FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 2019
Contact: Taylor Keeney
taylor@littlehandsva.org
(804) 543-7053
Little Hands Virginia Launches in Greater Richmond
RICHMOND – Little Hands Virginia, a new 501(c)3 helping to provide essentials and a little extra love to babies (0-3 years old) and moms in Greater Richmond, announced its launch today. Through donations, fundraising, and crowd surfing for new and “like new” baby items, Little Hands helps provide its partner organizations with the items they need for the people they serve in Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover and Goochland.
“Little Hands grew out of an idea that came while cleaning out the nursery closet and helping other families at Christmastime,” said Taylor Keeney, director of strategic communications and advocacy at Hunton Andrews Kurth and the organization’s founder. “I went looking for a way to pass on some new and gently used baby items to a mom in need in the Richmond area and found that it was hard to do and decided it should be easier. In having conversations with people who work in social services it quickly became clear that there is a gap in this space but the need is there. Little Hands will help the Greater Richmond community support families with newborns and young children in need year-round in a coordinated way.”
Working with its network of social service agencies, shelters, hospitals and other nonprofits, Little Hands identifies the needs of families in Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, and Goochland. The organization then collects new and “nearly new” items through grassroots community drives and donations, sorts and bundles the items, and delivers them to parents and children through our network partners.
According to Voices for Virginia’s Children, one in three children are economically disadvantaged in the Richmond region. Almost 16 percent of children in the region were living below poverty thresholds in 2015, a key indicator of a child’s health and development, according to the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg. With such a need throughout the region, Little Hands is actively engaging with communities across Central Virginia.
About Little Hands:
Little Hands Virginia is a new nonprofit organization in the startup phase. Little Hands was founded by Taylor Keeney, a mom of two who by day leads communications and advocacy for Hunton Andrews Kurth’s Global Economic Development, Commerce and Government Relations group. Taylor got the idea for Little Hands as her first child outgrew the baby phase and she went looking for somewhere to take new and used baby items that would directly help a mom in need and had a hard time finding a way to do that. A couple months later, through her church small group and family she helped “adopt” three families with young children at Christmas time and saw how the Richmond community gives so much around the holidays for families in need – while the need is year round. And along came Little Hands. Learn more about Little Hands Virginia at www.littlehandsva.org.
Little Hands Advisory Board:
Lauralee Allen
Frances Farmer
Emily Gottwald
Sarah Graper
Sarah Holzbach
Generra Peck
Sallie Pruitt