Boys and girls home to celebrate 50th anniversary

50th anniversary — Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Plantation now has several homes in the Lynchburg area. Photo provided

For more than 50 years, the Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Plantation has served the children of Virginia by providing them with homes and hope for the future.

The nonprofit ministry will be celebrating its 50th anniversary on Sept. 17 at its main campus, Patrick Henry’s original 1,000-acre Red Hill Plantation.

The organization has come a long way from its founding in 1961, beginning as a boys’ home that hosted only six residents. Since then, the Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Plantation has grown and it has been serving the community with hard work and Christian values, according to the organization’s mission statement.

“Our ongoing goals are to continue to serve children and families in distress,” Development Officer Harriet Whitten said. “Whether they need counseling services or out of home placements.”

The ministry is celebrating half a decade of service and anticipates a large turnout for their Anniversary Celebration. In conjunction with the anniversary, the Plantation will also be hosting its alumni weekend on the same date.

Over 300 guests are projected to come hear the guest speakers who include Virginia’s most well known faces: Governor Robert McDonnell, the Rev. Jonathan Falwell and NASA astronaut Leland Melvin.

“We are becoming more and more community based,” Whitten stated. “We are continuing to spread into other geographical regions who will get a sense of who we are and what we do.”

In 2007, the Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Plantation opened its first counseling center in Lynchburg to offer family support, child and family counseling and transitional living programs.

Throughout the following years, more homes were constructed and the ministry now operates at five other locations in Brookneal, Rustburg, Cluster Springs, Bedford and Wylliesburg.

As it states in its mission, the Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Plantation continually seeks to further its legacy and its vision while transforming the lives of young generations. The staff and volunteers of the organization offer a continuum of support and services that strive to keep children safe and their families together.