The PATH Foundation is a philanthropic grantmaking organization.
Our mission is to strengthen the health and vitality of our community
in Fauquier, Rappahannock and northern Culpeper counties.
Mission Statement
& Brief Overview
WHERE WE SERVE.
We are working to help Fauquier, Rappahannock and Culpeper counties become even stronger places where everyone can live, play, work and grow.
29.9
MILLION
total invested in our community since 2014.
The PATH Resource Center began as a partnership with the Charlottesville-based Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE), and has grown to include the PATH Volunteer Hub, PATH Community Link and a Warrenton office for CNE. In addition, the Resource Center provides community meeting rooms (available free of charge to nonprofits), and houses office space for both the Fauquier Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Fauquier.
The PATH Volunteer Hub is a one-stop shop for finding the perfect volunteer opportunity to match your interests and schedule. With an easy-to-use online platform, letsvolunteer.org, volunteers can get connected with hundreds of opportunities from local organizations who post their needs on the site. By the end of FY 2019, there were more than 2,905 volunteers and 150 agencies registered.
PATH Community Link is a free, confidential call center service that connects community members in need with area organizations and services. They can connect you to services that help with a variety of needs, ranging from food and transportation to translation, access to health, housing and more. If you or someone you know needs resources, contact Community Link at 855-495-LINK (5465), or email communitylink@pathforyou.org. Se habla Español.
The Center for Nonprofit Excellence at the PATH Resource Center offers tools, training, consulting and resources to nonprofits in the PATH Foundation footprint. Their goal is to help strengthen the impact of nonprofits in their communities. They offer classes, workshops, access to the Foundation Directory Online and many more services.
Roberto’s Story: Community Link in Action
Roberto's Story:
When an individual is in need, community support can make a big difference. Roberto, who moved to Fauquier County from Maryland, experienced that first-hand when he found Community Link. As a senior citizen who spoke limited English, navigating the world of healthcare was especially challenging. After visiting the Fauquier Free Clinic, Roberto was referred to PATH Community Link. Since then, Roberto has worked closely with Community Link. Thanks to the confidential call center, he has received personalized assistance tailored to his needs, including things like transportation, translating paperwork, coordinating different appointments, or even just having someone to listen.
“I was going through a very difficult time, but Community Link has been super helpful through this process,” said Roberto. Through the coordinated care of the Free Clinic and other organizations in the community, Roberto was able to get back on his feet. “The whole process has improved my life. I came to this county with lots of problems, especially in regards to my health, and all of that has improved drastically,” he said with a smile. Community Link Manager Yesenia Reyes agreed that Roberto was doing well. “Now, his health issues are under control; he’s walking, and he is on the right track,” said Reyes. “It takes a community to help an individual, and at the end of the day, we all came together to change his life for the better.”
”“I was going through a very difficult time,
but PATH Community Link has been super
helpful through this process.”
Summer
Intern Program
Every year, the PATH Summer Internship Program hires college students and recent graduates for a nine-week internship experience. In the program, interns are paired with a nonprofit that supports PATH’s mission, or placed within PATH Foundation offices. While each intern has a diverse skill set and background, they all share the common interest of improving our community’s health.
Summer interns also work together on a group project; this year, interns created “PATH to Kindness,” which encouraged kindness to both the community and to self. The project included several pop-up events and a “Kindness Walk” that brought the community together to practice kindness by packing bags for homeless shelters, learning about positive mental health strategies and more.
2019 Interns
Cierra Chambers
Commit to Be Fit
Julia Estes
Warrenton Aquatic Recreation and Fitness Center (WARF)
Breanna Hill
Fauquier Excellence in Education Foundation
James Jorgensen
Aging Together
Lori Leidenheimer
Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District (VDH)
Asma Noman
Northern Piedmont Community Foundation
Grace Overman
Mental Health Association of Fauquier County
Helen Scherer
PATH Foundation – Communications
Amber Taylor
PATH Resource Center
Caitlin Wagner
The Clifton Institute
Stephanie Weber
Fauquier Reaches for Excellence in School Health (FRESH)
Katherine Wright
FCPS Virginia Preschool Initiative
Let’s Volunteer Day
Each year, the PATH Volunteer Hub’s Let’s Volunteer Day brings the community together for a day of service. In 2019, more than 500 volunteers mobilized to complete over 40 projects for local nonprofits. The projects covered a range of interests and needs; from packing purses with hygiene supplies for homeless women, to gardening on Haiti Street, assembling Easter Eggs for families, or planting flowers to beautify Old Town Warrenton, there was something for every volunteer!
