Keep the Park Beautiful hosted a street cleanup on Denver Drive in Manassas Park. Ten volunteers, ranging from 12 to 91 years old, collected over 225 pounds of litter in two hours. Volunteers included Keep the Park Committee members and the Vice Queen of the 2023 Manassas Park Latino Festival.
In addition to typical litter like cans and bottles, unusual items such as a bowling ball and an extensive liquor bottle were found. The cleanup extended to surrounding streets, including W. Rugby Drive and Holden Drive. The next cleanup event will occur on October 14 at Scott Drive Pocket Park.
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Prince William County Government employees were urged to leave their regular jobs temporarily and serve food and drinks to guests at a prestigious golf tournament now underway in the county while still being paid their government salary.
The Solheim Cup, an internationally recognized LPGA golf tournament, is taking place now at Robert Trent Jones Golf Course in Gainesville. From September 13 to 15, the event is expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors to the region.
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Greetings, Prince William: Mark Your Calendars for Volunteer Prince William’s Fall Reverse Raffle & Dinner in support of Untrim-A-Tree on October 19, 6:30 p.m., at Prince William County Fairgrounds, 10624 Dumfries Road, Manassas 20112. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the raffle begins at 7 p.m.
Your $100 donation includes dinner for two, two drink tickets per ticket, and the opportunity to win prizes leading up to the Grand Prize of $10,000! It should be a fun evening of good food, networking, and a chance to win the Grand Prize, all to support a cause that will guarantee vulnerable children in our community a Merry Christmas on December 25! Please email [email protected] for more information.
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Habitat for Humanity in Prince William County, under the interim leadership of Steve Liga, is recalibrating its mission to tackle the unique challenges of expensive real estate and a community need for home repairs rather than new builds.
Liga, who stepped in as the interim director, detailed how his experience with other nonprofits led him to this role. He explained his immediate focus on stabilizing the organization's financial footing and reconnecting with the community after a slow period exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
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It’s summer, and while Christmas might be the last thing on your mind, Volunteer Prince William is holding our Christmas in July program to support Untrim a Tree 2024 (UTAT). You can make an online donation now! Last year, we faced a significant drop in toy donations, causing many unsponsored children to face the possibility of Christmas morning without gifts.
Your support allows us to provide these children with a Merry Christmas! If you want to sponsor a child when UTAT goes live this Fall, we’ll be glad to provide you with the name and wish list of a child. Please visit https://bit.ly/485xq6Q to donate or email [email protected] for more information. You can also purchase toys now for UTAT by visiting our Amazon wish list. On behalf of the kids you’ll be helping, thank you for your support!
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- The American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program urgently needs friendly Volunteer Drivers age 18+ to provide rides for local patients who have appointments for treatments on weekdays. Volunteers must have a valid driver’s license and automobile insurance, pass background and vehicle records checks and complete required training. Not only will you be providing a smile and a ride, you’ll also be helping to save a life! Please visit cancer.org/drive to learn more or email Jen at [email protected].
- You can make a difference in the life of a child! CASA Children’s Intervention Services needs volunteers age 21+ who care about children growing up in a safe, permanent and loving home. The staff will hold their next Virtual Information Session on June 12, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Learn how you can help protect abused and neglected children in your community by becoming a volunteer advocate. Please email [email protected] or call 703.330.8145 to receive the link to the meeting or to inquire about alternate dates.
- Educate America, Inc, a nonprofit startup, is seeking volunteers ages 18+ to assist with providing after-school tutoring and mentoring services within five (5) to ten (10) Prince William County Public Schools during the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 school year. Volunteer with Educate America and make a difference in the lives of underserved youth! Your time and expertise can positively impact the academic success and personal development of our youth—contributing to brighter futures for the next generation. Volunteers will need to have background and CPS checks completed by July 15, 2024. Please join them as a volunteer, tutor, mentor, or community partner by completing and submitting the online application form(s) at educateusainc.org/now-recruiting. Questions? Please email [email protected].
- Here’s a “Honey” of a volunteer opportunity! The Manassas Bee Festival is coming June 22 at Liberia House, 8601 Portner Avenue, Manassas and volunteer “Worker Bees” of all ages are needed to support this fun event. Volunteers under 18 are welcome to volunteer with a responsible adult or group leader. Volunteers are needed June 21 help set up the festival at Liberia House. Then, volunteers will help with the 2K Honey Hike 8:45 a.m. on June 22 at Manassas Museum lawn and on shifts during the festival on June 22. Jobs include assisting with set up, helping vendors unload, helping at the welcome tent to show the map or answer basic questions. Volunteers who sign up will get a free green t-shirt but should complete the online form at manassasbeefestival.com/contact-donations-questions/. Please be sure to indicate you are a Volunteer on the form. Please email [email protected] for more information.
