Meet the woman who nurtured the Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation Foundation

Outdoors, adventure and community are the heart and soul of Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation, so it’s only fitting they are also at the core of what drives Lillie Gilbert, a woman whose efforts gave rise to the Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation Foundation 15 years ago. 

What began for Lillie as a love for the water quickly blossomed into a desire for exploration and discovery. This sense of adventure led her and her good friend to set off exploring local Virginia Beach waterways in a canoe - and eventually become national whitewater canoe women’s champions.

Lillie’s sense of adventure didn’t just fuel her hobbies. In 1980, she opened Wild River Outfitters, the area’s oldest outdoor adventure store, with two partners in Portsmouth before later moving it to Virginia Beach and becoming the sole owner. Here, she was able to share her passion for the outdoors with customers on a daily basis.

As the author of five books, four of which are travel guides, Lillie loves educating others. She was a teacher in Virginia Beach schools for 17 years and was constantly looking for ways to educate the public. In 2009, Lillie was honored with the Red Rose Award from the Delta Kappa Gamma educational sorority for her “community service as an educator, conservationist and advocate for the preservation of Virginia Beach’s natural resources.”

Lillie first volunteered as a member of the Parks & Recreation Commission in 1992 where she immediately put her knowledge of the outdoors to work through various projects and activities. When the department decided to start a 501(c)(3) organization, Lillie was the first choice to form the Foundation. She readily heeded the call and began working on a plan “to make a great community better.”

One of the Foundation’s first projects was the ADA-approved wheelchair ramp at the Princess Anne Recreation Center pool which allowed access for the entire community.  Next were various projects for children including a preschool playground for the original Kempsville Recreation Center’s early childhood program.

Another successful project Lillie supported is the Bench and Tree Buddies program, which remains one of the Foundation’s most successful ways to raise funds. So far, more than 145 benches have been installed and more than 147 trees have been planted throughout the parks in Virginia Beach. This program allows residents to honor or remember their loved ones or special memories with a plaque while also supporting the community through the work of the Foundation.

Lillie is known for her commitment to doing work that matters. With her guidance over the years, the Foundation has funded scholarships for low-income youth, purchased beach wheelchairs for the Therapeutic Recreation programs, and obtained Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) placed at various parks. The Foundation has also invested in computers for Early Childhood Development and KidzMath Kits, KidsLit Kits and additional training for 60 Parks & Rec staff members. And, for the past five years, the Foundation has supported Students on the Swim (SOS), a program that provides second graders in Virginia Beach’s Title I schools with two weeks of swim lessons each year and has helped more than 7,000 local children learn valuable, lifesaving water safety skills.    

None of these programs or initiatives would be possible without the Foundation’s fundraising activities. Lillie was a visionary and driving force behind many of the fundraising initiatives including golf tournaments, recycling, Sandbridge Paddle Fest, and other small community initiated fundraisers.   

Lillie continued to serve the Foundation as a Board Member and Officer through January 2018. “My favorite part of working for the Foundation were the amazingly talented, gifted and wonderful people I was able to work alongside. This department is full of individuals who approach every situation with a ‘can-do’ attitude,” Lillie shared. “Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation is the best business the city has.”

Lillie continues to offer her support to the Foundation even as she serves on boards and committees for a variety of local historical and environmental organizations, including the committee that recently created the Reese F. Lukei Raptor Trail.

Lillie certainly left a mark on the community of Virginia Beach, but the work is not over yet. You can show your support and help by donating to a project, volunteering at a fundraising event, or connecting your service club with the Foundation. For more on how to get involved and to learn about the Foundation’s efforts, visit VBPRF.org.

Lillie Gilbert receiving Founder's award from Foundation Board Director Walter Camp for her years of dedicated service.

Written by: Rikki Eskelund