What’s New at Phoebe Needles

On Sunday, April 28th, about 150 people came out for a special afternoon of FUN and FELLOWSHIP at Phoebe Needles!  A lot happened in 3.5 hours! Franklin County’s own American Idol contestant Kam’ron Smith serenaded our audience with a great repertoire of songs! The day was absolutely gorgeous, which gave attendees the opportunity to enjoy our wraparound porch and beautiful mountain views! Our “Kitchen Crew” – Board Member Jeremiah Cook and Family – served up a delicious and tasty pulled pork BBQ meal for everyone! Our bake sale, tended to by Ed & Rebecca Saunders, SOLD OUT! Our Kids Zone overflowed with youngsters who enjoyed arts & crafts, face painting, games and, of course, the Bouncy House! (Thank you to Ferrum Forward for its use!) Our Silent Auction looked fabulous, thanks to coordinators and Board Members Mary Jane Akerman and Kathy Hippeli. It raised approximately $3,200. We closed out one raffle for a Keith Urban Nightstar Electric Acoustic Guitar package. With this raffle we were able to raise $1,500! Congratulations to Danny Webb who bought the winning ticket! And, we started a new raffle for a beautiful quilt to be held at our Annual Glory Days Fall Festival on Sunday, September 28, 2025 (SAVE THE DATE!) Altogether, through our COMMUNITY’S GENEROSITY, we raised approximately $7,700 for our 2025 Summer Camp Programs! We extend a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who DONATED, SPONSORED, BAKED, VOLUNTEERED, SANG and ATTENDED!! You are all AMAZING!!

View the complete May 2025 Friends of Phoebe Needles Newsletter!

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Callaway, Virginia lies a sanctuary built on love, connection and community. This special place has a rich 121 year history.

Phoebe Needles Center, Inc. is a nonprofit serving people of all ages throughout southwestern Virginia offering facility rentals and a variety of educational, spiritual, and renewal programs designed to nurture people in their spiritual formation. Phoebe Needles is best known for its wonderful and engaging summer camp programs for youth, Center for Lifelong Learning programs for seniors, and for spiritual retreats.

Upon this strong foundation, a vibrant future is planned by the PNCI Board and Inge Terrill, the new Executive Director hired this summer. She is replacing Reverend John Heck, who over a 25 year period designed, built up, developed programs and made PNCI the educational center and accredited camp that it is today.

Ms. Terrill comes to Phoebe Needles with a background in Biology, Environmental Science, and Education. Her vision for Phoebe Needles is for it to stay strongly grounded in its mission and current offerings while growing as an organization to help meet the current needs of local communities and to expand its program offerings for people of all ages.

“We will be looking for strong partnerships with schools systems, local groups, nonprofit organizations, and individuals going forward. We want to help youth and adults better navigate our ever-changing world and set them up for successes in life,” says Ms. Terrill. Three of our existing partnerships are with the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, Saint Peter’s-in-the-Mountains Episcopal Church in Callaway, and with the American Camp Association.”

“We welcome all people to our beautiful and relaxing 78-acre facility for events such as retreats, weddings, parties, family reunions, meetings and lodging, as well as to participate in our educational programs.”

On Sunday, October 1st , Phoebe Needles will be launching an annual fall festival fundraiser with music, storytelling, food, and family fun activities to help raise awareness about its programs and its outreach as well as raise money for programs. This event will include a tribute to Rev. Heck’s 25 year legacy at PNCI.

To get involved, make a donation, or learn more, please contact PNCI at 540.483.1518, pncenter@gmail.com, or phoebeneedles.org.

Full Article about Ms. Inge Terrill, Executive Director

The next Music in the Mountains event will be on Sunday, November 14th, 2021 from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. From 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., there will be music by Mac Traynham, Andy Buckman and friends! From 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., there will be music by Seph Custer! The event is FREE of charge, but donations are welcome for our summer camp fund. There will be free hot dogs, chips, brownies, lemonade, and coffee. The music will be outdoors (weather permitting). WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!