Capital One recently awarded $500 money-market accounts to outstanding scholars in Richmond and Henrico. The recipients previously had won substantial scholarships from the company.

Capital One's Power of Nine program, for instance, offers $10,000 to graduating seniors in Richmond's public schools. The Access Opportunity program disburses $5,000 to graduating seniors in Henrico.

The gifts help ease the burden of tuition and other college expenses. They reward hard work and leadership. The students winning them excel.

Last week saw the official introduction of the Capital Region Collaborative, a panel with members from the public and private sectors. (Thomas Silvestri, publisher of

The Times-Dispatch, serves on the panel.) Others eventually will join a team authorized to create a vision for Central Virginia. As William Pantele, president of Richmond's City Council and a candidate for mayor notes, the region boasts numerous strategic plans yet has lacked a comprehensive perspective. The collaborative has the potential to fill the void.

The corporate community takes more than its share of hits. When area business and community leaders issued last summer's controversial letter regarding Richmond's schools, they were assailed not only for the content of their proposals (which was fair) but for their presumed behavior and motives (which was not). Critics implied the signers of the letter talked but didn't act, and were engaged in a power play. Anyone familiar with successful executives knows board rooms have little patience with bravado and palaver. The so-called big boys and big girls want results. Richmond's businessmen and -women care about the schools, they care about unsafe streets, they care about affordable housing, they care about transportation, they care about the least among us. Not all are saints; some are rogues. Most have their hearts in the right place. And for the most part they back up their words with deeds.