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United Way: #8099
CFC: #79645 

Did you resolve to give more this year? Here is an easy way. When shopping online, try using Amazon Smile, which donates 0.5 percent of your purchase, or Goodshop, which can donate up to 10 percent, to Northern Virginia Family Service. Every little bit counts!

Save the date for the Lou Maroon Golf Tournament benefitting our SERVE campus on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016.

Thank You, Inventory Volunteers

NVFS conducts an inventory of donated supplies at all three of our thrift shops and our Hunger Resource Center during the last week of June every year for our annual audit.

Thank you to the nearly 100 volunteers who donated their time last week to sort, count, move and weigh many thousands of pounds of food and countless racks, shelves and boxes of clothing, books, houseware and more. This was a massive effort that wouldn’t be possible without volunteers!

It’s Back-to-School Drive Time

July might just be getting underway, but we are already deep into planning for the NVFS back-to-school drive, which provides fully-supplied backpacks to 2,000 school-age children. These eager learners depend on the generosity of our donors and volunteers to be able to start their school year with the supplies they need for a successful school year.

You can support the back-to-school drive by: 1) coordinating a collection in your community and donating supplies, and/or 2) volunteering to assemble and stuff backpacks. Click here to learn more and thank you.

 Happy Birthday and best wishes to all of our volunteers with July birthdays!

• Navara Cannon Moves to SERVE – We are pleased to announce that Navara Cannon has been promoted to Community & Volunteer Engagement Specialist for the SERVE campus in Manassas! She is excited to shift her focus to building and strengthening relationships with volunteers, civic and faith groups and business partners in Manassas and greater Prince William County. Navara’s phone and email remain the same – 571.748.2536 and ncannon@nvfs.org – and her office is now at the SERVE campus admin building.
• Meagan Perkins, BCCS – Meagan Perkins joined our team late last year and is the Community & Volunteer Engagement Specialist at the Bailey’s Crossroads Community Shelter. See the article below for more about Meagan’s engagement initiatives at BCCS. Meagan can be reached at 703.820.7621 x218 and mperkins@nvfs.org and her office is at BCCS in Falls Church.
• Best wishes to Jan Hawkins – Many of you know that Jan recently left NVFS to embark on a new path. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank her for more than 13 years of dedication and support to the SERVE campus!
• Two New Team Members are Coming Soon – With Navara shifting her focus to the SERVE campus and Manassas community, we are in the process of hiring a Community & Volunteer Engagement Specialist to carry forward the volunteer programs and community relationships she has built over the years in Fairfax, Arlington and Loudoun counties. We are also recruiting a part-time Community & Volunteer Engagement Specialist for the Hilda Barg Shelter in Woodbridge. Are you interested or do you know someone who is interested in a part-time (20 hours/week), community-facing role in the Woodbridge area? Apply soon by submitting a cover letter and resume to careers@nvfs.org and khorowitz@nvfs.org.

Alison Burke and Julia Oakley, staff members of the Program for Survivors of Torture and Severe Trauma (PSTT) at Northern Virginia Family Service’s Multicultural Center, visited the offices of Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner the week following International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (June 26) to:

• raise awareness surrounding the Syrian refugee crisis,
• promote better partnerships with refugee agencies and funding for refugee programs, and
• increase communications between Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) and the senators’ offices regarding refugee-related legislation.

“We want to be able to partner with refugee agencies to address issues at the onset of refugees’ arrival into the United States, rather than waiting until they become so bad or fall through the cracks,” Burke stated.

In its most recent report — the strongest data project on torture in roughly a decade — the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs recommended strengthened resources for prevention, treatment, and research of torture survivors to provide rehabilitation and determine effective intervention. Torture survivors are at a higher risk for developing major depressive disorder (MDD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than other refugees, but have shown improvement following one to two years of treatment. Research showed early treatment is a major factor in limiting depression.

Representatives in both senators’ offices were receptive to the information shared by NVFS’ PSTT staff and are eager to collaborate with the agency moving forward. Burke and Oakley also had an opportunity to attend a congressional briefing reiterating the importance of supporting services for torture survivors.

“Supporting early treatment and intervention for torture survivors will have a significant impact on the ability of our agency and others to provide stronger rehabilitation opportunities for these individuals and help them regain as much normalcy as possible,” Burke shared. “We look forward to continued collaboration with both senators’ offices to remain vigilant on opportunities to assist these survivors in a time of great need.”

Shelter Driver – Imagine how hard it is to be homeless, especially when you have no car to get to and from your job. You can strike this barrier down for families by transporting shelter residents to and from jobs, doctor appointments and public assistance centers. Shelter drivers are needed on weekday mornings and afternoons. We supply the van and the gas! All driving is done locally. Volunteers must be at least 21 years old, with a valid driver’s license. Contact Navara Cannon at 571.748.2536.

Prepare a Fresh Meal for the Homeless – Bailey’s Crossroad Community Shelter needs your help to ensure the 50 shelter residents have fresh meals on summer weekends. Prepare and donate dishes to serve family-style, assemble and donate bagged/boxed meals, or fund a meal for 50 people the following dates: Sunday, July 10 – dinner; Sunday, July 24 – dinner; Saturday, July 30 – dinner; or Sunday, July 31 – lunch. Volunteers are welcome to prepare in the shelter kitchen and stay to serve the meal or simply drop off the meal. Contact Meagan Perkins at 703.820.7621 x.218.

Save Food From Going to Waste – Does it bother you that so much food is wasted yet so many people are faced with hunger? Do you like to keep busy and stay active? Volunteers are needed weekend and weekday mornings to pick up donations from Manassas-area grocery stores/restaurants and deliver the food to SERVE’s Hunger Resource Center. We provide the van and you collect the food for hungry families. It’s a great way to accomplish two tasks at once, all before lunchtime — volunteering and your morning workout! Volunteers must be able to lift up to 50 lbs. Drivers must be at least 21 years old; teams of two are strongly encouraged. Contact Navara Cannon at 571.748.2536