11 Pipers Piping
Paul Critchfield, Virginia Piper’s Nephew and Trustee, Virginia G. Piper Charitable TrustIn its 20-year existence, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust has worked to "enrich [the] health, well-being, and opportunity for the people of Maricopa County." The trust has invested more than $460 million in programs and nonprofits ranging from medical research and early childhood development to arts and culture and faith-based initiatives. On top of the trust's ongoing grant-making efforts, its "2020 Initiative" will invest in the "organizational capacity of grantees" for over four years. Whatever the project, the trust has provided the Valley with ample support and resources.
"In 1946, at a midnight Christmas Eve mass, Virginia had her first communion in the Catholic faith. This moment was deeply spiritual for her, and midnight masses often close with the song 'Silent Night.' Virginia loved the tranquility of the song. The three of us — Virginia, my mother, and me — sang this favorite often, in glorious harmony, throughout the Christmas season. We had a family tradition of caroling on Christmas Eve. We wore Victorian-style outfits and went to great lengths preparing song sheets that we carried in beautiful folders as we went caroling throughout the neighborhood.”
