We need YOU to help get the message out!

The LatinX and African American/Black communities have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and are less likely to be vaccinated. NVFS is partnering with Kaiser Permanente and The Public Good Projects on The Vaccination & COVID-19 Collaboration. Through education and information, this collaboration strives to ease the fears and anxiety that these communities have about getting the COVID-19 vaccine by sharing in formation in ways that resonate in the hopes of helping them overcome vaccine hesitancy and to continue mitigation efforts.

Check out the Vaccination and COVID-19 Collaboration page on our website which features a variety of helpful materials for families, caseworkers, and partner agencies - and please help us spread the word by sharing the digital media downloads and resources with your online networks.

CARE Applications Due June 21!

For nearly 30 years, the CARE Awards have recognized outstanding companies that proactively make our region a better place for everyone to live, work, and play. This past year has been unlike any other, with the business community working to overcome a variety of unique obstacles in order to support employees and their families, their customers, and the broader community while not just surviving as a business, but thriving.

This year we are excited to showcase what makes your company one of the best places to work in the region through our 2021 CARE Awards! The deadline for applications is Monday, June 21. Apply today!

New Wellness Garden for the NVFS SERVE Campus

We are excited about the new wellness garden that Apple Federal Credit Union and Keep Prince William Beautiful came together to build at our SERVE Campus in Manassas. Our campus is home to the Hunger Resource Center, a Headstart Classrom and the NVFS SERVE Family Shelter, which is the largest family shelter in Northern Virginia. With this garden, shelter guests working towards self-sufficiency, families stopping by to receive nutritious food, and our NVFS staff working to help our community will now have the chance to sit in a beautiful space to relax, reflect, and rejuvenate - the perfect way to encourage total wellness.

Thank you to our partners for their effort in making this garden a reality! And thank you to WUSA9 for featuring this collaboration on last week's broadcast. We appreciate all who recognized this need and are responding to it with such enthusiastic support.

Check out NVFS' SERVE campus to learn how YOU can make an impact.

June Days of Recognition

Juneteenth - Saturday, June 19, 2021

Juneteenth marks African Americans’ liberation from slavery. It is a critically important day with a legacy of hope, resilience, the celebration of Black culture, and the continued fight for a better future.
We welcome our neighbors to join in education, and celebration, by watching these two videos to understand why we celebrate this monumental day.

• Why all Americans should honor Juneteenth | Vox news - YouTube: length 7:12 - An historian explains the history and significance of the holiday.

World Refugee Day - June 20

Conflict, war, persecution, and violence have forced more than 80 million people around the world to flee their homes, becoming refugees. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group which makes them unable to safely return home.

UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture - June 26

The Washington DC, metro area is home to an estimated 40,000 survivors of torture. These physical, sexual, and psychological assaults are attempts to destroy the human spirit and strike fear into a community. Torture victims often suffer from isolation and depression due to their ordeal and subsequent relocation. Some are able to adapt to their new country, overcoming fear of repatriation, learning new languages, and overcoming economic adversity on their own, but most need an extensive network of support to overcome the lasting effects of torture. 

NVFS Supports Available

NVFS recognizes that critical resources, such as culturally sensitive mental health counseling and legal support, help survivors of torture and refugees rebuild their lives, their confidence, and their outlook. NVFS uniquely responds to they new and evolving challenges that Northern Virginia's immigrant communities are facing. We hope you will consider supporting our work during these days to recognize the hardships some of our neighbors have overcome, and NVFS' role in helping them not only survive, but thrive.

• Immigrant Resiliency Fund
• The Importance of Hope for Survivors of Torture and Trauma

Pride Month - June 2021

June is Pride Month, an annual commemoration of the uprising at the Stonewall Inn in 1969 and a celebration of self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility as opposed to shame and stigma for the LGBTIA+ community. At NVFS we recognize that families are diverse and unique and, as such, we support all individuals and families on their journey towards self-sufficiency and success because we know Northern Virginia is stronger when all our neighbors are valued equally.

To celebrate with our neighbors this month you can:

• Visit the Virginia Pride Guide to see events throughout Virginia.
• Watch PRIDE, a six-part documentary streaming for free on Hulu that chronicles the struggle for LGBTQ+ civil rights.
• Check out The Parents Guide to Supporting LGBTQIA Kids.