By Amy Cockerham
Public Ed Works

WINSTON-SALEM (January 15, 2025) – A nonprofit is trying to uplift one of the oldest Black neighborhoods in Forsyth County by improving access to education.

Boston-Thurmond United leads revitalization efforts in the Boston-Thurmond neighborhood of Winston-Salem. Executive Director Regina Hall said the organization, formed in May 2019, serves about 4,100 families.

“Lots of investment has happened in the surrounding areas of the neighborhood, but hasn’t always funneled back into the neighborhood with opportunities,” Regina Hall said. “Our organization was created to try to change that.”

The nonprofit is part of a larger organization of “Purpose Built Communities” created by philanthropists Thomas Cousins, Warren Buffett and Julian Robertson. 

Across the country, there are 27 communities. There are three in North Carolina, including groups in Charlotte and Raleigh.

“We believe that mixed-income housing is the best way to prevent poverty,” Regina Hall said. “We believe that making sure that children are educated as early as six weeks old, all the way up until career or whether or not they want to go to college, is the best way to ensure that they have the best chance of fighting poverty.”

Purpose Built Communities also work to improve access to health and fitness resources.

The new Boston-Thurmond United community center opened in March 2025.

Locally, the nonprofit spearheaded efforts to improve internet access for residents through a “Digital Equity Initiative” that started during COVID-19.

“One of the other things that we try to make sure that we balance is the importance of reading actual physical books and then also being able to use technology when necessary to be able to supplement that learning at any age,” Regina Hall said.

VICTORIA HALL is the Book Abundance Specialist at Boston-Thurmond United.

“I was an African-American kid that came out of that neighborhood,” Victoria Hall said. “Education was…a little challenging at first for me, until people came along to help.”

Victoria Hall helps run programs like Book Harvest’s “Books on Break,” providing kids with free new books to read over Thanksgiving, Christmas or summer break, as well as “Books for K,” providing kindergarteners with 10 books for their home library.

Victoria Hall said that growing up in the neighborhood, it wasn’t always easy to get books, educational support or tutoring.

“It’s so important for me to reach back and help someone else in the same neighborhood that I grew up in,” Victoria Hall said. “I’m all for it because, you know, you don’t have to fight for something someone else once did. Now we have the resources to have them there for you at your fingertips.”

Boston-Thurmond United also distributes books around the community, from medical offices to barber shops.

Kindergartener looks over her new book provided by “Books for K”
Credit: Book Harvest

“That’s one thing that has made my job a little easier is a lot of people…been willing to partner up for the cause,” Victoria Hall said. “When I went to the barbershop, the local barbershop, he was so ready.”

One of the most recent challenges the neighborhood has faced is the closing of one school, Cook Elementary, due to low student enrollment.

Cook Elementary is scheduled to close summer 2026.

“There are children who live in the Boston-Thurmond neighborhood who are being displaced,” Regina Hall said. “How do we respond as an organization to ensure that they are able to seamlessly transition into another elementary school where they can thrive?”

Organization leaders said they already plan to ensure students who are eligible for “Books on Break” and similar programs still have the option to receive books when they transfer schools.

“I take it very seriously, to make parents understand how important it is to read to their kids, how reading opens up vocabulary for them to be able to understand bigger things in life,” Victoria Hall said. “I love my role.”

For more information on how to donate or volunteer, visit https://bostonthurmondunited.org/ or stop by the community center at 2530 Pittsburg Avenue, Winston-Salem, NC 27101.