70 Years of Empowering People
The Story of Eggleston
Eggleston began in 1955, when a group of parents came together to create meaningful daytime activities for their adult children with disabilities. Originally incorporated as the Tidewater Vocational Center (TVC), the organization started at 621 Botetourt Street, in Norfolk with just eight employees. Within ten years, TVC had expanded to a larger location, added new training opportunities including gardening, printing, a laundromat, and grown to serve 80 individuals with disabilities. Although the center was initially created to serve only individuals with intellectual disabilities and cerebral palsy, in March of 1968, TVC began serving people with all disabilities types.
During the 1970’s, Tidewater Vocational Center began a food service training program, a service station training program, and planted the first of the azaleas at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Also, training centers were started in Portsmouth and Chesapeake, and the organization celebrated its 20th anniversary.
A local philanthropist and TVC volunteer, Mrs. Louise W. Eggleston, offered the use of a much larger building she owned, with TVC only paying reduced rent until she passed away, at which time the building would be donated to TVC. To memorialize her gift, the board voted to change the name of the organization to the Louise W. Eggleston Center.
By the early eighties, The Eggleston Center expanded to offer five programs serving 156 individuals with disabilities supported by 29 staff members. The 30th anniversary was celebrated by the receipt of two awards; “The Most Valuable Facility” award and “The Small Vocational Facility of the Year” award both from the Virginia Association of Rehabilitation Facilities.
In 1990, the center was awarded two NISH (National Industries for the Severely Handicapped) federal contracts; at Langley Air Force Base and at Portsmouth Naval Hospital. These two contracts were the beginning of a long and beneficial relationship with the federal government. In 1992, two additional NISH contracts were awarded to Eggleston, at Norfolk Naval Station Galley and providing laundry service to Portsmouth Naval Hospital. In August of 1993, Eggleston was approached by the Army Corps of Engineers to assume mail room operations at its Norfolk location.
The expansion of services offered by The Louise W. Eggleston Center continued through the 1990’s and included three specialized services programs: a business services division, a community-based employment division, and a government contracts division.
In more recent years, the organization shortened its name to Eggleston.
In 1998, Eggleston began providing business fulfillment services such as packaging, bulk mailing, and assembly. In the spring of 1999 Tanner’s Creek Garden Center opened. This operation raised plants in greenhouses and sold them in a retail store. That same year, Eggleston joined with the Civitan Club of Norfolk to enhance opportunities for citizens with disabilities by offering vacations and other specialty services at Civitan Acres, a 14-acre resort and wellness facility located in Chesapeake, Virginia.
In September of 2001, Eggleston started a vehicle donation program, in which every aspect of the donation process is handled in-house from the phone operators to the vehicle preparation, towing and ultimately auctions which are held every other Saturday. They also began to promote their programs through radio and television marketing.
During the early 2000s, Eggleston continued to grow, adding unique programs outside the traditional sheltered workshop model, including B2B services like embroidery, document shredding, and document conversion.
In 2010, Eggleston purchased a large facility with the capacity to accommodate 80-100 employees, in a facility specifically designed to meet the needs of persons with disabilities.
In recent years, new programs have been added for veterans, brain injury survivors, and residential living, along with the establishment of the Eggleston Foundation to ensure long-term sustainability.
Today, Eggleston serving over 2000 individuals a year, is a multi-faceted and vibrant organization that empowers people with disabilities through employment, day support, residential services, brain injury, and veteran programs — continuing a proud tradition of independence, dignity, inclusion, and opportunity for 70 years.