2025 is being remembered as a year of recovery across our region. After Hurricane Helene, the Blue Ridge Partnership for Children helped local childcare centers assess damage and begin rebuilding. Thanks to generous public and private support, the Partnership is on track to invest 1.3 million dollars into recovery efforts—replacing furnishings, repairing HVAC systems and playgrounds, and helping centers regain lost revenue. Mental-health support for young children and caregivers continues as well.
This year also marked a major milestone: the distribution of the 300,000th book through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Videos of the celebration and family testimonials are now posted on the Partnership’s YouTube channel.
The organization says community support remains vital. Tax-deductible gifts help fund weekly Play and Learn sessions, Children’s Resource Libraries, home-visiting services, and family events like Child Fest and Sizzling Summer.
Executive Director Jennifer Simpson expresses her gratitude and invites the community to help provide early learning opportunities for local children.
