DATE: Saturday, May 10, 1997                TAG: 9705100361

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:  162 lines

HAMPTON ROADS

Hampton University

launches its biggest

fund-raising plan

Hampton University is planning a $200 million fund-raising campaign, an amount the school says is the largest ever for a historically black college or university.

The campaign will be officially launched this fall, the university said.

Among historically black universities, only Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Spelman College in Atlanta generally raise more money than HU. Alan Hermesch, a spokesman for Howard, confirmed that HU's campaign will be the largest.

About a third of the money for HU's campaign already has been raised in the ``quiet, pre-phase,'' which university President William R. Harvey said began about three years ago.

If the campaign is successful, the endowment at the 5,500-student school will have increased from $29 million 20 years ago to about $150 million. SUFFOLK

Fire destroys duplex

downtown; no one hurt

A downtown duplex, located a block from fire headquarters, was destroyed by a fire of undetermined origin early Friday morning.

No one was injured. Occupants of the two-story house in the 100 block of Clay St. were awakened by popping noises about 1:45 a.m. and discovered the fire in the first-floor kitchen, fire officials said.

Firefighters encountered heavy smoke and flames but couldn't battle the fire inside because the roof was weak, said Lt. Jeff Messinger, fire spokesman. They were forced to fight the fire from outside, he said.

Neighbors were evacuated and electricity was cut to the block for several hours. Heat damaged siding on a house next door. Firefighters from headquarters were assisted by units from Walnut Street, Pitchkettle Road and Driver. The fire was contained within about 40 minutes, but some units remained on the scene for another four hours for cleanup.

Fire officials said the house, valued at $65,000, and contents were total losses. The fire marshal's office is investigating. REGION

Four schools gear up for

National Safe Kids Week

Four schools from Hampton Roads will participate in the kick-off of ``Safe Kids Gear Up'' during National Safe Kids Week May 10 through 18.

``Safe Kids Gear Up'' is a new nationwide program that teaches children, parents and caregivers to use the proper safety gear to help keep kids safe from preventable injury, the No. 1 killer of children ages 14 and under.

The schools chosen to participate are Lynnhaven Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Parkview Elementary School in Portsmouth, B.M. Williams Elementary School in Chesapeake, and Kilby Shores Elementary School in Suffolk.

Fourth-grade students from each school will play the Safe Kids Gear Up Games, an interactive safety obstacle course with events centered on various childhood risk areas. The children will buckle up, test smoke detectors, identify household poisons, and face other safety challenges to learn about injury prevention. PORTSMOUTH

Elementary school reunion

could draw 400 alumni

About 400 former students and teachers of Simonsdale Elementary School are expected to attend the 50-year reunion of the school.

The event will be held at 2 p.m. May 18. The school is at 140 Byers Ave.

Simonsdale Elementary opened at the end of the 1946 school year to accommodate the large numbers of families living in a community built to house wartime shipyard workers.

The neighborhood was named for Rear Adm. Manley H. Simons, who had appointed a commandant's housing committee that worked to establish Simonsdale.

At the reunion, the current shipyard commander, Capt. William R. Klemm, will speak on the role Simons played.

Scrapbooks and other memorabilia will be displayed.

For reservations, call the school office at 465-2917. NORFOLK

Family Preservation Board

amends funding plan goals

The Family Preservation/Family Support Board will hold a public hearing to amend the agency's funding plan.

The meeting will be at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Department of Human Services, 220 W. Brambleton Ave. The board will be soliciting feedback from the public, interested agencies and community groups regarding the goals of the funding plan.

The board provides funding for services for at-risk youths and families, Boys and Girls Club activities, family resource centers, specialized parenting programs and other family support services.

Call Stephen Blair at 664-6020.

NSU celebrity event raises

$300,000 for scholarships

Eighteen celebrities, including movie and television stars, attended the seventh Tim Reid Celebrity Weekend at Norfolk State University, April 24 through 27, and raised about $300,000 for student scholarships, making it the most successful since the event began in 1990.

The weekend included a concert, children's festival, fitness festival, gala and auction, tennis and golf tournaments, and a black-tie dinner and show.

Reid, a 1968 graduate of the university, said he was pleased with the weekend's success.

``I can't wait until next year to do it all over again,'' he said. ``We have already cut promotional videotapes with four television stations in the Norfolk area market for 1998. We expect to see more stars and more green . . . for scholarships, of course.'' WILLIAMSBURG

Allen announces countdown

to 400th anniversary

Gov. George F. Allen on Friday launched a 10-year countdown to the 400th anniversary of the planting of America's first permanent English colony with the unveiling of an official Celebration 2007 logo at Jamestown Settlement.

The logo was developed through a partnership of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

Jamestown Settlement will observe the 390th anniversary of the colony's founding with Jamestown Landing Day today, featuring demonstrations of Powhatan culture and 17th century trade, sailing, shipbuilding, militia drills and the opening of a nine-month exhibition, ``Colonial Capitals of the Chesapeake: Jamestown and the St. Mary's City.''

BB&T gives TCC $25,000

for center's computer labs

BB&T donated $25,000 to Tidewater Community College to help equip computer labs in the new Marian P. Whitehurst Technology Center on the Chesapeake campus.

In recognition of the gift, TCC will name one of the four computer laboratories in the center ``The BB&T Computer Lab.''

A campaign is under way to raise $500,000 to equip the new building on TCC's Cedar Road campus. BB&T, which has its headquarters in North Carolina, will soon begin development of an $18 million facility at Cedar Road and Battlefield Boulevard.

COMING UP

TODAY

Region - The National Association of Letter Carriers, with the U.S. Postal Service, the AFL-CIO and the United Way of America, will be collecting non-perishable food items today for distribution to local food banks. To contribute to this effort, place food donations by your mailbox and your letter carrier will pick them up with your mail. Organizers of the food drive are not accepting glass or homemade items.

Norfolk - There will be a Sickle Cell Candlelight Prayer Vigil at 7 p.m. at Waterside on the steps between the Omni Waterside Hotel and Dominion Tower. The vigil will offer prayers for all sickle cell patients worldwide. The public should assemble at 6:30 p.m.

MONDAY

Virginia Beach - A public forum on youth stereotypes, to discuss what it's like for the youths of the community and ideas on how to get along better, will be at 6:30 p.m. in the Tallwood High School Auditorium, 1668 Kempsville Road. It is free and open to the public. MEMO: Staff writer Janie Bryant contributed to this report.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu