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Welcome to the Team!
Please join me in welcoming Francesca Watson to the Volunteer & Partner Services team. Ms. Watson is an enthusiastic humanist with a passion for promoting the welfare of others. She began her career in business and operations with a technology company in Miami, Florida after receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in business marketing. She focused on building a superior workforce, capitalizing on diversity, restorative practice, and operational excellence. After nearly a decade of professional experience in the private sector, she transitioned her focus toward conflict resolution.
In recent years, she has gained experience in the public sector working for non-profit organizations fundraising, conducting outreach, fostering community engagement, building positive relationships, and assisting the community in navigating through and resolving conflicts. She recently graduated with a Master’s Degree in conflict analysis and resolution and is in the process of obtaining a certification from the Supreme Court of Virginia as a court-referred mediator for both Juvenile and Domestic Relations, as well as, General District Court cases.
As a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer, Ms. Watson was appointed by a judge to advocate for abused/neglected children. She got to know the story of a little girl that she will never forget. She was able to see the results of her efforts, gain experience in social work, and the experience amplified her desire to contribute to the community and continue in the human services field.
She has traveled to 17 different countries, enjoys hiking with her furry four-legged son, biking, running and is training for a triathlon that she will complete in the fall of 2018.
Ms. Watson has now joined the Befriend-A-Child Program as one of the new assistant coordinators for the next year. She is looking forward to further developing the program and changing the lives of Fairfax County children. We are very excited to have her support as we continue to strengthen the work we do with children and mentoring. Welcome Francesca Watson to our team!
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The Study Buddy Tutoring Program
The Study Buddy Tutoring Program is excited to announce the upcoming partnership with Northern Virginia Community College. After learning about Study Buddy’s mission to provide volunteer-based academic services to children on Department of Family Services Children, Youth and Families caseloads, several students expressed interest in becoming a part of the project.
The partnership will be a unique one as VPS has yet to engage a group of students for a specific and ongoing opportunity. The format will be slightly different compared to the typical weekly one-on-one sessions with a volunteer tutor and referred student. Now, the group of NOVA students will tutor a group of students together in a neutral location, preferably the Annandale NOVA campus. The Study Buddy coordinator is still working out the fine details, but as long as the referred youth are able to be transported to the campus, all tutoring sessions should take place at the university. Volunteer & Partner Services and the Study Buddy Tutoring Program is excited for this amazing opportunity and looks forward to sharing more after the new year.
Thank you, NOVA students, for all that you have done, and all that you will do!
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Starbucks: A Great Supporter!
The Body Safety Program is grateful for businesses such as Starbucks for their support!
For the third consecutive year, Starbucks manager Jack Johnson has contributed breakfast essentials to The Body Safety Program’s annual training. Volunteer facilitators enjoyed coffee and pastries before starting an exciting day of training.
Donations from community businesses, such as Starbucks, support The Body Safety Program by providing delicious treats for volunteers and creating an atmosphere of learning and engagement. Eight hours of training can be challenging for anyone, but with Starbucks’ generous contribution all of the volunteers were excited and ready to learn.
It has been said that, “It takes a village to raise a child.” We interpret this adage to mean that as community educators we cannot be successful alone. The contributions of not only volunteers, but also of community partners, drive the overall success of initiatives such as The Body Safety Program, and for this we are forever grateful. Thank you, Starbucks!
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A Special Little Girl with a Very Big Heart
Chesleigh Flynn is a typical preschooler with a love of science, art and playing with her friends and siblings. But she had an atypical reaction to a conversation with her mother. When Chesleigh learned that some families do not have new toys, or even enough money to buy food and clothing, she asked her mom if she could donate all her birthday presents to children who don’t have anything. So in October 2016, with her mother’s encouragement, Chesleigh asked all the guests coming to her birthday party to bring toys to donate to children on Department of Family Services caseloads. Through the generosity of these donors, VPS received toys that were able to be given to children as part of our Adopt a Family Program.
