Alumni In Action

Laura LeCroy Towns ’08, B.S. in biology

In 2009, Laura LeCroy Towns ’08 began volunteering with Dog Days of Charlotte, an organization that helps rescue dogs from high-kill shelters and place them in foster homes around the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. She says that her motivation was learning that shelters in North Carolina were euthanizing animals inhumanely.

“I, along with two others, was there from the beginning, pulling dogs for rescue, sending them to placement in foster homes, scheduling vet visits and coordinating transporting and pass-off,” Towns said. “At one point, we were saving about 100 lives a month. It was amazing.”

Towns says that she often made trips to shelters that left her in tears.

“I will never forget the way I felt having to leave some of those poor dogs behind,” she said. “I knew it was part of my calling in life. Shelters can only take so many animals in. Without rescue groups, all of those innocent lives would be euthanized.”

To this day, the 2008 Radford grad and Mechanicsville, Virginia, native says she still receives Facebook messages or e-mails with pictures of dogs the group helped save over the years.

Reggie Gilmore ’95, B.S. in criminal justice

As a 28-year veteran at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department in Charlotte, North Carolina, Reggie Gilmore ’95 has a lot of experience and wisdom to pass along to the next generation. In 2012, the Madison County, Virginia, native started volunteering as a coach with the Police Activities League of Charlotte (PAL Charlotte), which provides opportunities for youth in the Charlotte community that foster their leadership and citizenship skills through academics, dedication, enrichment and athletics.

“In 2014, I was fortunate to be assigned to the position of athletic coordinator with PAL Charlotte,” Gilmore said. “I am focused on organizing and promoting eight different athletic programs that serve 500 youth per year, as well as coordinating program volunteers. I also coordinate a PAL youth mentoring program and act as a liaison between community organizations and our programs.”

Gilmore says that PAL Charlotte gives youth access to resources that they may not have at home. The officers involved also act as role models and provide guidance, build the children’s confidence and serve as positive influences.

“Now more than ever, it is crucial to mentor and influence youth and to teach critical skills like initiative, leadership, accountability and integrity,” he said.

Kevin Bugg ’85, B.S. in finance/insurance

Not long after Kevin Bugg ’85 joined the Smith Mountain Striper Club in 2021, he and two other members of the group founded Reel Connections for Kids to provide a vital connection between underserved children and adults. In early 2022, Bugg and his fellow club members organized a charitable fishing event as a service project. With the assistance of Lake Christian Ministries, the club connected 16 children with eight professional Smith Mountain Lake guides for a day of fishing, fun and fellowship. Following the success of the inaugural event, the club created a standalone nonprofit organization to better serve the community.

“The goal is for children to gain a useful skill, develop a lasting connection with Smith Mountain Lake, gain an understanding of the need for conservation and develop an appreciation for the need for safety on the water,” said Bugg, a Charlottesville, Virginia, native who now lives in Kernersville, North Carolina.

In May 2024, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, in partnership with the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia, announced that Reel Connections was among 10 organizations to receive a 2024 Virginia Wildlife Grant. These grants fund organizations with a common mission of connecting people to the outdoors.

Barbara Thrush Lester ’67, B.S. in health and physical education

When Barbara Thrush Lester ’67, a retired family medicine physician, founded Joy House RVA in 2014, she says it was inspired by a vision God gave her. After seeing a foreclosure notice in the newspaper, she and her late husband, Ron, decided to look at the property. As the only bidders on the house, they were able to buy it “for a song.”

“It took a year to repair and upgrade the house for habitation, but God held our hands the whole way,” Lester said. “All the contractors answered my calls and showed up every day until their job was done.”

As renovations wrapped up, Lester learned that CARITAS, Richmond’s largest homeless shelter, needed housing for graduates of their program. She and her husband met with representatives from CARITAS and found that homeless women in Richmond had few opportunities for housing. With a clear purpose for their newly renovated house, the Lesters created Joy House RVA as a nonprofit home for women. In January 2016, the first four residents moved in.

The success of Joy House RVA is evident in the exponential growth of the organization, which now has three houses in operation, with a fourth scheduled to open this fall.

“I have learned so much through getting to know these resilient women,” Lester said. “They have strengths in ways most of us can’t imagine.”