Families slowly transition their teenagers into driving, but most likely don’t think about transitioning heir older adult loved ones our of driving.  As a result, the decision to give up the car keys is often the result of a crisis – a crash or another unfortunate incident.
 
The Home Instead Senior Care® network hopes to educate professionals and families about the importance of developing a plan to help older adults move out of the driver’s seat when necessary while still remaining engaged with their friends, family and community.
 
The goal of this Let’s Talk about Driving program are to:
• Enable families to work with their older adult loved ones to develop a plan to transition out of driving before a crisis occurs.
• Provide a new way of thinking about transportation – dispelling the notion that there are not options other than driving.
• Seek out solutions and resources to help older adults remain active and engaged after giving up their keys.

Participants in this webinar will be able to:
 
• Identify the potential signs that an older adult might be an unsafe driver on the road
• Understand some common conditions of aging symptoms that can impact driving
• Gather tops on how to help reduce the potential for isolation and depression after an older adult stops driving

August 8, 2018
10:00 AM (PT) / 11:00 AM (MT) / 12:00 PM (CT) / 1:00 PM (ET)
 
These CEUs are offered in cooperation with the American Society on Aging.  For more information and to complete the required pre-registration, go to CaregiverStress.com/ProfessionalEducation 

CenterFuse, a co-work space and small business incubator located in Historic Downtown Manassas, took home top honors in the Outstanding Business of the Year category at the recent Virginia Main Street (VMS) Conference in Harrisonburg, VA.  CenterFuse is a cooperative/collaborative workspace that offers professional services and support to start-up businesses and emerging ventures.  It also serves as office space for telecommuters or small businesses that prefer a full-service working environment in lieu of fast food restaurants and coffee houses.  

CenterFuse was founded by the principals of ECU Communications and Whitlock Wealth Management as a for-profit venture.  The City of Manassas provided an economic development grant to offset initial startup costs because of the economic benefit that comes from having an entrepreneurial center in Downtown.  Historic Manassas Inc., the City’s Virginia Main Street program, manages the space in keeping with the non-profit’s goal of promoting economic vitality.  All three public/private partners see the co-work space as an opportunity to promote an entrepreneurial culture and to home grow small businesses throughout the Greater Manassas region.  This unique partnership is a large part of what led to the award and recognition by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) as being the best-in-class Business of the Year.

The award was presented by Virginia Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade, Cassidy Rasnick, and DHCD Director Erik Johnston.  ECU’s Ken Krick, Whitlock Wealth Management’s Bennett Whitlock, Manassas Economic Development Director Patrick Small and Historic Manassas, Inc.’s (HMI) Executive Director Debbie Haight attended the luncheon to receive the award. 

CenterFuse has long and short-term space rental available as well as day passes for the occasional user.  The range of services includes access to business equipment, conference space with audio/visual capability, a receptionist, mail boxes and a free coffee bar and kitchenette.  One of the most appealing features of CenterFuse is its location near the VRE station and the bustling activity of the nearby restaurants and shops in Historic Downtown Manassas.

Good Morning Prince William – Volunteers needed for the Christmas in July event on Saturday July 21st. This event is sponsored by The Philadelphia Tavern, Sinistral Brewing and Volunteer Prince William to benefit The Un-Tim-A-Tree Holiday Gift program for needy kids.

Duties include selling drink tickets and checking IDs. 3 shifts available- 12noon-3pm, 3pm-6pm and 6-pm-9pm. This is a fun, family event on Main Street, Old Town Manassas with raffles, giveaways, games, food, drinks and Santa! 

Please sign up to help at [email protected]. This promises to be great fun!

· ACTS needs volunteers to help sort donations at the thrift store next week – July 16-20th between 10am-4pm. Please register online at: actspwc.org volunteer application.

· K9s Serving Vets is gearing up for the Annual Raffle and Auction on Saturday August 4th, 4-8pm at Bungalow Alehouse in Woodbridge. Come out and meet the service dog teams and bid on amazing auctions items including getaways, dinners, grills and other cool stuff. You can bid online as well at: https://goo.gl/C9NMC.

