Fairfax County Archives - Read. Think. Act.

She Believes in Me with Renee Gorman

(July 3, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with She Believes in Me founder Renee Gorman to talk about her work in supporting young, vulnerable girls in her community. Lori Barnes, a volunteer who has been with the program since inception, also joins the show to talk about the importance of being a mentor, and giving these girls positive experiences and valuable skills.

Gorman is a school counselor in a community with many vulnerable children. Over the years, she became increasingly frustrated because she did not have the bandwidth during school hours to help support the young girls who were coming into her office with profound challenges. She wanted to do more, but needed to find a different approach to helping them work through their obstacles. She believed in these girls, and wanted to show them that they had a fan rooting for them.

The first step involved planning some positive programming to bring the girls together. Gorman put together a group of volunteers by reaching out to her professional and community connections. Her goal was show these young girls that there were people in their corner who wanted to help them. These workshops take place at her elementary school on Saturday mornings, and are always framed with a theme so that the girls have a valuable skill to bring home with them.

A few examples of topics include building self-esteem, developing healthy coping skills, recognizing inner beauty, and the importance of friendships. The workshops are free of charge, and Gorman simply advertises by word of mouth. They have become so popular that they attract approximately 160 girls a month, and are staffed with over 30 volunteers. These girls are looking for positive role models, and are thirsty for programs that speak to them.

Most importantly, the environment is warm and welcoming, and girls are made to feel special and important. Having enough volunteers to staff the program means that the girls who really need help, have an opportunity to share their struggles and reach out for support The girls come from diverse backgrounds and varied socioeconomic environments, and many have experienced trauma. Gorman’s goal is to ensure that they have an outlet to find support when they need it.

The She Believes in Me model has been so successful that Gorman would love to grow the program to additional schools. If you are interested in setting up a similar program in your neighborhood, you can reach out to them to find out about how to get started at [email protected]

by Rachel Simon

Fairfax Futures with Sallyann Bergh

(June 19, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Sallyann Bergh, Executive Director of Fairfax Futures. Since 2004, Fairfax Futures has been raising awareness about the critical role that school early childhood education plays in promoting academic and lifelong success.

In partnership with the business community and Fairfax County, Fairfax Futures is uniquely positioned to foster cross-sector collaboration in support of early childhood education and school readiness in the county. Through their annual Business Leaders Reception and Leadership Forums, they aim to raise the awareness in the community about the importance of investing in our youngest citizens. Approximately 85% of brain development occurs by age five. It is increasingly clear that the achievement gap starts early on in life, so quality educational experiences prior to kindergarten can greatly enhance a student’s potential and provide a solid foundation for learning.

In addition to working with the business community, Fairfax Futures focuses heavily on supporting early childhood educators. They provide both learning opportunities and ongoing resources for educators. Every year they sponsor a School Readiness Symposium, a unique daylong educational forum for early childhood educators across Fairfax County. Topics presented include literacy, science and math, the arts, play and nature. This was the 15^th year of sponsoring a program and the 2019 School Readiness Symposium theme was Healthy Children, Healthy Futures. The program is possible thanks to a generous grant from the PNC Foundation.

While Fairfax is regularly recognized as an affluent community, there are pockets of poverty and income inequality. There are 74,000 children under the age of five in Fairfax, and one in five of those children are living in poverty. With the cost of quality early childhood education hitting record high numbers, it makes it very difficult for many of these students to access quality early childhood education.

Fairfax Futures works closely with the county’s Office for Children that helps to identify families who are eligible for subsidies and county run programs.. In 2017, Fairfax County adopted the Equitable School Readiness Strategic Plan. Fairfax Futures partners with government, the private sector and the nonprofit community to support goals and objectives of this plan. The goal is that all children, regardless of economic, cultural or ethnic background are prepared for school. Through the Neighborhood School Readiness Project, they forge relationships between local schools, community resources, early childhood educators and families, to ensure that children are well prepared for their transition to kindergarten.

by Rachel Simon

NV Rides with Jennifer Kanarek

(May 29, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with NV Rides Program Manager Jennifer Kanarek to discuss volunteer driving programs in Northern Virginia that support older adults who are aging in place.

