Virginia Humanities, the state humanities council, announced today that the Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation (AGWF) has made a five-year, $640,000 commitment to support a regional humanities center serving Southwest Virginia. The center, named Virginia Humanities at UVA Wise, will amplify stories from across the region and illustrate the ways the humanities bring communities together to foster dialogue and understanding.
The gift builds on the Worrell family’s deep roots in the region. Anne and Gene Worrell met as camp counselors in Southwest Virginia and bonded over a shared love of the outdoors. They built their company, Worrell Newspapers, starting in Bristol and eventually expanded it to include more than 30 papers across the country. Anne and Gene created the Genan Foundation—now known as the Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation—in 1986 to support their commitment to philanthropy.
“Integral to a healthy region is maintaining a sense of place and preserving what makes a community unique. For the Worrell’s this included preserving cultural heritage, history, the arts, and traditional knowledge,” said Holly Hatcher President & CEO of the Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation. “On behalf of the AGWF Board, we are delighted to honor the Worrell’s legacy by partnering with these two stellar institutions to launch this regional center for far Southwest Virginia.”
Virginia Humanities at UVA Wise officially opened on December 2, 2024. Administered through UVA Wise’s Center for Appalachian Studies, the center will serve the counties of Tazewell, Smyth, Washington, Russell, Buchanan, Dickinson, Wise, Scott, and Lee and the cities and towns within those counties.
“The regional humanities center in Wise will inspire cultural exploration and foster intellectual curiosity throughout Southwest Virginia,” said Matthew Gibson, Virginia Humanities’ executive director. “With the generous support of AGWF and through Virginia Humanities’ partnership with UVA Wise, we can better celebrate and share what makes this region so unique—its stories, histories, and traditions. This commitment from the foundation will help strengthen the region’s cultural economy by preserving and amplifying the voices that shape Southwest Virginia’s rich heritage.”
This is the second of several new regional humanities centers being launched as Virginia Humanities celebrates its 50th anniversary. Each center will be headquartered within an existing regional organization, in either a cultural nonprofit, two-year, or four-year college. The first center opened at WHRO Public Media in Norfolk this summer.
Virginia Humanities at UVA Wise anticipates accepting grant applications beginning January 1, 2025. For details on this and other grant opportunities, visit VirginiaHumanities.org.
