SJV, longest continuously operating children’s nonprofit, turns 180 years old
On November 25, 1834, three courageous Daughters of Charity stepped off of a steamboat at Rockett’s Landing with a purpose –Richmond was overwhelmed with orphaned and impoverished children living on the city streets. The Daughters answered the call for help by founding an orphanage and school in a thirty by forty foot church at Fourth and Marshall Streets to provide these children with shelter and care. St. Joseph’s Villa was born.
The school, then known at St. Joseph’s Academy and Orphan Asylum, served 65 children when it first opened. Today, as a non-sectarian nonprofit organization, St. Joseph’s Villa transforms the lives of 2,800 children and families each year. These individuals face homelessness, mental illness, autism and other immense challenges. For 180 years the Villa has helped those we serve make 180-degree turns in their lives and experience brighter futures. None of this would have been possible without the steadfast support of our community, including you.
Thank you for being a part of the Villa’s mission to turn lives around. We have believed in our children in families for 180 years, and we always will.
Celebrate the Villa’s history by making a gift that will forever change the life of a child.