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County hears updates from Area Agency on Aging, library and Rotary; Clark family and county employee honored
Summary
Patrick County supervisors heard program updates from the Southern Area Agency on Aging, Blue Ridge Regional Library and Stuart Rotary, and recognized the Clark family as the county's first 'Patrick County Partner' and employee Wanda Vaden for long service.
The Patrick County Board of Supervisors’ April 13 meeting included a series of community presentations and recognitions highlighting services for seniors, youth and volunteers across the county.
Richard Cox introduced himself as Patrick County’s representative to the Southern Area Agency on Aging and yielded to Teresa Fontaine, the agency’s director, who summarized programs that promote independence for older adults. Fontaine listed core services — home‑delivered meals, congregate meals, senior transportation (delivered through a contract with STEP), in‑home care, home repairs, insurance counseling and a long‑term care ombudsman program — and said the agency serves an estimated 6,335 residents aged 60 and older in the county’s service area. Fontaine distributed informational packets and invited supervisors to review the materials.
Melissa Chapman of Blue Ridge Regional Library reported on summer reading and outreach: registration for the statewide summer reading challenge starts June 1; Patrick branch programming totaled 34 sessions last year with 320 attendees across age groups, and the bookmobile ran nine programs with 172 participants. Chapman encouraged residents to sign up and noted prizes and literacy benefits tied to the program.
Christie Bentley, president of the Stuart Rotary Club, gave an update on Rotary’s local projects, from trail building and facility upgrades to weekly food bags for students and scholarships. Bentley said the club awarded 29 scholarships in 2025 totaling $45,500 and projects roughly $30,000 in local giving for 2025–26.
The board also presented the first Patrick County Partner recognition to the Clark family for volunteer service to fire departments, Rotary projects, scholarships and other civic work. Separately, the board read an employee recognition for Wanda Vaden, the county’s deputy animal control officer, honoring 24 years of service and noting that the shelter operates year‑round with two full‑time staff.
Speakers asked for continued community support for library programs, senior services and volunteer efforts; no policy actions were taken on these informational items.
