The Montgomery County-Blacksburg Kiwanis Club has presented the 2023 Teilmann Youth Services Award to Laura Beth Weaver, who exemplifies the many attributes of Reverend Gunnar Teilmann by working tirelessly inside and outside of her position as Director of Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley, located in Radford.
Weaver has dedicated her professional and personal life to providing vital services and hope to women and children confronting the trauma of domestic and sexual violence.
She is an integral part of the Christian education program at Christ Episcopal Church, from leading Children’s Chapel to teaching Safeguarding God’s Children, a program designed to instruct adults on the prevention of sexual abuse of children and youth. Weaver contributes to many regional volunteer and board appointments focused on social justice and the rights and safety of women and children.
In the new year, Weaver will join the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, broadening her reach, expertise, and commitment across the Commonwealth. Thank you, Laura Beth, for serving the children in our community and beyond.
The Teilmann Youth Services award is presented annually by Montgomery County-Blacksburg Kiwanis in honor of Gunnar Teilmann, and it has been awarded for more than 30 years to an outstanding citizen who has made significant unselfish contributions to the betterment of youth in Montgomery County for service to God, country and community. Gunnar Teilmann, a former Kiwanian and Eagle Scout, was an Army chaplain in WWII, a Prisoner of War, and a Silver Star recipient. After the war, he served as a missionary in Malaysia and in Singapore. He later served as Associate Pastor at Blacksburg United Methodist Church. Just days prior to his death, he scribbled a note that read, “I am thankful, so thankful to all.”
Montgomery County-Blacksburg Kiwanis Club
