For the past two years, NCCF provided grants to the Nelson County High School, Youth Philanthropy Council (YPC).  NCCF partnered with Nelson County Community Foundation of Central Blue Ridge to start the program in September 2024.  The council was created to provide youth in the community with an opportunity to experience philanthropy firsthand.

The YPC program is modeled after the approach NCCF uses to solicit and accept applications and to review and award financial grants to those who need a little assistance across Nelson County.   At the encouragement of high school senior, YPC President Christian Proctor, the council wanted to play a more active role in the community by engaging with leaders to better understand the needs of Nelson County.

 YPC Hosts Panel Discussion with Nelson County Leaders

As a result, YPC recently hosted a panel discussion with ten community leaders including the Board of Supervisors Chair, Ernie Reed; Nelson County School Board Chair, Margaret Clair; Marian Dixon with the Nelson County Pantry; and Rose Farris, Nelson SPCA Shelter Director.  The panel helped YPC understand the most critical needs within Nelson County and to provide YPC members with advice on how young people can help address the problems.

Areas that were identified as needing the most attention include:

• Mental Health
• Transportation Issues
• Veterinary Bills
• Lack of Books for Teachers
• Affordable Housing

YPC will use this information to inform future grant award decisions.

Other Opportunities for YPC

Another idea that surfaced was for the YPC to look for opportunities to work with elementary and middle schoolers to get them acclimated to philanthropy since community service is a requirement of all students to graduate high school.   Engagement with elementary and middle school students expands the impact of the YPC beyond funding by encouraging the youth of Nelson County to get involved with the community.

Two ideas were identified where YPC could enhance their value that goes beyond financial awards. 

• YPC is planning a book drive to help increase the book inventory available to teacher classroom libraries in Nelson County, and
• YPC will be working with the Nelson SPCA by creating field trips or a summer program where elementary and middle school students can visit the Nelson SPCA to volunteer and to read to the animals.   

The YPC is well on their way to creating a lasting impact for Nelson County.

Foothills Child Advocacy Center is deeply grateful to the Nelson County Community Fund for its generous support to fund critical Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) services for Nelson County children. This funding directly supported forensic interviews, medical exams, and family advocacy services exclusively for Nelson County children who have experienced abuse or neglect.

Use of Funds

The grant was used to provide the following core services to Nelson County children and their families:

• Forensic Interviews: Conducted by trained professionals in a child-friendly environment to gather accurate information in a trauma-informed manner.

• Medical Exams: Provided by specialized pediatric medical professionals to ensure the health and safety of the child and to document any evidence of abuse.

• Family Advocacy: Ongoing support and resource navigation for non-offending caregivers to help them support their child’s healing and access needed services.

Outcomes and Impact

• 15 forensic interviews conducted
• 4 medical exams completed
• 11 families received advocacy and support services

A recent high-profile case in Nelson County has underscored the critical need for coordinated, trauma-informed responses to child abuse. Foothills’ played a vital role in ensuring the children’s voices are heard and their needs are met through a collaborative approach.

This work was carried out in partnership with the Sheriff’s Office, the Commonwealth Attorney and medical professionals, creating a comprehensive and compassionate response that prioritizes the well-being of each child..

Success Story

One particularly impactful case involved a 10-year-old non-verbal child. As a result of persistent, coordinated efforts facilitated by Foothills CAC, the child was safely removed from an unsafe environment.

The case underscored the importance of trauma-informed, disability-aware practices and the critical role of the CAC in advocating for children.

Thank You Nelson County Community Fund!

Thanks to the support of the Nelson County Community Fund, Foothills was able to provide vital services to children and families. NCCF has helped ensure that children in Nelson County receive the care, protection, and support they need to begin healing.

 In July 2024, NCCF provided a grant to Hospice of the Piedmont (HOP). The grant enabled HOP to offer Kids’ Grief and Healing program to Nelson County children and teens free of cost whether their loved one received care from Hospice of the Piedmont.

The journey through grief and loss may be difficult and lonely, especially for children and adolescents, who are sometimes forgotten grievers. 

Grieving children need a safe place to express the sadness, anger, and fear related to loss — developing important coping skills through this process.

Funding from the Nelson County Community Fund provided specialized children’s grief counselor support for three bereaved children in Nelson County during the past year. Counselors worked with students at Nelson Middle School, Nelson High School and the North Branch School providing free art therapy and bereavement.

Children Participating in One of the Journey’s Grief Camps

Journey’s Grief Camps

In addition, during the past year, Hospice of the Piedmont conducted three Journey’s Grief Camps in partnership with The Dairy Market (winter), Triple C (spring) and Verdun Adventure Bound (summer). A fourth camp is scheduled for the fall in partnership with The Living Earth School (upcoming in the fall). The Journey’s Grief Camps supported 79 grieving children and families across Central Virginia, allowing campers to connect with others to learn they are not alone in their grief.

