Basic Needs

As winter approaches, many low-income families in Arlington are faced with a painful choice: keep their homes warm or meet other basic needs like food and medicine. A $5,000 gift to Arlington Thrive's Community Resilience Fund will help 20-25 families maintain heat and electricity this winter. In Northern Virginia, more than 1 in 4 families have kept their homes at unsafe temperatures to cut costs. Your donation will provide immediate, life-saving support, ensuring these vulnerable families don't have to make the impossible choice between warmth and well-being.

At its Arlington location, CFO serves up to 35 individuals each day, offering free services such as daily meals, one-on-one and group peer support, referrals to benefits, such as housing or medical care, and much more. CFO does not require insurance or referrals. The majority of the individuals we serve live well below the federal poverty level or are homeless. Each of them dreams of a stable life, a home, a career, and a future. CFO offers just that through our program offerings. Our wish for funds to purchase clothing, hygiene products, and makeup/cologne for adults seeking employment is to help them put their best foot forward – with confidence when interviewing. Good hygiene is dignifying for each of us and this extra boost for those without the means to purchase such items will help increase their confidence and their chances of making a good impression. We invite you to help us provide these essential items, which will reap great dividends not only for recipients but also for the community at large.

The Clothesline provides at no-charge a season's worth of clothes to low income school kids - two times each year. Our mission is to provide clothes that help children attend school in comfort and with confidence. Each year The Clothesline serves nearly 1,500 school kids with over 55,000 items of clothing. Your donation helps us to fill gaps in our inventory. While the majority of our items are donated in excellent condition by the community, certain items like shoes and coats are in short supply in the quantity and quality that we require. Thank you for your support!

We are seeking funding to support our Women's Empowerment Program begun in 2024 and designed to help Afghan women in northern Virginia support their families and to launch their own careers and small businesses using their talents in culinary arts, fashion design, and art and computer skills brought from their home countries. Our case managers often come into contact with refugee women who are struggling with feelings of isolation and dislocation. This is especially true for Afghan women who are often home alone while their husbands are out of the house working long hours to pay the high costs of living in expensive northern Virginia. Our program is working to open and expand opportunities for these at-home women to generate a second income to relieve some of the pressure on their husbands while also enabling them to be good parents. To that end, our Women's Empowerment Group currently has a roster helping 45 Afghan women in Alexandria and Arlington to improve their English skills, access community resources, and leverage their creative talents for cooking and sewing to launch small businesses providing tailoring, clothing design, and ethnic food catering to the growing local Afghan community. $5,000 will help expand our resources to continue purchasing cooking supplies, sewing machines, and providing customized workshops and job training based on the unique needs of our female members as they prepare to take the next steps toward family self-sufficiency.

All children deserve to have reliable, nutritious food powering their minds and bodies so they may enjoy active, healthy lives. Donate today to help Food For Neighbors tackle teen food insecurity! We work closely with our partnering schools to connect food and toiletries with students in need. Many of the schools give students extra food to enjoy over the long Winter Break. Your generous gift will purchase supplemental food to help replenish the supplies in pantries located in one or more of the following schools: the Arlington Career Center, Arlington Community High School, Gunston Middle School, Kenmore Middle School, and Wakefield High School. The food will help students grow and learn, and being better students lifts up them, their families, and our community as a whole.

Real Food for Kids seeks funding to expand our Fresh Food Explorers nutrition education program to students in additional Arlington Public School preschool classrooms in 2025. Fresh Food Explorers is an equity-centered program designed for students from low-income households who are at greater risk for obesity, overweight and related health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, as a result of diet. The goals of Fresh Food Explorers are to introduce young learners to a variety of produce; develop their understanding and capacities around food and health; empower them to increase their fruit and vegetable consumption in school and at home, and; build the life skills to make healthy food choices as they grow. Teaching children about nutrition in their early years is one of the most effective methods school communities have of combating childhood obesity, particularly in low-income communities, and supporting children's health and well-being. $4,000 funds the delivery of Fresh Food Explorers in one (1) preschool classroom for eight weeks and includes fresh weekly produce bags for each student's family to reinforce lesson concepts and support nutrition security in the household.

