5/30: NRCA open house
New River Community Action (NRCA) announces its new brand and the grand opening of its new Community Hub in Radford at an Open House and Dedication Ceremony to be held May 30 from 4:30-6:30 at 206 3rd Ave. Radford, Va. 24141. The Radford Chamber of Commerce will be conducting an official Ribbon Cung at 5:00 pm to celebrate the launch.
NRCA will also be honoring the Philip M Sadler Volunteer of the Year Award, the NRCA Community Supporter of the Year Award, and presenting the George Ducker Scholarship at a short ceremony at 5:30. Join us for refreshments and tours of the new Community Hub to learn more about the crucial role of New River Community Action and this exciting service enhancement in the New River Valley.
Katie Collins, NRCA’s Director of Administration, has worked to make this Community Hub a reality for over ten years. Collins partnered with Jeff Buchinsky of West Street Property, along with Balzer and Associates- Architectural, Engineering & Surveying two years ago, and that is when the dream began becoming a reality. Buchinsky purchased the building and began renovating it last summer. This is not the first partnership between NRCA and Buchinsky. Collins says, “Jeff is a miracle worker. He focuses on what helps the community and keeps it affordable with our limited budget. He always finds a way to go above and beyond to make it work for us to fulfill our mission.”
While New River Community Action provides services in each of our regions (Giles, Floyd, Montgomery, and Pulaski Counties as well as Radford City), NRCA created our Community Services Hub to incorporate more of our services into one location. (Emergency Assistance and Food Pantries, Floyd Backpack Program (provides weekend food), Head Start, Homeless and Housing Programs (housing counseling and education), To Our House(temporary overnight seasonal thermal shelter), Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, Thriving Families Safer Children (building protective factors for children), Whole Family Approach (breaking the cycle of poverty) – Children’s Health Improvement Partnership, VACARES (offender re-entry program), workforce development, Head Start administration, and housing connections (housing choice voucher program), were incorporated into the services that were already available at our main office location.
Most of these services are provided in the individual Counties, but the Community Hub allows families to come to one location and meet with our central intake staff and connect with all our different services at one time. Our new Community Hub will also allow the community to access technology and even connect with our community partners in a safe space with trusted NRCA staff.
For almost 60 years, New River Community Action has been integral to this region, consistently uplifting and supporting our many communities. NRCA Board Chair Laura Walters of Pulaski states, “Consolidation of offices to improve efficiency and enhance services to clients through the creation of a Community Hub facility was identified in the agency’s current Strategic Plan, adopted by the Board in 2022. This new Community Hub is just one more way NRCA can support our neighbors in the New River Valley. It’s what New River Community Action has always done, and the expansion to the new Hub will help us do that even better.”
New River Community Action’s mission is to promote and support the well-being and self-reliance of individuals, families, and communities. Our new Community Hub in Radford is the next step in making that mission a reality.
