Our Vision
We are raising the funds to acquire a permanent campus in West Virginia — classrooms, shops, and grounds — and turn it into the Appalachian Leadership & Training Academy: a year-long residential academy that forges young men in faith, service, and skill.
We bid on a campus this August and were outbid. The search continues — and the fund is intact.
For most of 2026 we pursued a specific property in Mount Hope, West Virginia — a former federal training campus that would have been a remarkable fit. It went to auction on August 19, 2026. We bid to the limit our board had authorized, and someone else went higher.
We are disappointed, but we are not discouraged. Every dollar given to the Building Fund is still in the Building Fund, and we are actively looking at other properties across southern West Virginia. We would rather wait for the right home than rush into the wrong one.
What we are looking for has not changed: classroom space, room for a working trades shop, ground for physical training, and beds for thirty to sixty young men. If you know of a property that fits, we would genuinely like to hear from you — forge@holtonnews.com.
The Appalachian Leadership & Training Academy — a one-year residential program for motivated young men straight out of high school, modeled after proven academies like the International ALERT Academy in Big Sandy, Texas.
A full year immersed in Scripture, discipleship, and the daily habits of a man of character — the foundation everything else is built on.
Real, certifiable training in emergency medicine, rescue, and readiness — so these young men can run toward trouble and serve their neighbors.
Hands-on mastery of a skilled trade — electrical, plumbing, welding, HVAC, automotive, and more — so every graduate leaves with a livelihood in his hands.
A young man would arrive the fall after graduation and spend twelve months living, working, worshiping, and training alongside mentors of proven character. He'd leave with his faith deepened, his body hardened, a first-responder certification, and a trade that can support a family for life. That is the kind of man this country is starving for — and this building is where we'll forge him.
A permanent campus unlocks everything else. Here's the path.
We must own a property before we can do anything else. That's the purpose of this campaign: to raise the funds to purchase a permanent campus outright.
With a campus secured, we'll bring together support from private donors, foundations, and community development partners to renovate the facility and stand up the academy — work that can only begin once the property is ours.
Renovate, staff, and launch a residential academy that will train young men from across the country, year after year, for generations to come.
The goal is not a building — it's to build men. But the building is where it begins. Every gift moves us closer to the deed, and to the first young man who walks through those doors.
Gifts to the Building Fund help Frontier Forge Institute acquire and prepare a permanent campus for the Appalachian Leadership & Training Academy. Gifts are not designated to any single property. Frontier Forge Institute is a program of the James Megellas Foundation, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 27-3047777). Your gift is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
Many of our donors prefer to give quietly, by mail. Checks are welcome and equally tax-deductible. Make your check payable to the James Megellas Foundation and mail it to:
James Megellas Foundation 350 Landsing StreetWrite "Building Fund" in the memo line so your gift is applied to the acquisition. We'll mail a receipt for your records. If you'd rather your gift remain anonymous, simply note "Anonymous" with your check — your name will never appear in any public list or report.
"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain."
— Psalm 127:1