CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — The Salvation Army of Charlottesville is preparing to enter the final phase of its “Hope Has a Place” capital campaign and to lead its efforts, the organization is bringing back an experienced local nonprofit leader to lead its efforts.

Aimee Andrews was named the organization’s Director of Development last week, a post she previously held from 2020-23, shortly after stepping down as editor of the magazine “C-ville Weekly.” A longtime Advisory Board member as well as a board member for the Blue Ridge Rotary Club, Andrews said she and the Salvation Army as a whole, is eager to finish their capital campaign and build the planned “Center of Hope” in Charlottesville.

“There is a sense of urgency to get something done and get it done now,” she told Cville Right Now. “And I know that more than anyone, I’ve been involved with the Salvation Army for over 12 years now, the fact of the matter is, we can get it done. We, the Salvation Army, can get it done.”

The Salvation Army launched the public portion of its campaign last month with an event at its current home, which the organization is hoping to replace with the 47,000-square foot “Center of Hope.”

The new center will double the capacity of beds at the current site from 55 to 110 while also moving from a “congregational” shelter to private four-person pods for increased safety.

The center will also double the capacity of the dining facility, allowing it to serve 120 people at a time and increase family accommodations, providing seven two-bedroom apartments for 28 total occupants.

The Salvation Army said it had raised $17 million of its $28 million goal at May’s event. but stressed there was still a long road ahead.

“That is great news, but we have quite aways to go,” board member Richard Nunley said in his remarks at the event. “And it needs all of us to get in and pitch and do our best to raise this money so we can have this outstanding facility for our community.”

Andrews said on Friday the organization still needs to raise $9 million.

“The community has been extraordinarily generous so far,” she said. “All we need is for all of us to come together, step up and take us across the finish line. My intention is for that to happen by the end of the summer.”

She added the plans for the center have already been submitted to the city, meaning the campaign will need to hit its goal sooner rather than later.

It will take a few years for the center to be built and Andrews said there is a transition team already looking into how the Salvation Army will continue to offer its services during construction.

But right now, Andrw emphasized the organization’s current facilities “are in such disrepair that we can’t meet the needs of those that need us the most.” The soup kitchen has been closed to the public for over three weeks and at best, the Salvation Army can only serve residents shelf stable items.

“Our goal is to provide a healthy, balanced menu to those that come to us that need us the most. That are looking for a pathway towards independence,” Andrews said. “And we make a promise to them to deliver certain items and then they make a promise to us and it’s a beautiful relationship and we’re doing a lot of that, but we just don’t have the capacity anymore. Our community has outgrown any services any of us are capable of providing right now.”

It will be a tough job over the next few months, but Andrews said she when the opportunity arose, she felt a responsibility to come back and help lead the Salvation Army as it enters this campaign’s final phase.

“There are very few opportunities in a career where you can help complete something that will change lives for decades,” she said. “I just didn’t feel like I wanted to miss that opportunity.”