SMGW maintains an Arlington location where our threefold mission is to: (1) Empower program participants to develop capacities and address barriers in order to live sustainable purpose-driven lives, guiding them to set goals, and take next steps to meet those goals; (2) Engage our partner churches and schools to offer their time, talent, and treasure cultivating relationships that nurture both their missions of community outreach and the mission of the Samaritan Partnership as a whole; and (3) Identify the basic, systemic and unmet needs of our community that underlie poverty – and engage in organized, collective education and action to address those needs. We have found that chronic underemployment and unemployment often highlight a significant gap in soft skills and essential skills training. We tackle this challenge through a comprehensive, holistic approach that not only creates work opportunities but also promotes equitable health outcomes and sustainable opportunities for marginalized communities. Our Next Step program offers Arlington resident participants valuable training in essential soft skills, focusing on employment, literacy, budgeting, and other crucial life skills. With support from their Caseworker, participants develop personalized plans, set goals, and determine actionable steps to achieve their objectives.

For 24 years, SEEC has supported the Day Laborer community of Arlington, providing a safe space for laborers to find free employment placement and referrals to needed services. The Day Laborers SEEC serves are primarily Latino immigrant workers, who provide a critical temporary labor force for local construction, food, and landscaping businesses. Many recently arrived Day Laborers come to SEEC with little more than the clothes on their back and during the winter months all Day Laborers face prolonged stretches of unemployment, putting them at high risk of eviction and hunger, as outdoor work grinds to a halt. Recognizing that Day Laborers often experience emergency expenses that do not fall within the parameters of our existing funding, SEEC established the SEEC Emergency Fund in May 2024. Understanding that although often small in scope, these emergencies can permanently derail a Day Laborer, this Fund is designed to provide one to two-time payments to address critical needs. Since its inception the Emergency Fund has paid for emergency tooth extraction and dental care; closed a small gap in a rental payment to prevent an eviction; provided funds for prescription medication; paid for a motel room for a recently arrived Day Laborer family that was living in their car; made limited time payments for the cell phone service necessary for a job search; and purchased meals for Day Laborers facing severe hunger and nutritional deprivation. These payments are indicative of the kind of aid the SEEC Emergency Fund will continue to provide moving forward.

Child & Youth Development

Arlington Community Foundation and the Arlington Sports Foundation are teaming up to raise funds to offset the cost of after-school programming in the eight Title 1 elementary schools in Arlington County: Abingdon, Barcroft, Barrett, Campbell, Carlin Springs, Drew, Hoffman-Boston, Randolph.Because after-school enrichment programming is fee-based, many families in Arlington County cannot afford to enroll their children in these beneficial learning experiences. The fundraising partnership between Arlington Community Foundation and the Arlington Sports Foundation aims to provide equitable access to after-school programming for elementary school students across the county.

Our organization operates four main programs: youth development, competitive soccer, community fitness, street soccer. • Youth development program is comprised of six annual events that offers mentorship and essential life skills training such as peer pressure, mentorship, financial literacy, and community involvement. • Soccer programs are held twice a week to instill values like discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship, while giving children from diverse backgrounds the chance to compete in high-level tournaments. • Community fitness occurs once a week to teach kids agility, strength, and speed, which is typically hidden behind pay walls. By partnering with local organizations such as Arlington Public Schools, Arlington Soccer Association, and Affordable Housing Communities (AHC), we ensure that our programs are free and accessible to children who face socio-economic barriers. In our first year alone, we impacted nearly 400 kids, thanks to the support of 54 volunteers contributing over 1,800 hours. Despite our success, we continue to strive for growth and sustainability, seeking support to meet the growing demand and to ensure that no child is turned away from the opportunity to excel both on and off the field.

