Jocelyn Routt, Community Journalist
Published: 
Jocelyn Routt, Community Journalist
LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Lynchburg nonprofit is expanding its STEM programming after raising $1 million for a new addition to the Astronaut Leland Melvin STEM Center.
Jubilee Family Development Center recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion, which will be built behind the center at 1512 Florida Avenue.
The project will add five classrooms, including a hydroponics lab, the Mark Spain Media Center and additional space for career and workforce training.
Jubilee STEM Program Coordinator Hannah Tillotson said the hydroponics lab will allow students to learn about growing food year-round.
The organization is also partnering with the Hill City Master Gardeners on the project. Jubilee hopes students — and potentially members of the community — will be able to take home some of the produce grown in the lab.
The expansion will also include the Mark Spain Media Center, where children can explore areas including podcasting, photography, videography, graphic design and journalism.
The center is named after former WSET anchor Mark Spain, who died in 2024.
The expansion isn’t just for children.
Jubilee currently offers career and workforce programs for adults, including training connected to health care, machining, cybersecurity, GED preparation and other fields.
Executive Director Dr. Sterling Wilder said the additional classrooms will give Jubilee more room to expand those programs.
Wilder said the organization wants to connect people with opportunities that can lead to higher-paying jobs and greater financial stability.
“The best way to break that is give them better employment, give them better opportunities,” Wilder said. “So to make sure we can break the cycles of poverty and give persons better opportunities to make a better wage.”
Jubilee says it looks at workforce needs in the Lynchburg area when developing its programs, including health care and manufacturing.
The $1 million Tools for Change Capital Campaign was funded through individual donors, foundations, grants and other community support.
The Astronaut Leland Melvin STEM Center is named after Lynchburg native and former NASA astronaut Leland Melvin, who has continued to work with Jubilee and its students.
Jubilee says the new space will give students more opportunities to explore their interests while helping adults develop skills for the workforce.
Parent Francine Baruti said having the center as an option for families is valuable.
“It’s really wonderful that this is an option that you have. It’s a very safe option. It’s a very educational option,” Baruti said.
Construction is expected to be completed by summer 2027.
Jubilee says classes and programming will continue in its existing buildings while construction is underway.
More information: Jubilee Family Development Center
Copyright 2026 by WSLS 10 – All rights reserved.
Jocelyn Routt is a Community Journalist for WSLS. Before joining the team, she earned her journalism degree from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia with a minor in communication studies.
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