Author: Gianna Jirak

The Human Services Alliance of Greater Prince William, with the partnership of the Prince William County Government, the City of Manassas, and the City of Manassas Park, has created The Prince William County Area Disaster Fund: a relief effort to alleviate the effects of the coronavirus on Prince William County. 

The project is funded through donations from residents and organizations. The ability to donate to the fund was only made available last week, and it has since raised over $10,000, with more donations pouring in by the day. 

With school, work, and public facility closures, as well as the 131 cases of coronavirus in Prince William County alone, as of today, the world is feeling like a rather frightening place.

To alleviate some of that fear, the Prince William County Health District has created a coronavirus call center, where people can ask general questions about the virus or discuss what to do if they experience symptoms of the disease. 

Since 2005, House of Mercy has been servicing the NoVA community through their food pantry and thrift store, but recently, their efforts have shifted to something new: making masks for local healthcare workers. 

The idea came in part from executive director Jessica Root’s mother, who is a nurse in New York. She suggested Root do something to prepare Virginia healthcare professionals for COVID-19. 

Prince William County has become a more diverse place over the years, and now, so is its court system.

Six new judges, all of whom are people of color, have been appointed to various courts in Northern Virginia following an effort by Virginia Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy (D-2nd, Stafford, Woodbridge) to diversify the ethnicities of the judges appointed to serve the courts. Dubbed ‘Diversifying the Bench,’ the effort aims to “build a strong pipeline of underrepresented people applying to judge appointmentship,” according to the lawmaker.