CYFA’s programming falls on a continuum from promotion and prevention to intervention and serious intervention recognizing, as Frederick Douglass so powerfully stated, “It is easier to build strong children than repair broken men.” CYFA’s BuildStrong Initiative provides a framework for CYFA’s programming, and we are seeking funding to support our Youth Restorative Diversion Initiative (YRDI), Guiding Personal Success (GPS), Legal Advocacy Workshops (LAW), and Relax Relate Restore (RRR) programs. A gift of $200 will cover the cost of 10 restorative workbooks for youth referred to the YRDI. A gift of $250 will cover the cost of a Know Your Rights program for teens. A gift of $500 will cover the cost of a GPS after school session (called The Zone). A gift of $500 will cover the cost of a GPS restorative parenting session. A gift of $500 will cover the cost of a GPS session for youth and families focused on personal and digital safety (called Connect & Protect). A gift of $750 will cover the cost of a community restorative circle to process current events (called Stronger Together). A gift of $1,000 will cover the cost of a GPS program focused on mental and physical health and well-being (called Teen Timeout). A gift of $2,000 will cover the cost of a YPC Ambassador Academy©. A gift of $3,000 will cover the cost of lunch for teen participants in CYFA’s Listen Learn Lead Teen Summit. We thank you for your generosity!

Girls on the Run of NOVA reaches kids with fun, interactive lessons about empathy, communication, positive self-talk, and more while incorporating joyful movement. At the end of each season, participants across NOVA come together to complete a 5K - a challenge that many of our 3rd-8th grade-aged participants have never done. By doing this, they gain lifelong confidence to be themselves and navigate any challenge. When you give to Girls on the Run of NOVA this holiday season, you help support core 5K costs like medals and bibs, and essential safety expenses, like police, so that the only thing our girls have to focus on is setting that goal and MEETING IT! Thank you!

The mission of Hope For Grieving Families is to provide peer-to-peer support for families with children in the Washington DC Metro area who have lost a loved one. The holidays are extremely difficult for grieving families for a number of reasons. First, they are without their loved one which makes the holiday difficult and second they may be financially struggling due to loss of income. At Hope, we strive to bring joy into the lives of our families and one way we do this is with our Holiday Gifting Program. Each year we gather the names of the children in our organization and raise money specifically for our gifting program. Our goal is to be able to send a small gift to all the children. We have some lovely helpers who wrap and deliver gifts as well as sent through the mail (we ask families for their preferences). These gifts show these children and families that they are not alone. They are an important part of our community. Grief can be such a lonely place and while your grief is your own, you don't have to be alone.

Your generous donation will help support the launch of a new school-based Creating Opportunities to Reach Excellence (CORE) afterschool program at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. This program is designed to empower Latina students by providing them with essential tools for success through educational workshops, leadership development, and mentorship opportunities. The CORE program will focus on: Educational Workshops: Offering students hands-on learning experiences that go beyond the classroom, with workshops that encourage critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving in subjects like STEM, the arts, and cultural identity. Leadership Development: Cultivating future leaders by teaching valuable skills such as communication, teamwork, decision-making, and self-confidence. Students will participate in activities that challenge them to take initiative, set goals, and lead within their school and community. Mentorship Opportunities: Connecting students with role models who provide guidance, support, and inspiration. Mentors will share their experiences and help students navigate challenges, set educational and personal goals, and plan for their future success.

Liberty's Promise supports immigrant youth in Arlington County through our after-school program, Civics and Citizenship, at Wakefield High School. This program focuses on civic engagement, college access, career readiness, and community service. We engage students through team-building activities, guest speakers, field trips, and volunteer projects. By addressing the social, emotional, and educational needs of our youth, we provide hands-on experiences that empower them, build self-confidence, and help them achieve their personal goals. Through our programming, young immigrants gain the skills to actively participate in their Arlington community while preparing for higher education and meaningful careers. A $100 donation can provide one week's worth of food for an after-school program, helping fuel young minds. A $500 donation can cover transportation for 25 immigrant students to attend educational trips and internships. A $1,000 donation can provide 35 immigrant youth the opportunity to visit colleges, helping them envision their future in higher education. Your support helps us continue to inspire and equip immigrant youth for success!

Students are eager to intern with nonprofit organizations whose missions they are passionate about. However, not all students can afford to take unpaid internships. We want to expand the number of scholarships we provide to students with demonstrated financial need and who want to accept an unpaid internship with a nonprofit organization in Arlington. Every $2000 raised provides support for an additional student for the semester. These scholarships not only support students, but also help local nonprofits hire high quality interns from diverse backgrounds.

