About Us
Little Hands Virginia
Little Hands Virginia makes sure children from birth to 3 years old have the essentials to thrive from “Day 1.”
One in three children are economically disadvantaged in the Richmond region, according to Voices for Virginia’s Children, and almost 40 percent of children in the city of Richmond live below poverty thresholds based on data from the United Way. With such a need throughout the region, we are actively engaging with communities across Central Virginia.
Working with our network of local agencies, shelters, hospitals and other nonprofits, we identify the needs of families in the cities of Richmond, Hopewell and Petersburg, and counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, Goochland, and New Kent.
Our model relies on the donation of new and “nearly new” items through grassroots community drives and donations. We sort and bundle items, and deliver them to parents and children through our network of partners.
Our Partners Include:
Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School
ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation
Chesterfield Infant Program
Chesterfield County Public Schools
Church of the Epiphany
Communities in Schools
Families in Care Intervention Services
Family Lifeline
Henrico Department of Social Services
Henrico Early Intervention
Henrico Parent Infant Program
Home Again
Hopewell Department of Social Services
Housing Families First
OAR of Richmond
Open Table
Partnership for Families
Pregnancy Help Center of Chesterfield
Quin Rivers
REAL Life Program
Richmond Behavioral Health Authority
Richmond Department of Social Services
Richmond Residential Housing Authoirty
Richmond Police Department
Richmond Public Schools
YoungLives
YWCA Richmond
Our People
Taylor Keeney
Founder and Executive Director
When Taylor’s first child outgrew the baby phase and she went looking for somewhere to donate new and used baby items that would directly help a mom in need and had a hard time finding a way to do that in the Richmond area. After talking with potential partner organizations and others working in this space, it quickly became clear there was both a need and desire for an organization to help provide essentials for babies and new parents in need from “Day 1.” A mom of two little ones who leads communications and advocacy work for Hunton Andrews Kurth’s public affairs group, Taylor wanted to make sure no child in the Richmond Region was going without clean diapers, a safe place to sleep, or clothes to wear and so, in 2019 while on maternity leave with her second child, she founded Little Hands Virginia.
Ashley Raggi
Director of Operations
Ashley runs the day to day operations of Little Hands Virginia – working with partners to identify needs of children and families in our community, coordinating volunteers, and managing in-kind donations. A mom of three children, she previously was a teacher for over 12 years.
Advisory Board
Lauralee Allen – President
Client Services Associate, Canal Capital Management
Meghan Brodie – Treasurer
Founder, The House Finch
Frances Farmer
Occupational Therapist, Spot On Therapy Group
Mary Farrell
Community Volunteer
Dr. Lindsay Forston
Assistant Director of Research and Evaluation, Communities In Schools of Virginia
Lindsay Gay
Community Volunteer
Emily Gottwald
Community Volunteer
Sarah Graper – President-elect
Community Volunteer
Joanna Harris
Community Volunteer
Sarah Holzbach – Secretary
Community Volunteer
Emily Hovis
Owner, BarReVA
Generra Peck
Managing Director, 50 State
Sallie Pruitt
Owner, Pruitt Resources
Alexandra Saunders
Community Volunteer
Katherine Sheehan
Director of PR, Arts & Letters Creative Co.
Emma Swann
Director of Public Relations and Communications, Bon Secours Mercy Health