Grantee Spotlight: Williamsburg House of Mercy

Oct 27, 2025 | Uncategorized

Grantee Spotlight: Williamsburg House of Mercy

By: WHF Staff

After 41 years as a Sisters of Mercy school teacher, Sister Mary Berenice Eltz decided to shift her focus to serve people with low incomes and experiencing hardship. As a parish minister for the St. Olaf and St. Bede communities, she touched the lives of many people in Williamsburg, Virginia. Her legacies of dedication and service to individuals and families in need continue today at the Williamsburg House of Mercy.

Williamsburg House of Mercy (WHOM), located in the heart of Williamsburg, believes mercy is a verb. Specifically, mercy is an action that gives comfort and hope to people who are experiencing hardship. Their focus includes addressing food insecurity, providing Outreach Financial Assistance, managing the Harbor Day Shelter, and operating the Hope Pregnancy Center. These services impact the lives of many of the approximately 14% of Greater Williamsburg residents living below the poverty line and the 28% – 35% of households that are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.

Addressing Food Insecurity

Healthy People 2030 aims to improve health by promoting healthy eating and increasing access to nutritious foods. Following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which promotes a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, can help individuals maintain good health. On the other hand, food insecurity can have significant impacts on a person’s long-term health and is associated with diet-related chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity. According to WHOM’s latest Impact Report, they helped improve access to nutritious foods and combat food insecurity in Greater Williamsburg by providing meals to more than 2,400 households and serving nearly 10,300 meals at the Community Kitchen.

Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) Support

Williamsburg House of Mercy’s focus on food insecurity aligns with WHF’s strategic plan. The weekday community kitchen and food distribution programs contribute to the Foundation’s vision of individuals making healthy choices in a community with health opportunities for all. The Foundation has supported WHOM’s mission through 17 grants totaling $256,000 since 2016. To learn more about WHOM’s service to the community, please visit their website https://williamsburghouseofmercy.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.

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.

Grantee Spotlight: Child Health Initiative Care Teams

Aug 1, 2025 | Grantee Spotlight

Grantee Spotlight: Child Health Initiative Care Teams

By: WHF Staff

The City of Williamsburg’s and James City County’s Child Health Initiative Care Teams support local families as they work to improve their health and well-being. These initiatives pair each participating family with a dedicated team to work side-by-side in reaching the family’s goals. Grounded on the Aspen Institute’s evidence-based two-generation (2Gen) approach, Care Teams support the whole family, both the child and the adult. By simultaneously addressing the needs of both children and their caregivers, Care Teams help families tackle multiple challenges that affect their well-being with personalized, meaningful support.

The Care Teams implement the 2Gen approach of supporting both children and their caregivers for stronger, healthier families. Care Teams consist of a coordinator, case manager, registered nurse or community health specialist who collaborate in working with each family to build stability and resilience. Services are voluntary, free to eligible families, and tailored to families’ individual goals and needs.

Through their work, Care Teams help families build life skills around healthy living, self-advocacy, and economic stability. Families receive guidance in navigating healthcare and education systems and making connections to job training and employment resources — all tailored to their unique circumstances. The program involves frequent contact with families through home visits, medical accompaniment, ongoing monitoring, and collaboration with community partners.

The program assists families residing in Williamsburg or James City County who have a child in 5th grade or younger and are facing challenges in various areas. Eligible families include those who:

Experience limited income or struggle to access basic needs such as food, housing, or transportation.

Encounter difficulties navigating various community systems.

Have a child enrolled in services provided by Head Start, Bright Beginnings, or Child Development Resources.

Data gathered by the Foundation in 2024 revealed Care Teams had supported more than 170 individuals from 46 local families, helping them strengthen connections, navigate barriers, and take steps toward healthier, more stable futures. Entry and exit data show participation in the program improved health for children in the areas of adequate sleep, healthy food, physical activity, primary care medical home, recommended immunizations, school attendance, and up-to-date well care visits.

Williamsburg Health Foundation’s Continued Support

The work of the Child Health Initiative Care Teams aligns with the Williamsburg Health Foundation’s strategic plan goal of targeting behavioral and social risk factors that influence the health of individuals across the life span. Since 2015, the Foundation has awarded the City of Williamsburg and James City County 20 grants totaling nearly $5.1 million to support the Care Teams’ 2Gen approach to improving the health and well-being of families in Greater Williamsburg.

Visit https://www.williamsburgva.gov/756/Community-Programs to learn more about the City of Williamsburg’s Care Team. To learn more about James City County’s Care Team, visit https://www.jamescitycountyva.gov/3647/Care-Team.

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The Williamsburg Health Foundation (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.