· Saved Hands Foundation is looking for a volunteer to help others write their resumes and distribute school supplies at their 5th Annual Back Pack giveaway on Saturday August 11, 12noon-3pm. Please call (571) 572-9013 to learn more about these opportunities.

· The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program is looking for volunteer’s age 55+ to deliver noon meals through the Meals on Wheels Program. Shrifts are just 2-3 hours and available in throughout the greater area. RSVP members receive a mileage reimbursement and additional insurance coverage at no cost to the volunteer. Please call Jan at (571) 292-5307 to learn more.

· Mark your calendars for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday October 20 in Old Town Manassas. Volunteers are needed for set-up, refreshments, advocacy, finish line brigade and route monitoring. Please email Ben at: [email protected] to learn more.

· CASA Children’s Intervention Services needs volunteer advocates to help protect abused and neglected children in our community. You’ll receive fantastic training to give you all the skills needed to help these kids. Please email Suzanne at: [email protected] to learn more about the program and register for the next orientation session.

· PW Conservation Alliance has several fun workdays coming up. Please join them on August 4th at Merrimac Farm, 9am-12noon. It feels good to get your hands dirty. Please RSVP for these events at (703) 490-5200 or via email at: [email protected].

· Mark your calendars for Saturday August 25th for the 3rd Annual Farm to Table event to support the Prince William Environmental Excellence Foundation at Windy Knoll Farm. The event runs from 3-8pm with 2 seating’s for dinner. Tickets are just $40 for adults, $20 for children 13-18 and free for kids under 12. There will be local vendors, artisan and farm sponsors and antique equipment. It promises to fun for the entire family. You can buy tickets on line at: princewilliamfarm2table2018.eventbrite.com.

· The Manassas Senior Center is looking for a volunteer to teach crafts to the members of the center each week. Come share your love of knitting, crocheting, painting, ceramics and such with others. Please call Jan at (571) 292-5307 for more info. They also would love a volunteer to teach Sign Language class as well. It’s a great way to share your skill. Please call Sue at 703-792-7154 to learn more.

· Youth for Tomorrow is looking for volunteers to share hobbies and interests with the kids on weekends. If you have a little time please bring your interest to share with them such as sewing, gardening, cooking, golf, arts & crafts, jewelry to name just a few. Please fill out the volunteer application with your resume at: youthfortomorrow.org.

· The Greater Prince William Medical Reserve Corps needs both medical and non-medical volunteers to join their ranks. These volunteers are trained to respond to public health emergencies as well as day to day health department activities. They offer tons of training topics to build your skillset. Please call Isabella at (703) 792-7341 to learn more.

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 projects and send you weekly updates if you’d like. Shelley is at (703) 369-5292 ext. 2, and Bonnie can help you with opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at (703) 369-5292 ext. 3. Please visit our 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 Executive Director Mary Foley.

Last week, Governor Ralph Northam announced that Virginia finished the fiscal year with  $551.9 million more in revenue that we projected when writing this year’s budget.

First, the good news is that most of this surplus is due to increased tax revenue from payroll withholding taxes, not one-time revenue sources like capital gains or tax avoidance strategies related to the recent changes in federal tax laws.  The Virginia economy has truly started to perform again.

However, it is important to keep these numbers in context.  The state’s General Fund has been under significant stress over the decade since the Great Recession and automatic federal spending cuts caused by a process called a “sequester.”  In the nine years, I have served in the General Assembly, this is the second fiscal year that the Commonwealth has experienced revenue growth equal to or greater than the historical average.

Because of our state Constitution, other state laws and the budget, all of these  “new” funds are already allocated.  Our laws require that 10 percent or $55 million go to the Water Quality Improvement Fund and that the $500 million balance be contributed to Virginia’s Revenue Stabilization (“Rainy Day”) Fund, which before the 2018 General Assembly session had dropped to historically low levels due to frequent, sluggish revenues.  Bond rating agencies had also expressed concern about the lower balances and had indicated that our AAA bond rating could be adversely impacted without significant contributions.

While everyone would love to have a tax cut, the General Assembly has enacted dozens of tax cuts over the past two decades, including car tax relief, estate tax repeal and removing the sales tax on food.  These tax cuts have completely offset the effect of any tax increases that passed.  As a result, most General Fund programs have been starved.   

Here are some examples.

