Good morning – Thinking about buying a home? Attend a FREE Homeownership Seminar Saturday, April 9 that 9:00am. Then, learn how to manage your finances by attending a Smart Money Management workshop on Tuesday, April 12 at 7:00pm. Both programs are held at Sudley North Government Center and brought to you by Virginia Cooperative Extension Financial Education & Housing Counseling Program. To register call 703-792-6287 or email [email protected].
· Brain Injury Services is looking for PALS volunteers to visit folks for friendly conversation as well as summer interns. Contact Michelle for more information: [email protected] or 703-451-8881 X232.
· Come out and enjoy the 2nd annual Spring Into Health Fair at the Boys and Girls Club Hylton Branch in Woodbridge on Saturday, April 9th. Not only can you receive FREE health screenings but there will door prizes as well! Volunteers are still needed for set-up. This is a great collaborative effort among Project Mend-a-House, the Prince William Chamber, and hosted by the Boys & Girls Clubs. Sponsors include: NOVEC, Fusion Physical Therapy, and Tribute. Contact Jodie at [email protected] to learn how you can help.
· Semper K9 Assistance Dogs is holding an open house on Saturday April 16 from 8:00am to 12 noon. Join them for demonstrations, live music, and tours of their facility. Numerous community partners will be on hand. From Shelter to Service . . . go to www.SemperK9.org for all the details!
· Capital Caring is looking for volunteer massage therapists, reiki masters, artists, musicians and certified pet therapy animals to provide joy and comfort to patients and their families. Please call Rachael at (703) 957-1785 to learn more.
· Keep Prince William Beautiful needs volunteers on Saturday April 16th on route 1 in Woodbridge from 9am-12 noon. Please call Claudia at (571) 285-3772 for the specifics.
· Historic Manassas, Inc. is looking for two volunteers to staff the Shred-It –Truck at the April 16 Live Well Festival. Times are 9:00am to noon and noon to 2:00pm overseeing the area while citizens drop off items to be shredded – no lifting or working with the shredded items! Contact Erin at [email protected].
· Attention seniors and retirees! Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) needs daytime volunteers who can attend and monitor impaired driving cases at the Prince William County Courthouse. Contact Noreen at [email protected] or phone 703-379-1135.
· SERVE is in immediate need of volunteers who can help with food assistance on Thursday afternoons, 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Duties include greeting clients, assemble food packages, assist in the shopping area, answer questions, and check out client shopping baskets. You must be age 16 or older; schooled aged volunteers can help with a parent. Contact Jan at [email protected].
· Find out about the BEACON SCABBLE SCRAMBLE on Saturday April 30, 9 to 9pm. Go to www.beaconliteracy.org for details!
· Prince William Forest Park invites you to join them on Saturday, April 23 from 10:00am to 4:00pm for Stewardship Virginia. Help to build a 48 square foot greenhouse out of two liter bottles. Roll up your sleeves, bring some gloves, wear closed toe shoes and don’t forget to bring two liter bottles and scissors. Call Sarah for details: 703-583-6904 or email: [email protected].
· The Rainbow Therapeutic Riding Program is looking for volunteers for their summer camps beginning in June through mid-August. Jobs include assisting with crafts, activities, side walking or leading the horses. It’s a wonderful opportunity to build skills, team building and leadership for teens. Classic Camp June 27th-31st and July 25th-29th is half day camp for students with special needs. Frontier Camp is July 11-15th for rising 5th-9th graders and Girl-Power Camp is August 8th-12th for girls rising 5th-9th graders. Please call Scottie at (703) 754-6159 to learn more.
· Habitat for Humanity ReStore is just bustling with lots of new donations so volunteers are needed to build hoppers for books, racks for granite, sanitizing banquet chairs and many other fun jobs in this super fun place. It’s so easy to join in by signing up on their volunteer calendar at: www.habitatpwc.org.
