Grantee Spotlight: Colonial Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Youth Mentoring Program

Sep 29, 2025 | Grantee Spotlight

Grantee Spotlight: Colonial Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Youth Mentoring Program

By: WHF Staff

When Robin Thrall decided to become a foster parent 15 years ago, she couldn’t have known how many lives, including her own, would be changed. A single mother with one biological daughter, Robin felt the desire to have more children. Learning she was able to adopt as a single parent, Robin began the process of becoming a therapeutic foster parent through James City County’s Department of Social Services. She welcomed children in need of love and stability into her life, heart, and home, eventually adopting four.

Many foster and adopted children face a challenging journey toward stability and healing. Through Robin’s training and independent study, she learned the value of having positive role models and mentors for her children. She turned to Colonial CASA to help find mentors.

For Robin’s son Kenny, being paired with a mentor through Colonial CASA’s Youth Mentoring Program in Williamsburg, VA, has been life-changing. His mentor meets with him twice a week to lift weights, practice healthy eating, and even shop together for nutritious foods. More than just fitness lessons, these visits have given Kenny something positive to focus on as he navigates the grief of losing his family. Kenny and his mentor have formed an almost sibling-like bond.

Robin has many stories of how the volunteer mentors at Colonial CASA have influenced her children’s lives. Each child’s mentor provides them with new experiences, fresh perspectives, and someone who shows up just for them. These one-on-one connections enable each of her children to expand their experiences beyond their home. “I wish everyone, at every age, every situation, could have a mentor,” Robin says.

Youth Mentoring and HEAL

In 2022, Colonial CASA launched the Youth Mentoring Program to connect trained, adult mentors with youth aged 10-18. Navigating the adolescent years can be a difficult time for both youth and parents, and the program offers support to address these challenges. Mentoring has been shown to have a positive effect on children’s emotional well-being. Adult mentors provide guidance, resources, and support in various aspects of a youth’s life, including emotional and educational support, and teaching valuable life skills. According to Mentoring.org, these relationships benefit the youth and have a positive impact on the adult mentor.

To make the Youth Mentoring Program physically beneficial for participants, Colonial CASA introduced the Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Colonial CASA program. HEAL encourages each mentee/mentor to incorporate physical activity into each weekly meeting. Colonial CASA provides participants with memberships to the JCC Recreation Center to reduce financial or weather barriers to being physically active.

WHF’s Continued Support

Colonial CASA’s HEAL program aligns with WHF’s strategic plan. The program contributes to the Foundation’s vision of individuals making healthy choices in a community with health opportunities for all, and the goal of targeting behavioral and social risk factors that influence the health of individuals across the life span. The Foundation has supported Colonial CASA’s work through 23 grants totaling more than $257,000 since 1999.

The account used in this article was adapted from Inside Look: Parent Shares Mentorship Impacts, a summary of an interview with Robin Thrall, by Linda Palmer. To learn more about Colonial CASA and their programs to support youth in Greater Williamsburg, please visit colonialcasa.org. To learn more about WHF’s grant funding opportunities, please visit williamsburghealthfoundation.org.

WHF is an independent private health foundation with the mission to collaborate, innovate, and invest to impact systems that improve the health and well-being of individuals living in Greater Williamsburg. The Foundation was established in September 1996 when the Williamsburg Community Hospital and Sentara developed an affiliation agreement and later merged. This agreement included a provision for a new, locally organized, and managed Foundation to benefit community health. Since inception, WHF has awarded over $116 million in grants to improve community health and well-being.

Williamsburg Health Foundation Approves $284,025 to Local Organizations

Sep 16, 2025 | News

Williamsburg Health Foundation Awards $284,025 to Local Organizations

WILLIAMSBURG, VA – September 16, 2025: The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) has approved $284,025 in grant funding awarded to 15 nonprofit or government agencies since their June board meeting. These organizations serve the City of Williamsburg, James City County, and/or York County by working to improve the health and well-being of community members.

These grants support a range of diverse projects and programs across seven of the Foundation’s funding areas: Behavioral Health Services, Community Capacity Building, Healthy Aging, Healthy Eating Active Living, Integrated Care, Public Policy Advocacy, and Two-Generation Family Services.

“Many of the individuals and families who benefit from these efforts live on incomes below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level,” said Deanna Van Hersh, WHF President and CEO. “This funding aids organizations which provide a variety of services designed to build stability and help people avoid the need to choose between focusing on their health or paying their bills.”