High School Giving
In May 2019 PATH Foundation’s High School Giving program provides every high school senior in our footprint with $25 to donate to a local nonprofit. In all, more than 1,300 seniors participated, bringing the total donations to $32,625. By engaging with nonprofits, students learn the benefits of philanthropy first-hand, and connect and contribute to the causes they care most about.
Focus on Preschool Initiatives
Virginia’s First Lady, Pam Northam, visited Warrenton to discuss early education grants and local preschool initiatives, including Books on the Bus, a Fauquier County Public Schools program and PATH Foundation
grantee. During her visit, she read stories to children, toured Books on the Bus and held a meeting with several community leaders and stakeholders.
SNAP AT FARMER’S MARKET
Fauquier FISH received $10,000 towards a matching fund that allowed clients to use SNAP benefits at the Warrenton Farmer’s Market, in addition to using them at brick and mortar stores. This helped more families in our community get access to fresh, healthy and local food.
OPIOID RIPPLES
The Piedmont Journalism Foundation received $15,000 to fund the Opioid Ripples Project, which together with Foothills Forum, documented and raised awareness for the opioid epidemic in our area. The result was a four-part series which shared stories of individuals and organizations involved in the crisis. The series was published in four major regional publications: Fauquier Times, Fauquier Now, Culpeper Star-Exponent and Rappahannock News.
SKY MEADOWS STATE PARK SENSORY TRAIL
A $19,955 grant Friends of Sky Meadows State Park helped to fund the creation of a new sensory trail. It features signage and audio features for the blind and visually impaired, creating accessible outdoor recreation for everyone.
YOUTH FOR TOMORROW
Youth for Tomorrow (YFT) received $75,000 to open their Fauquier Behavioral Health Office in Warrenton, where YFT provides a large array of services for youth and their families. These include outpatient substance abuse programs for adolescents, diagnostic assessment and evaluation, and individual and family therapy.
VIRGINIA COLLEGE ADVISING CORPS
The Virginia College Advising Corps, an Americorps program, received $95,000 to fund the placement of college advisers at four area high schools: Liberty High School, Rappahannock High School, Eastern View High School and Culpeper County High School. The advisers provide personal admissions and financial aid advising to help each student find their perfect fit after high school.
RAPPAHANNOCK PANTRY
Rappahannock Pantry received $42,940 in grant funds to build an upgraded facility in Washington, Virginia, which will allow them to expand and better serve Rappahannock County residents in need.
ROCKWATER PARK
In partnership with Culpeper Wellness Foundation, the Town of Culpeper and the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation, PATH contributed $30,000 to help enhance Rockwater Park in Culpeper with a track, obstacle course and climbing boulder. The new and improved park features were chosen based on a survey of area middle- and high-schoolers, who have an exciting new way to pursue wellness.
HAITI NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION PROGRAM
Fauquier Habitat for Humanity’s Haiti Neighborhood Revitalization program received $1,050,000 in PATH Foundation funding. The program will maintain homes for current residents, in addition to acquiring and renovating homes in the Haiti Street Neighborhood, which ensures access to affordable housing, community engagement, opportunity and stability.
4P FOODS
4P Foods, a benefit corporation, received a $1.2 million grant to fund the construction of a new food hub in Vint Hill. The hub will manage aggregation, storage, distribution and more, to help get food from local farmers to schools, businesses and families. The funding from the PATH Foundation covered equipment, engineering and architecture plans, and some staffing at the facility.
Spotlight Videos
Check out these videos for a closer look at PATH Foundation programs and focus areas.
Commit to Be Fit
Rappahannock County Public Schools
FRESH
Fauquier County Public Schools