Contact:
Kathryn Yarzebinski, President & CEO
(434) 845-6500
(Lynchburg, VA – June 13, 2025) - The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation (“GLCF” or “Foundation”) announced the 2025 winner of its sixth annual $100,000 Century Fund Grant.
The $100,000 Century Fund grant winner is the Altavista Area YMCA. Funds awarded will be utilized for its Child Development Center Expansion Project.
The Altavista Area YMCA Child Development Center is working to expand its childcare facility and programs to better serve the community. The program supports children in Campbell, Pittsylvania, and Bedford counties. The expansion will allow for 80 additional children to receive childcare services and will provide 16 additional childcare jobs.
The Altavista Area YMCA Child Development Center has provided local families with childcare for over 30 years. Affordable childcare is essential for working parents who depend on these services to maintain employment and reach financial stability. Childcare contributes to overall economic stability and growth within the region. Children enrolled in the program benefit from early childhood education and development programs, setting a strong foundation for their future.
Janice Marston, GLCF Century Fund Committee Chair, said, “The Altavista Area YMCA Child Development Expansion Project stood out to the GLCF Century Fund Committee based on the urgent need proposed in this grant to complete and equip additional childcare services in the community. This grant cites the potential to transform lives through addressing the current need of inadequate and inaccessible quality educational opportunities, particularly for financially disadvantaged families.”
“The expansion of the Altavista Area YMCA’s Child Development Center is transformational for local families,” said Kathryn Yarebinski, President & CEO of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation, “because many more infants and very young children will be cared for, enabling their parents to earn a living. We know that high-quality childcare, especially in rural settings for infants, is really a game-changer for communities.”
Altavista Area YMCA CEO Maria McCracken said, “We are humbled and honored to be awarded the GLCF Century Fund Grant. This grant will allow us to expand quality childcare to working families in our community. We appreciate GLCF recognizing the impactful work that we are doing, and this award is going to help us reach even more children.”
“We are excited about the impact this grant will make on our families, community, and the growth it will provide for local businesses and industry,” said Bryn Simons, Child Development Director.
A press conference and check presentation will take place on June 19 at 7:30 am at the Altavista Area YMCA (718 7th St, Altavista, VA 24517) and the media are invited to attend. Tours of the new childcare facility will be offered, which is near completion. A total of 18 nonprofits applied for the 2025 Century Fund. Now in its sixth year, the Century Fund grant offers a $100,000 grant to a local nonprofit to support a large project that is transformational for the organization and our community. Over $2 million was raised in a special campaign to be able to offer this special grant. Organizations may apply for the grant annually in February, and recipients are decided by a committee of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation.
Past recipients of the Century Fund grant have been the Free Clinic of Central Virginia, Camp Kum-Ba-Yah Nature Center, James River Association, Lynchburg Grows, and Roads to Recovery. Since 1972, the GLCF has granted over $35 million to a wide variety of local nonprofit organizations, including human services, animal welfare, arts, education, and historical preservation organizations. In addition to the Century Fund, the GLCF offers scholarships for local students and two competitive grant cycles for nonprofits annually in the fall and spring. The next grant cycle will be offered in September 2025. In 2024 alone, the GLCF awarded over $2.3 million to 251 charitable organizations. For more information on how to establish a scholarship or to make a gift to one of the existing funds at the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation, please visitwww.lynchburgfoundation.org.
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The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation was established in 1972 to promote local philanthropy. The mission of the GLCF is to enhance the quality of life for our neighbors in the City of Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell by the establishment of permanent endowments with income distributed annually to charitable organizations within the community.Since 1972, the GLCF has granted over $35 million to a wide variety of local nonprofit organizations including human services, animal welfare, arts, education, and historical preservation organizations.
For more information on how to apply for a grant, to start your own charitable fund, or to make a gift to one of the 331 existing funds at the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation, please visitwww.lynchburgfoundation.org.
