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Robert Bolling

"As my career began to grow I decided that I wanted to give back in the same way that people gave to me. I probably have had a pretty incredible life so it would be nice for other folks to enjoy some of the things I experienced."  

Earlier this month, Robert Bolling was named the new executive director of the William Byrd Community House, an 85-year-old nonprofit community and family empowerment service provider based in Oregon Hill. Bolling comes to William Byrd Community House after positions with several other Richmond-based community improvement and/or benevolent organizations, including Boaz & Ruth, The Healing Place and the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce's Youth Matters program.

 

You are the new executive director of the William Byrd Community House. What attracted you to the organization?

Plain and simple, the opportunity to lead a dynamic organization that has a very rich history in Richmond. I grew up here and I go to church not too far from here so it is a place that I have known about for a while.

I know you just started, but do you have any current/long-term plans for the organization's advancement? What are they?

First I want to get to know my staff and the programs very well. Before I can do anything, I have to do that. But I think our future is being a leader in the nonprofit community for the delivery of services to those who need them. My vision is that we don't have to do everything, but we have to find the partners that will help us achieve the goals that we want with admission of self-sufficiency for all of the individuals who come to us for services.

What is your favorite aspect/part of the William Byrd Community House?

The powerfully knowledgeable staff who are dedicated to the work that we do and I love the fact that I have a supportive Board of Governors.

You have been involved with many benevolent organizations and nonprofits since the beginning of your career. What engrossed you with that realm of work?

When I think about where I came from, there were a lot of people who stepped in to make my life better, whether it was a teacher in a classroom, my parents, my family, a friend of the family. That woman who lived in my neighborhood who would watch out for us when we were doing bad things and told my parents about them. As my career began to grow I decided that I wanted to give back in the same way that people gave to me. I probably have had a pretty incredible life so it would be nice for other folks to enjoy some of the things I experienced.

What is your favorite part of your new position?

The impact I am having on people's lives. I think it is wonderful to be in a position where you can impact the policy and the programs that have an impact of other folks' lives.

You received your education at Amherst College in Massachusetts but have spent an overwhelming majority of your career in Richmond. What brought you back to the area?

I grew up in the East End of Richmond in Church Hill. My father and his wife still live in the same house that I grew up in. My father moved to the house in 1958 when I was 30 days old and he was looking for a better place for his family and Church Hill was the place at the time. And I love it. I just love this community.

You have the same name as a wealthy early American settler who married Jane Rolfe, who was the granddaughter of Pocahontas. Any relation?

I will tell you this story that you won't believe. When I was a young child, we got this phone call from a guy with a heavy British accent who said he was looking for his relatives. He was researching his genealogy and came across our name in the phone book after going down every Bolling in the phone book. My father responded, "I am not sure we are part of the family that you wanted to meet." But after the conversation he actually came by the house for maybe 10 minutes. So, I don't know.

What is the biggest achievement in your life?

Becoming a husband and a father. I have a set of twins, a boy and a girl who are 14. I love teenagers.

What are some of your hobbies?

I like golf. I am horrible at it, but I love it. It's when you hit that one long drive though the last 25 strikes were awful. That makes you come back. I also love working in my yard. That is my relaxation time. I also collect [figurine] zebras.

Who is your favorite author?

Langston Hughes.

What was the last great good you read?

"The Odyssey" by Homer. I reread it because my daughter was reading it in school. I also recently read "A Raisin in the Sun," which relates to Langston Hughes.

What magazines do you read religiously?

You are going to be surprised. Time, O, The Oprah Magazine and Southern Living.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

Lemon Chess Pie. I just love it.

What is your favorite gift to give?

Time with my children and greeting cards.

What are three things you couldn't do without?

Family, friends and cool Southern nights.

Who was your biggest role model?

My parents. My mother started working in the PTA and worked hard all her life in other people's homes and the retail industry. My father worked 37 years in the same job for the veterans hospital. And they raised six children. I admire them tremendously.

Besides the present, if you could live in any era or decade, which would it be and why?

2050. I will be approaching 100 and I will be able to see the achievements of my children and grandchildren and possibly great-grandchildren.

Favorite spot in Richmond?

I love to go to Libbie Hill and watch the river.

Hardest life lesson you had to learn?

Trust when someone lets you down. Giving second chances because I always hope that somebody will give me one if I foul up.

Richmond is _________?

Home.

For more information on the William Byrd Community House, visit the organization's Web site at http://www.wbch.org/ .

w LAST TIME OUT: Irish-loving Richmonders .