I believe you should learn something new every day. Fulfill life goals, not because it is part of a bucket list, but because you have a passion for it and want to accomplish something personal and amazing. I trained for two years for the 8-mile Swim for Alligator Lighthouse in Key West last year. I did suffer from hallucinations and dehydration – and I have man-o-war jellyfish scars as mementos – but I finished in 5 hours 30 minutes. 75 people out of 125 finished. When I looked down into the gin clear water at the lighthouse I felt like I was in a Discovery Channel movie on aquatic life. I never felt so close to the Creator. My best friend since high school was my kayak support person and inspiration when my body was literally shutting down. I was a scholarship runner in college, and even ran the Boston Marathon once, but swimming brings me so much more joy.
I garden in my sunroom or yard every day. My goal is to be as self-sufficient with food as possible. I have three sheds in my backyard and might get chickens. My next garden goal is to raise a grapefruit tree in my sunroom. I love a good winery and recently went to six wineries in Seneca Lake in New York. Saving an amazing Lemberger for Christmas dinner.
I write grant proposals during the day and poetry and short stories at night. I’ve caught a fish in 46 states, but not yet Alaska and Hawaii which will be remedied next year. I’m rebuilding my real estate business after divorce, which I thought was an end, but it became an unexpected joyful beginning and exploration of life.
I’m currently Director of Development at Together We Can Foundation and on the side the Editor of Virginia Connector magazine. I love getting into a story, like the time I ran with my notepad to interview the organizer of a running club. I’ve be the Executive Director of charitable foundations and hospital capital campaigns but I’m happiest now helping disconnected youth turn their lives around and transition to adult independence. I have certifications as a mortgage banker, financial planner, and had a real estate license at one time. I have a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke and have probably written 2,000 grant proposals. I’m a certified gemologist – yes I can easily tell the diff between a real and lab created diamond – and have a lot of fun as a part-time salesperson at Zales during the holidays. My most prized certification is as certified master composter (it’s a real thing) so I know how to shovel sh*! lol.
I am the son of an electrician and English teacher who worked hard every day of their lives. Mom also worked at the Harrisburg Blind Association after her teaching career. When I was a skinny runner in college, she said the Blind Association needed a fill-in for a sick Santa. I said, “Mom, I’m 20 and only 150 pounds!” She replied, “Tommy, they are BLIND!” Mom has a great sense of humor and is always right. Mom literally saved my life when I was six years old and went through a glass door. We all have scars, some more visible than others. Mom taught me by her example to be charitable and respectful to others.
About Tom Marshall
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
I’m very proud of my two boys. Blaise is finishing up Med School at EVMS and has been interviewing with a few top tier residency programs. I am lobbying for Duke University but he will make the right choice. Grant is in graduate school at the Maryland Institute of Art and is an amazingly talented painter. My entire house is his gallery. Dad is 92 and mom is 84. Their love and dedication to each other is unparalleled. Floppy my 15 year old toto dog goes everywhere with me, including work. But he can’t keep up with me anymore when I swim in the bay.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
Nonprofit management, raising funds for good causes, and writing articles on our community for Virginia Connector gives me a sense of contentment and accomplishment. I was a mortgage banker for years and helped alot of families buy their first home, but I prefer helping disconnected youth who have had little help or opportunity. I want to help create a healthy, vibrant and compassionate Virginia Beach. I want to ensure that the nonprofit sector has the funds and practical tools for accomplishing its visionary ends. I want to put funds into the hands of the doers at the grassroots level. There is a fierce urgency in now. Have we stopped and truly reflected on our impact on others? Have each of us truly examined what we really need to live and retire?
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Best advice is to listen to other people’s advice and then do as you please. But I have learned that the most successful people in life and work are those that are selfless. Don’t start every sentence with “I”. Ask questions of others and be inquisitive and truly care about others. It’s not all about you. Build relationships that stand the test of time. When I’m in a situation where a tough decision has to be made and it feels personal, I remind myself it’s not all about me, and that I’m one piece of a bigger puzzle.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
I plan to swim across the Straight of Gibraltar in a year – Spain to Morocco. Warm up with Swim Miami 10k in April 2024. I want to continue to build my physical, emotional, and financial health. I’ve always looked for the next best thing but I don’t want to leave Together We Can Foundation and Virginia Connector magazine. I might have to cut down a few trees, but I want a much larger garden. I recently went to a swim race in Boca Raton and a 90 year old guy finished the one-mile ocean swim. The place went wild. Last person out of the water but had his great grandchildren hugging his knees. I hope to have a soft landing too.
Tom Marshall & Our Community
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
Rajput Indian in Norfolk is my favorite. Paul the owner and his kids are awesome. The Belvedere at the Moxy Hotel still has the best hash browns. I recently spent $125 at Il Giardino and found it quite disappointing and resting on its old reputation. I find I can cook at home with fresher ingredients – many from my sunroom or garden – and have much better meals and wine at a fraction of the cost. I had a bumper crop of eggplant this summer and discovered the joy of this amazing vegetable. My spring strawberries are so juicy. Eating out has lost its flavor.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
I permanently moved back to Virginia Beach in 2006 after a stint at Duke University. I might get a second home in the mountains of Pennsylvania where I fly fish, but I love everything about our community
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
Arielle Skinner was a student of Together We Can Foundation. Foster kid bounced around. Baby at 17. Now manager of a pharmacy and turned down the regional job so she can stay home with her new husband and family. I love people who came from nothing and built something. You can’t change your parents but inherited wealth can be corrupting and make you not accomplish things on your own. I’ve met so many self-made business people like Michelle Westberry at Virginia Connector who have started with nothing but have accomplished so much.
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
The old Heritage Store on Laskin Road was a place not just to get a healthy meal in the early 90s, but the people there were really wonderful.
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
From April to October, I swim in the bay at Chick’s Beach almost every night. VB rec centers are amazing for only $110 a year.
Q: If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative; with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y’all meet for this lunch?
Bruce Springsteen. We’d go back inside a roadside bar, have a few drinks and talk about the Glory Days
For Fun
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
The Cominsky Method on Netflix is binge worthy. The interaction between Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas is delightful. Movies are The Graduate, It’s a Wonderful Life, Chariots of Fire. Anything old western, particularly Clint Eastwood
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
Along with three other guys, I started the Greenpeace College Tour project after graduate school. One night my friend Brett dragged me into a Charlottesville bar to see a guy who was playing his own original music. I didn’t want to go because it had a $5 cover charge. I was amazed at the energy. I said, “who is that?!” He said, “That’s Dave Matthews.” We got to know Dave and he did a benefit for Greenpeace one night.
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
My children. Jackie Kennedy once said, “If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much.”
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
I always feel like mom is watching me. I continue to want to set a good example for my children.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
comfortable familiar cozy