Help us bring hope to those who are struggling with mental health challenges.
The Mission of Family Service of Roanoke Valley is to support individuals and families as they journey toward lives of emotional wellness, healthy relationships, and a future filled with hope.
Family Service of Roanoke Valley is asking us to rally our friends, family, and networks to support their work. By making a donation to our duo, you will help support more Family Service Counseling, Youth Development, Healthy Relationship Groups, Public Guardianship, and Personal Affairs Management services for the Roanoke Valley. This funding will help bring hope to those who are struggling with a mental health challenge.
Please consider supporting our Celebrity Champion Duo and giving to Family Service of Roanoke Valley!
(Please note that donations are non-refundable).
Joe Cobb believes that our greatest calling as human beings is to love one another by honoring and celebrating what makes us unique and by discovering what we can create together. This calling both inspires and informs his devotion to public service in the Roanoke city, region and around the world.
Joe Cobb is a member of the City Council for the City of Roanoke (elected on May 1, 2018),and served as Vice Mayor from July 1, 2018 – December 31, 2020. He also works as Chaplain at Hermitage Roanoke, a senior living community in Northwest Roanoke.
A native of Wichita, Kansas, Joe has been a resident of Roanoke, Virginia, since 2001 where he lives with his husband, James, and their two children, Ginny and JJ. Ginny is in the eighth grade and JJ is in the 6th grade, both attending James Madison Middle School. Their family also includes daughter, Emma (Connor, Harper Jane and Will) and son, Taylor.
An ordained clergy with the Metropolitan Community Churches, Joe most recently served as Pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of the Blue Ridge from 2009-2017. He also served as Director of Marketing and PR for the Roanoke Symphony and as Executive Director for Family Promise of Greater Roanoke.
Joe is a leader and advocate for social justice and brings strong public relations, development, fundraising, and collaborative experience in building community collaborations and partnerships.
Joe is Chair of the Council of Community Services Board of Directors, Chair of the City of Roanoke Gun Violence Prevention Commission, Chair of the City of Roanoke Audit Committee President of the GRTC (Greater Roanoke Transit Company) Board, Vice Chair of the City Council Personnel Committee, member of the City Council’s Legislative Committee, and is a member of the Board of Directors for Equality Virginia, the Roanoke Valley Sisters Cities, and the Clean Valley Council.
He has a Master of Divinity degree from Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, Texas, USA, and a Bachelor of Philosophy degree from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, USA. Joe served as a United Methodist clergy from 1985-2001 in Texas, England and Kansas. He is currently working toward a Doctor of Ministry degree with Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.
Rev. Joe is co-author of Our Family Outing: A Memoir of Coming Out and Coming Through, written with his former spouse, Rev. Leigh Anne Taylor. The book is a unique, two voice narrative of a gay man and straight woman and their journey through marriage, children, coming out, divorce, healing, reconciliation, and creating a new way of being family.
Lee Hunsaker is a native Virginian. She spent 20 years in Austin, Texas working as a costumer in the film industry. Then, in 2008, her life changed.
“I was diagnosed with breast cancer. That, of course, puts the breaks on everything and makes you re-evaluate your life and where you are and the things you want to change. And, I decided to move back to Virginia, to Roanoke, to where I'm from. I missed the mountains, I missed the people, I missed my family.”
She says she realized she needed something more than just coming home.
“I needed an outlet to express myself; my grief, my rage, all of those emotions that come with an illness. So, I started conducting writing workshops with cancer survivors. And, just hearing the stories, hearing the people be so raw and honest about their lives made me realize that everybody needs that kind of an outlet, everybody needs a place to be heard."
Hunsaker created that place with Hoot and Holler: Our Stories Out Loud, a moveable feast of storytelling.
I happens on the porch of a local coffee shop in the warm weather and in a small venue in Old Southwest Roanoke when it turns cold.
Regardless of the location, Hunsaker says those who sign up to share always rise to the occasion.
“They summon their voice when they get up there because I think the Hoot and Holler audience is one of the most positive audiences I've ever experienced. You can literally feel the love. People want you to succeed when you're up there and the storytellers feel that. What comes out of their mouths is usually absolute magic."
