Valley Children's Advocacy Center

06/12/2026

A therapy room is more than four walls.

It’s the books that help start hard conversations.
It’s the sensory tools that help children feel grounded.
It’s the toys, art supplies, and resources that give children new ways to express feelings when words are difficult.

These are some of the items you’ll find inside our new therapy room, each intentionally chosen to create a safe, welcoming space where healing can happen.
Thanks to our community, we are getting closer to bringing this room to life, but we still need your help.

Your support of our Make Room for Healing campaign helps provide specialized therapy resources, soundproofing, and room updates that allow Valley Children’s Advocacy Center to expand mental health services for children and families in our community.

Let's make MORE room for healing 💙

Donate: bit.ly/CAChealing
Amazon Wish List: amzn.to/4dfyJpa

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06/10/2026

Beautiful venue, great food, awesome music, family activities all make for a perfect Shenandoah Valley Saturday 🎶

Thank you GFWC Staunton Augusta Junior Women's Club and Red August Farm for hosting Tastes and Tunes again this year!

Eek! We are only 3 days out from Tastes & Tunes: a Fundraiser for the Valley Children's Advocacy💜

Date: June 13, 2026
Time: 11 am to 4 pm

Venue: Red August Farm
1171 Hermitage Road
Waynesboro, VA 22980
https://redaugustfarm.com

🎶Live Music
🛍️Shopping
🎟️Kids Zone
🌭Food Trucks
📷Photo Booth
🍺Beer Garden
‼️And More!!

Pre puchased tickets are $10.
Tickets purchased at event are $12.
Kids 12 and under are FREE!

Mark your calendars and join us!

Ticket link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/tastes-and-tunes-festival--2026

Adult Beverage Tickets: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/tastes-and-tunes-adult-beverage-ticket

06/08/2026

Last week, Valley Children’s Advocacy Center welcomed Blue Ridge CASA for Children staff and advocates for a tour, conversation, and an opportunity to learn more about our work.

While our roles may look different, our missions are connected in the community. Both organizations walk alongside children and families and sometimes our paths cross as we work toward the same goal: helping children feel safe, supported, and heard.

Building relationships between nonprofits matters. Collaboration, understanding, and shared knowledge help strengthen the network of care available to children when they need it most.

Thank you, Blue Ridge CASA, for spending time with us and for the important work you do every day for children in our community.

Learn more about how both organizations are working to support, advocate for, and strengthen services for children and families in our community.
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06/08/2026

Thank you for your partnership and generosity!

06/06/2026

Creativity, connection, and community.

During Mental Health Month in May, Staunton Clayground welcomed the Valley Children’s Advocacy Center team into the studio for an afternoon of creativity, connection, and team building.

Creating isn’t just about making something beautiful. Engaging in creative activities activates different parts of the brain, encourages mindfulness, reduces stress, and gives us space to slow down, connect, and recharge.

We see and feel the power of safe spaces. Staunton Clayground creates a place where people can explore, learn, and express themselves through art. Valley Children’s Advocacy Center provides trauma-informed services and support for children and families as they begin their healing journey.

Mental health matters, whether that’s through creativity, connection, support, or simply making space to breathe.

Whether through art, advocacy, or simply showing up for one another, strong communities are built through connection.

Follow along to learn more about the work happening right here in the Shenandoah Valley.
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06/02/2026

Every once in a while, a book finds you exactly where you need it.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy resonated with me (a child survivor of sexual abuse) how very few books have. It puts into words the simple things every child deserves to hear: you are enough, it’s okay to ask for help, it’s okay to be scared, lost, or unsure of what comes next.

As someone still carrying childhood trauma and sexual abuse into adulthood, I saw pieces of myself in each character. The boy feels lost. The fox has been hurt so deeply that he pushes people away. The horse hides how special he is because he’s afraid of standing out. The mole, who seems small and weak, shows incredible strength through kindness and love.

What makes this book so healing for people with traumatic childhoods is that it speaks to the wounded inner child so many of us still carry. The characters model the things trauma often steals from us: trust, safety, vulnerability, self-worth, and connection. Through their friendships, honesty, and acceptance of one another, the book teaches that you do not have to earn love by being perfect, strong, or unaffected by pain.

One quote I loved was, “One of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things.” That line felt especially powerful because trauma can make you feel trapped in fear, shame, and survival mode for years. As a survivor, one of the most powerful takeaways for me was realizing that healing does not mean pretending the pain never happened. Healing can simply begin with learning to speak to yourself with the same kindness, patience, and compassion these characters show each other. Sometimes surviving is not dramatic or loud. Sometimes it looks like finally believing you deserve love, rest, safety, and a future.

This book doesn’t pretend healing is easy, but it offers something even more meaningful: hope. It provides the reminder that broken, hurting people can still grow, connect, and become whole again. For anyone who grew up feeling broken, unlovable, or never quite enough, this book feels like a reminder that you were always worthy of love in the first place.

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05/29/2026

THIS is the summer kickoff event you don’t want to miss 🎶🍷☀️

Tastes & Tunes is bringing together live music, local food, drinks, community, and one incredible cause all in one beautiful afternoon at Red August Farm .

Spend the day listening to amazing music, enjoying local flavors, shopping vendors, and soaking up the Shenandoah Valley vibes while helping support Valley Children’s Advocacy Center and the children and families they serve.

Good music. Good people. A beautiful venue. And a chance to make a real impact in our community? Count us in.

Grab your friends and make plans now because this is going to be SUCH a fun day.

📍 Red August Farm
📅 June 13, 2026
🕚 11 AM – 4 PM
🎵 Missy Raines,Dustin Pence Band, Crystal Armentrout, John Paul Douglas & The Bitter Trades and Ben Reade
🔗 https://bit.ly/tastesandtunes2026

Thank you for hosting Tastes & Tunes again this year!!

05/26/2026

It’s hard to put into words what it feels like to watch our community begin building our new therapy room alongside us. Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared, encouraged, and supported the Make Room for Healing Campaign so far.

Seeing donations from our Amazon Wish List start to arrive has been exciting for our team. Every book, sensory item, toy, and art supply represents someone in our community saying, “Children deserve a safe place to heal.”

We’re still working toward our goal of fully transforming this space into a therapy room designed specifically for healing, including soundproofing for privacy and important building updates. Since these costs are not covered within our annual operating budget, we are relying on community partnership to help bring this therapy space to life.

If you’d like to partner with us in creating more room for healing for children and families in our community, donations can be made here: bit.ly/CAChealing

Thank you for helping us build this room with care, intention, and hope 💙

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05/22/2026

Healing happens through consistent support, safe spaces, and trusted relationships.

So far in 2026, Valley Children’s Advocacy Center has provided therapy services to 65 individuals, including child survivors and caregivers navigating the impact of trauma.

When children receive early support, it can reduce the emotional, behavioral, and physical impacts and create a stronger foundation for healing and resilience.

Early support matters. Expanding our space means expanding access to healing. Join us as we make room for more children and families to receive the care they deserve.

05/18/2026

You Can Help is written by survivor Rebecca Street and offers an honest, compassionate look at the complexity of healing after sexual abuse.

Through her own story and the voices of other survivors, the book highlights practical, meaningful ways friends, family members, and support systems can help promote healing in the aftermath of trauma.

It’s a relatively quick read at about 160 pages, and each chapter includes brief “Practical Tips” sections that can easily be read on their own.

Sometimes support starts with listening. Sometimes it starts with learning. And sometimes it starts with simply being willing to better understand the experiences of survivors.

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