By Inge Terrill

Back in 1975, a summer-camp dream became a reality in Copper Hill, Virginia. With ninety-six mountain acres, an old dairy barn, an apple shed, a log cabin, and over two hundred and fifty standard-sized apple trees, Peter Lewis began creating what would become a summer camp retreat that focused on connecting inner-city youth to the beauty and tranquility of nature in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In 1978, Apple Ridge Farm became a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the intention of matching dreams to deeds, with adults taking on the responsibility of helping youths to succeed in life. Fast forward to 2019. In forty years, Apple Ridge has helped over 70,000 children through its summer camp and afterschool programs, environmental education field trips, and outdoor adventure programs. The facility has gone from a small, rustic summer camp to a world-class Education and Retreat Center with twelve buildings, five miles of hiking trails, a sports complex, a swimming pool, low and high ropes courses, lodging, a bed and breakfast, a wedding venue, and much more! Apple Ridge Farm is best known for its academic summer camp programs. These are free to underserved youth ages six to sixteen, from both the Roanoke Valley and Floyd county. The summer camps offer well-rounded programs which merge outdoor activities like team-building, climbing tower and zipline, tennis, swimming, hiking, environmental education, and organic gardening with other, more traditional learning opportunities like STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programs.
Art and music are also part of the mix. However, this is not a typical summer camp. Three years ago, for a more hands-on learning approach, Apple Ridge added a focus on project-based education which incorporated social emotional learning techniques to help address the whole child. Blending all these components together helps make the summer camp programs at Apple Ridge Farm well rounded and comprehensive, often having life-changing impacts on the youth who attend.

In 2016, when Peter Lewis’ son, John, became the new Executive Director at Apple Ridge, the organization began a new period of transformation. John had grown up in both Floyd and Roanoke counties, then spent fourteen years in Richmond. While he was there, he became the Founder and Director of an urban agricultural education, nonprofit organization called Renew Richmond. With his background as a Prevention Specialist, Qualified Mental Health Professional, and agriculture enthusiast, John brought new ideas and programs to Apple Ridge.

With John’s inspiration at the helm, a new agricultural education initiative called “Apple Ridge Farm Grows!” began to give children the opportunity to raise produce then sell it at a farmer’s market while also learning about healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. This initiative includes The WELL Market – Working Eating Living Learning: a “Healthy Food, Healthier Communities” program. It also includes community garden work at George Washington Carver Garden in Northwest Roanoke, as well as the Star City Food Systems (SCFS) Coalition: a newly established Healthy Community Action Team. In addition to the new programs, there have also been recent physical additions to the Copper Hill facility.

There is the new Caboose Car Bed & Breakfast, which takes reservations through the Airbnb website. There is also EBase USA–Blue Ridge: an off-grid, high-tech classroom powered solely by solar panels and a wind turbine. Here, students learn about climate change and sustainability.

And finally, there is the beautiful new, timber-frame, Spangler Pavilion where weddings and concerts take place. After all these years and changes, however, children are still at the heart of everything that Apple Ridge Farm does, and its mission is still going strong: to transform the lives of underserved children and families through engagement in unparalleled educational, cultural, and outdoor experiences.

Whether you come to Apple Ridge Farm to have your wedding, to spend a romantic get-away night in one of the new Caboose Cars, to have a corporate retreat, to do a team challenge program with your soccer team, to take a ride on the 600-foot zip line, to walk along the five miles of hiking trails, or even just to listen to a bluegrass concert, all of the proceeds raised go toward keeping the summer camp free for underserved youth.

“We are proud of our accomplishments,” says John Lewis. “We feel very fortunate that we have been able to grow as a non-profit organization and expand our offerings across the New River and Roanoke Valley areas over the past forty years, thanks to our supporters.”

Apple Ridge Farm
facebook.com/appleridgefarmva
appleridge.org • 540-982-1322
John R. F. Lewis – Executive Director
Inge Terrill – Program Coordinator