Published: November 19, 2009 09:59 pm      

Greenbrier owner lauds passion of Community Foundation

BLUEFIELD, Va. – A organization that works to help people in two counties improve their quality of life heard Thursday from a West Virginia business leader who hopes to improve and maintain the quality of life for a community that’s home to a statewide and nationwide landmark.

The 2009 Annual Dinner and Reception of the Community Foundation of the Virginias, Inc. played host to James C. “Jim” Justice II, the new owner of the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulfur Springs. Justice, who was the foundation’s guest speaker this year, told the more than 175 guests at the Fincastle Country Club that they all had something in common — a desire to serve their communities.

“I have such a passion for West Virginia and the people and the community, and this is what this foundation is all about,” Justice said before the program began.

The foundation helps people in Mercer County and in Tazewell County, Va., said President Robert E. Perkinson. In 2008, the foundation awarded more than $93,000 in grants and scholarships to qualifying organizations and scholars. Of this amount, $43,000 were applied to assist students with their college educations and $50,000 in grants were provided to service organizations and communities in the two-county area. The awards were given to 32 students and 40 area organizations.

Perkinson said that a quote by the late Prime Minister Winston Churchill of England summed up the foundation’s purpose,

“’We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give,’” Perkinson quoted Churchill as saying.

Speaking to his fellow guests, Justice said, “We’ve got a lot in common in a lot of ways. You have a wonderful foundation and you do a lot of things and you do the kind of things that touch my heart. I congratulate you on all the things you do and I encourage you to keep on digging.”

Justice encouraged the audience to love what they did in life.

“You’ve got to have a passion in what you do and believe in what you do,” he said.

This applies even if you are doing a simple job such as turning bolts in a factory, Justice added.

“If you do that and do it with passion, you’re going to be great at what you do,” he said. “I love what I do. I love my people, and I believe my people make me look a lot better at what I do.”

Justice said when he purchased the Greenbrier, its future and the future of White Sulfur Springs was in doubt, and he wanted to give back to the resort’s employees and to the community.

“The Greenbrier means so much to me, it’s off the chart, and to West Virginia and the whole nation, and can you believe or imagine what it means to those people?” Justice said.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com