Virginia’s per pupil, elementary-secondary education expenditures are the 15^th lowest in the nation and our teacher salaries are the 13^th lowest.  Virginia’s meager state-funded preschool program is still in its infancy. 

Virginia theoretically set a goal for the state to support 66 percent of the cost of attending college, funding that actually existed when I attended James Madison University from  1989 to 1993.  The state now only covers about 33 percent of the cost.  This has caused tuition at our state-supported institutions to skyrocket so that tuition rates at these colleges have become the fourth highest in the United States of America.

There are 10,000 families on Virginia’s waiting list for Medicaid waivers.  These are families with fully disabled juvenile and adult children who are incapable of living independently.  A Medicaid “waiver” allows them to live at home or in group homes funded by the Commonwealth.  Many families, such as military families, move to Virginia only to learn that our state is not supporting these services, services that are basic in most states.

State employee salaries continue to lag behind the private sector.  Recent reports have concluded that state employees would need a 26 percent pay increase to reach private sector parity.  State attorneys’ salaries are 90 percent lower than comparable private sector salaries.  Until this year, the Virginia State Police had not had any new trooper positions authorized in over a decade. 

Environmental enforcement in Virginia is severely limited by inadequate staffing.  Former Governor George Allen cut employees by 20 percent during his term and the Department of Environmental Quality has never recovered.  We struggled to find funds this year to pay for actual staff at the newly-created Widewater State Park in the 36^th District.  The state has been sitting on the 1,000 acres for 30 years but has not had the money to open the park.   

Transportation is funded entirely separately by completely different streams of taxes mainly related to transportation such as gas taxes, annual fees and sales taxes on vehicles.  We were only able to restart maintaining our roads and investing in new transportation projects after we increased taxes in the 2013 General Assembly session. 

At the end of the day, the new funds are good news, but there are dozens of state-funded programs which are desperate for fresh funding. Please continue to provide your feedback as to how we should prioritize spending if we are fortunate enough for revenue to continue increasing.  You can reach me at [email protected].

It is an honor to serve as your state senator.  

Good Morning Prince William – Volunteers needed for the Christmas in July event on Saturday, July 21^st.  This event is sponsored by The Philadelphia Tavern, Sinistral Brewing and Volunteer Prince William to benefit The Un-Tim-A-Tree Holiday Gift program for needy kids. Duties include selling drink tickets and checking IDs.  3 shifts available- 12noon-3pm, 3pm-6pm and 6-pm-9pm.  This is a fun, family event on Main Street, Old Town Manassas with raffles, giveaways, games, food, drinks and Santa!  Please sign up to help at [email protected].  This promises to be great fun!

Prince William Soil & Water Conservation is having their next water quality monitoring event on Thursday July 12^th at Evergreen Acres in Nokesville, 9:30-noon. Come learn about the health of local streams and how they interact with land uses.  Please call Veronica at (571) 379-7514 for more info.

ACTS needs volunteers to remove the flower beds in front of the thrift store on Tuesday and Thursday mornings starting July 10^th. Please email Tamika for more info at: [email protected].

RSVP – The retired and Senior Volunteer Program is looking for volunteer’s age 55+ to deliver noon meals through the Meals on Wheels Program. Shrifts are just 2-3 hours and available in throughout the greater area.  RSVP members receive a mileage reimbursement and additional insurance coverage at no cost to the volunteer.  Please call Jan at (571) 292-5307 to learn more.

CASA Children’s Intervention Services needs volunteer advocates to help protect abused and neglected children in our community. You’ll receive fantastic training to give you all the skills needed to help these kids.  Please email Suzanne at: [email protected] to learn more about the program and register for the next orientation session.

PW Conservation Alliance has several fun workdays coming up.  Please join them on the workdays of   July 20 and August 4^th at Merrimac Farm, 9am-12noon.  It feels good to get your hands dirty.  Please RSVP for these events at (703) 490-5200 or via email at: [email protected].

Care Net PRCs is looking for bilingual volunteers to help in their office in Manassas.  They are also having a movie event on July 14^th, 7pm at Manassas Baptist Church. Come see the inspiring movie – I can Only Imagine.  Please email Kirk at [email protected] for more info.

