On December 3rd, Boys Home of Virginia will kick off the holidays by celebrating our 2019 #GivingTuesday campaign BOOKS FOR THE BOYS! The Boys Home library is in need of updating and repopulating their shelves. All donations made for #GivingTuesday will help us provide the books necessary to challenge, inspire, and encourage these young men to read, learn and envision themselves being a positive impact on the world around them. Begin the giving season by giving back! Once Black Friday is over, Small Business Saturday is past, and Cyber Monday is complete, please don’t forget about #GivingTuesday and our BOOKS FOR THE BOYS campaign!
Boys Home is excited to welcome John Murray to the staff as houseparent and English teacher. John has a Bachelor of English degree from Marietta College in Ohio. John worked for Roanoke City Public Schools as a teacher and a coach from 1985-2006. He was lead teacher for HopeTree WOODS School from 2006-2018. He is also author of 42 novels and a professional editor of 100+ novels. John took a short sabbatical after HopeTree WOODS closed its doors in November 2018 and wrote two novels. He says while that time was peaceful and soothing, he found himself missing teaching. He says his favorite thing about Boys Home so far are the views of the mountains from campus, the oatmeal raisin cookies in the dining hall, and the cooler air. He has also thoroughly enjoyed meeting and getting to know an extremely enthusiastic staff. John looks forward to helping “the village” turn boys into productive young men.
Boys Home is saddened to hear about the loss of former trustee Bruce Heilman. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time. Dr. Heilman served on the Boys Home board of trustees from 2015-2019. We will miss seeing him ride into campus on his motorcycle.
Executive Director Donnie Wheatley says, “While only on the Boys Home Board of Trustees for a short period, he had a tremendous impact. He really impressed the students when he rode his Harley in for a stopover when headed west for one of his rides honoring service people. The boys were slack-jawed when he took off his helmet, and they saw that he was not a young man!” The Boys Home community is grateful for Dr. Heilman’s leadership and encouragement.
We’re excited for the Boys Home Hilltoppers to kick off the basketball season! Everyone is invited to come cheer for the team. We hope to see you at the games!
Recently, seven members of the Northside Baptist Church youth group, along with group leaders Bob and Karen Mills and chaperones Trudy Carlton and Lyn Folk, spent the week of July 22 – 26 at Boys Home of Virginia, helping with a variety of activities and projects across campus. All the Boys Home students enjoyed their time with the visitors.
The group brought a remarkable energy to campus during their time at Boys Home, participating in the morning summer enrichment program, afternoon work projects, and evening praise and worship sessions. During summer enrichment, youth group members were paired with students to help with reading fluency and math flashcards. With the addition of new friends, Boys Home students were energized and happy to learn. After lunch when the weather permitted, the youth group helped painted the pergola outside the administration building, often with the help of several of the Boys Home students. On rainy afternoons, they helped with office work and cleaned and organized the clothing room. Each evening, the group offered praise and worship sessions for all who were interested, including songs, a reflection, and prayer. Most Boys Home students participated, especially since praise and worship sessions were followed by group games around campus!
Although Northside Baptist is located several hours away from Covington in Mechanicsville, the church has had a connection with Boys Home for years through Bob Mills, a member of the church, an alum of Boys Home, and the alumni representative on the Boys Home Board of Trustees. When Bob and his wife Karen got involved with the youth group summer mission trips, they decided that Boys Home would be a great place for a trip. They hope to bring the youth group to Boys Home every couple years to help on campus and catch up with old friends!
