Upcoming Events

Foster Parent Training
Saturday, April 22

Spring Yard Sale
Saturday, April 22

Barnes & Nobles Bookfair Benefiting Early Head Start
Friday, April 28

Uptown Alley Fundraiser for SERVE
May 1 – May 31

Road to Independence Gala
Friday, May 12

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• About NVFS

Pinwheels For Prevention: NVFS’ Healthy Families Prince William team plants a pinwheel garden at our SERVE campus to raise awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month.

NVFS’ Healthy Families program is a resource for recognizing signs of child abuse. Healthy Families works not only to halt child abuse and neglect where it is happening, but also to prevent its occurrence in the first place by recognizing the leading risk factors, which include:

• The child’s age. In cases of neglect, younger children are more at risk: The younger the child, the less likely it is that the child can defend themselves, speak up for themselves or remove themselves from harm’s way. In cases of sexual abuse, risk increases with the child’s age.
• The child has a learning disability, congenital anomaly, or chronic or recurrent illness. It is no easy task even to raise a healthy child who is meeting developmental milestones. When additional challenges arise, physical and emotional abuse and neglect become much more common.
  
• The child’s family is living in poverty and/or experiencing financial hardship. High stress takes a severe toll on parents’ ability to tolerate frustration. In addition, working long hours — a common result of working multiple jobs — can impede parents’ awareness of their child’s emotional well-being or whether there is abuse occurring when the child is under someone else’s care.
• Another family member is experiencing domestic violence. Research indicates that in 30 to 60 percent of families where spousal abuse takes place, child maltreatment also occurs.
  

You can help children in our community. By helping families in any of these situations, you can reduce the likelihood of abuse and neglect. 

• Be a friendly face and a source of encouragement for children in your neighborhood.
  
• Offer to babysit for a neighbor or friend, especially if they seem stressed. All parents need support.
  
• Become a mentor — formally or informally — to a child or to another parent.
  

Remember: Reporting abuse when you suspect it is the primary way to combat child abuse.

NVFS, especially our Training Futures program, would like to thank Booz Allen Hamilton for its presenting sponsorship of Training Futures’ 20th Anniversary Celebration earlier this month. 

“Booz Allen Hamilton’s longtime commitment to NVFS’ Training Futures has been an ideal partnership,” says Julie Mullen, NVFS director of workforce development. “Their investment through annual financial contributions, volunteer participation, graduate hires and in-kind support has been crucial to our success. On top of this successful model of community partnership, Booz Allen was generous enough to be a presenting sponsor of our event celebrating Training Futures’ 20 years of impact in the Northern Virginia community!”

The company’s support for NVFS’ Training Futures continues: Booz Allen’s Middle East North Africa affinity group will soon be leading a training on U.S. workplace culture for our trainees.

Add your community support! Find volunteer opportunities for you and your organization >>

Check out our high-priority volunteer and in-kind donation needs to make an immediate impact in your local community. For more updates throughout the month, follow NVFS on Facebook and/or Twitter to stay up to date on local opportunities to give back. 

• Shelter Volunteers: Of particular need are Life Skills Mentors at our Falls Church shelter and Food Recovery Drivers at our Manassas shelter. More details and opportunities >>
   
• Top Item Needs: Diapers, cribs and children’s books are among our most-needed items in our early childhood programs. Visit our full wishlist >>