When Chesleigh turned 5 in October 2017, once again rather than accept gifts for herself, she asked her friends to bring a donation of gift cards to help families in need. Chesleigh collected more than 30 gift cards to grocery, food and toy stores and donated them to Volunteer & Partner Services, Adopt a Family Program once again. As a valuable lesson about the importance of giving, the Flynn family encouraged the children to choose which gift cards to donate, saying that “as a family we all are so blessed with so much already.”
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More Love in Your Heart
During the holiday season, Volunteer & Partner Services is fortunate to receive donations from the local community and from our dedicated partners. Every once and a while, we welcome a surprise.
This year, the surprise came in the form of phone call from the Brockwells of Kentucky, who are the loving grandparents of a new BeFriend-A-Child mentor. During the holiday, the Brockwell’s grandson, Dan, shared with his family about his experience mentoring an 8-year-old boy involved with Fairfax County’s Children, Youth, and Families Division.
The Brockwells explained, “We love our grandson and everything he is doing with the (BeFriend-A-Child) program.” At his request, instead of holiday gifts, they decided to make a donation to the BeFriend-A-Child program. We are so grateful to families like Mr. and Mrs. Brockwell and to all our dedicated mentors who think of the larger community and spread the word at this time of the year. They remind us to keep love in our hearts all year long.
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Body Safety Program Annual Training
On October 6, 2017, the Body Safety Program held its third annual facilitator training. These 14 volunteers represent a variety of backgrounds and experiences. They are now equipped to facilitate sessions teaching children the five safety rules—which aim to keep them “body safe”!
The Body Safety program continues to grow and at the end of its 3rd year has served 3,078 children in Fairfax County. The Body Safety Program has committed to educating students at the following elementary schools in 2018: Westlawn, Washington Mill, Belle View and Bucknell. We hope to connect with several other schools soon.
The Body Safety Program is very fortunate to have such a wonderful group of charismatic and professional facilitators who are willing to dedicate their time and energy to teaching children the “Speak Up, Be Safe” curriculum. On behalf of the Body Safety Program, we welcome them all and are excited to begin another successful year!
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Cave Walking
BeFriend-A-Child Mentoring Program mentors and mentees look forward to spending time together each month on the fun outings planned by program staff. In October, BeFriend-A-Child participants enjoyed a trip to the Shenandoah Valley for a tour of Luray Caverns. Everyone enjoyed the stunning pillars of minerals spanning as high as 47 feet! Other attractions include a gorgeous wishing well, reflecting pool and The Great Stalagpipe Organ. Recognized as the world’s largest instrument, the organ taps into the stalactites throughout the caverns to make its majestic sound.
After completing this underground adventure, everyone explored the Car and Carriage Caravan Museum and were treated to ice cream and snacks. BeFriend-A-Child would like to thank Namita and friends from IT Strategies, LLC for making this event a monumental success! Thank you to all the mentors who made the journey to Luray, Virginia for your dedication to the children.
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BeFriend-A-Child Holiday Party
BeFriend-A-Child hosted their annual holiday party, which was a jolly success. The BeFriend team worked tirelessly to make this year one to remember. This event could not have happened without our generous donors and volunteers. They showed incredible graciousness, putting in the time and effort to allow the children to have a wonderful Christmas.
There are many reasons as to why this year was one of our best years yet; and one of those reasons is the gentlemen of the George Mason University Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. They donated their time to allow the party to run smoothly while they:
- Served the delicious meal.
- Entertaining everyone with an enthusiastic step show.
- Played Santa for the children.
- Supplied the heartbeat of the party through DJ CTB, played holiday and dance favorites all night long.
Our fantastic donors are another reason, this party was such a success. These examples of their generosity showed the children the true nature of Christmas, and we are sincerely grateful for our donors’ kindness and compassion:
- Fairfax Church of Christ donated space for the special event.
- TriCrest Homes’ owners, Mr. and Mrs. Soteropoulos, transported, organized and distributed gifts to over 100 mentees who attended with their families.
- Information Technology Strategies, LLC made arrangements to donate the food, lovingly prepared by Pauly’s BBQ.
Other volunteers who made this holiday party a great time include our photographer from The Hill Studio, Jeanne, and our wonderful face painter, Cristina Aboyme. They worked tirelessly throughout the entire party to give the kids something special and memorable this Christmas.