- You can help homebound seniors get a hot, nutritious meal! Meals on Wheels has an urgent need for volunteers to deliver noontime meals to homebound older adults weekdays between 10 a.m. and 12p.m. Daily routes take about 1.5 hours to complete; the schedule is flexible! Volunteers must have their own vehicle, valid driver’s license, and current automobile insurance. Volunteers must also pass a background and driving record check. Meals on Wheels operates out of the Manassas and Woodbridge Senior Centers, and you’ll feel great knowing you are helping to fight food insecurity and deliver a friendly smile to our local senior population! Please visit pwcva.gov/department/area-agency-aging/volunteer for more information and volunteer forms, email [email protected] with any questions.
- The 2nd Annual Puerto Rican Festival is scheduled for June 15, 1 p.m. - 9 p.m. at Harris Pavilion in Manassas, and volunteers age 16+ are needed to make this a success! All sorts of fun jobs are available including setup, assisting vendors, monitoring children’s games, face painting, help with Lost and Found and more! While bilingual skills in Spanish are not required, they will be helpful. This is a family-friendly event, and you’ll feel great as you help support the culture of our neighbor in the Caribbean! Please email [email protected] for more information and to sign up.
- Gardeners, here’s a fantastic volunteer opportunity for you! PWC Office of Historic Preservation is looking for Historic Garden Volunteers to help maintain the garden at Rippon Lodge Historic Site this summer. Help is needed with planting, weeding and harvesting the fruit and vegetables. You’ll enjoy being outdoors as you help the garden illustrate what plants may have been planted by the Ellis family in a Victory Garden during World War II! Please call Rippon Lodge at 703.499.9812 for more information.
--Volunteer Prince WilliamÂ
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Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center press release: Dedicated volunteers from the Woodbridge Woman’s Club (WWC) gather twice a month at the Sentara Cancer Network Resource Center on the campus of Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center (SNVMC) to put their sewing talents to work creating heart-shaped pillows and other comfort items. Crafted by hand and made with love, these pillows are given free of charge to Sentara cancer and surgery patients.
The Health and Wellness Pillow Making Project began as a volunteer-driven, community service project to help support individuals facing cancer diagnoses. People find relief from acute pain by holding the pillows to their chests. Just as importantly, they find reassurance in knowing that people care.
“The specific shape of these pillows is designed to be not only comfortable but a visible reminder of the love and support going out to people who are dealing with a cancer or other serious medical diagnosis,” said Sentara Cancer Navigator Heather Byrne. “Every person who receives one of these beautiful pillows is touched to know its origin.”
WWC member Phyllis Zimmerman launched the project nine years ago and continues to sew to this day. The tally of heart pillows created last year was 170 and the dedicated WWC craftswomen estimate that well over 1,000 pillows have been created since they began the project.
“Nine years ago, I was the chairperson of what was called the Home Life section of the Woodbridge Woman’s Club. Our club president at the time asked me to find a project that would be of value in the community. I discovered these pillows that I thought we could make. They are helpful to women with breast cancer because the long ties on the pillow allow you to easily carry it with you, and by adjusting the ties, you can position it under your arm to bring relief where you might be feeling very tender,” explained Zimmerman.
While the pillows were originally made for those with breast cancer, now they are gifted to people coping with various forms of cancer, to radiology patients, and most recently to heart patients receiving care at SNVMC.
The WWC sewing volunteers cut out the heart-shaped pattern from fabric donated by people in the community. Two coordinating fabric pieces are sewn together, ribbons attached, the pillows are stuffed, hand stitched closed, and a special WWC label is attached. The volunteers also enjoy spending time together during their Wednesday sewing sessions that last for two hours at the Sentara Cancer Support Network office on the SNVMC campus.
The WWC has received numerous awards for its pillow-making project. On April 6, 2024, they were honored with the Award of Excellence, presented by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) Northern District for the Best Single Project, Large Club: Health & Wellness Community Service Program.
The heart pillows are not the only project that the volunteers craft by hand. They also sew and assemble cancer support bags for distribution to Sentara oncology patients. The bags include items to comfort a person during chemotherapy, such as games, cards, crossword puzzles, tissues, lip balm, hand lotion, and a comfort blanket.
The WWC volunteers continue to think of new items that will bring comfort to patients. The latest pieces they are creating are handmade seatbelt pillows placed between a car’s shoulder safety belt and a medical port implanted in the chest for chemotherapy. It might be a small item, but it can reduce the pain of a safety belt rubbing against a medical port.
“We cannot thank the Woodbridge Woman’s Club volunteers enough for their ongoing passion and caring by using their sewing skills to create these pillows and cancer bags that are such a tangible sign that people care,” said SNVMC President Jeff Joyner.
GFWC Woodbridge Woman’s Club is a member of the International General Federation of Women’s Clubs and is dedicated to community improvements and enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service. WWC is always welcoming new volunteers to work on this or other projects.
More information about WWC and volunteering or donating supplies to the pillow-making project is available on the WWC website.
City of Manassas Press Release: The City of Manassas honored eight volunteers for their extraordinary contributions to the community in 2023 during a volunteer reception and dinner on Tuesday, April 23.
Those honored are:
