Virginia Home for Boys and Girls becomes Waypoint
The Virginia Home for Boys and Girls has a new name.
The 180-year-old Henrico organization is now known as Waypoint; officials made the announcement Oct. 1.
Initially, the organization cared for orphaned boys in Richmond as the Richmond Male Orphan Society, a name it carried from its founding in 1846 until 1930. Today, it works with young people ages 11 to 25 who have experienced trauma or instability and provides transitional living, specialized education, therapeutic resources, advocacy and partnerships. On any given day, about 70 young people are part of the Waypoint community, according to officials.
The name change is the fourth in Waypoint's long history; it transitioned from its original name in 1930, when it became the Richmond Home for Boys, then again in 1975, when it transitioned to the Richmond Home for Boys.
In 2004, it became the Virginia Home for Boys and Girls, following the admission of girls into the residential program in 2003.
Waypoint is located on a 30-acre campus at 8716 West Broad Street, not far from J.R. Tucker High School.
"Since 1846, one thing has remained constant: our relentless focus on doing what is right for young people,” Waypoint President and CEO Claiborne Mason Warner said. “Every young person who comes to us brings something different with them–different traumatic experiences, different needs and different ideas about what they want for their life. Our job is to create a community where young people feel safe, seen and supported.”
On the Waypoint campus, youngsters can live in family-style group homes, attend John G. Wood School, prepare for independent living, play sports, swim, work in the garden and come together for the everyday moments.
More than 6,100 young people are currently in Virginia's foster care system, according to Waypoint officials, and each year 500 of them age out without a permanent family connection and without the support many of their peers rely upon as they take their first steps into adulthood.
"Those are big numbers, but our work happens one young person at a time," Claiborne said. "It might mean helping a student begin to trust an adult again or find success at school. It might mean helping someone prepare for their first apartment. Sometimes it simply means showing up again tomorrow.
"Independence shouldn't have to mean doing everything alone."
