Crossnore Communities for Children, a foster home for children in need, is embarking on the public phase of a $41 million comprehensive campaign to expand and provide support to children who experience trauma.

The organization has reached 85% of its fundraising goal and is looking for public funding to get across the finish line. The money will go toward building a new charter school at the organization's Winston-Salem location on Reynolda Road, plus expand services in Avery County and Hendersonville.

Here are the specifics

$12.75 million — renovation, new construction, and re-purposing of buildings + properties
$8.75 million —expansion and strengthening of Crossnore’s programs and services + partnerships with community organizations, businesses, churches, and schools
$19.5 million — sustaining daily operations, including donor engagement, scholarships, technology, safety, transportation, and diversity

Crossnore will hire a principal and administrative team for the new school in July 2024 | Photo by Crossnore Communities

Check out the timeline for the new charter school

February 2024: Renovations to the current Edwards Building on the Reynolda Road campus begins
August 2025: Kindergarten through fourth grade opens to students
(Yet to be determined) 2026: Middle school building renovations begins
August 2028: Kindergarten through 8th grade at full capacity with 200 kids

Here are the key elements of Crossnore’s model

Therapeutic intervention to help kids heal from trauma
Small classroom structure to ensure that every child achieves their academic and social potential
Social-emotional learning opportunities

Though the charter school will be publicly funded, it will remain its own district and will not be part of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. During the press conference announcing the campaign, Crossnore Chief Executive Officer Brett Loftis, JD says this will allow more flexibility on class size and enrollment. Instead, Crossnore will work with teachers and administrators in the school district and help train them to respond to trauma and better assist students in the classroom.

To help the organization reach its goal, you can donate to the Promise of Home campaign.