The Harvest Foundation announced the addition of two new members joining its 15-member Board of Directors this year, Martinsville residents DelShana LeGrant and Laura Frazier.
“We are fortunate to have DelShana and Laura onboard to share their expertise and leadership with Harvest and the greater community,” said Kate Keller, president of The Harvest Foundation. “Their strengths will undoubtedly contribute to the continued success and growth of the foundation, which will enable us to make an even greater impact toward a positive future for all individuals who call Martinsville-Henry County home.”
LeGrant has a strong background in early childhood education and special education. When asked to serve on the board, she said she was “honored, humbled, and excited” for the opportunity.
“The time-honored work of The Harvest Foundation aligns with my value system and my commitment to lifelong community service and engagement,” LeGrant said. “I will use my voice, experience, expertise, and networks to protect the reputation, support the vision, and promote the mission of The Harvest Foundation so that it remains a sustainable and viable force contributing to the growth, health and development of our community.”
LeGrant previously served on the 2023 Project Hope Committee, a program designed to distribute small grants for grassroots, neighborhood projects that bring hope to communities. She said she loved connecting with her neighbors throughout the process and hearing the creative and ambitious ideas emerging from those conversations.
“My passion lies in community service and social justice-based initiatives,” LeGrant said. “The sharing of my talents and service, accompanied with what I have learned as a result of my professional and personal experiences, allows me to contribute to the collective responsibility that we all have in promoting and preserving the beauty, hope, progress, and resilience of our MHC community.”
LeGrant serves as an early childhood exceptional children regional consultant for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. She also serves as an early childhood educational consultant for Kaplan Early Learning Company and owner of LeGrant Education Services, LLC.
She is a member of the Virginia Department of Health – West Piedmont District Equity Collaborative and serves on the boards of Piedmont Arts and Patrick & Henry Community College. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Council for Exceptional Children, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children — NC Chapter.
Frazier is an assistant attorney general for the Commonwealth of Virginia in the Child Support Enforcement Section. She said accepting the nomination to serve on the Harvest Board of Directors is one more way she can give back to the community she and her family call home.
“I’ve always been an admirer of Harvest’s projects and mission, especially since so many of them align with my personal and professional background,” she said. “My background in education, public health and law has provided me with experiences that I hope to use and share during my tenure with the board. I am especially grateful for the years I served as a guardian ad litem in this community as it gave me first-hand insight into the homes and lives of local families and helped me to better understand their needs.”
While she doesn’t have any specific goals in mind, Frazier said she is looking forward to meeting and working with other service-minded individuals who want to make the world a better place.
“When my husband and I moved to Martinsville,” Frazier said, “I don’t think either of us planned to be here long. But that was fifteen years (and two sons) ago, and we are here to stay. We have chosen the Martinsville-Henry County community to be our family’s permanent home, and we are invested in making it a great place to live and raise our kids.”
Frazier is a member of the Martinsville-Henry County Bar Association and president of the Mt. Olivet Elementary School PTO. She formerly served as a member of the Charity League of Martinsville-Henry County and the Martinsville City Schools Endowment.