In 2012, Fairfax County ran a large-scale survey of older adults to find out what they were looking for in their community as they age. The county recognized that the aging population was growing faster than any other segment, and that older adults were looking to remain in their homes as they age. Fairfax sought input on their needs, and the result was the 50+ Community Action Plan that was adopted by the Board of Supervisors in September of 2014. Over 30 initiatives were born out of this wide-ranging survey.

Transportation was identified as a key concern. As older adults stop driving, they face the challenge of how to safely remain in their homes. Several communities throughout the county had already established volunteer driving programs to help support their aging neighbors. These programs, however, were operating independently and in silos.

The idea of NV Rides was to bring these programs together into a centralized network, and provide support and infrastructure so that they could increase capacity. This new concept of a coordinated “hub” would provide a backbone infrastructure, along with a network of professionals to collaborate with.

Member benefits include use of a cloud-based RideScheduler software platform, and background checks to ensure that the drivers pass a minimum safety check. In addition, NV Rides is responsible for helping to get new programs off the ground and provide marketing support.

Fairfax County then went on a search for a community organization willing to take on the management aspect of this program. They found a partner in the Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia. The “J” already has a wide variety of programming for adults, and found the concept of NV Rides to be mission-consistent with its approach to community engagement. In partnership with the Jewish Council for the Aging out of Montgomery County, MD and the Fairfax County Government, the “J” agreed to move forward.

Today, the NV Rides network consists of 13 member organizations located throughout the region. There are a combination of Shepherd’s Centers, Villages, communities of faith and public-private partnerships in the network. The beauty of this structure is that each community can come together to determine the solution that works best for them.

Each network partner operates independently, and can setup guidelines and procedures that meet their needs. However, all of the organizations do require that their clients be ambulatory, meaning that they have to be able to walk to the car. Most of the groups also require lead-time of 3-5 days, in order to be able to ensure that they can find a driver.

According to the 2018 annual report, each year about 500 volunteer drivers give approximately 12,000 rides to their neighbors in need here in Northern Virginia. However, the drivers think of themselves as more than just a ride. Isolation one of the top causes of depression in older adults, and the relationships that drivers and passengers build is a wonderful secondary benefit. The biggest challenge that the partner organizations face is recruiting enough volunteer drivers to meet the demand for rides. Currently, there are twice as many rides that are requested, as there are drivers to give them.

As NV Rides rolls into its fifth year of operation, they are operating under a new round of funding from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Through this grant, NV Rides is looking to expand the number of volunteer driver programs into areas where there is a gap in coverage in Fairfax, as well as neighboring jurisdictions such as Prince William County.

by Rachel Simon

Genesys Works with Mioshi Moses and David Williams

(May 1, 2019) Catherine Read interviews Mioshi Moses, Executive Director of the National Capital Region and David Williams, CEO of Genesys Works. They empower high school students from challenged backgrounds to achieve college and career success through skills training and meaningful work experience.

Founded in 2002 by Rafael Alvarez in Houston, TX, Genesys Works came to life when he served on the board of a local charter school and was struck by the bleak prospects economically challenged students faced, at a time when companies like his were in need of new sources of talent. His goal was to think outside the box and create a meaningful program to help students thrive. Starting with 10 students, he developed an intern-based program that is a unique fusion of training, mentoring and professional experience.

Students who would otherwise not have access to professional experience opportunities are selected to apply to the program. It is a rigorous application process because they want to be sure that the students are 100% committed to sticking with the program. The students then spend the summer of their junior year in an intensive 8-week training program, designed to teach them both the technical skills they would need in an office, as well as the soft skills that they need to succeed.

