Virginia Vogel Riley '54
Atlanta resident Virginia (Vogel) Riley '54 has long been an advocate for the developmentally-disabled. After teaching all school ages for almost 25 years, she formed a non-profit organization, EnAble Inc., which established residences in the Atlanta, Ga. area for persons with mental retardation/developmental disabilities. Riley also was its president for 10 years, working tirelessly to promote the need for residences; today, the group serves more than 100 people residentially in 22 homes and apartments, as well as serving 120 people vocationally.
Riley then went on to work as program director for Atlanta's Association for Retarded Citizens, helped establish and serve as director for the Georgia Network for People with Developmental Disabilities, an advocacy group influential in the state's legislature's passing bills to benefit this population. In 1995, she became executive director of the Georgia Evaluation and Satisfaction Team. Currently, Riley serves as case manager for 25 developmentally-disabled adults near her home in Talking Rock, Ga.
Riley has won nine awards including Channel 11 Alive's Community Service Award, a letter of commendation from former President George Bush, Atlanta Journal-Constition's Community Service Award, the Bobby Dodd Award, Retarded Citizens/Atlanta and the Northside Realty Humanitarian Award.
Her call to service started at Hanover, where she was a member of Phi Mu, serving as its president and as president of the Pan Hellenic Council. Riley was also a member of the Student Council, Women's Athletic Association and Public Affairs Forum.