K9s Serving Vets in Triangle, Virginia supports the process of partnering the vet with a service dog.  They assist from start to finish that will in the end change the veteran’s life.  Please consider donating to them on line at: k9sservingvets.org.

The PW Crime Prevention Council is looking for new volunteer members to promote safe communities.  The Council meeting the 2^nd. Monday of the month at 7:30pm at 1 County Complex. Please register on the website at: pwcpc.org.

Virginia Cooperative Extension needs volunteers to lead financial seminars in Manassas and/or Woodbridge area.  Please email Victoria for more specifics at: [email protected].

Mark your calendars for Saturday August 25^th for the 3^rd Annual Farm to Table event to support the Prince William Environmental Excellence Foundation at Windy Knoll Farm. The event runs from 3-8pm with 2 seating’s for dinner.  Tickets are just $40 for adults, $20 for children 13-18 and free for kids under 12.  There will be local vendors, artisan and farm sponsors and antique equipment.  It promises to fun for the entire family.  You can buy tickets on line at: princewilliamfarm2table2018.eventbrite.com.

The Manassas Senior Center is looking for a volunteer to teach crafts to the members of the center each week.  Come share your love of knitting, crocheting, painting, ceramics and such with others. Please call Jan at (571) 292-5307 for more info.  They also would love a volunteer to teach Sign Language class as well.  It’s a great way to share your skill. Please call Sue at 703-792-7154 to learn more.

Youth for Tomorrow is looking for volunteers to share hobbies and interests with the kids on weekends. If you have a little time please bring your interest to share with them such as sewing, gardening, cooking, golf, arts & crafts, jewelry to name just a few.  Please fill out the volunteer application with your resume at: youthfortomorrow.org.

The Greater Prince William Medical Reserve Corps needs both medical and non-medical volunteers to join their ranks.  These volunteers are trained to respond to public health emergencies as well as day to day health department activities.  They offer tons of training topics to build your skillset.  Please call Isabella at (703) 792-7341 to learn more.

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 projects and send you weekly updates if you’d like. Shelley is at (703) 369-5292 ext. 2, and Bonnie can help you with opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at (703) 369-5292 ext. 3. Please visit our 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 Executive Director Mary Foley.

Two of the Commonwealths leading industries are major economic generators in the City of Manassas. 

According to a recent report from the Virginia Employment Commission, Manassas-based companies in the professional and technical services offer the 4^th highest wages in the state. 

Healthcare and social assistance wages in Manassas rank in the top 10. 

Companies like Micron, Lockheed Martin, and Novant Health UVA Health system drive local economic growth and employ thousands in Manassas; thanks in part to the availability of skilled labor and the City’s pro-business climate. 

These fields account for nearly 25% of total employment and $77 billion in total wages state-wide.  As innovation and technological advancement continue to be made employment and wages are expected to rise. 

The City of Manassas works closely with its major employers, Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University to ensure current and future workforce needs are met and the companies continue to grow and thrive.   

To read the full report, click here.   

Elder fraud or senior scams impact thousands of seniors and their families each year. Various studies show the cost of financial elder abuse and exploitation to range anywhere from $3 billion to $36 billion annually.

The numbers are hard to pinpoint because, sadly, many seniors don’t report the abuse. They’re embarrassed they've fallen for a scam or don't want their family to think they can’t manage their personal affairs.

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Research conducted by Home Instead Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care network, indicates that as the number of prescription medication a person (ages 70 or older) takes increases, so do challenges with medication management and potential health risks.

Register for this webinar to discover the ways medications can jeopardize an older adult’s health and independence.  Learn about solutions that could help families and their older loved ones pinpoint potential threats an start the conversations that can potentially lead to effective solutions.

Participants in this webinar will be able to:

• Identify the potential risks associated with medication mismanagement
• Understand common medication challenges for older adults and signs to look for when medications are to blame for health issues
• Recognize risks of common conditions that impact medication management
• Help strengthen he role of the family in reducing the potential for medication risks
• Learn more about resources to help families feel confident about keeping older adults safe at home

The webinar will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 11, 2018, and is offered in cooperation with the American Society on Aging.  For more information and to complete the required pre-registration, go to CaregiverStress.com/ProfessionalEducation