News

Boys Home to Participate in Give Local Alleghany Highlands

Members of Covington First Presbyterian Church Tour Boys Home Cabin Project

Covington First Presbyterian Church representatives Rev. Susi Ennis and Barbara Hise visited Boys Home to tour a cabin created by the applied trades classes. Students who had a hand in creating the custom-built cabin were present to talk about the nearly-completed structure. The project was made possible by a grant sponsored by Covington First Presbyterian Church and funded by Presbytery of the Peaks.

Mr. Louis Sarratt, Special Projects Manager for Boys Home, came up with the idea of a modular cabin as a teaching tool to provide students with foundational skills needed to be successful as a carpenter. The grant funds were secured, and the project began this past March.

Several students have been a part of the project, from the planning, to building the decking, standing the walls, building the gussets for the truss system, and window installation. The cabin plans were also modified during the building process to accommodate more people. An additional loft area was created over the front entrance. The bunk on the lower level was expanded, and the roofline was elevated.

Rev. Ennis and Mrs. Hise visited with students to hear about the project and what the boys had learned in the process. They viewed the building and were provided with insights from Boys Home students and staff regarding the construction planning and implementation. The students were excited to show off their handiwork and explain various building methods and designs.

“We are very humbled by the investment of Covington First Presbyterian Church and the Presbytery of the Peaks,” shared Executive Director Donnie Wheatley. “Partnerships such as this open doors of life-changing opportunity for Boys Home students.”

The next step in the process will be to disassemble the cabin, transport it to its final location on the mountain, and re-assemble. When asked if the various parts were numbered for re-assembly, Boys Home student Seth shared that the building was constructed in such a way that they did not need to mark the various pieces.

According to Sarratt, the long-term vision is to use this cabin as a template for future learning opportunities for upcoming students. Sarratt and the students hope to have this initial cabin placed on the chosen site and completed by the fall.

For more information on Boys Home and how you can help, please contact the Development Office at (540) 965-7700.

Louis Sarratt Named Boys Home Educator of the Year

Louis Sarratt, Special Projects Manager, was named as the 2020 Educator of the Year for Boys Home of Virginia during the 42^nd Annual Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Dinner at the Greenbrier on April 18, 2021. Each year, the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, in collaboration with the local school systems, recognizes outstanding educators within each school division. 

According to Boys Home Director of Education Teresa Johnson, Mr. Sarratt was chosen as the 2020 Boys Home honoree because he is an exemplary individual and educator. “He uses a variety of techniques to monitor, evaluate, and encourage student progress. He seeks assistance from the school administration to reach his students. He maintains a great rapport with students and is actively involved with school projects on campus.”

Sarratt says he was very surprised and humbled by the honor. While he doesn’t label himself a teacher, after spending just a little time with Sarratt, it’s evident that he has provided a lifetime of guidance and education to those around him.

Starting his career as a craftsman working for his father-in-law, Sarratt credits his father-in-law with the skills, knowledge, and know-how that he is now passing on to the students at Boys Home. Sarratt had a 20-year career in the United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, providing instruction in carpentry and masonry. As a master mason, he taught many other young adults the craft. He also taught first-year carpenter apprentices at Norfolk Technical Center for a year.

Sarratt started at Boys Home as a full-time employee in January of 2018. Prior to becoming a full-time employee, he worked on a few remodeling projects and volunteered for a handful of mission projects for Boys Home a few years earlier.  Sarratt says he felt the calling to be more deeply immersed in Boys Home from that moment on. However, it wasn’t until October 2017 that he and Mrs. Sarratt finally made the decision to move.

“I was in charge of a few of the renovation projects and upgrades around campus when I first started,” shared Sarratt. Within the first few months, he built the stone altar and cross at the top of the Boys Home mountain. Then, he started working with the younger students on smaller craft projects. Soon, Sarratt was asked to take on more responsibilities in teaching skilled trades like carpentry and masonry to the students interested in skilled trades.

One of the biggest challenges for Sarratt has been time management. He says he has had to be very conscious of how he spends his time. “Students would come to me asking for help on a special project or class project. At first, I would tell them no because of my time constraints. But then, I started to see the look in their eyes when I would turn them away. I don’t ever want to see that look on any young man’s face again.”

The students that he is teaching now have been finishing the inside of the trades building – building interior walls and classrooms, insulating, and more. One thing that he says he wants to be sure of is that students leave Boys Home with some kind of certification. Sarratt is working on a partnership with Build Smart Institute in Roanoke to create such a pathway for students. “I want these kids to leave here with something in their hand. I want them to start in the world with a leg up or head start,” he stated.

Sarratt is very vested in the success of each of the young men at Boys Home. This year’s graduation will be particularly bittersweet for him as he has been with these students since they started high school. He is proud of their accomplishments thus far and is looking forward to their future successes. Sarratt spoke, with his eyes getting slightly misty, of one of this year’s seniors, “He was like a sponge. I couldn’t give him enough information.  And, at the end of each class on Friday, he would thank me for all that I had taught him and the other students that week.”

“It’s amazing what God can do when you let go and let Him work through you. We are here to be a positive force in the lives of these young men. We want them to leave here with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in the world – to teach them the code of Boys Home – leaving here to make a good life for themselves and their families and the world a better place.”

Winner Announced for Boys Home Quilt Raffle 2021

Boys Home of Virginia hosted its 2021 Quilt Raffle drawing on Wednesday, May 5th. Mrs. Janice Markham, of Ft. Monroe, Virginia, was the lucky winner. She won an expertly-crafted, queen-sized, Trip Around the World-patterned quilt with multiple shades of blue and various floral patterns. A special thank you to Mrs. Phyllis Gibson, sister of Boys Home’s Executive Director Donnie Wheatley, for making and donating this beautiful quilt.

Due to successful events like this, Boys Home can continue to help each student strive toward becoming a productive member of society, by developing his potential – spiritually, mentally, physically, and socially. Thank you to everyone who participated in this fundraising event!

Boys Home Pitches in to Support Clean-Up Month in the Alleghany Highlands

Boys Home students are pitching in to support Clean-Up Month in the Alleghany Highlands.

In support of the community-wide effort, students volunteered their time to collect trash from along the roadside during minimester this past March. Director of Support Services Bobby Trice shared that students tend to feel a greater sense of pride and are more invested in the community when they participate in efforts such as these. Boys Home students have been picking up trash along the property lines adjacent to US 60 for many years.

In addition to the highway clean-up efforts, members of the Boys Home Key Club participated in the Clifton Forge Corridor Curb Appeal Spring Spruce-Up held Saturday, April 24, in downtown Clifton Forge. Key Club members Nick and Josh were spotted outside of Sonabank cleaning sidewalks and picking up trash.