Give the gift of confidence, determination, new relationships—and a bike—to a local middle or high school student! Phoenix Bikes teaches bike mechanics to 6th-12th grade students through semester-long afterschool bike clubs held in partnership with local public schools and other organizations. During these clubs, students will learn bike mechanics vocabulary, master basic mechanics skills, refurbish bikes to give to community members in need, and build a bike to keep for themselves—all for free. The $5,000 requested would cover the costs of running two bike clubs, each teaching 10 students over the course of 13 weeks. Support would cover costs of traveling to the offsite locations, purchasing supplies (such as inner tubes, cables, locks, and more), printing recruitment and in-class materials, and paying trained mechanics instructors to facilitate the clubs.

Yorktown Crew Boosters provides funding for the team and is committed to providing all student rowers with an opportunity to learn, develop and excel in rowing. YHS Crew athletes work hard and engage in intensive, focused training, while also maintaining academic excellence. As a program, we are dedicated to reducing costs so that more students can benefit from participation in this exemplary program. We seek to cover the cost of one spring season registration (approximately $1000). This will help cover costs of coaching, transportation, and boat storage, among other expenses. We also see to cover the cost of one spring training camp registration ($1000). Spring break training is a unique opportunity for Yorktown rowers to get intensive coaching and time on the water, as well as experiences with team building. Costs include transportation, food, and other logistics. By providing these scholarships, we make the sport of crew more accessible to our students which provides them with chances for personal growth and athletic excellence.

Health & Wellness

Aaliyah in Action provides immediate support to individuals and families who have experienced pregnancy and infant loss. Through care packages, resources, and community support, we aim to offer comfort and healing during one of the most difficult times in a family's life. Our impact is seen in the emotional and mental well-being of grieving parents, who feel supported, acknowledged, and less isolated in their grief. Our work helps ease the emotional burden and connects families to further resources for long-term healing.

Rock Recovery requests the support of the Arlington community in rallying behind local teens, and providing life-saving, transformative eating disorder therapy. Your support will provide 10 scholarships for low-income teens and families to access our Teen Bridge to Life therapy program. A 2022 NBC report called, "The kids are not OK." revealed that eating disorder-related medical intervention has more than doubled in teens under 17 since 2019. Further research has shown that early intervention saves lives and is critical for equipping both teens and their parents with the tools and knowledge required to know when it's time to ask for help. Rock Recovery launched its Teen Bridge to Life therapy group in 2023 to meet this growing need in the Arlington community. The program runs for eight weeks each quarter, and is uniquely designed to help high-school adolescents navigate eating disorder recovery, body acceptance, identity development, and more. Not every family has the financial means to get their child the care they need. Your support will help ensure these teens can access the critical mental health treatment they need, and set them on a path of hope, healing, and recovery.

Too many low-resource older adults in subsidized housing cannot afford the dental care they need. Inability to afford care coupled with logistical access difficulties (lack of transportation, physical and cognitive disabilities, clinical challenges) present significant access impediments and result in no care. Project ADAPT utilizes mobile and portable dental models to bring the dentist to the patient living in long-term care facilities, senior housing complexes and community programs. The need outweighs our current resources; this funding will provide comprehensive treatment for a wide range of dental needs. We are respectfully seeking to raise $5000 which will allow us to conduct a full-day dental clinic for Arlington patients.

Many cancer patients struggle financially during treatment, with some forced to choose between paying for treatment related expenses and paying for their everyday living expenses. Their financial strain leads to increased anxiety and depression during what is likely the most stressful time of their lives. Our goal is to alleviate cancer patients' financial stress so they can focus on what's most important -- their treatment and recovery. Our Rainy Day Gifts program provides each patient with $500 in financial assistance to help pay for everyday living expenses such as rent, utilities, and groceries. This assistance provides both practical and emotional benefits, as best expressed in the words of two of our recipients: "The help and care from you deeply moved me, providing me with more strength to overcome the disease", "This is very helpful. Cancer has eviscerated me financially and every bit of help really helps". We are asking for $5,000 to provide 10 cancer patients with needed and impactful financial assistance.

