Abundant Life demonstrates God’s love through holistic community development in the Prospect neighborhood.
Working alongside our neighbors and friends, and supported by countless organizations and volunteers, we are sharing God’s love with the Prospect community. Here are some notable numbers from the past 25 years:
1,152
Program participants
15
First-time homeowners
21
First-generation college graduates
2,126+
Volunteers
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10
We believe that every human being is created in the image of God and has great worth and dignity. Through long-term, lasting relationships with parents, children, and residents, we demonstrate the love of God in our community.
Many of our programs center around tutoring and mentoring for children from elementary to high school. Our individualized programs and one-to-one tutoring yield significant results.
Through our financial literacy courses we empower our neighbors to manage personal finances and gain self-sufficiency. Participants have bought their first home, furthered their education, or started a business, often with the help of matched savings.
Qua’zeer is excited to go into Fall Programming for Tutoring at Johnson Elementary School and Bible Club on Fridays at the Abundant Life Center.
Fall Programming allows the ministry to continue to build relationships with the community throughout the year providing them with many opportunities to further their growth through the love of God.
This Summer, Abundant Life worked with many partners that helped us make Summer Programming a success.
Thank you, ReadyKids, VA Career Works, Trinity Presbyterian, Lewinsville Presbyterian, Smith Pool, Cherry Avenue Baptist, and many more!
This summer, Abundant Life welcomed back former participant, Dom Morse, on staff.
We are lucky to have Dom Morse on staff as the Program and V-Trades Director. He will help push the ministry forward as his role will help us focus on Community Development and Leadership.
Through their various backgrounds, our volunteers help us minister to the community in many different ways.
We have volunteers that are Medical Students at the University and help with Tutoring, some lead Bible Studies, and others deliver meals and cook for our evening programs.
Your contributions have a huge impact
Latest Updates
February 27, 2026
Today, in celebration of Black History Month, we honor our co-founder and spiritual grandmother, Mrs. Lula Rogers. Born in Charlottesville in 1917, Lula Wicks married Charles Rogers, who died in 1946. Mrs. Rogers worked as a housekeeper and then an educator for 30 years. She served in the cafeteria at Burley High School before becoming a teacher’s assistant at McGuffey School. After McGuffey’s...
February 12, 2026
Today, we honor Charlottesville native, and education trailblazer, Alicia Lugo, who impacted our area for decades as an educator, community leader, entrepreneur, and activist. Alicia Lugo attended then-segregated Burley High School before graduating from Hampton University. She returned to Charlottesville to teach in the City schools and then served eleven years on the Charlottesville City...
February 5, 2026
Charlottesville Abundant Life Ministries is awarded grant funding from Charlottesville Area Community Foundation to further its mission. Charlottesville Abundant Life Ministries is a 30-year-old neighborhood-based non-profit with a mission of spreading God's love through the Prospect Avenue Community through wholistic programming geared towards community empowerment. As a faith-based...
June 30, 2025
Charlottesville native, Antoine Davenport, began his journey on Charlton Avenue, being raised by his grandparents. He attended Charlottesville City Schools, going from Greenbierer Elementary to Walker Upper Elementary, to Buford Middle, to Charlottesville High School. Davenport recalls having a close-knit family on his father’s side. He would often visit local community-centered facilities, as...
May 22, 2025
I think that we’re just at the beginning of what we can do in this neighborhood. I think that we’ve just barely scratched the surface of what we can be to families over time. I hope that the Center succeeds- it could be a real gift to this whole community and can change lives. Melville Krebs is one of the leading ladies of Abundant Life’s Johnson Elementary Tutoring Program, having been...
May 15, 2025
Kanesha Reilly, whose parents are former Prospect Avenue community members, joined the Abundant Life team as the new V-Trades Coordinator. Having grown up in the earlier parts of her childhood here in Charlottesville, Kanesha watched her mom’s childcare business grow, which started in Prospect to support the families in the community. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible,...
February 28, 2025
This week we are highlighting educator, Esther Vassar of Lane High School who stood in the gap for her students at a time of racial discrepancy. Lane High School, preceding Charlottesville High School, was a segregated High School in Charlottesville up until 1959, following a three-year battle in federal court to avoid integration of schools in Virginia. Though schools had been integrated for...
February 21, 2025
For the second week of Black History Month, we will be highlighting Community Care Pastor and leader, Pastor Desmond Glenn of Portico Church. Raised by his grandparents after losing both parents at an early age, Pastor Desmond Glenn grew up in Southeast Arkansas in a small town called Marvell, Arkansas. He grew up on a pig farm and spent most of his youth playing outside and helping his...
February 14, 2025
Abundant Life Ministries is celebrating Black History Month 2025 by taking time to reflect on notable people and community leaders who have contributed to our unique Charlottesville community. Creating history isn’t easy, and we are thankful for all who led and continue to lead the way to a better tomorrow. To kick off this month of noteworthy stories is Community Leader, Kim Sheffield. Coming...
