What an incredible year for the Community Foundation of the New River Valley. Thanks to our donors, partners, volunteers, and community members, 2025 was packed with milestones worth celebrating. Here’s a closer look at what we accomplished together.
1. Surpassed $1.43 million in scholarships awarded since 2002.
This spring, the CFNRV awarded more than $170,000 in scholarships to 93 students either from the New River Valley (NRV) or studying here. This outstanding group of students includes 57 high school seniors, 35 college students, and one future veterinarian. 21 of these students are the first in their families to attend college or university. Since awarding our first scholarship in 2002, we have given out $1.43 million in scholarships to 1,126 students.
2. Bought our very own office.
After many years of renting, we were thrilled to learn of a condo office space for sale in Blacksburg’s Professional Park (off North Main Street). Our team worked closely with the CFNRV Board of Directors to determine whether the space fit our needs, and it did. We purchased the office in mid-2025 and moved in December after some renovations were completed. We look forward to inviting supporters like you to visit in the new year!
3. Raised $796,053 during the Giving Day & celebrated at the Lyric.
In another incredible demonstration of the power of community, 3,465 donors raised $796,053 for 112 organizations during the 12th annual GiveLocalNRV Giving Day! To celebrate this year, we held an in-person event at the Lyric Theatre in Blacksburg to kick off the Giving Day on Wednesday, June 25.
During the two-hour celebration, we partnered with Michael Hemphill of Buzz4Good to uplift the stories of our Giving Day participants. Michael, a longtime friend of the CFNRV, interviewed 18 nonprofits on stage, including us, and shared videos highlighting many others. The event also included musical performances from two youth-based Giving Day participants: Floyd’s Handmade Music School and Montgomery County Junior Appalachian Musicians.
4. Welcomed two new board members.
In July, we welcomed Emily Gibson and James Harder to the CFNRV Board. As Director of Local Government and Community Relations at Virginia Tech, Emily brings a wealth of experience in building strong partnerships across sectors. Emily has been a key collaborator in our childcare initiatives, helping convene leaders through the NRV Childcare Summit Series and the Partnership for Progress at VT.
James is a Portfolio Manager at Cardinal Holdings, LLC with a strong background in public policy, innovation, and strategic planning. At Virginia Tech, he led the Beyond Boundaries initiative and helped lay the foundation for the Bridge Experience program. We’re thrilled to have their insights and leadership on our board going forward.
Paula Alston
We also bid farewell to longtime board member Paula Alston. Paula made invaluable contributions to our scholarship process that will resonate for years to come. Her enthusiasm, humor, and passion for our community brought so much to our work. Thank you, Paula!
5. Received the largest single gift in our history, establishing a fund that will support five NRV nonprofits.
The Robert J. and Joanne M. Watson endowment was established in 2025 to provide annual grants to Micah’s Backpack, Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library, New River Community College, the Salvation Army of the New River Valley, and the Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley.
This gift, the largest in our history, was made via Joanne’s estate after her death in 2023. Joanne and her husband, Robert, spent the first part of their lives in New York before retiring to the NRV. Their family shared that Joanne and Robert loved the natural beauty and sense of community they felt in the NRV. They lived simply and looked to give back to the community that welcomed them many decades ago. The fund will award more than $70,000 annually to the organizations above.
Touring Floyd Center for the Arts
6. Gathered in Floyd for our annual Board retreat.
Each August, the CFNRV Board and staff gathers for an in-person retreat, which rotates locations around the region. This year, we gathered at Hotel Floyd to celebrate our accomplishments and brainstorm new ideas. Additionally, for our last two retreats, we’ve added site visits to nonprofit partners. This year, we visited the Floyd Center for the Arts, the June Bug Center for Arts & Education, and the Old Church Gallery.
Among the accomplishments we celebrated during this retreat was the CFNRV’s endowed assets surpassing $20 million in 2025. This is up from $10 million in 2019, reflecting an exciting growth for the foundation. We’re so grateful to have such incredible board members and donors by our side as we enter this new chapter of our work.
Chatting at the annual Thrive regional meeting.
7. Continued to strengthen Thrive food access relationships.
Each month, we gather on Zoom with Thrive members – people from around our community directly involved in food access work as well as those who are interested in the topic. From these Zoom meetings as well as our annual in-person regional meeting, Thrive members have developed relationships, problem-solved, celebrated victories, partnered on grants, and much more.
Summer camp at the Giles Community Garden in Pearisburg.
Together, Thrive members have helped one another during disasters like Hurricane Helene. We’ve worked together to develop the NRV Food Assistance Directory, which is updated each year, and now lists 65+ programs. Members coordinate each month to deliver thousands of pounds of excess food around the NRV. As more people need access to food assistance, these relationships will become even more critical than ever.
Above, left to right: Amy Nast, Linda Pospichal, Becky Roseberry, Crystal Fentress, Julie Ligon, and Jeanne Roper.
8. Honored Early Childhood Champions for the 5th year in a row.
In September, First Steps, an initiative of the CFNRV, celebrated early childhood educators and advocates at the Early Childhood Champion Awards. This year, 17 individuals and two teams were nominated for awards. The ceremony was held during the annual Igniting Connections Symposium, a free, day-long conference for early educators sponsored by Early Childhood Education Initiatives at Virginia Tech.
Becky Roseberry, an Early Childhood Development Instructor at Pulaski County High School’s Career and Technical Education Center, won the event’s top award, Early Childhood Champion of the Year. Crystal Fentress, an Early Educator at Christiansburg Primary School, won the runner-up award, while a special legacy award went to Jeanne Roper, co-founder of Valley Interfaith Child Care Center.
Additionally, we recognized three honorees: Julie Ligon (Montgomery County Public Schools), Amy Nast (Children’s Nest), and Linda Pospichal (Blacksburg New School). Each winner received a cash prize from the CFNRV.
Affordable housing units built by Habitat for Humanity
9. Highlighted in VFN projects showcasing our support for affordable housing.
The CFNRV is a member of the Virginia Funders Network (VFN), a collection of more than 100 philanthropic organizations and partners. In May 2025, the CFNRV was featured in VFN’s publication “Finding Your Lane: Housing Affordability Action Guide for Virginia Funders,” that highlighted our role in helping to develop the NRV Regional Housing Fund. This Fund emerged as a key strategy in the 2021 NRV Regional + Local Housing Study led by the NRV Regional Commission (NRVRC).
The NRVRC uses a $2 million grant from Virginia Housing together with public and private contributions to provide low-interest loans to affordable housing projects in the NRV. In fall 2025, the CFNRV will be one of three foundations featured in a video series by VFN and production company Deep Structure, to further promote the critical role philanthropy can play in improving access to safe, affordable housing.
Grantees celebrate at Sinkland Farms in Riner.
10. Awarded $269,154.68 in Competitive Grants.
In November, we celebrated 94 grantees at a reception in Riner at Sinkland Farms. During this year’s cycle, 68 funds participated in awarding the grants, which included 76 Responsive Grantees that received unrestricted support. These grantees were mostly nonprofits, but also included a few units of local government.
Additionally, we awarded 18 grants to public schools for a variety of specific projects proposed by teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators. These grants especially showcase the power of a small amount of money going a long way. Applicants received grants ranging from $600 to $1,500 for classroom-based projects, field trips, programs that meet students’ basic needs, and more.