Richmond, Virginia Angel, a dog lover, works for a doggie daycare center. She greatly enjoys her job and confesses to receiving quite a few “sloppy kisses” each day. She has built relationships with her canine clients, and takes pride in the peace of mind she gives to their owners when they drop their pets off. […]

Norfolk, Virginia Barbara creates beautiful handwritten notes for special documents and letters for members of her Suffolk community and for her church, where she’s the Clerk. She knows how valuable the personal touch is when reaching out to others. She’s always been a reader and a writer because her mother taught Barbara and her siblings […]

Richmond, Virginia Brianna is a Richmond area native, born and raised in Chesterfield, with an older sister and half-brother. Family members raised Brianna after she was placed in foster care as a child. The family received a stipend from the Virginia Department of Social Services for Brianna and her siblings’ care while they were in […]

Chesapeake, Virginia Of Mexican heritage, Carmen and her family are longtime residents in her community. Her favorite childhood memory is of running through the countryside with her brothers, and playing in a stream. She wants to provide her own children with good childhood memories as well, but she works long hours. Carmen caulks and paints […]

Chesterfield, Virginia As a little girl in Chesterfield, Christine experienced first- hand the foster care system. In high school, she advocated for foster youth and participated in the “Great Expectations” program there. Christine, 26, is employed in the Virginia social services system and can draw upon her own experience inside the foster care system. She […]

Franklin, Virginia Cori is a talented artist who spends most of her time perfecting her artistic skills. She’s learning about different types of butterflies and has started drawing them as well. Her mother works at a local church, and Cori hopes one day she’ll be able to do a painting for the parish house. Cori […]

Virginia Beach, Virginia An activist, cancer survivor, grandmother to nine, and fan of the 1960’s cowboy series, “Maverick,” Debra is a woman with many tales to tell. Debra’s mission is to advocate for herself and her fellow community members. In addition to all the other things she does, she is a member of the Board […]

Richmond, Virginia Running short of money to pay bills, Donald borrowed $100 from a payday lender near his Henrico County residence to catch up. Four months later, he owed $320 in fees on top of the original $100, and the lender was threatening to sue him. Donald was caught in the payday lending debt trap. […]

Glade Hill, Virginia Erica is an artist who weaves kudzu vines into beautiful decorative wreaths. She sells her creations at local fairs and festivals and has plans for local stores to carry her designs. Erica is also learning other rural Virginia craft designs to incorporate into her business. Because she has her own business, she […]

Big Stone Gap, Virginia Originally a Mississippi man with a long career as a golf course groundskeeper, Ernie now lives in Big Stone Gap with his wife. He’s a bass fisherman, an avid amateur historian, and an expert whittler of beautiful wooden craft pieces, including Celtic spoons. Ernie sells his Celtic wood designs at Renaissance […]

Drewryville, Virginia Sixty-one years ago, Moses and Eunice met at a daytime church revival in Southside Virginia. Soon afterward they married, and have lived in New York and Richmond. The parents of two sons, they have retired and live a quietly active life in Southampton County, near friends and family. Retirement also included Eunice serving […]

Chester, Virginia George, a customer service representative, enjoys being an assistant coach for his daughter’s 16-and-under girls’ slo-pitch softball league. Recently, he encountered a game he was not prepared for: one designed by a payday lender. George borrowed money from an internet lender to help out a family member but didn’t realize the lender was […]

Martinsville, Virginia After a long career with the local school department doing IT work, Greg was ready to retire at age 65 and move closer to his elderly father in Martinsville. His Enroll Virginia navigator helped arrange affordable health insurance so that he and his wife would still have quality coverage when he retired. Now, […]

Norfolk, Virginia Rodney has limited mobility and applied for disability benefits. He contacted legal aid to ask for their assistance after he received a letter of denial. A legal aid attorney appealed the decision, and Rodney received the benefits he needed to be able to live independently. With the aid of a walker, Rodney can […]

Radford, Virginia Jae was living in a domestic violence survivors’ shelter, fearful of losing her children to an abusive husband, a US citizen. After exhausting many resources, Jae felt she was running out of time and hope. Then, she met with a VPLC domestic violence and sexual assault attorney. The attorney filed a Violence Against […]

Richmond, Virginia Mother of two and grandmother of six, Jenise says her biggest challenge in life has been watching her son navigate the rough terrain of being a black man in America. “The system is unjust and not designed for them to win. They have to learn to embrace the injustice, succeed in spite of […]

Roanoke, Virginia Joel, a father of four children ranging in age from twelve to nineteen, was concerned when he was laid off. Joel had always provided for his family and worked in construction and plumbing. When he was laid off, his first concern was health insurance for his family, especially for his third child who […]

Manassas, Virginia Jordan, 20, is a very responsible young man. He is a dedicated co-parent to his four-year-old son and helps his mother take care of his younger brother, who is on the autism spectrum. In addition, he likes working at the job he’s had for two years. Jordan has high-functioning autism, but it hasn’t […]

Chesapeake, Virginia A Massachusetts native, Kathy has lived in Virginia almost half her life. Her outgoing nature is a perfect match for the work she does: as a civic league president, she gathers information and insights from her neighbors within their mobile home community and advocates for them collectively. Katherine has educated herself on zoning, […]

Salem, Virginia Kathryn was born and raised in Southwest Virginia, a proud mother of three children and devoted “Nana” to a beloved grandson. She grew up in the home her paternal great- grandfather built at the turn of the nineteenth century. Her great-grandfather had built a separate house for each of his eight children on […]

Mechanicsville, Virginia Kim and her son lived with Kim’s parents until recently, when they helped her buy her first home. She loves that her new home has a backyard for her son and is only a few streets from her parents. While her son had health insurance, Kim did not, and she rarely sought medical […]