Once senior year rolls around, the students have condensed classes in the morning to cover academics, then go on to work for 5 hours in a professional setting. This is a demanding program that expects the students to be able to stay on top of their academics, while balancing it with their internship. In order to help each student succeed in their new professional environment, they are assigned a job coach to work with over the course of the year. This is someone who they can call on for advice on how to handle situations and challenges regarding their day-to-day duties.

In order to get this program off the ground, Alvarez had to develop relationships with companies who bought into their mission. Companies who were looking to give back to the community became solid partners, as well as those looking to grow their pipeline of talent. Companies find that by investing in students, they are investing in the future of the community as a whole. Since those first 10 students were placed in 2002, Genesys Works has grown to serve over 4,000 students in five cities (Houston, Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul, San Francisco Bay Area, Washington National Capital Region and soon to be launched this summer New York City).

To date, 100 percent of the students who have participated in the program have graduated from high school, and 93 percent of them have gone onto college. The program’s goal is to move more students out of poverty and into professional careers, creating a more productive and diverse workforce in the process. By giving underserved students the opportunity to succeed in a professional work environment while still in high school, they can open up career possibilities and pathways previously thought unattainable.

Moses runs the local chapter of the group here in the National Capital Region, and is excited about the prospect of exposing students to public sector jobs through opportunities with government agencies at the Federal, State and Local levels. They already have a program established with Fairfax County Government and Fairfax County Public Schools, and she is looking to grow those opportunities and add more partnerships over time. In order to accomplish this goal, Gensys Works is looking to grow their name recognition and increase philanthropic giving to support their mission and serve more students in need.

Moses shares that they were awarded two significant grants this year. One from the Jack Kent Cook Foundation, for $120,000 over 2 years, and the other from the Clark Foundation, for $1 million over a 3-year period. CEO David Williams, who took his post in January of 2019, is looking to grow the program exponentially during his tenure. Although the program has only been rolled out in larger metropolitan areas to date, Williams believes that this program can succeed anywhere. They are looking to grow their geographic footprint in order to serve the needs of more students, companies and communities across the country.

by Rachel Simon

AARP Scam Jam with Martin Bailey and Melissa Smarr

(April 17, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Martin Bailey from AARP and Melissa Smarr from the Silver Shield Task Force of Fairfax County, to discuss their upcoming event called Scam Jam to be held on April 27^th from 9am-1pm at the Fairfax County Government Center.

The second annual Scam Jam aims to educate the public on how they can protect themselves against scam artists. There will be speakers and workshops, all designed to inform people about different scams that are currently happening here, and all over the world. Bailey notes that 16.7 million people a year are scammed at a cost of $16.8 billion dollars annually. It is a huge problem, and this program is intended to arm people with knowledge so that they are less likely to fall for a scam.

There will be several speakers who will be highlighting current scams that are happening now in Virginia. The Grandparents scam is one of the more common ones, and has been around a long time. A con artist calls up an elderly person and pretends to be a young relative in trouble, needing bail money. It is designed to put the victim in panic mode and scare them into compliance. There are also a variety of phone scams using IRS, Medicare and Social Security (note: these agencies will never call you, they will always send you correspondence in the mail).

One of the key ways to protect an identity is to safeguard your social security number. Bailey points out that much of the demographic information on potential victims is “out there” for the world to see, via everything from the online white pages to social media. But a scammer would need a social security number to open a bank account or credit card. It is very, very important to never give out that number unless it is a wholly legitimate source.

In addition to the speakers, there will be an opportunity to shred old papers with confidential information and safely dispose of unused medication. If you cannot make it out the event, AARP has a variety of resources online that are free to the public. Two of their most popular pieces are the Con Artist Playbook and the Watchdog Alert Handbook, which are free and available online. There are also blog posts and articles that are constantly being updated, as AARP attempts to keep up with the scammers in an ever-changing environment.

