The Young Marines are hosting the 8th annual Drug Demand Reduction 5K Dash at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico on Saturday. The race will be the kickoff event for Red Ribbon Week — which runs from Oct. 23 to Oct. 31 — a nationwide drug prevention and awareness initiative. Nationwide, Young Marines will begin a week of activities to prevent the use of drugs with National Family Partnership, the founders of Red Ribbon Week in 1985. The 5K commemorates the death of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent who was killed in Mexico in 1985 in his quest to get drugs off America's streets.

“Through the Go Red for Red Ribbon Week initiative, we are reaching out to community and state leaders to encourage the lighting of public landmarks in red to raise public awareness and promote a drug-free lifestyle," Col. William P. Davis, USMC (Ret), national executive director and CEO of the Young Marines, said in a press release. "Now, more than ever, we remain steadfastly committed to our drug prevention and resistance efforts within our program and sharing it with everyone across the U.S. It is a vital part of our overall mission."

The race starts at 8 a.m. Registration before Saturday is $25, and registration on race day is $30 and is required. Participants must arrive approximately one hour before the race to register. Live race results will be available. Several other events will be happening across the country to commemorate Red Ribbon Week by the Young Marines.

Update Oct. 18 at 9:20 a.m.: An earlier version of this article stated the total budget for the project is $9,000. The city has actually spent $4.4 million — including the price of purchase — to date on the project. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday to celebrate the years-long work at Annaburg Park, a historical home at 9201 Maple St. acquired by the city in 2019. The home was built in 1892 by Prussian-born entrepreneur and brewer, Robert Portner, as a summer retreat and a recreational space for neighbors. The home then became a nursing facility, but in 2019, was purchased by the City of Manassas to preserve the historic resource and create another park. Since the acquisition, the city has completed major renovations on the home, some of which will be celebrated at the Saturday ribbon-cutting ceremony. A few of the renovations include a new slate roof, new paint, repairs to the wooden floors, new doors and windows, installed an ADA-compliant ramp, new lighting fixtures and updated landscaping. Archeologists also uncovered the foundation of the Portner Tower, a structure that predates the home. According to the city, much of this work was necessary to maintain the home's structure. "As with any unoccupied historic home, there was a lot of moisture damage, peeling paint and plaster, and damaged floors in the house. The priority was to stabilize the structure by replacing the home’s original slate roof, metal cornices and wood box gutters, and exterior paint removal that helped fix moisture problems," Lisa Sievel-Otten, acting communications director for the city, said. The city has plans to continue restorations on the home including installing a fountain at the top of the driveway, five historic markers, new restrooms and finishing the trim work on the first floor. Sievel-Otten said there isn't a timeline for the rest of the project. "There is no timeline for the rest of the project — including the master plan for the grounds — as it will be evaluated in the next budget. The fountain should be the next thing installed, and then the restrooms," she said. To date, the city has spent $4.4 million on the home, including the price of purchase. Annaburg was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2022, a National Park Service designation that places national significance on the home and protects the structure.  Due to this designation, the city maintains the structure and its history.

"Robert Portner was also a great benefactor of the city and is famous in his own right. Residents supported several community conversations and responded to surveys during the master planning process and have expressed much support for saving the home and for creating a surrounding park," Sievel-Otten said. "Preserving the 3.5 acres of green space around the house also satisfies a desire residents always express in our surveys for more parks and recreation spaces."

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place Saturday at Annaburg Park (9201 Maple St.) at 1:30 p.m. Attendees can also enjoy an art show following the ceremony.

The Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk will host a special winter edition of the "Seal the Deal" event in Occoquan on Dec. 13.

The clerk, Jacqueline Smith, will host this special event for civil celebrant weddings and vow renewals in Occoquan, chock-full of riverfront views and small businesses to enjoy following a ceremony. The event will be held at the Occoquan Town Hall (314 Mill St.) and provide couples the chance to exchange vows in the historic building.

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On Oct. 26, the Prince William County and Manassas City Police Departments will be participating in prescription drug take-back day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

National Take Back Day is led by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which established this day to address the drug overdose epidemic in the U.S. Thousands of people die each year in prescription opioid deaths; in 2022, the number of deaths was 14,716 according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

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The City of Manassas is now offering new services to Spanish speakers in an effort to better reach residents.

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The Prince William County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a panel on affordable workforce housing on Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Potomac Valley Church in Dumfries.

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Prince William County recently appointed Phyllis Jennings-Holt as the new director of the Department of Social Services following a national recruitment process. Jennings-Holt has worked in the county since September 1992 in various roles in DSS. She's been a social worker, case manager, assistant director of protective services and deputy director. Jennings-Holt was the acting director of DSS starting in June, and effective immediately became the director. "I am delighted that Jennings-Holt will be the county’s next Social Services director. She has dedicated her career to serving the people of Prince William County," County Executive Chris Shorter said in a county press release. "She has extensive knowledge of the community and tremendous experience in leadership and the human services sector. I am confident that she will continue the work we are doing to provide human-centered and customer-centric service to all of those we serve." As director, Jennings-Holt will oversee a team of more than 420 employees along with several programs and hundreds of thousands of residents. Potomac Local asked Jennings-Holt a few questions about herself and her approach to this new position.

Can you share your journey within the Prince William County Department of Social Services and how your previous roles have prepared you for the position of director?

I worked in the arena of social work for 36 years and came to Prince William County in 1992 and have worked in every services program area in child welfare to include Child Protective Services, foster care and adoption. In 2022, I was hired as the deputy director; in this position, I supervised six direct reports and 327 indirect reports. In addition, my education and leadership training throughout the years has helped prepare me for this position.

How do you plan to enhance the delivery of social services to meet the evolving needs of the community?

The Department continues to assess internal processes to ensure that constituents are receiving services timely and efficiently with minimal disruption to include applying for benefits online and developing creatives ways to bring services in neighborhoods/communities.

What do you perceive as the most pressing challenges facing social services in Prince William County, and how do you intend to address them?

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals and families have been impacted through loss of employment/income which may have impacted their financial stability. A lack of affordable housing, food insecurity and homelessness are few of the pressing challenges that is not just facing Social Services but the community as well. The Department in collaboration with other departments and the community to address these challenges.

How do you plan to foster collaboration between the Department of Social Services and other community organizations or stakeholders?

DSS partners with community organizations and stakeholders and will continue that relationship. In December 2023, the CXO created the Office of Transformation Management that assist departments with change management and community outreach and the Department will work with OTM to expand our collaboration within the community and strengthen the partnering relationships

In what ways can the community support the department's mission and initiatives?

Prince William County constituents have always been great about reaching out and asking the Department how they can support our mission and initiatives through donations and volunteering, and we would like for that to continue.

How do you plan to strengthen the county’s response to crises, such as housing instability, unemployment and mental health challenges?

The Department will continue its collaboration with the Office of Housing and Community Development and our community partners to assist our constituents who are at the risk of homelessness or homelessness to secure housing. Prince William County Community Services and the Department collaborate to identify and assess if individual may need mental health services. PWCCS is the lead agency in providing mental health services for our community.  The Department administers the Virginia Initiative for Education and Work, which offers employment, education, training opportunities and supportive services to assist people in attaining economic independence.

Are there any new initiatives or programs you plan to implement to address gaps in the current system?

The Department is always looking at how we can improve service delivery to our constituents and currently developing ways to be more visible in the community.