Dear Friends,

This was a very special year for the Center, and we are so appreciative and grateful of these memorable milestones in our organization’s history! The year 2024 marks exactly 20 years ago when the Center was created by the Virginia legislature, and we were thankful to celebrate this joyous milestone! In addition to the 20 year anniversary, on March 26, 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed legislation, HB 1381 and SB 704, to rename the Center for Rural Virginia as the Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr. Center for Rural Virginia. Additionally, the legislation for the renaming of the organization was a priority for Governor Youngkin’s Administration and supported by all 140 members of the Virginia General Assembly. The renaming is a tribute to one of the Center’s founding members and former Chair, Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr. Our new name pays tribute to all the tireless work that Senator Ruff did to advance rural Virginia.

Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr. Center for Rural Virginia (The Center) continues to build on recent successes and had an impressive and impactful year. It has been an exciting time for our organization as we completed the third year of the Virginia Rural Leadership Institute (VRLI) and congratulated 28 graduates who will now go onto complete their community impact projects within their respective rural communities. VRLI is the Commonwealth’s first and only leadership program that was created by the Center with the goal of retaining and attracting the best and brightest in our rural communities. With VRLI launching three years ago, many of the community impact projects are coming into fruition and receiving great feedback from their communities.

The Center was very excited to announce the creation of the Rural Virginia Opportunity Dashboard this year and implementation will continue into 2025. This will be a groundbreaking project aimed at empowering rural communities across Virginia. This cutting-edge platform will deliver dynamic, data-driven insights to spotlight the incredible strengths of rural areas while listing vital funding opportunities. The dashboard will be packed with essential statistics on demographics, housing, education, business, and health, the dashboard will also feature interactive asset maps showcasing key infrastructure and community resources. A standout feature, the Rural Resource Index, will serve as a powerful guide to funding opportunities at all levels, empowering governments, nonprofits, businesses, and individuals to drive impactful projects. With downloadable reports and trend data, this game-changing tool will help stakeholders unlock the full potential of rural Virginia!

In addition to our events, featured leadership programs and one-of-a-kind projects, the Center continues to serve as an educator, convener and facilitator of programs and initiatives that work towards making rural Virginia Thrive. The Executive Director at the Center continues to serve as statewide spokesperson on issues pertaining to Rural Virginia. In addition to her duties of running the organization, the Executive Director continues to place a large focus on fundraising to ensure that the Center’s events, programming and projects can move forward.

This past year the Center celebrated many successes, including a substantial increase of state supported financial investment included in the Governor’s proposed budget and overwhelmingly supported by the state legislature.

The Center was thrilled to launch the Rural Virginia Opportunity Dashboard, graduate the class of 2024 Virginia Rural Leadership Institute, a historic and recording breaking 2024 Governor’s Summit on Rural Prosperity in Wytheville, the 2024 Rural Caucus Legislative Breakfast, and continued to serve as staff to host and organize regular meetings of the Virginia General Assembly Rural Caucus during the 2024 General Assembly session.

We hope you enjoy reading this report where you will find a summary of the Center’s activities. It continues to be a privilege to work and meet with many of our friends in rural Virginia, as we traveled to all corners of the Commonwealth. We sincerely appreciate the dedication and hard work from The Board of Directors at the Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr. Center for Rural Virginia. We are grateful to have an incredible Board that cares deeply about the success of rural Virginia and works hard to ensure the Center’s success.

Warm regards,

/s/ Kristie Helmick Proctor
Executive Director
The Virginia Rural Center