Arts, Culture, & Community Engagement

For several years, The Arlington Chorale has collaborated with Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) to provide opportunities for their immigrant and refugee clients to experience choral music – something many of them have not been able to do since before leaving their homes. Gifts to The Arlington Chorale will be used to support three main pillars of our collaboration: outreach, transportation, and funding artists. Outreach: A gift of $750 will provide the opportunity for 10 LSSNCA youth to participate in a music and poetry workshop alongside The Chorale's youth performance group, Performers With Purpose. Youth will write their own poetry in their native language and have their poems set to music. A gift of $500 allows Performers With Purpose to put on a benefit recital for LSSNCA. Transportation: $600 covers the cost of transportation for 40 LSSNCA clients to attend two Arlington Chorale concerts. Funding Artists: The Chorale is committed to paying a living wage to musicians it hires to perform at concerts. A gift of $2,200 will allow us to hire three artists from marginalized communities to perform at Arlington Chorale concerts this season.

Avant Bard is raising $5,000 for the "Behind the Bard" film project, which will directly support Arlington County educators by providing free resources for middle and high school students. This financial support will enable us to film scenes from our rehearsals of "The Margriad" and "Hamlet." We will also film interviews with actors, directors, and designers, giving an insider's look into how we bring Shakespeare's works to life on stage. This footage will enrich English, Social Studies, and Theatre curricula in Arlington County Public Schools. This project directly invests in Arlington schools, giving teachers high-quality content that brings Shakespeare to life for their students. It also builds on Avant Bard's commitment to accessibility, a priority we established last season by making all Avant Bard shows permanently free to APS middle and high school students.

CPP is requesting funding for three different areas of need. 1. Arts Programs with CPP Partners ($3,000) - Working with local artists and studios, this project aims to improve facades of currently vacant commercial space on the Pike as a more inviting and welcoming place to shop and visit. While we await the completion of the construction, we can improve the experience for everyone on Columbia Pike by bringing art to the corridor. 2. Community Beautification ($1,500) - Tree Well Clean Up: As part of the construction on Columbia Pike, the tree wells that line the corridor have been protected with chain link fencing, which is required under the multimodal project to reduce potential harm to existing trees. Unfortunately, while this treatment is necessary it detracts from the overall experience of being on the Pike. We believe there are creative ways to improve the appearance of the chain link fencing. 3. Support APS student internship with CPP ($500) - We have enjoyed great success bringing on an APS student to intern with CPP, and we would like to support that student with an honorarium, as we believe their time and talent brings value to CPP and the Pike, and deserves to be acknowledged. APS student interns bring a fresh perspective to our work and that in turn benefits the corridor, and the internship provides the student with valuable experience outside of the classroom.

With your support, audiences will enjoy the costumes, set and programs for our original production "Foodways of Arlington, A Cultural Celebration." This play is part of our Flip the Script series which enriches understanding of shared local history via a theatre arts program for youth and is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Students incorporate historical and modern narratives and devise the pieces after research, engagement with local historians and citizens, and participation in creative process workshops. There is no participation fee. All performances include talkbacks between the cast and the audiences. A diverse group of students devised this new piece, exploring the history of three distinct cultures with local citizens and learning about migration and immigration through food and those traditions passed down over generations coming together. It will be performed in February 2025 as part of Encore's mainstage season with a full set and costumes.

This project brings a mobile planetarium experience to Community events such as the Arlington County Fair with the goal of expanding awareness and appreciation for Arlington's David M. Brown planetarium, which hosts fascinating year-round activities for the community next door to Washington Liberty High School. Licensed planetarium software will provide participants a guided five-minute educational experience. Educational resources for various age groups are available from the Night Sky app website and will be incorporated into the training binders for volunteers to use while assisting participants through the experience. Volunteers will be able to provide guidance and supplemental education via monitoring what participants see via an handheld computer.

MoCA enriches community life by connecting the public with contemporary art and artists through exhibitions, educational programs, and artist residencies. In addition to our regular programs, MoCA Arlington collaborates with local non-profits and Title I schools. At Carlin Springs Elementary, a Title I school, we provide weekly extracurricular art classes free of charge, ensuring that underserved students receive the creative enrichment they deserve. We also partner with Bridges to Independence, a local nonprofit that supports families transitioning from homelessness to stable futures. MoCA Arlington conducts monthly art workshops for children in their shelters, led by our dedicated teaching artists, offering a vital outlet for creativity and expression for youth facing challenging circumstances. By supporting MoCA Arlington, you are investing in a vital resource for our community that fosters creativity, inclusivity, and personal growth. Our commitment to providing quality art education—especially to underserved populations—demonstrates our dedication to enriching lives through art. The funding will enable us to expand our tuition assistance program, ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent families from participating in our enriching art camps, classes, and field trips.

