Respected throughout the community for their holistic and deep commitment to making a difference, the impact of Highlands Fellowship can be felt through their fierce love for those most vulnerable in Southwest Virginia. Over 2,500 individuals have been mobilized to act as catalysts throughout the community, partnering to expand the breadth and depth of available resources to serve youth and families in foster care and kinship care networks. Their continually evolving wraparound approach has made a far-reaching and long-lasting impact by building relationships, strengthening systems, and inspiring others in the community to take action.

Highlands Fellowship is recognized as an essential community resource, seen as eager to help or provide in any way they can to support community initiatives. From donating their space for community programs to committing time and energy to hosting service events, the leadership and community at Highlands Fellowship are regarded as consistent and responsive partners by service providers in the community. “Any time I have contacted them with a need or opportunity to help with any endeavor, they responded immediately and went into action,” shares Jeffrey Justice, Director of the Bristol Department of Social Services.

The ways they have supported families and youth across Southwest Virginia has led to creative and innovative partnerships in support of the foster care, adoption, and kinship care communities. Highlands Fellowship recognized an unmet need to support the children, families, and service providers while expanding the availability of local resources. In response, they not only set out to raise awareness, provide programmatic and service support, and leverage their resources across their three campuses, but also made deep and lasting relationships between families to strengthen the social fabric of the community. “Highlands Fellowship takes their role of serving the community and promoting the needs of foster families and child caregivers very seriously, and has taken crucial steps forward to support Virginia’s foster care and adoptive families,” says Kathy Johnson, Director of the Washington County Department of Social Services.