HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) — The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg-Rockingham (TCFHR) announced the launch of the Rocco Fellowship.

According to officials, the Rocco Fellowship will be for non-profit leaders and the Rocco Capacity-Building Grants to strengthen organizational efficiencies and sustainability.

This past year the Community Foundation conducted a critical review of TCFHR’s professional development programming, the Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership workshops and its biannual companion event, the Rocco Forum on Philanthropy.

Supported by the Rocco Legacy Endowment, the Community Foundation launched the Rocco Fellowship and the Rocco Capacity-Building Grants. These initiatives join the Coffee & Conversation monthly networking sessions, which started in fall 2025.

Longtime residents will remember Rocco Enterprises, a locally owned, fully integrated poultry company run by the Strickler family from 1939 to 2001. Philanthropy, service, stewardship, and investment in both employees and the community were reportedly foundational pillars of Rocco’s corporate culture.