Community Outreach Initiatives

Grief counselors were also active in their community outreach efforts to help build awareness of childhood grief and the free services that our Kids’ program can offer. Last November, schools in Nelson County, as well as other local agencies, were given a packet of materials and resources during Children’s Grief Awareness Month.

In addition, we also mailed grief resource materials to all pediatricians in our entire service area, including Nelson County, as part of our expanded efforts at outreach and in hopes of generating more referrals for those in need of our Kids’ program.

Thank You Nelson County Community Fund!

Hospice of the Piedmont (HOP) is deeply grateful for the grant provided by the Nelson County Community Fund to support the vital work of our Kids’ Grief and Healing program supporting Nelson County’s children as they navigate loss.

ReadyKids’ home visiting program provides home visits to families in Nelson County as well as Buckingham, Albemarle, and Charlottesville.

Our Family Support Workers meet with new and expecting parents to provide free, personalized support including resources about developmental milestones, baby items like diapers, and mental health counseling.

Healthy Families address families’ immediate basic needs and provide comprehensive support to prevent future problems by promoting positive parent-child interactions and attachment, healthy childhood growth, and the enhancement of family functioning.

Three years ago, Healthy Families was the first free home visiting program in Nelson County. As a Maternity Care Desert, the need for trauma-informed, evidence-based maternal care in Nelson County quickly surpassed what our program had capacity for in the first year.

When asked about their favorite part of Healthy Families, one participant said, “I know that every week I have somebody I can speak to about my children, whether it’s their health, development, etc. I can relate to them too, easy conversations, understanding, and caring!”

Pilot Program for Nelson County Early Learning ReadySteps Program Completed

A Nelson County pilot program focused on offering playgroups at the Nelson County Library was completed this summer.  The pilot program was a success!  ReadyKids will officially launch a weekly playgroup program open to young children and their caregivers in Nelson County this fall.  If you know someone who could benefit from maternal and infant support, contact ReadyKids for more information.

Nelson County Community Fund Support

With a strong vision and support from the Nelson County community, ReadyKids’ received additional funding, making expansion a reality with the addition of two new Family Support Workers! 

This wouldn’t have been possible without support from the Nelson County Community Fund. In addition to financial support, the fund, and its members have played an integral role in welcoming ReadyKids into Nelson, connecting us with additional partners and community members to further our impact.

We are so grateful to NCCF for their support with our mission and our work!

Virginia Hunters for the Hungry Helps Address Nelson County Food Insecurity

Virginia Hunters for the Hungry manage a program called “Venison for Hungry” in Nelson County.  Between October 1, 2024, and February 10, 2025, the Venison for Hungry program received 5,500 total pounds of deer from donations from hunters, farmers and herd management initiatives, including Wintergreen’s culling efforts, across Nelson County. 

The primary benefit of this program is to create a source of high-protein, lean red meat for residents of Nelson County facing food insecurity challenges.

Hunters for the Hungry was able to accept every deer made available to the program.  

The 5,500 pounds of deer donations created 22,000 4 oz. servings of high protein, lean read meat.   This result exceeded original projections for the project by 1,500 pounds or 27%, resulting in 6,000 additional servings / meals for those who are facing food insecurity in Nelson County.  The venison servings were distributed through the Nelson County Food Pantry and other Nelson County organizations with a mission to address food insecurity.  

A secondary benefit of the program is to help to reduce crops and ornamental damage caused by deer as well as reducing deer / vehicle collisions thus enhancing public safety around the roadways.  Additionally, herd management creates a healthier deer population as well as reducing the spread of ticks and other diseases. 

A grant from Nelson County Community Fund awarded in 2024 partially funded the Venison for the Hungry project and was applied to processing costs associated with creating venison.  Other sources of funding were secured through generous financial donors who responded to a spring appeal, local churches, businesses, corporations, and organizations. 

Reaching 190 Nelson County Households at a Grass Roots Level

The Unity in Community Outreach Ministry develops grass roots programs to carry out our mission of helping those in need one individual or family across Nelson County.

UIC helps with utilities, fuel, food, rent/mortgage, furniture, vision, hearing, and dental medical copays and other basic needs.

During the past year, August 2024 thru May 2025, UIC 190 Nelson County households received direct financial assistance with rent/mortgage, electric, fuel, food and other household needs.

Indirect financial aid was provided to two Nelson County organizations to help them address their needs as well. A total of 303 individuals were recipients of financial aid provided by Unity in Community.

A grant provided by NCCF in August 2024 provided partial funding that enabled UIC to reach those in need throughout Nelson County. UIC board and other members continue to perform focused outreach resulting in positive impact at a grass roots level.