation of our nation, but in its exceptionalism and all the freedoms and responsibilities entailed in maintaining such graces. It calls on us to pause and give thanks to all present and past who have sacrificed for our nation, our states and our families. It is a time to give thanks to the Almighty for the many and great blessings of America, just as our Founders did, the colonists who preceded them and every generation since, no matter how bountiful or bleak the times.

It may be coincidence, but the peaceful late fall couldn’t be a better time for such a weekend. The quiet of the streets, the briskness of the air, the tint of the sky and the remaining foilage all are perfect accents by which to reflect. Having dear friends and families with which to reunion makes it a more precious time still.

On behalf of the board, staff, volunteers and grassroots activists across the commonwealth, The Family Foundation of Virginia wishes all Virginians a safe, happy and bountiful Thanksgiving weekend. In recognition of this uniquely American holiday, and Virginia’s role in it, we commend to you Governor Bob McDonnell’s proclamation recognizing November 25 as Thanksgiving Day in Virginia.

WHEREAS, the first permanent English speaking settlement in the New World was established in Virginia at Jamestown in 1607, as Captain John Smith led a group of settlers across the Atlantic on a voyage that would entail much hardship over the coming years, including disease and starvation; and

WHEREAS, to show their appreciation for the colony’s success and to take stock and give thanks for their own gifts and blessings, and in spite of tremendous adversity, the settlers in Virginia found time to celebrate the first Thanksgiving in America at Berkeley Plantation on December 4, 1619; and

WHEREAS, while reflecting upon the actions taken by the colonists at the first Thanksgiving, we also honor the Indian peoples, for without their presence, the survival of the colonists would have been ever more difficult; and

WHEREAS, American leaders and citizens have recognized a day of Thanksgiving since our first president, George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789, stating “it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor”; and

WHEREAS, it is a Virginia tradition for our citizens to come together in unity on Thanksgiving Day and give thanks for the great level of serenity, harmony and abundance with which we, as citizens of a free nation, have been blessed; the rule of law by which we peaceably govern ourselves and by which our civil and religious liberties are guaranteed; and the brave servicemen and women of our armed forces who risk their lives to defend the freedoms and blessings we cherish;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert F. McDonnell, do hereby recognize November 25, 2010 as THANKSGIVING DAY in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens; and

FURTHERMORE, I encourage all Virginians to give thanks to our Creator for our plentiful blessings, including the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as well as the unwavering strength of our families and communities.

Next week, the largest ever campaign 40 Days for Life will commence. People in an incredible 238 cities across the nation and across the world will join together to impact our society for the glory of God and the protection of His children. So far, there are 40 Days for Life campaigns in eight Virginia cities: — Alexandria, Charlottesville, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, Richmond, Roanoke and Virginia Beach. (Click on the cities for more information, or the link prior to learn how to start one in your area.)

From Wednesday, September 22-October 31, from 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., 40 Days for Life will focus on:

» Prayer and Fasting: inviting people of faith to join together for 40 days of fervent prayer and fasting for an end to abortion;

» Peaceful Constant Vigil: standing for life through a 40-day peaceful public witness outside a local abortion center; and

» Community Outreach: taking a positive, upbeat pro-life message everywhere possible, through media efforts, the Internet, church presentations, petition drives and public visibility.

I strongly encourage you to get involved in this movement. Time and time again, God has used the faithful few to bring about a beneficial change in their nations. However, not only must we ourselves become active, we must also tell others about this campaign. We must gather together as many people as possible in order to peaceably show abortion advocates and society in general that abortion is most certainly not the best choice — that it is a poor choice. I would urge you to inform your churches of this tremendous opportunity to serve the Lord and show His love.

Although participating in the 40 Days for Life movement will incur a commitment of time and energy, The Family Foundation of Virginia believes that in light of the importance of the cause, the effort will be well worth it. I hope and pray that you will join us in supporting the value of human life, and in affirming the continued power of our great God in this nation.

Who says elections don’t have consequences. It’s taken three long years, but what a difference it makes. From a governor who eliminated funding for a time-tested way of teaching children how to grow up to one who restores it. The ink wasn’t dry on the application forms for the federal grants before Planned Parenthood lobbed a rote response into the debate. Below is our contribution:

STATEMENT BY VICTORIA COBB, PRESIDENT OF THE FAMILY FOUNDATION OF VIRGINIA, CONCERNING GOVERNOR MCDONNELL’S APPLICATION FOR ABSTINENCE EDUCATON FUNDING

We are pleased that Governor McDonnell has applied for funding that will help effective and widely supported abstinence centered programs be available to Virginia’s public schools. Despite the rhetoric from the economic loser in this decision, Planned Parenthood, recent studies have shown that abstinence education effectively helps teens postpone risky sexual behavior.

Polling has shown that parents want their children to be taught abstinence and effective abstinence programs are available. This decision by Governor McDonnell is certainly in the best interest of Virginia’s children and families.

Yesterday, I was honored to receive Focus on the Family’s 2010 Family Policy Council Family Champion Award in recognition of our successful Winning Matters 2009 campaign. Winning Matters was the largest voter education and mobilization campaign in our 25-year history. I received the award while attending Focus’ annual Family Policy Council Leaders Conference in Chicago.

