The story below is a preview from our January/February 2026 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Virginia’s Blue Ridge is transforming wellness from the ground up.
Dr. Liz Ackley
Dr. Liz Ackley directs the center for community health innovation at roanoke college, where she leads efforts to improve health equity across the roanoke valley. Her work connects academic research with grassroots action, helping communities use data and strategic partnerships to create healthier, more equitable places to live.
Learn more about Dr. Ackley and her work with Roanoke College on their website.
Courtesy of Melrose Plaza
The Market on Melrose provides critical access to nutritious, high-quality and affordable food.
Wellness today means more than just physical health. It’s about nurturing the full spectrum of the human experience, encompassing intellectual, emotional, social, environmental, occupational, physical, cultural and economic wellness.
Wellness Renaissance in Virginia’s Blue Ridge: Community-Led Innovationin Action
After fifteen years immersed in place-based wellness initiatives across the country, I’ve had the opportunity to explore a wide range of wellness ecosystems. Despite an interesting and diverse change of scenery along that path, I find myself continually inspired by the Roanoke Valley.
To be clear, our region faces health challenges — ones that mirror (and in some cases, outpace) national trends. While these challenges are not unique to us, our momentum, creativity and collaborative innovation are truly celebration worthy. From bold mission reimagining and strategic regional investments to inventive cross-sector collaborations and grassroots efforts that nurture wellness at both the individual and community level, Virginia’s Blue Ridge is emerging as a leader in holistic wellness innovation.
Mission Reimagined: Organizations Leading the Wellness Charge
The term “mission creep” is often negatively connotated, but in Virginia’s Blue Ridge, organizations are boldly acknowledging the multidimensionality of wellness, innovating their strategies in ways that dually reinforce and reengage their mission to meet community wellness needs head-on. Goodwill Industries of the Valleys and Roanoke City Public Schools provide recent shining examples poised to become national models for holistic wellness innovation.
Courtesy of Roanoke City Public Schools
The Community Empowerment Center at Booker T. Washington is part of Roanoke City Public Schools and serves all of their students and families.
In July 2025, Goodwill Industries of the Valleys unveiled Melrose Plaza — a resource hub in Northwest Roanoke featuring a full-service grocery store (Market on Melrose), adult education (Excel Center), wellness services (Carilion Clinic, A Tree Planted, Virginia Department of Health), financial services (Bank of Botetourt), community gathering spaces (Henrietta’s Café) and cultural anchors (Harrison Museum of African American Culture), all under one roof. Serving as project developer and grocery operator for the Market on Melrose, Goodwill Industries of the Valleys has more than doubled down on their mission, stretching their service lineup to provide people with “opportunit(ies) to achieve their greatest potential” by “empowering individuals, strengthening families and inspiring communities”.
Roanoke City Public Schools (RCPS) followed suit, celebrating the opening of the Community Empowerment Center at Booker T. Washington in August 2025. This hub provides wrap-around support for children and their families, including translation services, mental and physical wellness care, adult education, financial literacy and housing stability resources, serving as the tangible realization of RCPS’s Equity in Action Plan.
These shining examples share a common blueprint. Each was shaped by resident input, guided by robust local data — including Carilion Clinic and the Virginia Department of Health’s Community Health Assessments and Roanoke College’s Roanoke Valley Community Healthy Living Index — and fueled by strategic regional and municipal collaboration. By leveraging the capacity and expertise of multiple partner organizations, they offer holistic support across many dimensions of wellness while demonstrating that strategic mission evolution can drive meaningful community change.
Grassroots Greatness: Big Impact from Small Ideas
Want to learn more about how Virginia's Blue Ridge is leading in holistic wellness through community innovation? Check out the latest issue, now on newsstands, or see it for free in our digital guide linked below!
The story above is a preview from our January/February 2026 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!