When someone’s power gets shut off, it’s easy to say, “Just call the utility company.”
When a neighbor misses dialysis appointments, the system might not even notice.
But Community Health Workers (CHWs) do.

CHWs are connectors. They don’t sit behind desks waiting for people to show up — they meet people where they are. They listen. They help navigate paperwork. They deliver food, make calls, and stay until the job is done. It may not sound flashy, but this work changes lives.

Take one of our CHWs, Lashara, who recently helped a man in crisis. His wife had passed away, and all the utility accounts were still in her name. He was struggling to get them transferred and paid for. At the same time, he began missing dialysis and surgery appointments because his Medicaid transportation provider failed to pick him up. He had no one to call. So Lashara called the sheriff’s department to do a well-check — and then continued working with him on the care and services he needed.

Or Lucas, who delivered a rollator walker to a woman he checks in on regularly. Another day, he brought a heater to someone whose furnace had failed. These may sound like small gestures, but they are lifelines — the kind of support that prevents bigger emergencies later on.

Some people say this kind of one-on-one care takes too much time or money. But here’s the truth: CHWs help people break the cycle of crisis and move toward stability. It’s not a quick fix — and that’s exactly why it works.

And right now, it’s in danger.

The federal funding that supports our CHW program ends June 30. Without new resources, this essential work — this lifeline — could be lost.

That’s why this year’s GIVE Roanoke campaign is focused on bridging the gap. Every dollar helps keep our CHWs in the field, walking alongside neighbors through some of life’s hardest moments — and helping them move forward.

💙 Give today to keep CHWs in our community.

Because meeting people where they are is where real change begins.