Call to Action: Child Advocate training by The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights

Good morning Prince William – Historic Manassas is looking for volunteers to help with the Live Well Festival on Saturday, April 22nd – 9am-2pm. Positions include morning directional to help get vendors situated from 7am-9am. Also needed is assistance with helping set up the Farm to Table Brunch from 9:30am-12:30 pm. Please call Erin at (703) 361-6599 to register for this fun event.

· Prince William Conservation Alliance invites you to their Open House on Tuesday, February 28th, 5:30-7 pm with a speaker on new stormwater rules and the Chesapeake Bay. They’re also having an Environmental Advocacy Workshop in Alexandria on March 18th. You can register online for this at audubonva.org. There’s their Annual Party with guest speaker Alonso Abugattas on March 12th in Woodbridge, 3-6pm and lastly, there is bird walks on the last Sunday of every month at Merrimac Farm in Nokesville. Please call (703) 499-4954 or [email protected] to learn more.

· Project Mend-a-House has partnered George Mason to offer the POISED: Stay Active and Independent for Life group fitness program. This is a 10-week program for ages 55 a better that meets three days per week at Lutheran Church of the Covenant in Dale City on Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays from 11:30 to 12:30. It is FREE, and classes can be joined up to 2 weeks past the start date! Contact Jodie to register: [email protected] or via phone at 571-494-5577.

· The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is holding a Child Advocate training on April 8-9. Volunteer Child Advocates meet with detained unaccompanied immigrant children and work with Young Center attorneys to advocate for their best interests. New volunteers must speak Spanish, be 21 years or older, have their transportation, and be willing to commit approximately one hour per week. To learn more, please email Emily at [email protected].

· Literacy Volunteers of America-Prince William is looking for volunteers to tutor adults who wish to improve their lives through literacy. Previous tutoring experience is not needed as their training series will give you all the skills needed to be successful. The next Tutor Training Workshop is Saturday, March 18th (8:45-4:00) with the follow-up on Saturday, April 1st (9:00-12:00). You will learn how to teach reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills to the students who are both American-born and English Language Learners. Both classroom and one-on-one matches are available. Please visit their website for further details: www.lvapw.org or call them at 703-670-5702. You will truly make a difference in their lives and our community.

· Mark your calendars for the 29th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup on Saturday, April 8th – 9am-12 noon. Be part of this huge event for clean land, safe waters and healthy lives sponsored by the Alice Ferguson Foundation. Please visit their website potomaccleanup.org to see all the locations and continuing opportunities throughout the month of April. Last year 9,465 volunteers removed 300,000 pounds of trash from the watershed! Please call Hannah at (202) 417-3524 to learn more.

· How would you like to take a 2-hour lunch and do super stuff in that time? Being a Meals on Wheels volunteer driver to deliver a noon meal to homebound seniors is just the answer! Be part of this wonderful team of volunteers who go out 5 days a week to share a warm meal and a friendly face. Volunteers are needed on both sides of the community, either picking up at the Woodbridge Senior Center or the Manassas Senior Center. This super activity only takes 2 hours or so making it perfect for a professional who can flex out of work for these 2 hours. You pick the day of the week or month best for your schedule! Please give Melodee a call at (703) 792-4583 to learn more.

· The Virginia Volunteerism and Service Conference Is May 16-17 in Richmond. This is a fun, worthwhile opportunity for volunteer managers from across the Commonwealth. It offers workshops, networking events and opportunities for service. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to learn from or share with others. Please visit their website to learn more at virginiaservice.virginia.gov. This conference is a bargain so invest in your professional development.

· The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program is looking for volunteer’s age 55+ to transport veterans to their doctors’ appointments and perhaps stop by the pharmacy to fill a new prescription. There is an immediate need in the Woodbridge area! It’s a great way to say thank you for their service. The second need is to present life skills to 4th-grade students who may be home alone for a short period after school. It’s a fun curriculum and certainly a fun age to work with. Please call Jan at (571) 292-5307 for more info.

· If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call my wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William. Jan 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.