Parking garage named for longtime Liberty supporters, dedicated business owners

Liberty University’s new parking garage on East Campus was recently named the Runk & Pratt Garage, honoring an area business, Runk & Pratt Senior Living Communities, which has been a loyal supporter and continuing partner in advancing the university’s mission.

On Monday afternoon, Liberty officially recognized Runk & Pratt’s owners and their families, thanking them for their sponsorship.

“On behalf of Liberty University, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Brian and Vickie Runk and their extended family for their generous donation to our university,” said Jim Nichols, Liberty’s vice president of University and Athletic Development. “For everything they have done in the past and for everything they still do and will continue to do, we just want them to know how thankful we are, and we look forward to a wonderful future together. This parking garage is one of a kind, and with their name on it, that makes it even more special.”

Vickie Runk (’89), co-founder with her husband, Brian (’88), called it an honor to be able to support their alma mater through their work.

“Having gone to Liberty back in the 1980s, I never would have thought that I would someday see my name here on a building,” Vickie Runk said. “But that really isn’t what it is about. It’s more about investing in young people to go out and to spread the Gospel and make a difference in whatever they are doing. No matter what field they choose, they can be a Champion for Christ.”

The family’s ties to Liberty actually go back to her father, Dr. Norman Pratt, who attended seminary and worked with Liberty founder Dr. Jerry Falwell in the university’s related ministries. Now, the family has celebrated its third generation of Liberty graduates; the Runks’ son Chris graduated in 2013 and their daughter Caitlyn graduated in 2016. They both play integral roles in the family business, along with their brother, Chandler.

Runk & Pratt strives to enhance the lives of their senior residents, something that Vickie Runk said she learned from her time spent at Liberty.

“The correlation with our mission statement and Liberty’s is that we desire to minister to the body, mind, soul, and spirit. We train our staff to do that,” Vickie Runk said.

She added that Liberty students have also volunteered and completed their internships through Runk & Pratt.

“Students will come up and spend time with the people in our homes; the students just want to meet them and be in their world and accept them.”

The Runk & Pratt family shares a rich and successful history of operating what will soon be six senior living communities in Lynchburg, Forest, and Smith Mountain Lake in Central Virginia. Rooted in faith, their commitment to excellence and the care of loved ones has transformed the landscape of senior care in the greater Lynchburg area.

Vickie Runk studied psychology at Liberty, and when she began her career in social work, she found that she had a fondness for caring for her elderly clients, wishing she could do more to assure they were healthy and happy. She and Brian dreamed of starting a home for this underserved community. Her father, who served as an Air Force chaplain and later became a long-term care administrator, and her mother, Linda, joined them on their mission to create loving, healthy environments in which seniors could thrive.

The family also currently operates the Runk & Pratt School of Nursing Instruction, a wedding and events company, restaurants, and two golf courses. They currently care for 550 seniors and have 490 employees. Vickie Runk is also a top 100 individual fundraiser nationwide for the Alzheimer’s Association each year.

Liberty students and the community will now be reminded of the family’s testimony of care when they drive by or park in the Runk & Pratt Garage.

“It’s very humbling to remember that each step these students are taking, I’ve walked those steps too,” Vickie Runk said. “I just never knew what God was going to do with my life. To be able now to bless this university through the works that God has done in our lives is very, very rewarding.”

The nine-story garage opened on Oct. 3 with more than 2,100 new parking spaces, including 20 electric vehicle charging stations located on the third floor. The garage has three entrances — one on the first floor and two on the third floor. The new parking option especially benefits fans who attend events in both the Vines Center and the new Liberty Arena. From an elevator on the ground level of the garage, fans can exit to a covered walkway that connects directly to the pedestrian tunnel under U.S. 460, which empties next to both venues.