· Catholic Charities –Hogar Immigrant Services has an urgent need for ESOL teachers for the classes in Manassas. You don’t need teaching experience or speak another language to make a huge difference in the life of another. Please call Cynthia at (571) 208-1572 ext. 103 to join this great team.
· Volunteer Prince William is pleased to schedule our next Volunteer Management Training Series beginning September 14th through October 19th. Come broaden and tune your skill set with these once week trainings over 5 weeks. Please call Shelley for more info at (703) 369-5292 ext. 0
· If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call my wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William. Mary can help you with the Retired and Senior Volunteer (RSVP) opportunities at (703) 369-5292 ext. 1, Shelley can help with any individual or group project and send you weekly updates if you’d like. Shelley is at (703) 369-5292 ext. 0, and Bonnie can help you with opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at (703) 369-5292 ext. 3. Please visit our newly re-vamped website at www.volunteerprincewilliam.org. Thanks so much for all you do in our community.
Call to Action is a column written by Volunteer Prince William Director Mary Foley.
Recent Stories
ARTfactory and Birmingham Green made headlines in Manassas this week. ARTfactory’s Rooftop Productions, now Actors Theatre, won seven awards at the 2024 DC Broadway World Awards, including Best Musical for Kinky Boots and Best Choreography for The Rocky Horror Show. ARTfactory’s Pied Piper Theatre also earned recognition, winning Best Theatre for Young Audiences for its production of The Wizard of Oz.
Meanwhile, Birmingham Green, ranked as Northern Virginia’s top nursing home by Newsweek Magazine, announced Duane Smith as its new Nursing Home Administrator, effective December 30, 2024. Smith brings extensive experience from senior living leadership roles across multiple states and holds several professional qualifications. Birmingham Green continues its 90-year mission of providing quality long-term care to Northern Virginians in need.
Looking for a new best friend? Meet Echo, a 3-4-month-old pup full of love, energy, and curiosity. This little guy, possibly a Boxer mix, is still finding his voice, but…
Should Virginia ditch the longstanding practice of electing the General Assembly and the governor in odd year elections?
The first odd year election in Virginia was in 1851, after a new state Constitution was approved and members of the House were elected to a two-year term. Before that, members of the House had one-year terms, and voters selected members every single year.
Now, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell says modern day voters are sick and tired of voting every year.
A Manassas man was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for providing drugs and alcohol to a child in exchange for sex acts and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting the same victim as well as other children.
According to court documents, Olajide Benjamin Ayilaran, 24, met a 14-year-old girl during the summer of 2023 and began communicating with the victim via iMessage. In the messages, Ayilaran offered to provide the victim drugs, alcohol, and nicotine products in exchange for sex acts. Between at least Nov. 21, 2023, and Feb. 29, 2024, Ayilaran met the victim nine times, usually in the morning before the victim went to school, to exchange the products for sexual acts. Ayilaran would wait for the victim in his car in a nearby park. When the victim arrived, he gave her the drugs and alcohol and then had the victim perform sex acts on him in the car.
Travel to French soil and join us for a night filled with two of the most beloved French traditions—no plane ticket required! ?
On January 25th, we invite you to experience the magic of Galette des Rois, a 700-year-old tradition celebrated across France throughout the entire month of January (and even beyond!). This sweet, almond-filled puff pastry topped with a golden crown isn’t just a treat—it’s a celebration! The lucky person who finds the fève (a porcelain charm hidden in one of the slices) becomes the King or Queen for the Day, and don’t worry—there will be plenty of royalty to go around! ??
But that’s not all! In France, Les Voeux (New Year’s wishes) continue throughout January, often accompanied by Champagne and good cheer. We’re bringing that festive spirit to you, with a lively evening packed with French food, wine, and music.
What’s in store:
Experience the passion and drama of Puccini’s “The Girl from the Golden West”.
Featuring special guest musicians from The Chesapeake Youth Orchestra,
this performance brings Puccini’s masterpiece to life with an extraordinary cast.
