This year, we celebrate 45 years of Blue Ridge Care.

There is something humbling about major milestones like this. They remind us that we are part of a story that began long before many of us arrived and that will continue long after we are gone.

Forty-five years is long enough to see the thread of a vision become part of the fabric of a community.

It is long enough to witness the impact of a mission carried faithfully from one generation to the next. And it is long enough to understand that the most meaningful legacies are rarely built through one defining moment, but through thousands of small acts of courage, compassion, and service.

Forty-five years ago, a handful of people believed our community deserved something that did not yet exist. A conversation became an idea. An idea became a commitment. A commitment became action. And what began as a volunteer-based hospice serving 25 patients in its first year has grown into a coordinated system of care employing nearly 500 team members and serving thousands of individuals and families each year.

But what’s most humbling is realizing that our true impact could never be measured by numbers alone.

It lives in countless acts of kindness, in memories shared around kitchen tables, in conversations, in hands held, in fears eased, in tears shared, and in lives remembered.

The story of Blue Ridge Care is a story of the butterfly effect — every moment of human connection continuing to unfold in ways that reach beyond what we can see.

“I never dared to imagine, when we admitted our first patient on Valentine’s Day in 1981, what Blue Ridge Hospice would go on to become.”

— Helen Zebarth, Founder

As we celebrate this milestone, my deepest gratitude goes to everyone who has helped write this story.

• To our patients, participants, caregivers, and families, past and present: thank you for your trust and allowing us the honor of caring for you and your loved ones.
• To our team members and volunteers, past and present: thank you for bringing compassion, expertise, creativity, courage, and heart to this work every day.
• To the members of our Board of Directors, both current and former: thank you for your stewardship, leadership, and commitment to this organization.
• To our donors and community supporters: thank you for believing in our mission and investing in care that changes lives.

And thank you to the original pioneers who helped bring hospice care to the Shenandoah Valley, our Founding Four — Helen Zebarth, Gail Rodgers, Dr. Bill Houck, and George Caley — and the brave volunteers who helped turn a vision into reality, including Dr. Jack Helm, Caroline Hastreiter, Mary Jane Lee, Nikki Hill, Sue Jessell, Lisa Eiland, and many more.

It is a tremendous honor to serve as CEO of Blue Ridge Care during this anniversary year.

I am deeply aware that we are carrying forward a legacy built by people who refused to accept the status quo, and worked tirelessly — investing their time, talents, energy, and hearts into creating something that would outlast them. That responsibility is not something I take lightly. It is a privilege to steward the mission they entrusted to us and to help ensure it remains strong, relevant, and accessible for generations to come.

Because as we celebrate the past 45 years, I also want to emphasize that the legacy we inherited was never intended to stand still. It was meant to grow, evolve, and continue serving the needs of our community.

The butterfly effect continues.

And the next chapter belongs to all of us.