ROANOKE, Va. – A new merger is expanding special needs services across Southwest Virginia.
At the beginning of January, St. Vincent’s Home, which houses the Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center, merged with the Virginia Institute of Autism.
The original VIA is located in Charlottesville.
By combining the two, organizers say the merger will allow them to expand services and support more families across all of Southwest Virginia.
“They had a really good, solid presence in the state of Virginia,” Angie Leonard, COO of VIA said. “They’re really similar for running programs as us. We’re both nonprofits, we’re both started by family members, so we all have that core love and desire to make life better for people with disabilities.”
The VIA will now have over two dozen locations all across Virginia.