Three years ago, Nelson County was identified as a “Maternity Care Desert.”  ReadyKids, with the help of an NCCF grant, expanded their Healthy Families program to Nelson County by providing free in-home visits to help new families support healthy childhood development, encourage positive parent-child relationships, and strengthen family function.

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Success Story:

“Home visiting provided me the reassurance that I am doing all of the things that I should be doing in preparing for a baby and helped me to make goals to see that everything is possible.”

– ReadyKids Healthy Families Participant

North Branch School (NBS) in Afton is a nonprofit, independent school for preschool to 8th grade. A 2025 NCCF grant, matched by the Perry Foundation, is helping to fund a new classroom and performance space on the NBS campus.

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Success Story:

From Eliza 2025 Graduate: “Through my time at NBS, I learned to see school as being more than just grades. For me, it was an opportunity to grow as a thinker, leader, and friend within a circle of people I could trust and who trusted me.”

From Grace 2007 Graduate: “With each passing year, I am more grateful to have been raised in an environment that fosters community, curiosity, creativity and respect for people and the Earth.” 

Modern Improvisational Music Appreciation, or MIMA Music, provides music enrichment programs to Blue Ridge Respite Enrichment and North Branch students in Nelson County. 

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 Success Story:

MIMA programs include the Blue Ridge Respite (formerly the Nelson Enrichment Club) offered by Here to Stay Wintergreen.  MIMA offered tailored music programs to engage seniors who are experiencing mild to moderate memory loss or dementia.

The Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital Free Fresh Farm Stand program distributes healthy food, nutrition education, and preventative healthcare screening to Nelson County residents.

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Success Story:

From Lee, a Fresh Farm Stand recipient: “I am 100% Permanent and Total Disability from military service, but do not qualify for means-based assistance. Visiting the Free Fresh Farm Stand was a great experience as I was able to eat well for over a week basically free”

 

Hospice of the Piedmont offers free bereavement counseling to  children and teens in Nelson County who have lost loved ones. In  addition, Nelson children are eligible to attend Kids’ Grief and Healing programs offered by Hospice of the Piedmont. 

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Success Story:

A significant part of the Kids’ Grief and Healing program are Journey  Camps. Four Journey camps are held each year across Central  Virginia. During 2025, 79 grieving children and family members, including some from Nelson County, attended one of the Journey Camps. Campers connect with nature through creative activities  and learn they are not alone in their grief.

Foothills provides a caring place for Nelson County children who have experienced sexual abuse, human trafficking, or witnessed violence. It’s where children are heard, feel supported, and begin to heal. Foothills works with community partners like NCCF so children and the people who care about them receive the help they need.

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Success Story:

One impactful case involved a 10-year-old non-verbal child. Foothills worked with Nelson County professionals to address safety concerns and support next steps centered on the child’s well-being.

The Bridge Ministry works with men and their families in Nelson County to transform their lives by providing mental health treatment, mentoring, vocational skills and education – bridging the gap from addiction to productive community and family life.

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Success Story:

Andy entered the Bridge battling addiction and with a lot of experience in the jail system. Mr. Washington and his team provided Andy a foundation to be productive in society, but the decision to break from the past ultimately resided with himself. As a Bridge Ministry graduate, Andy is hoping to have his own business, make his family bonds stronger, and help his daughter get into college.