Fairfax County Silver Shield Task Force also has a number of valuable resources on their website, including consumer protection information, how to report a scam, handling door-to-door solicitors and much more.

by Rachel Simon

Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children with Mary Braxton

(February 27, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Mary Braxton, Board member of the Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children (VAAEYC), to discuss early childhood education in the state of Virginia.

Braxton has had a long career in early childhood education. She was an owner/operator of her own in-home childcare business for 27 years, and is a long-time board member of the VAAEYC. Additionally, Braxton also serves on the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA) Board, as well as being a former President of the Virginia Alliance of Family Childcare Associations. Her breadth and depth of knowledge surrounding early childhood education is wide and deep. Braxton has stood as a strong advocate for Virginia’s children by promoting policies that help improve access to quality early childhood education options.

The VAAEYC has its roots in the Virginia Council on Social Work. Efforts began in 1955 to bring together child care personnel and others interested in preschool children. In 1956, sixty individuals attended a Child Care Preschool Institute in Roanoke, VA. A year later, 200 advocates met, adopted a constitution, and selected the name – the Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children. In 1969 the state association decided to affiliate with the national organization (NAYEC), and then in 1972 the group also affiliated with the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA).

The mission of the VAAEYC is to promote the professional growth of persons working with young children, improve the availability and quality of developmental and educational services and resources for young children, to advocate and promote public policy decisions which improve the quality of life for young children and their families, and to support, disseminate and utilize research related the well being and education of young children. The organization focuses on children ages birth to eight years of age, and there are eight chapters of the VAAEYC located throughout the commonwealth.

Braxton speaks passionately about the importance of quality pre-K education as the foundation of learning for children. Preschool is where children learn the social and emotional skills that they need for success in both school and in life. Studies have shown that children who have access to quality preschool education have better outcomes than their peers who do not. Braxton and her colleagues work tirelessly to help advance the cause of making affordable childcare accessible to all children. She notes that over 1/3 of the state of Virginia is considered a “childcare desert”, meaning that there are not enough programs to meet the needs of all children who want to access preschool education.

Former Governor Terry McAuliffe established the first ever Children’s Cabinet in Virginia to spotlight the importance of early childhood education. This group has continued under current Governor Ralph Northam, and has expanded to include the first School Readiness Officer in Virginia, Jenna Conway. Her role is to help expand access to quality pre-K education to all Virginia children.

Access and quality of childcare varies widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction throughout Virginia. In Northern Virginia, there are strict licensing requirements for child care providers in Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria. This assures parents that their children are in a safe environment, weather they are at a daycare center or with an in-home daycare provider. These include things like background checks, CPR certifications and property assessments to ensure a safe environment. In Prince William County, however, providers can have up to 4 children in their home without being subject to any licensing requirements whatsoever.

The many statewide organizations are working together to help bring about positive policy change in regards to early childhood education. They are in regular contact with local, state and federal representatives, and often speak and testify at public hearings in order to advance their issues. As the critical importance of quality early childhood development is more widely accepted as an integral factor in future wellbeing, Braxton is optimistic that their agenda will be more widely accepted, and she encourages everyone to visit their website to better understand the policy initiatives that they are advancing.

The VAAEYC is holding the 63^rd annual conference, entitled Constructing Solid Foundations for Children, on March 14-16 at the Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, VA. The conference is the premier professional development event in Virginia for early childhood educators. The conference will feature 100+ workshops, catering to all aspects of preschool education. Braxton is excited to bring together childcare professionals from around the state to share ideas and best practices. One of the things she loves most about these conferences is that childcare providers are treated as true professionals. Braxton shares that the energy at the conference is palpable, and the attendees find it both empowering and motivating when networking with others in their field. Those interested can visit the website to learn more and sign up for the conference.

by Rachel Simon

Formed Families Forward on Your Need to Know

(February 20, 2019) Catherine Read interviews Kelly Henderson and Dee Robinson-Rutkowski of Formed Families Forward (FFF). Their organization is dedicated to supporting foster, kinship and adoptive families of children and youth with disabilities and special needs. They serve families, educators and child welfare professionals in the Northern Virginia area.

