The Harvest Foundation announced $73,550 in grant awards through its Project Hope community engagement initiative, supporting six grassroots projects led by community members across Martinsville-Henry County.
“Hope is grounded in community,” said Harvest Program Officer India Brown. “This year’s Project Hope showed us the power of neighbors coming together. When we show up for each other, that’s when real hope and change take root. The projects selected reflect the heart and creativity of our community, from clean-ups that show pride in where we live to creating spaces where people of all ages can enjoy fun and safety together. We can’t wait to see how these efforts grow and impact our community!”
Project Hope awardees, volunteers, community leaders, and supporters celebrated their upcoming projects and programs at a luncheon on Thursday, hosted at the TAD Space in Uptown Martinsville.
Speakers included DeWitt House, vice president of community investments, who welcomed guests. Harvest Board of Directors Chairman Danny Wulff offered remarks that reflected his thoughts on social capital and how hope lifts our entire community.
“Strong communities thrive on social capital,” Wulff said. “That’s the relationships, trust, and shared action that connect people together. That’s the real power, and it lives in all of you, the hearts and the hands of Martinsville-Henry County.”
Tekela Redd, who served two years on the Project Hope Committee, thanked Harvest for making these projects possible.
“Your investment is more than a grant, it’s hope in action,” she said, “and its impact will be felt in our community for years to come.”
Sharing her perspective as a previous Project Hope award recipient for the Critter Camp project was Anne Stultz of Starling Avenue Baptist Church. She told this year’s grant recipients not to be discouraged if things don’t work out the first time.
“We had two registration days for our Critter Camp at the church. I guess we were doing it the old-fashioned way,” Stultz said. “We had no one show up on the first day, and on the second day, we had three campers who signed up. We planned space for 60. Well, we had to think differently about getting kids signed up. We did some marketing and put registrations out online, and we ended up with 57 campers. Don’t give up if things don’t go your way to begin with.”
Kellie Smoak Wyatt, director of strategic partnerships at the Dan River Nonprofit Network, shared a special gift with this year’s grant award winners — one free year of membership to The Network. Wyatt shared some of the benefits, which include learning opportunities, networking, and access to free or discounted support services.
“It was an honor to be part of the 2025 Project Hope celebration, and we are absolutely thrilled about this collaboration with The Harvest Foundation,” Wyatt said. “By generously providing a full year of Dan River Nonprofit Network membership to every grant winner, The Harvest Foundation is ensuring these organizations gain immediate access to valuable resources and training. As we continue to expand our services into the Martinsville and Henry County area, we are eager to work alongside every winner by providing valuable resources that will help them strengthen their operations, accelerate positive change, and build brighter futures for the folks in the area.”
A 13-member committee comprising local hope builders reviews grant applications and allocates funding for the program. Members of the 2025 Project Hope Committee include Jonathan Martin, LaDonna Hairston, Tekela Redd, Sandy Hines, Tracey Shively, Amanda Gray, Anna Wheeler, Dominique Hylton, Jennifer Reis, Jessica Martinez, Peyton Nibblett, Valerie Harper, and Tinikia Deering-Woods.
Project Hope is designed to fund small projects that involve volunteers to build hope in MHC communities. Since its launch in 2022, $273,187 in grant awards have been funded to support 26 projects and programs. Grant awards are typically capped at $15,000 and must be completed within a year. Call (276) 632-3329 or visit theharvestfoundation.org/project-hope for updates and to learn more.
List of Project Hope 2025 Grant Awards:
- $15,000 to the Youth Advisory Council (City of Martinsville) to fund the project Movies in the Park. Funds will be used for youth-led movie and game nights at Baldwin Park in Martinsville.
- $8,750 to FAHI (Fayette Area Historical Initiative) to develop a Martinsville African-American Walking Tour. This tour will be designed to bring these stories to life in Martinsville’s streets, neighborhoods, and landmarks.
- $9,800 to MHC Healthy Hearts Learning Collaborative (Fieldale Heritage, Inc.) to develop a community garden in the Fieldale community.
- $15,000 to the Ridgeway Ruritan Club to support renovations and new landscaping designed to beautify the grounds and create a welcoming space for community gatherings.
- $15,000 to the Spencer Ruritan Club to renovate the Spencer ballfield and develop a community hub.
- $10,000 to the MHC Trash Pandas (Virginia Harm Reduction Coalition) to support community-led cleanup and litter education efforts.
