We are proud to announce that Eastern Shore Training and Consulting, Inc. (ESTACI) has been selected as one of 29 organizations across the Commonwealth to receive a 2026 grant from Virginia Humanities — one of Virginia's leading supporters of history, culture, and civic life.

The grant will fund Her Shore: A Legacy of Women's Leadership on Virginia's Eastern Shore, a community humanities project that documents and celebrates the stories of women whose leadership has shaped the civic, educational, cultural, and spiritual life of Accomack and Northampton Counties across generations.

About Her Shore

Her Shore begins with a simple but powerful recognition: the Eastern Shore has been built, sustained, and shaped by women — and too many of their stories have never been told in a sustained, public way.

Through Her Shore, ESTACI will conduct in-depth oral history interviews with Eastern Shore women leaders and tradition-bearers, capturing their experiences, contributions, and the legacies they are passing on. High school students selected through ESTACI's Empowering Girls and Young Leaders Scholarship networks will participate as Oral History Fellows, working alongside project leaders to research, document, and help bring these stories to life.

The project will culminate in a professionally designed traveling exhibit — displayed at libraries, schools, and community spaces across the Shore — alongside a series of free, open-to-the-public community dialogue events and a permanent digital archive hosted on ESTACI's website.

Why This Work Matters

For the young women ESTACI serves every day, seeing themselves reflected in the history and leadership of their own community is not a luxury — it is a foundation for confidence, identity, and possibility. Her Shore creates that mirror.

"These stories belong to all of us," said Polly Boyd, ESTACI Co-Founder and Project Director. "We are grateful to Virginia Humanities for making it possible to preserve them — and to bring them home to the young women who need them most."

Stay Tuned

Her Shore launches this fall. In the months ahead, we will be sharing updates on our Oral History Fellows, the women whose stories we are documenting, upcoming community events, and exhibit locations across the Shore. Follow us on social media and check back here for the latest.

We can't wait to introduce you to Her Shore — and to the women whose stories have been waiting to be told.

Her Shore is supported by a grant from Virginia Humanities. To learn more about Virginia Humanities and their 2026 grant recipients, visit virginiahumanities.org.