Community Impact

Your Funding Support through United Way of Rockbridge

We want and need YOU to help us enhance the lives of all young children living in the Rockbridge area. United Way of Rockbridge started Rockbridge Reads! as its own special community impact program to develop young readers and nurture a community of lifelong learning. Our Board members work with families, schools, and other organizations in the community to sponsor activities that promote early childhood literacy. 

Here are a few of the projects we've tackled as part of Rockbridge Reads!

A Day in K

To prepare Pre-K children for the new experience of school, the United Way of Rockbridge (UWR) annually hosts “A Day in K” event. While especially for Pre-K children, all families with young children are invited to attend. This collaborative event involves UWR volunteers as well as staff and teachers from all elementary schools in Buena Vista, Lexington, and Rockbridge County. We were fortunate to have participation by the Rockbridge Regional Library's Bookmobile, a school bus for exploration, and police and fire departments to make the move into Kindergarten an exciting and anticipated experience. Children and their families participate in a variety of activities and crafts. Each rising Kindergartner receives a bag of school supplies, learning activities and a new reading book. 
 

Christmas Basket Books

Coordinated annually by the United Way of Rockbridge, UWR provided a new, age-appropriate book to each child, from beginning readers through the age of 12, for the Rockbridge Christmas Basket delivery program. In 2025 a total of 821 books in support of literacy were included in the Christmas baskets. 

Book Circulating

United Way of Rockbridge (UWR) completed another successful Community Children’s Book Drive during the fall of 2025.  The Rockbridge community generously donated 1,112 new and gently used children’s books.  The books collected are used in UWR’s ongoing childhood development and literacy projects that provide books to community locations so children select books to take home, read and keep them.

The Community Book Drive coincides each year with the beginning of the United Way of Rockbridge Annual Fundraising Campaign. By supporting United Way, our community members fulfill our mission of “We work better when we work together.”

Please consider giving a gift today. Your community needs your support!