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143 great reasons to celebrate!

The Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge held its annual Community Grants Program awards ceremony at Wintergreen Resort on Wednesday, awarding $571,083 dollars to 143 nonprofits through Staunton, Waynesboro, Augusta County, Nelson County and Highland County.

“I thought the event was wonderful,” said Keisha Nicholson, founder and executive director of Love Forward Foundation. “I thought it was warm and welcoming. I was able to reacquaint myself with a lot of great leaders in the community. A lot of these organizations really feel like family. We’ve really grown close.”

Since 1992, the Community Foundation has invested over 21 million dollars in the community through grants, scholarships and education awards.

This year’s grant awards total was the highest in the organization’s history.

The 2025 community grant recipients varied widely in focus, concentrating on areas such as housing, mental health, childcare, animals, the environment and many other needs.

The one thing all 143 nonprofits have in common is that they strive to make the community stronger.

Dan Layman, CEO of the Community Foundation, believes strongly in this year’s recipients.

“This diverse collection of nonprofit organizations, and their talented teams, work every day to make a difference for the causes that matter to our community,” Layman said.  “Through our grants to these organizations, we have the privilege of connecting the caring people from whom these funds originated to these causes.”

The recipients were happy to celebrate receiving alongside their peers in the nonprofit spaces.

“It (the support) really means a lot,” said Marsha Munsford, executive director of Dare to Dream Therapeutic Horsemanship Center. “In Highland, there aren’t a lot of resources for any kind of therapeutic recreation or behavioral health services. Our program is kind of unique and special to the special needs population.

“Also, we don’t have a lot of funding. Being able to have our programs funding by the Community Foundation – so that we can have scholarship programs or take care of the horses – it really means a lot.”

Angela Crawford, CEO of Blue Ridge CASA for Children, agrees.

“The Community Foundation’s support reminds us that we’re never alone in the work that we do,” Crawford said. “This celebration reflects the strength and generosity of the community that we serve. Blue Ridge CASA is honored to stand among all of these amazing, inspiring organizations that are making a difference in our community.”

The Community Grants Program is just one of several ways in which the Community Foundation supports the region.  Through other grant programs, donor-advised funds, scholarships and education awards, the Foundation anticipates distributing over $2.5 million in 2025.

In addition to setting aside some time to be celebrated and thanked, the organizations were genuinely thankful for the financial support.

 Wintergreen Adaptive Sports was one of the grant recipients.

 “It means everything,” Wintergreen Adaptive Sports director Kathleen Booth said. “It means that more wounded warriors, more kids on the spectrum, more folks with disabilities and amputations of all ages and all kinds are going to be able to receive therapeutic aspects of being outdoors and recreating.”

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Chris Lassiter

Director of Community Engagement

Chris Lassiter joined our team in January 2022 as our new Director of Community Engagement.  Chris leads our work to broaden the Foundation’s relationships with community members and deepen our understanding of the challenges within our community and our opportunities for affecting real change.  Chris comes to us from the Staunton-Augusta Family YMCA where he served as Marketing and Communications Director.

Lora Hamp, J.D.

Legal Counsel and Director of Nonprofit Relations

Lora Hamp joined the Community Foundation in 2022, after serving on the Foundation’s Board of Directors and working with the CFCBR Community Grants Committee for several years. She formerly practiced law as an estate planning attorney and is excited to combine her legal background and prior Board experience to support and promote the nonprofit sector in our community.  In addition to administering the Foundation’s Community Grants Program, Lora provides for the delivery and oversight of nonprofit sector programming, including trainings, peer learning experiences, and other professional development events. She enjoys working with her colleagues and community partners to support a healthy, vibrant nonprofit sector.

Lora’s early interest in the nonprofit world developed within the fields of gerontology and elder rights advocacy. Immediately after graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law, she served as a Borchard Fellow, collaborating with various nonprofit partners to design and establish an elder law clinic at the law school.

Miriam Burrows

Director of Educational Programs

Miriam Burrows joined the Community Foundation in August 2018. She administers our Scholarship Program, the Youth Philanthropy Council, and the Dawbarn Education Awards.  Miriam received a B.A. in Theatre from DeSales University, has a certificate from the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s Legal Secretary School, graduated from CNE’s Board Academy, and continues to take classes whenever she can. Miriam came to Staunton in 1999 to join the American Shakespeare Center where she has worked as an actor and has served as a board member. She lives in Staunton with her husband Daniel, and their two beautiful children.

Menieka Garber

Chief Operating Officer

Menieka Garber joined the Community Foundation in 2006 and ensures that the day-to-day operations run smoothly and align with the Foundation’s mission. She supports a variety of accounting and finance functions and helps to ensure compliance with financial and record-keeping procedures.  Menieka received a B.A. in Business with a concentration in Accounting from Mary Baldwin University and A.A.S. degrees in Business Management and Accounting from Blue Ridge Community College. A native of the Shenandoah Valley, Menieka lives on a farm in Augusta County with her husband, Brian, and their two children, Kiersten and Samuel.

Dan Layman

President & CEO

Dan Layman joined the Community Foundation in March 2013. He spends his days helping individuals and companies explore how they can accomplish their charitable objectives through the Foundation and making sure that those who have already made that choice enjoy what they have created. He also offers his assistance and friendship to the leaders of local nonprofit organizations. Since graduating from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) in 1988, Dan has dedicated his career to helping others through fundraising and planned giving. He and his wife, Pamela Fox, have been Staunton residents since 2003…and for many years to come.