UMFS

To cap off an amazing September, we were proud to host the Fostering Success Summit inside Firefly Hall, where over 100 passionate professionals gathered to support young adults aging out of foster care. In partnership with Project LIFE, The Success Foundation, and Generosity Collective partner, Virginia's Kids Belong, we focused on finding meaningful solutions in areas like education, housing, healthcare, and building strong support networks. Thank you to all who joined us—together, we’re making a real difference in the lives of our incredible youth!

This morning, we were honored to host Del. David A. Reid, a proud UMFS Board Member and author of Virginia Grit: From Poverty to Policymaker, for an insightful reading and book signing. Delegate Reid, who spent six years at UMFS (formerly the Virginia Methodist Children's Home), shared his incredible journey from Rockbridge County to the Virginia legislature with our Charterhouse School students, as well as UMFS staff, board members, donors, and supporters. His powerful advice to our kids? "Ask for the help, accept it, and then ask for more!" Wise words for us all. Thank you to everyone who joined us and congratulations again to Delegate Reid on a wonderful, impactful book!

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of welcoming Delegate Destiny LeVere Bolling of the 80th district, along with her Chief of Staff, Morgan Wilds, to our campus. They toured our facilities and took time to learn more about the services and programs we offer to support youth and families. We are grateful for their interest in our mission and their commitment to understanding the positive impact of our work.

Last week, we had the honor of hosting Delegate Rodney Willett on our campus! His visit included a tour of our facilities and an in-depth look at the programs we offer to support youth and their families. We deeply appreciate Delegate Willett's interest in our work and his dedication to understanding the vital services we provide to the community.

We're very excited that word is getting out about our Generosity Collective! The Generosity Collective is an innovative initiative that unites aligned nonprofit organizations to maximize their collective impact. This initiative is part of UMFS’ new strategic vision to formalize relationships with local organizations that benefit the greater community. All of these Richmond-based nonprofits align with our mission to collaborate with communities to help vulnerable children and families reach their full potential. These nonprofits include: - Caring Closet  - Greater Richmond Fit4Kids - Happily Natural Day - Shalom Farms - Methodist Ministries Network - Rise Above - Shalom Farms - VAISEF - Virginia's Kids Belong - Voices for Virginia's Children - Worthdays “At UMFS, we believe that relationships are our building blocks,” said UMFS President and CEO Nancy Toscano, Ph.D., LCSW. “The Generosity Collective allows us to support smaller nonprofits that are driving meaningful change in the Richmond community. These partnerships also allow UMFS to serve children and families holistically, working towards a shared mission of empowering them to achieve a brighter future.” Starting next week, we'll be highlighting each of our incredible Generosity Collective partners on our social media channels. We invite everyone to tune in and learn more about each partner and their inspiring missions. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eaKTqcbY Learn more about the Generosity Collective: https://lnkd.in/eAbknkds

Yesterday, we had the privilege of welcoming Michael Tweedy, Senior Legislative Fiscal Analyst for the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, and Sydnee Pottebaum, Associate Legislative Fiscal Analyst, to our campus. They visited to tour our facilities and gain a deeper understanding of our programs that support youth and their families. We are grateful for their interest in our mission and their commitment to learning more about the impactful work we do.

Today, UMFS had the pleasure of welcoming Susan Massart and Amy Cochran, Legislative Fiscal Analysts for Virginia's House Appropriations Committee under Health and Human Resources, to our campus. They visited to learn about our agency and the services we provide to children and families, as well as to tour our facilities. We are especially grateful to our staff and youth who assisted with the tour and shared their inspiring personal stories about how UMFS has supported and helped them.

We recently had the pleasure of hosting our annual Strategic Planning Retreat, featuring our board members and leadership at UMFS. They participated in a board meeting and a dinner reception, followed by a full day of collaborative planning with key staff and community partners. This year's theme was "The Spirit of Generosity." Special thanks to our keynote speaker, Emiliana Simon-Thomas, Science Director at Greater Good Science Center - University of California, Berkeley, Youth from our Child & Family Healing Center who presented their Generosity projects, and Chris Bennett of the The Spark Mill for facilitating robust discussions.

Greater Richmond Fit4Kids CEO Mary Dunne Stewart presented our President & CEO Nancy Toscano with the Trailblazer Award today inside of our new Generosity Lounge. The Trailblazer Award recognizes those making a positive, long-term impact in the health and wellness of children in the Richmond region. #GenerosityCollective