We are particularly flattered to have been selected from nearly forty family policy councils from around the country to receive this special recognition from Focus on the Family. In presenting the award, Focus on the Family Action (CitizenLink) Vice President Tom Minnery said:

Because the results of their successful efforts were so decisive, Victoria Cobb and The Family Foundation of Virginia have distinguished themselves as a 2010 Family Champion Award recipient.

Winning Matters proved that with the right plan and the right message, values focused voters can be motivated to turn out and can make a difference in any election. We plan to use what we learned from our successes in 2009, combined with the instruction I am receiving this week in Chicago regarding campaigns, to begin formulating our strategy for next year’s crucial state Senate elections.

You may recall the Winning Matters campaign included eleven staff, nine that were in the field working with churches across Virginia, meeting pastors, attending community and political events, and using social networking to educate and mobilize our voters. Together, they contacted more than 4,000 churches, distributed nearly 125,000 General Assembly Report Cards — more than twice as many as ever before — and conducted or initiated hundreds of voter registration drives. The Family Foundation Action also produced Get Out The Vote phone calls with Chuck Colson, Mike Huckabee and Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Family Foundation Action mailed thousands of voter education pieces to key House districts and distributed nearly one million non-partisan Voter Guides for the three statewide races and 38 House races, to educate voters — including Spanish and Korean statewide Voter Guides for the first time. In another first, the non-partisan organization created a video Voter Guide as well, to distribute virally through social networking sites.

According to exit polls, the number of evangelicals who voted in 2009 surpassed the previous 2004 Virginia election benchmark, and 83 percent of these voters voted for pro-life, pro-family candidates. Consequently, nearly half of all Governor Bob McDonnell’s votes came from self-identified evangelicals.

I would also like to express my appreciation to all of you who supported Winning Matters either financially or through your hard work on the campaign!

I am also pleased to report that there were no protests at today’s award presentation!

The Family Foundation of Virginia and the Alliance Defense Fund will host a discussion Tuesday, April 13, on the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court Case Christian Legal Society vs. Martinez. The Court will determine whether a public university can require recognized campus Christian student organizations to have nonbelievers and persons engaged in activities contrary to the beliefs of the organizations as voting members and officers if the club receives money from the school (see more from OneNewsNow.com). Sort of like forcing someone who favors a neighborhood development into a group that opposes it. Doesn’t make a lot of sense. As for the money question, it comes from student fees, so it’s not really “money from the school.”

We’ll have more after the event concludes on Tuesday. For more information, call 804-343-0010. We look forward to our continued alliance with ADF, a legal team dedicated to preserving religious liberty.

Last week we announced that we and The Heartland Institute were hosting and sponsoring, respectively, a roundtable discussion on the Future of Health Care In America. It takes place tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the 12th floor conference room at One Capitol Square, 830 East Main Street (the corner of 9th and Main Streets), in Richmond. Here’s an update on the topics that will be discussed and the presenters:

The Mega Trend Movement to Consumer-Driven Health Care: Paul L. Kitchen, President and CEO, nHealth, Inc.

Update on Free Market Activities in Virginia: Victoria Cobb, President, The Family Foundation of Virginia

Health Reform at the Federal and State Level: Ben Domenech, Managing Editor, Health Care News

Update from the Commonwealth of Virginia: Dr. Bill Hazel, Secretary of Health and Human Resources; Delegate John M. O’Bannon, M.D. (R-73, Henrico); and Delegate T. Scott Garrett, M.D. (R-23, Lynchburg)

The True Costs of Health Care: Peter Fotos, Director of Government Relations, The Heartland Institute

With the liberal Congress and administration ignoring recent election results and public opinion, and again threatening to ram through nationalized medicine (see U.S. Chamber update), this event is a can’t-miss. It’s complimentary, too, and refreshments will be served. Pre-registration is encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. Those wishing to register should contact Robin Knox at The Heartland Institute at (312) 377-4000 or rknox@heartland.org. We hope you will be able to join us for this informative discussion.

Family Foundation of Virginia President Victoria Cobb was interviewed by Roanoke station WDBJ-TV/7 after the NARAL news conference today at the capitol in Richmond. She refutes the fiction produced by NARAL and its liberal ally lawmakers, who are attempting to suffocate pregnancy resource centers in Virginia through outrageous legislation and other tactics.

Family Foundation President Victoria Cobb gets a little equal time to set the record straight concerning the manufactured allegations against pregnancy resource centers by NARAL and its legislative allies.

It’s been such an eventful year, in the commonwealth and nationally. It most likely will get more frenetic in 2010. We join those who wish we could take a breather. Fortunately, this time of year allows that as we let the Peace of His birth, His humility to live among us, set in our hearts. We hope hope that meaning stays with everyone year-round, not only during this season. We also wish that everyone has the peace and love of family and friends that is such a meaningful part of Christmas.

From the Board and staff of The Family Foundation of Virginia, we offer the comfort of Silent Night as our Christmas wishes to all of you. May God bless all of you with a joyous Christmas and a prosperous and healthy New Year.

For He so loved the world, he sent his only Son to atone for our sins.