By Briggs Brown 

Staff Writer

        Tucked away a mere few hundred feet from the R.J. Reynolds High School campus lies a rolling 212-acre campus that serves as a sanctuary for some of the community’s most vulnerable students and children. Crossnore is a non-profit organization that has served the Winston-Salem community richly since 1909, with ambitious goals for the future. Though the name may be unfamiliar, the impact of Crossnore ripples through the lives of hundreds of local families. 

    For decades, this property has been known as The Children’s Home, a residential facility that provides shelter and support for kids in the foster care system. However, around eleven years ago, the organization found itself struggling to keep up with the operation financially. That is when The Crossnore Organization stepped in. The Crossnore Organization started in Crossnore, N.C., and has a rich history of providing foster care and schooling for troubled youth. 

    “After meeting with Brett [Loftis], the CEO of Crossnore,” Kimberly King, the Regional Manager of Community Engagement for the Triad Region, said, “we found somebody to work with. He saw the potential of Crossnore and wanted to combine all of their strengths with the strengths that we had at The Children’s Home.” 

    The merger allowed Crossnore to expand and modernize The Children’s Homes programming, addressing the evolving complex needs of children and families in crisis. However, unlike the desires of the other potential buyers, we maintained ownership of the entire campus so the Children’s Home could continue its traditional practices.

    “When we first opened in 1909, they truly used all the land to feed the children,” King said. “And the children were the ones working the fields. Things are very different now; they don’t have to do all that labor. But the farm still plays a vital role in our mission.”

    The organization has largely shifted its aims away from farming, downsizing the operation and directing more of its attention and funds to foster care. Currently, the home serves forty-five kids in their foster system and a multitude of families. Crossnore has expanded its programs to include educational support, counseling services, and family reunification efforts, ensuring that children who come through their doors not only have a safe place to live but also the resources to heal and thrive.  

    “A lot of what we do is try to change as the needs of the community change.” King said. “We revamped a whole building to serve as temporary housing for homeless teen moms; we also have a program to help children fight addiction.”

    Crossnore’s mission is not only to offer immediate shelter for homeless youth but also to provide long-term support for its residents. Crossnore does everything in its power to ensure the success and well-being of its residents long past their stay. Currently, Crossnore has its sights on establishing an on-campus charter school to build strong foundations for its residents. 

    “There is currently a goal to renovate three buildings on the property,” King said. “The first one will open up as a charter school on campus that we are hoping to open on the first day of school in August for ‘K’ through fourth graders. Eventually, we hope to have all the way up to eighth graders.”

    In addition to its core services, the Crossnore community has begun to open up its campus to the use of the public. The campus sits on the edge of downtown Winston-Salem and offers a unique farm oasis for visitors just outside the hustle and bustle of the city. A prime example is the Stuart and Emma Thomas Memorial trail, which traverses the rolling pastures of Crossnore’s farmland, preserved and managed by the Piedmont Land Conservancy. 

    “We want the community to understand that this is their trail because it truly is a community trial maintained by volunteers,” King said. “We just want people to know that they are welcome and to come and learn what we do.”

     Crossnore encourages everyone to come and take a look around and learn more about what they do. There are countless ways to support their mission and help continue to build what has been a heart in the Winston-Salem community for more than a century.