Our Feb concert Love At The Cinema features romantic film scores from various movies. To make that performance even more special we'd like renowned choreographer Lucy Bowen McCauley to bring some of those scenes to life through creating original choreography for the program. The grant will allow Ms. McCauley to choreograph a greater part of the program plus will require four dancers to bring it to life for an extra special Valentine's performance for the community which will bring together two genres, instrumental performance in original arrangements and modern dance to move, enlighten and inspire.

Piano & More has found a unique way to support children's mental health from underserved communities through piano education. We partner with title 1 schools in Arlington ) to further piano education via our Piano Sponsorship Program. Public school music teachers nominate potential students to the Sponsorship Program. Accepted students receive free piano lessons, resources, and keyboard to take home as well as free access to student events. We believe that playing an instrument such as piano empowers children identify, self-regulate their emotions, and destress in a healthy way. Studies show children who play an instrument like piano invest in their mental health and the benefits compound long into adulthood. What also makes this program so unique is that we solve the gap where the piano has become an instrument for affluent households. With the piano being such a big instrument (requiring more space than a guitar for example) and not being commonly available in public schools, it's become less accessible to those who cannot afford it. The best part is that donors get to see the direct impact of their donation via report cards, recital performances, and other updates. It's truly remarkable to be able to watch a student go from zero all the way to playing Mozart.

Environment

Each year, students from all of Arlington's twenty-four elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools visit the 226-acre Outdoor Lab to put their book learning into action. The longstanding partnership between the Arlington Outdoor Education Association (AOEA) and the Arlington Public Schools (APS) creates this unique opportunity. AOEA conserves the land as well as builds and maintains the Outdoor Lab facilities while APS provides teachers, educational content, and transportation. The AOEA is committed to offering students hands-on learning that complements their classroom lessons. In a natural setting at the Outdoor Lab, students conduct stream studies; examine insects, amphibians, and mammals in the wild; and experience the gentle wonders of nature. To safeguard these opportunities, we are committed to ongoing land stewardship focused on removing invasive plants, like Japanese Stiltgrass, and replenishing areas with native plants. Your gift for these efforts supports biodiversity and strengthens natural habitat for wildlife. Together, we ensure that students have access to this bountiful natural classroom as an extension of their traditional science curriculum.

The Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation promotes nature, culture, and community at lower Four Mile Run through restoration, advocacy, recreation, and education. We serve a diverse community of residents who live, work, study, or play within two miles of the tidal portion of Four Mile Run and its associated parklands, and we work to ensure the natural amenities of this urban ecosystem are protected and nurtured. Our funding request is for materials and equipment used for land- and kayak-based litter clean-ups at lower Four Mile Run. The area covered includes Four Mile Run Park and the stretch of the Run where the wide channel and tide hold back litter before it reaches the Potomac River. Litter found in the stream and along the shoreline comes from a 20-square-mile largely-impervious urban watershed, with a population of 250,000, and it requires constant stewardship effort. The materials needed include work gloves, safety items, heavy-duty trash bags, hand tools, snacks for volunteers, and repairs as needed to keep equipment (trash grabbers, kayak equipment, etc) in good condition. The funding would also support training for volunteer leaders. We intend to conduct at least 40 volunteer litter clean-ups at lower Four Mile Run in 2025, and anticipate the commitment of at least 1,000 volunteer hours toward the effort, and approximately 5,000 pounds of litter removed from the Run.