Several first-time recipients and programs received grant awards. These initiatives will address food insecurity, healthy aging, and access to behavioral, medical, public health, and recovery support services. New organizations and programs receiving funding include:

- Here for the Girls: Screening and Prevention Village
- Housing Partnerships: Emergency Home Repairs & Home Modification Programs
- Made 4 Connection: Family Night
- PORCH: PORCH for Greater Williamsburg Pantries
- Triangle Stepping Stones: Recovery Program Support
- Virginia Community Health Worker Association: Increasing Community Health Workers in Greater Williamsburg
- William & Mary Foundation: Supporting the Flourishing of Greater Williamsburg Preschool/Middle School Youth

“Each grant WHF awards reflects a response to an issue we have learned about by listening to the evolving needs within our community, said Van Hersh. “These awards contribute to the resources community partners need to enhance health and well-being in Greater Williamsburg.”

To learn more about the Foundation and its grant opportunities, please visit www.williamsburghealthfoundation.org.

The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) is a private health foundation with the mission to collaborate, innovate, and invest to impact systems that improve the health and well-being of individuals living in Greater Williamsburg. The Foundation was established in September 1996 when the Williamsburg Community Hospital and Sentara developed an affiliation agreement and later merged. This agreement included a provision for a new, locally organized, and managed Foundation to benefit community health. Since inception, WHF has awarded over $116 million in grants to improve community health and well-being.

Organization Name	Project Title	Approved Amount
Grants for Public Policy Advocacy
Mental Health Virginia	Mental Health Advocacy	$5,000.00
Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics	Health Policy Advocacy	$5,000.00
Virginia Health Catalyst	Health Policy Advocacy	$5,000.00
Voices for Virginia’s Children	Youth Policy Advocacy	$5,000.00
Grants for Community Capacity Building
Here for the Girls	The Screening & Prevention Village (The Village)	$1,500.00
Virginia Community Health Worker Association	Increasing Community Health Workers in Greater Williamsburg	$58,525.00
Grants for Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL)
PORCH, Inc.	PORCH for Greater Williamsburg Pantries	$4,000.00
Grants to Support Two-Generation Family Services
Made 4 Connection	Family Night	$20,000.00
Grants for Healthy Aging
Housing Partnerships, Inc.	Emergency Home Repairs & Home Modification Programs	$50,000.00
Grants for Behavioral Health Services
Bacon Street Youth and Family Services	General Staff Funding	$20,000.00
Comfort Zone Camp	CZC Weekend Camp in Jamestown	$7,500.00
The College of William & Mary, The Flanagan Counselor Education Clinic	Play to Thrive	$60,000.00
Triangle Stepping Stones	Operational Gap Funding-Recovery Program Support	$9,000.00
William & Mary Foundation	Supporting the Flourishing of Greater Williamsburg Preschool/Middle School Youth	$20,000.00
Grants for Integrated Care
Colonial Behavioral Health	Integrated Care Facilitation	$13,500.00

Grantee Spotlight: SHIP (School Health Initiative Program)

Aug 27, 2025 | Grantee Spotlight

Grantee Spotlight: SHIP (School Health Initiative Program)

By: WHF Staff

If you walk into any classroom in Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools (WJCC Schools) and ask any student what SHIP is, you might hear a variety of adjectives, including “lowkey lit^”1, “bussin’^”2, or “fire^.”3 What you probably won’t hear is “it is a program that is teaching me how to choose healthy food, live an active lifestyle, and learn evidence-based wellness techniques that I can share with my family.” But that is exactly what SHIP is “lowkey” doing in the classrooms of the 16 WJCC Schools throughout the school year.

Since SHIP’s launch in the Fall of 2006, the program has engaged thousands of teachers and staff, and tens of thousands of students in health and wellness improvement education opportunities across the school division, including:

- Teaching nutrition classes in all kindergarten, first, and second-grade classrooms.
- Training teachers how to incorporate movement into lesson plans.
- Providing home kits and teaching cooking and gardening skills to families.
- Managing 85+ before- and after-school challenge clubs, which include nutritious snacks, physical activity, and transportation for 2000+ students annually.
- Delivering interactive cooking lessons to 27 special education classrooms.

The impact of SHIP’s work goes beyond the walls of WJCC and the school grounds. Both students and staff participants share SHIP resources and experiences with the program with their friends, family, and neighbors within the Greater Williamsburg community.

From a Problem to a Program

According to a report using data from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, nationally, 16.5% of children between the ages of 2 and 19 were overweight, and 17.1% were classified as obese or severely obese. Specifically, in the Williamsburg-James City County local data compiled in 2004 by the Coalition for Obesity Prevention-Peninsula, the percentage of overweight youth in Williamsburg and James City was 29%, 27%, and 39% in kindergarten, third grade, and fifth grade, respectively. With this data in hand, Williamsburg Health Foundation’s (WHF) Staff and Board were moved to collaborate with WJCC Schools and other community partners to develop and launch a quality health program to foster lifelong physical activity, healthy eating habits in children, and provide access to health insurance. WJCC Schools launched the SHIP program in the Fall of 2006. Nineteen years later, the program continues to support and promote healthy eating and active lifestyle habits in schools, homes, and throughout Greater Williamsburg.

