Atlas grew up in Chincoteague, Virginia before moving to the Charlottesville area in 2017. He has always been a great lover of the outdoors and animals, both pets and wildlife. Growing up he spent most of his time on the wildlife refuge his mother worked at.  In his free time, you can often find Atlas…

DR has lived in every region of the east coast as a child. Unable to forget the blue mountains of Pennsylvania, she graduated from Appalachian State University in North Carolina and shortly after moved to this area. She held various jobs, but was unfulfilled at work and found meaning instead with her grayscale cats, their…

Kofi was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee Where he studied Chemistry at Fisk University. He has always had an interest in childcare and education after growing up as the eldest grandchild of over 20 children. Kofi recently moved to Charlottesville, Virginia and has grown accustomed to the East Coast and Appalachian mountains. Being in…

Hanna was born in Fairfax, Virginia. She moved to Charlottesville in 2012. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts  in Sculpture and Extended Media from VCUarts in 2020 with a focus in Italian Studies.. Hanna has been a tutor and a teacher for 2 years before joining the team at Our Neighborhood. She also did…

Katherine grew up in Charlottesville before attending Messiah College. She graduated with a degree in Human Development and Family Science, with a focus in Children and Youth Services. She spent her summers as a camp counselor, and also spent time as a child-life volunteer at UVA Children’s Hospital. In her free time, she enjoys spending…

Jackie was born in Burbank, California. She lived in Los Angeles until the age of six, then moved with her family to Afton, Virginia. Even though Afton is a drastic change from the big city, she quickly adapted. She has always had a great love for the outdoors, so rural Virginia was perfect. Jackie has…

Zac grew up in Waynesboro, Virginia with his mother, father and two younger brothers. He moved to Harrisonburg at the age of 20 to be closer to Blue Ridge Community College and live with friends attending JMU. While living in Harrisonburg, he met his wife, Kelly. Zac and Kelly got married in 2017 and welcomed…

Shannon grew up in Lovettsville, Virginia before attending Roanoke College. There she studied psychology and many of her chosen electives were in human development. During her summers she worked with English language learners, and she also spent time in Washington, D.C. working with underserved children. Upon graduation she began her work with neurodiverse children, many…

Amdane was born in West Africa, Benin, in 1999. By the age of 3,  he moved to the U.S. with both his parents and his 5 siblings at the time. First finding himself in Louisiana, moved to Charlottesville, Virginia after hurricane Katrina with his family, in hopes of a fresh start. He has lived here…