The Mount Vernon Trail runs 18 miles along the Potomac River from George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate to Rosslyn, Virginia. The trail is one of the most heavily used multi-use trails in the country, but it is especially a favorite training ground for runners and cyclists. This project will purchase and install two bike racks on the Mount Vernon Trail. The racks that were installed in the mid-1980s, before modern bike parking standards and are falling into disrepair. These racks are referred to as "wheel bender" racks because they only allow locking to a bike's tire. They cause damage to bike wheels, create higher risk of theft, and are incompatible with the diversity of bikes commonly seen on the trail, including cargo bikes and recumbents. As a result, cyclists leave bicycles unsecured or locked to benches and trash cans. The absence of bike racks also discourages potential cyclists who might otherwise choose to bike if secure parking options are available. The trail hosts an estimated 1.3 million pedestrians and bicyclists annually, creating significant demand for secure and accessible bike parking facilities. By installing bike racks, we aim to meet the growing demand for secure bike parking and improve the overall accessibility and safety of the trail for all users.

Education

The Community Scholarship Fund offers one-year scholarships and provides the Foundation with opportunities to help our Arlington students. This Fund provides scholarships to high school seniors of merit and financial need whom may not be eligible for one of the named scholarships established by individual donors and businesses.

Your donation will ensure historically underserved students in South Arlington have access to robust reading, math, and academic support through our award-winning Learning ROCKS program. Your support today will help send 175 students on educational, engaging field trips. These field trips provide students with the opportunity to explore new places in their community, build their vocabulary through new experiences, and put their classroom learning into action. From visiting the museums along the National Mall to going ice skating for the first time, your donation will broaden the horizons of historically underserved students in Arlington. As transportation costs increase and as Aspire is serving a record number of students, these field trips are more expensive than in past years. We need your help to ensure we can continue taking students on new and exciting field trips. There are no other affordable or accessible programs in Arlington providing the robust, academic out-of-school time support Aspire provides, and this is only possible with your support!

ETC seeks funding to continue working with PreK students throughout APS. In previous years, ETC Teaching Artists have worked with all PreK classrooms at Drew Elementary. The first funding will go directly to work with Drew. Additional funding beyond our goal will go to other PreK classrooms throughout APS. ETC's in-school work uses theatre skills to teach students how to safely move their bodies, connect with their curriculum in unique ways, and gain empathy. By partnering directly with the schools, we are able to provide specialized programming and lessons for each classroom, and each student, through planning and communication.

Encore Learning seeks to reach and engage Arlington seniors who seek social interaction. Older adults are at increased risk for loneliness and social isolation because they are more likely to face factors such as living alone or the loss of family or friends. Through Encore Learning, these adults may engage in classes, special events, or clubs, joining other seniors forming lively friendships as they learn and try new things with members. With both in-person and virtual classes, Encore Learning members can engage in different ways to explore familiar or new topics. Funding will support: (1) outreach to older adults in Arlington who may be isolated; (2) a complimentary full-year membership; and (3) enrollment in classes. This grant will support 50 adults to become engaged with the full range of Encore Learning activities at no cost to them.

Let's *Light Up* 100 Brains! Every time a book is read to a baby, a connection is made in their brain, that is, a neuron is activated (*lit up*). Isn't that amazing?! It's that simple. BUT without books in the home, reading to babies and young children every day is nearly impossible. On average, children from low-income families have 1 book compared to 12 books that their peers from middle income families have. As a result, these young children hear 25 hours of 1-to-1 reading before school while children from middle-income families hear 1,000 hours of listening to books read aloud. READ was created to address this reading inequity. We meet expectant, uninsured families at their prenatal appointments and start them off with a baby book bag filled with five board books plus tips for reading. When the baby is born, they are automatically enrolled in our cornerstone program READ with Me and receive a texted order form for a new FREE, quality, culturally relevant book each month for their baby's first year. In addition, they receive monthly reading texts and tips. $100 helps build and *light up* one baby's brain, $500 helps build and *light up* five babies' brains, $1000 helps build and *light up* ten babies' brains. When you support READ, YOU are enhancing the literacy and language experiences of economically vulnerable babies and toddlers at their most vital brain development by providing books for them to keep and for parents to read aloud. These early simple acts of reading together sets a baby on the path to future academic success and self-sufficiency. Join us in *lighting up* ALL babies' brains to their fullest potential!

