Non-Profits to Choose From

Below are the non-profits that are eligible to be among the three winners to receive the donations collected during the Take Back Challenge.

This page in under construction.   Please check back in a few days as we add the non-profits and their information. Thank you.

The City Schoolyard Garden – This program cultivates academic achievement, health, environmental stewardship, and community engagement through garden-based, experiential learning.

Since its creation in the spring of 2010, the garden at Buford Middle School has provided students and faculty with a resource for expanding educational principles, for teaching and mentoring gardening skills, and for nurturing friendships within the embrace of the garden.

Operating under the fiscal sponsorship of the Local Food Hub, and in partnership with the teachers and administration at Buford Middle School, the City Schoolyard Garden program is guided by a board of directors, a full-time Garden Educator, and a part-time Program Director. The program operates two after-school programs in gardening and cooking, as well as developing curricular resources for teachers to use in classroom instruction.

Birth Matters - Before we were Birth Matters Charlottesville, we were Informed Birth Options (IBO) of Central Virginia. IBO was formed in 2002 as a result of a group of women recognizing that women in Charlottesville needed more information on birth and options surrounding birth. We have been here ever since offering information, support, and opportunities for women to find the birth that is right for them. In 2005 we joined forces with other groups from around the commonwealth with similar aspirations to create a positive culture of birth in Virginia in which all mothers experience informed and empowering birth, and in which their decisions are supported and respected by their care providers and community. Please join us in making this a reality for Virginia families.

The Local Food Hub - Local Food Hub is a nonprofit organization working to strengthen and secure the future of a healthy regional food supply by providing small farmers with concrete services that support their economic vitality and promote stewardship of the land.

We are developing a sustainable local food distribution model right here in Charlottesville, Virginia. By working together with farmers, eaters, and our community, we are addressing three major issues in our nation’s local food system: distribution, supply, and access.

We operate a local food warehouse where we purchase and aggregate locally grown produce from more than 50 small family farms within 100 miles of Charlottesville.  We then distribute this food to more than 100 locations in our region, including public schools, hospitals, institutions, restaurants and markets.

Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Blue Ridge – Over the past 30 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Blue Ridge has matched thousands of caring adult volunteers in the Staunton/Augusta/Waynesboro, Charlottesville/Albemarle, and Lexington areas with children in need of mentoring and support. Big Brothers Big Sisters works to help young people realize their highest potential through consistent long-term, professionally-supported one-on-one mentoring relationships. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Blue Ridge is an independent, non-profit organization governed by a local Board of Directors and affiliated with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.  We are a proud member of the United Way of Greater Augusta and The Center for Nonprofit Excellence in Charlottesville.

Hope Community Center (Hope Foundation) – This program, under various names, has effectively worked with inner-city children in Charlottesville for more than 20 years. The neighborhood includes about 450 homes designated by federal and local governmental agencies as “targeted” for social and economic lift.

In October 2006, HOPE Community Center opened its doors, offering a complimentary after school program and a summer camp. The children attending are receiving structured educational time, as well as nutritional meals and snacks.

The Hope Community Center supports the following programs:

Hope 4 Kids is an after school program free to the 10th & Page community. The program offers a structured environment assisting the children with both social and academic skills.   Including one on one tutoring, a daily snack, and kid friendly programming are offered between the hours of 3:00 and 5:30 PM.

Hope 4 Refugees works with refugees coming to Charlottesville from multiple countries, including Myanmar (4 tribes: Kachin, Chin, Karen, Burmese), Bhutan, Thailand, Togo, Congo, Sudan, Libya, Burundi, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russian, El Salvador and Mexico.  Our Objective is to help the refugees and immigrants in Charlottesville to overcome language barriers, get acclimated to the American system, and become self-sufficient and independent.

Meet Your Neighbor is a call to the community to become acquainted with our neighbors and to know what is going on. This provides education and an acknowledgment that we are all a part of a greater system. Streets and railroad tracks should not divide humanity! We believe that everyone is everyone’s neighbor. We are all connected. If we express respect and mutual concern for all, our communities will be a better place for all. In return, this will bring more security to the streets of our neighborhoods.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia offer a lineup of nationally recognized programs that address today’s most pressing youth issues. For over 19 years, our core programs have engaged young people in activities with adults and peers, building our kids’ self-esteem and helping them reach their full potential. With locations in Albemarle, Charlottesville, Madison and Orange, our Clubs now serve over 1,400 kids annually.

The Club provides diverse activities that meet the interests of all youth.  Boys & Girls Clubs of America offers a lineup of tested and proven nationally recognized programs that address today’s most pressing youth issues, teaching young people the skills they need to succeed in life.  These five core programs engage young people in activities with adults, peers and family members that enable them to develop self-esteem and to reach their full potential.  In addition, Club staff develop and implement meaningful programs based on the physical, emotional, cultural and social needs of youth in our own community.