Blue Ridge hero

Where the Money Goes

Our Local Impact

At Relax Blacksburg, we have always believed that a business should be an active asset to its hometown, not just a place to book an appointment. 

Thanks entirely to your sessions and our team's skilled labor, Relax Blacksburg officially crossed over $20,000 in direct donations given right back to non-profits in the New River Valley this July.

How Our Giving Works

Our giving is defined by direct, transparent, and personal involvement.  Every dollar donated comes directly from our business operations, ensuring that your support - and our team's labor - makes a tangible, immediate impact here in the New River Valley.

  • Our Team's Choice:  Every single year, each person on our team - including both owners - personally select a local charity close to their heart.  Our business donates $300 for each pick that goes directly to those organizations.  
  • Our Community's Choice:  We reserve an additional funding block for our clients and neighbors to vote on a local charity each July, keeping our studio's impact collaborative and democratic.  

Categorized Community Giving


Pillar 1: Protecting Our Local Lands & Trails — $2,400 Donated

Our clients love the active, outdoor lifestyle of the Blue Ridge region. We focus our environmental giving on keeping our local spaces, trails, and ecosystems healthy for generations to come.

View Supported Conservation Charities
  • The New River Land Trust: Direct funding to help conserve regional farmland, forests, open spaces, and river corridors across the New River Valley.
  • Blue Ridge Land Conservancy: Supporting the permanent protection of western Virginia's natural resources, wild spaces, and clean water supplies.
  • The NRV Beekeepers Association: Supporting vital local pollinator education, swarm collection infrastructure, and regional honeybee conservation.
Pillar 2: Feeding & Supporting Local Families — $12,100 Donated

A community cannot thrive if its most vulnerable neighbors are left behind. We fund targeted programs that provide direct physical relief, emergency housing, education accessibility, child safety advocacy, and local food security.

View Supported Family & Community Charities
  • New River Community Action: Supporting critical regional programs like Head Start, emergency food pantries, and housing assistance to help local families achieve long-term stability.
  • First Baptist Church of Blacksburg: Direct support for local community outreach programs, clothing closets, and food ministries that assist our neighbors in times of need.
  • Micah’s Backpack: Direct financial support to provide nutritious weekend meals to local elementary school students who experience food insecurity.
  • Blacksburg Interfaith Food Pantry: Direct funding to supply healthy groceries, fresh produce, and essential household items to local families battling food insecurity.
  • NRV Community Fridge: Supporting the local, mutual-aid community fridge network to keep fresh, free, and accessible food available 24/7 to anyone who needs it in our area.
  • NRV Project Linus: Funding the materials and local distribution of handmade, security blankets to children in the New River Valley who are seriously ill, traumatized, or in need.
  • The Women’s Resource Center of the NRV: Direct funding to support emergency shelter, crisis intervention, and legal advocacy for local women and children seeking safety from domestic violence.
  • NRV CARES: Supporting dedicated child advocacy, parenting education classes, and community programs designed to protect local children and prevent abuse across the New River Valley.
  • Blacksburg Refugee Partnership: Direct funding to help displaced families resettle in the New River Valley, providing essential local aid for housing, healthcare navigation, and schooling.
  • Live, Work, Eat, Grow: Direct financial support for Millstone Kitchen’s regional food security initiatives, funding subsidized meal distribution programs for low-income families and homebound seniors.
  • ACCE (Access to Community College Education): Direct support providing a debt-free path to local community college for Montgomery County high school graduates, keeping higher education and career paths fully accessible in our region.
  • Imagination Library of Montgomery County, VA: Mailing a brand-new, age-appropriate book directly to the home of enrolled children from birth to age five, inspiring a lifelong love of reading and building early home libraries for local families at no cost.
Pillar 3: Animal Welfare & Regional Rescue — $5,900 Donated

We believe in taking care of our furry friends—both domestic pets needing loving homes and the native Virginia wildlife surrounding our mountain spaces.

View Supported Animal Welfare Charities
  • Montgomery County Friends of Animal Care and Control: Direct funding to support shelter enrichment, emergency medical care, and spay/neuter resources for stray and abandoned pets in our county shelter.
  • Humane Society of Montgomery County: Supporting local foster networks, pet adoption events, food banks for low-income pet owners, and community animal welfare education.
  • Pulaski County Humane Society: Direct financial aid to fund local rescue shelter care, low-cost spay/neuter programs, and forever-home adoption resources in our neighboring county.
  • Mountain View Humane: Direct funding to provide high-quality, affordable spay/neuter and pet wellness clinics across southwestern Virginia to improve animal welfare and prevent pet homelessness.
  • PAWS of SWVA (Partners for Animal Welfare and Safety): Supporting local companion animal rescue efforts, foster programs, and essential medical care to ensure abandoned pets find loving, safe homes in our region.
  • Animal Welfare Foster Program: Direct funding to support local temporary foster networks that provide love, medical rehabilitation, and safety to pets until they are ready for adoption.
  • Ride-A-Rescue: Supporting regional horse rescue, sanctuary rehabilitation, and equine adoption programs for abused, neglected, or abandoned horses in southwestern Virginia.
  • Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center: Supporting the rehabilitation, veterinary treatment, and safe release of native wild animals impacted by regional growth.

Thank You for Supporting Local Care

Choosing an independent studio like ours make a huge difference.  Your loyalty is exactly how we are able to provide secure, comprehensive benefits to our team while giving right back to New River Valley charities.  We couldn't do any of this without you, and we look forward to seeing you back on the table soon.  

If you have any questions, or know of a great local nonprofit, please feel free to contact us.