The goal of the RIF NOVA "Authors in Our Schools" program is to bring diverse, award-winning authors to area Title 1 schools to participate in an experiential learning opportunity. Meeting authors in person stimulates interest in reading, writing, and storytelling and makes an important connection, particularly since these authors actually live and work in the Northern Virginia area where the children live. The experience shows students that there are authors with backgrounds similar to theirs, books with themes that reflect their own experiences and interests, and characters who look like them — all elements that encourage children to read. In the author sessions, students learned writing tips and received encouragement to read more and to write more — based on the strongly delivered message that their stories matter and deserve to be told. The first three schools that participated noted that students continued to talk about the visits long after the visits themselves, indicating sustained impact. Additional funding is required to help RIF NOVA to bring authors and books to Barcroft, Swanson, and Kenmore.

Legal Services & Justice Involved

The Foundation is the philanthropic wing of the Arlington Bar Foundation. We raise money to provide grants to numerous Arlington charities with a nexus to the legal community. Some prior grant recipients include OAR, Arm & Arm, LSNV, Doorways, Veteran programs, drug programs, and family and youth programs.

Just Neighbors requests funding to help 5 Arlington Immigrant families obtain work authorization and/or citizenship. Legal status ensures that all Arlingtonians can equally participate in the community and achieve their goals and dreams. Just Neighbors has provided immigration legal services to over 17,000 immigrants and refugees of all faiths and nationalities in the DMV for over 27 years; this has allowed thousands of people to work legally and empowered families to build their capacity and resources to become stable and independent.

Through our Heart of Safety program, we support community members in breaking cycles of harm and trauma and finding healing, safety and accountability with dignity. With your help, Restorative Arlington will be equipped to serve the nearly 31% of Arlington residents who speak a language other than English at home. Your donation of $40 will enable us to translate one brochure, $85 will pay for an hour of live interpretation, $800 covers translation of all materials in one language, $1625 pays for an interpreter for a full restorative conference process.

Housing

Arlington Neighborhood Village (ANV) helps older adults at all income levels age in place by providing volunteer help, social support, and connection to the wider community. We are requesting donations for our Financial Aid Fund which makes this support easily attainable for lower-income residents. Currently, over 40% of ANV's 445 members are lower-income seniors. Older adults aging in place need additional support and services to keep them safe and connected to the community. Every service we provide—whether a ride to the doctor, foodbank delivery, friendly visit, or invitation to share a meal—is an offering of care and community. ANV is committed to providing generous financial aid so that any Arlington resident who is 55 years or older can receive services. As requests for financial aid continue to rise, supporters like you can have a powerful effect on how many older adults ANV can help. Our work is sustained by inherent human goodness and your wish to help a neighbor in need. Together, we can offer the benefits of village membership—support, belonging, connection—to even more older adults in Arlington. Please contribute today and help 10 additional lower-income seniors access a caring, helpful community!

For over 50 years, Culpepper Garden has proudly served older adults aged 62 and above by providing quality, affordable housing, essential services, and unwavering support. It is our mission to ensure that older adults can age in place with dignity and independence, regardless of their economic circumstances. Financial support is essential for enhancing the lives of our residents and promoting their overall health and wellness. Contributions made through the Wish Catalog will directly support several vital programs, including our food pantry, which alleviates food insecurity for seniors; our mobile dental clinic, providing seniors with crucial access to oral healthcare; and our resident gardening initiatives, which foster community connections, enhance food security, and offer fresh produce. Additionally, contributions will help to sustain our emergency assistance fund, which provides essential furnishings and household supplies for residents in need. Last year, we provided affordable housing and care to 400 lower income older adults who may not otherwise have a place to call home. Together, we can ensure that vulnerable seniors have access to the resources and support they need to thrive in their golden years. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

True Ground's Resident Services program offers a broad spectrum of services to support residents' well-being, stability, and self-sufficiency. For young residents, True Ground provides programs tailored to benefit children of all ages- from infants and toddlers to high school students. The goal is to ensure that children living in True Ground communities have the resources to succeed academically, have opportunities to engage with their community, and access crucial information and referrals for their health and well-being. Some programs offered to young True Ground residents include summer camp, after-school tutoring, and coding classes. The Latino College Access Club provides guidance and resources on college applications and scholarships, and the annual Ready to Learn drive equips students with the school supplies they need to start the school year strong. Just $105 can help provide these essential programs and resources to a True Ground resident, giving them the support they need to thrive academically and within their community. Your generosity ensures that young residents are equipped for success, from school supplies to college preparation and everything in between.