Finally, VPS would like to thank the mentors and families. Thank you to the families for being open and allowing mentors to enter their lives and make a difference. The mentors dedicate their time and energy to be a positive adult in the child’s life. Their commitment shows the essence of the holiday spirit throughout the year and we are forever grateful for their devotion to the children.
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What’s Hot in Volunteering?
Ever wonder where the world of volunteerism is headed? Take a look below at 3 of the industry’s hottest buzz words NOW:
1) Slacktivism- Click, click, change.
A creative union between “slacker” and “activism,” slacktivism refers to actions performed while using the Internet that affect social or political causes, named so cleverly to describe the minimal time or involvement required. Examples include: creating and/or participating in online petitions, posting to social media websites, or emailing local officials. Slacktivism is a great way to give back if you have limited time to volunteer, if you want to affect change in a variety of social or political ways, or to make sure your voice is heard.
2) Crowdsourcing- Gather more people.
With the goal of creating more good, crowdsourcing often involves slacktivism by gathering content, ideas, or resources from multiple people, usually via the Internet. Crowdsourcing allows work to be divided into smaller, more manageable tasks. Crowdfunding, a form of crowdsourcing, allows organizers to pool together financial resources intended for a common goal. A great site to begin a crowdsourcing project is Redbasket.org, which offers the opportunity to share your story, recruit volunteers, and even fundraise online for the purpose of benefitting a volunteer group.
3) Micro-volunteering- Every little bit counts.
Does the typical volunteer application process, screening, or on-site training deter you from starting a project? Does your volunteer project require virtual members to support your team? Then micro-volunteering may in fact become your favorite type of volunteering so far! Most tasks require minimal commitment and may even take less than 10 minutes to complete. Examples include mapping planets and other celestial bodies or helping NOAA map the Earth’s magnetic field.
Now that you’re in the “know” of volunteerism’s hottest new terms and trends, what will YOU do to serve your community? What innovative ways can YOU think of to give back and utilize some of the volunteer field’s hottest trends?
(Got an idea? Great! Email it to Alexandra Stewart and it just might show up in the Volunteer Post’s next edition!)
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Fond Farewell to our first VISTA, Lexy
It has been an honor to be part of the Volunteer & Partner Services family and to watch the programs grow and progress. It is with a heavy heart that I close out my year of service to the Volunteer & Partner Services Program. Thank you to everyone for the support and sincerity you have showed during my time here. It would be impossible to count all the ways you’ve helped me grow. It’s a joy to work beside people with such caring hearts and open arms. Thank you to the amazing mentors who have showed me what it means to be dedicated and how important it is to give back to the community. These memories will be with me forever.
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” ~ Vincent Van Gogh
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About The Volunteer Post Newsletter
Our volunteers and partners are the invaluable backbone of Volunteer & Partner Services Program (VPS). This newsletter is published three times a year and shares about events, volunteer data, volunteer opportunities or other general information. We hope this newsletter will keep us all connected!
Whether you’re a seasoned or new volunteer, partner or sponsor, knowing the history of the organization you’re supporting is very important. VPS was developed in September 2013 with the purpose of recruiting top-level volunteers to provide direct or indirect services to prevent child abuse and neglect. VPS is part of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Services within the Department of Family Services Children, Youth and Families division. VPS started with four programs and after gaining momentum began recruiting volunteers for two additional programs. VPS manages the Administrative Assistant Program, BeFriend-A-Child Program and Body Safety Program - Speak Up Be Safe and also recruits volunteers for the Adopt-A-Family Program, Father Engagement Program for Volunteers - Dads Parenting Groups and Parenting Education Program for Volunteers. Each program has individual needs and functions that require volunteers with an array of skill sets. Volunteers continue to apply to help with hopes of making a difference in the community. VPS is honored to recruit, train and provide opportunities to those interested in the prevention of child abuse and neglect. We continue to provide top-level volunteers for the community as we fight to prevent and end child abuse and neglect.
Browse through past newsletters in the archive.
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