WHF’s Continued Support

SHIP’s work aligns with the WHF’s strategic plan. The program contributes to the Foundation’s vision, individuals making healthy choices in a community with health opportunities for all, and the goal of targeting behavioral and social risk factors that influence the health of individuals across the life span. As a Foundation-initiated program, WHF funds 68% of SHIP’s 2025-2026 program budget. Since 2004, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees has approved over $12.9 million to WJCC Schools to support SHIP and their mission.

Notes

Something that is secretly Exciting/excellent or enjoyable
Something is really good
Amazing or exciting

WHF is an independent private health foundation with the mission to collaborate, innovate, and invest to impact systems that improve the health and well-being of individuals living in Greater Williamsburg. The Foundation was established in September 1996 when the Williamsburg Community Hospital and Sentara developed an affiliation agreement and later merged. This agreement included a provision for a new, locally organized, and managed Foundation to benefit community health. Since inception, WHF has awarded over $116 million in grants to improve community health and well-being.

A Full Plate: Reflecting on the Community’s Role in Nourishing Our Neighbors

Jan 30, 2024 | Blog, Grantee Spotlight, News

By: Deb Fisher

Growing up in a family that watched every penny, my mother’s arrival with bags full of groceries from one of our local churches was always a reason for celebration for my five siblings and me. I remember our excitement while helping our mother put the food away and our anticipation of trying new, mysterious treats that our parents would not usually buy. These bags, filled with new foods, brought a sense of excitement to our dinner table.

It was not until I matured that I began to understand that the food my mom brought home was from a community food pantry and that we were a family who needed assistance. Despite our limited means, my family of eight never experienced the pangs of hunger thanks to the generosity of our neighbors and programs designed to help keep families fed when faced with challenging times.

Now, as a Communications Specialist for the Williamsburg Health Foundation, I am honored to be part of an organization supporting local organizations that work to address the same food insecurity issues that touched my family. I have had eye-opening conversations with those at the helm of food pantries in the Greater Williamsburg area about our community’s growing needs. Declines in personal and grocery store contributions forced some pantries to dip into their emergency funds so families in Greater Williamsburg have access to nutritious food.

The Williamsburg Health Foundation continues to respond to this critical need. Reflecting our commitment to the health and well-being of this community, the Foundation recently awarded a total of $100,000 — $20,000 each to five local sites — FISH, Grove Christian Outreach Center, The Salvation Army, Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, and Williamsburg House of Mercy.

This is deeply personal. Thinking of our community members receiving help – I reflect on my family who sometimes chose between a meal and a medical bill, rent, or a utility payment. Staff and volunteers of these agencies, and this funding, help ensure families have a lifeline and will not have to make difficult choices alone.

Williamsburg Health Foundation Welcomes New Board Members

Jan 16, 2024 | News

Williamsburg Health Foundation Welcomes New Board Members

By

WHF Staff

The Williamsburg Health Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of two esteemed professionals, Rhiannon Hartman and Lawrence B. Pulley, to its Board of Trustees.

Rhiannon Hartman brings a wealth of legal expertise to the board. Hartman is currently an estate planning practitioner at Carrell Blanton Ferris & Associates in Williamsburg and a former The Heritage Law Group employee. She obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond School of Law in 2010 after completing her BS at William & Mary in 2004. A Williamsburg resident for over 15 years, Hartman is deeply committed to the community where she raises her two children. She also serves as a Board Member for the Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia, highlighting her dedication to legal service and community welfare.

Lawrence B. Pulley is a respected figure in academia and business. As the emeritus dean and TC and Elizabeth Clarke professor at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William & Mary, Pulley brings a rich background in economics and education. A proud Phi Betta Kappa graduate of William & Mary in 1974, he earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Virginia. His career includes notable roles such as assistant professor of economics at Brandeis University and significant leadership positions within the School of Business at William & Mary. Pulley’s expertise in banking industry structure, international payments, and portfolio management will significantly benefit the Foundation’s strategic direction.

The addition of Rhiannon Hartman and Lawrence B. Pulley to the Board of Trustees signifies the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to leveraging diverse expertise for community health improvement. Their combined experience in legal affairs, academia, and economics will be solid contributions to the Foundation’s mission to “Collaborate, innovate, and invest to impact systems that improve the health and well-being of individuals living in Greater Williamsburg.”