A Successful End to 2021

Thanks to the generosity of our community partners—including businesses, organizations, donors, and volunteers—the last few months have been quite busy! During Operation Turkey, you helped us ensure that 900 families had the food needed to enjoy a hearty Thanksgiving meal together. We also received more than 20,000 pounds of additional food which is helping to stock the shelves of the NVFS Hunger Resource Center for distribution throughout the year ahead.

During the Gifting for Families Drive in December, more than 1,400 kids received a new toy because of your support. Many of you also donated to our year-end giving campaign to help make sure that, as we moved into 2022, our programs have the resources necessary to best support our neighbors in need.

Some of our programs also used the holidays as an opportunity to express gratitude and joy for one another. Families at the Multicultural Center gathered to celebrate and the Prince William Healthy Families program participants balanced fun and safety during their drive thru holiday event (pictured).

2021 was another challenging year, but once again, Northern Virginia came together as a community to provide the vital tools and services to help our neighbors thrive. Thank you!

Save the Date for the 2022 Road to Independence Gala!

Join us for our annual Road to Independence Gala on Friday, May 13^th at the Pavilions at Wolf Trap. We look forward to safely gathering with you in our new, outdoor venue to reconnect and celebrate the incredible achievements and possibilities of our work together in the community. 

Registration is now open. Please note that attendees will be required to be fully vaccinated in order to attend. Proof of vaccination status will be collected from all registrants before the event.

For questions or additional information, please contact Sarah Crosley at [email protected].

Vote for NVFS on Target Circle!

We're part of the Target Circle program! Through March 31^st, vote for NVFS to help direct Target's local giving. When you cast your vote, just make sure that your selected "store" is in Northern Virginia, then select NVFS as your option for giving.

Bonus! Your friends and family can help too, no matter how far from NoVA they live. Have them temporarily change their preferred Target store online to one in Northern Virginia, cast their votes, and then change back to their local store.

Mission Moment

Kevin Loses Gang Affiliation and Gains Trust in His Family and Himself

Kevin was 17-years old when he was referred to the NVFS’ Intervention, Prevention and Education (IPE) program by his probation officer due to his gang association, defiant and runaway behavior at home, and truancy at school.

IPE works to address the challenges in a young person’s life that make them vulnerable to gang recruitment by equipping them with the knowledge, coping skills and tools to make better decisions. The program also provides the youth’s support network - parents, the community, schools, etc. – with the　tools and assistance needed to remove barriers to communication and healthy relationship development, and instead work towards fostering a healthy support system.

For five months, Kevin worked with his IPE Counselor, his family, his school, and the people within his community towards goals that he and his Counselor had identified together. Successful completion of the program not only immediately improved Kevin’s decision-making ability, negated gang affiliation, and increased healthy relationships, but it also set Kevin up for a more positive and prosperous future.

"It was a great experience. I learned to make good decisions in my life and how to select positive friends," Kevin explained, reflecting on the five successful months he spent in IPE building, new skills, gaining confidence, and renewing trust in his family. "[IPE] increased communication with my family," he said. "I used to ask for advice from my friends, and now I prefer to ask my father."