6 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • October 2026
Entrepreneur
of the Year
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megan@fredericksburgparent.net
EDITORIAL
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PUBLISHER
vandoren@fredericksburgparent.net
Leigh Anne Van Doren:Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom
EDITOR
amanda@fredericksburgparent.net
Amanda Danaher: Emma, Wyatt, Grant, Jack and Thea's mom
MEDIA & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
megan@fredericksburgparent.net
Megan Walsh:
Mia, Noelle & Adelaide's mom
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
cccarter1@mac.com
Cheryl Carter:
Alex, Kate & Jackie's mom
WEBMASTER
caroline@fredericksburgparent.net
Caroline Murray:
Nate & Brendan's mom
CALENDAR & ELETTERS
amanda@fredericksburgparent.net
Amanda Danaher:
Emma, Wyatt, Grant, Jack and Thea's mom
SPECIAL EVENTS COORDINATOR
jessica@fredericksburgparent.net
Jessica Trask:
Cye, Asher & Ragan's mom
SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR
laura@fredericksburgparent.net
Laura Carter: Alison and Michael's daughter
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© Copyright 2026 Nurture, Inc. All rights reserved.
letter to reader
Leigh Anne Van Doren,
Founder and Publisher,
Frederickburg Parent
and Family.
In December 1999, I incorporated a small
business with a simple belief: the families
of this region deserved a publica on about
them, made by people who lived here.
Our fi rst issue followed in January 2000.
My last issue as publisher is this one, the
October 2026 issue. Washington Parent is
the new owner and will do a wonderful job
carrying forward my values.
THE TEAMS WHO CARRIED US THROUGH
No one publishes a magazine for 27 years alone. The many employees
and contributors who made up our teams kept us going through 9/11,
the real estate recession, and COVID-19. We began on paper only, and
we outlasted the decline of local newspapers and the arrival of the
internet, social media, and now ar fi cial intelligence. Through every dis-
rup on, our teams kept the mission intact: to take the concerns of local
moms and dads seriously.
A VOICE FOR PARENTS
When we started, legacy media and the world in general treated the
concerns of mothers and families as so news. We disagreed. Too
o en, a child ages out of a problem before anything is fi xed, whether
it's a daycare shortage, a failing school policy, or a healthcare crisis. The
family moves on, and the next family starts over. We gave those issues
sustained a en on. I am proud this magazine gave parents a voice.
AND WE HAD SO MUCH FUN
We also had a ton of fun. We turned back-to-school season into Fred-
Warts, a Harry Po er–inspired celebra on, and hosted princess teas,
family 5k's, paren ng classes, summer camp fairs, and baby fairs. My fa-
vorite was Scarecrow Fest each October for the last 11 years. It brought
a movie night, a scarecrow contest, and a costume stroll that kicked off
Treats on the Streets. We even hosted a cat tour through the historic
Canal Quarter, where residents brought their cats out to meet visitors.
Those events helped families fi nd each other and feel at home here, and
they are some of my happiest memories.
WHAT I'M STILL WORKING ON
Stepping away from the magazine doesn't mean stepping away from
Fredericksburg's families.
The Fredericksburg Imagina on Library, our affi liate of Dolly Parton's
Imagina on Library, mails a free book every month to children from birth
to age fi ve. I paused it when I was diagnosed with cancer. I'm thrilled
that Rachael Cohen and Lindley Estes, two city moms with tremendous
energy and heart, are restar ng it in the city, and I will be advising them.
Turning
the Page