Formed Families Forward is a non-profit supported through a federal grant, established to assist adoptive and foster families navigate the complicated world of acquiring services to support children with special needs. Studies show that youth in foster and kinship care are at a higher risk of having disabilities, and therefore requiring special education services. In addition to medical needs, many of these children have suffered emotional trauma from being in an unstable environment, and need extra support to recover and become healthy and whole.

Dee came to Formed Families Forward after she and her husband adopted their two sons through the foster care system. They faced many challenges and had some very rocky years, especially during middle school. She became connected to FFF after meeting Kelly through her Middle School PTA. Dee is thankful to have had someone to help her navigate the system so that they could access the much needed resources to help her sons. It helped to ease their burden, and put her boys and their family on a path to wellness.

In addition to connecting families with the resources that they need, FFF also runs support groups for both students and parents. These groups are very important because families can connect with one another, and understand that they are not alone. FFF also conducts one on one consultations, so individual families can make sure that they understand how to find the support and resources that they need for their children, and get what their children need to thrive at school and at home.

As the organization evolves, Kelly and Dee note that they are working on different initiatives to meet their clients’ needs. They are just finishing up the production of a webinar focused on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and the impacts and effects that this has on children as they age. They also have programming focused on ADD and ADHD, which is one of the most common diagnoses that children in foster and adoptive care face. In addition to helping families understand how to establish classroom accommodations, there are many things that parents can do with children at home to help manage symptoms.

In addition, there is a growing movement recognizing how trauma can affect children, and have an impact on their ability to learn and fully participate in the classroom. Trauma Informed Community Networks are being established in Fairfax County for the first time. These networks are designed to help educators and service providers better understand the obstacles and challenges faced by students who have suffered from traumatic events at a young age, and help coordinate efforts in supporting these children.

Formed Families Forward is sponsoring their annual event on April 27^th called Spring Forward Family Fun Day, which will be held on the Science and Technology Campus of George Mason University in Manassas. This year’s theme is Navigating Systems to Build Stronger Families. While parents, educators and caregivers enjoy presentations by experts on education and support of foster, adoptive and kinship families, children ages 4 and above will be able to access experiential learning at GMU’s outdoor learning program called “The EDGE”. More details about the day, along with information about how to purchase tickets, can be found on their website

by Rachel Simon

Fair Housing with Margaret Squires

(Dec. 19, 2018) Catherine Read interviews Margaret Squires, Fair Housing Coordinator, Fairfax County Office of Human Rights and Equity Programs. Their discussion focuses on fair housing, and how her office handles claims of fair housing discrimination in the county.

The Office of Human Rights and Equity Programs handles discrimination complaints in fives different areas: housing, employment, public accommodations, credit and private education. If a person thinks that they have been discriminated against, they can file a complaint with the county office. A case will be opened, and an investigation will ensue. Squires notes that protected classes of individuals are race, color, national origin, sex, religion, familial status, disability, marital status and age discrimination.

If someone thinks that they have been discriminated against, Squires encourages them to contact her office to learn if they have a viable complaint. People can call the office (there is a TTY phone number available for the hard of hearing), they can visit the office in person and speak with a representative, or they can reach out to the office online to share information about their experience. In all of these situations, a case manager will be assigned to the complaint, and will identify if there is enough evidence to proceed. People have 365 days from the date of the event to file their complaint.

After the case managers determine that there is a basis for the claim, they move forward in contacting the housing provider to try and resolve the issue. The case mangers always try and bring the parties together to come to a resolution. If an investigation has determined that a housing provider is in violation of fair housing law, and they refuse to come to an agreement, then Squire’s office will refer the case to the County Attorney’s office for further review. Many times, after the disputes are resolved, the person in violation of the law will be required to attend a Fair Housing training in order to better understand the law and how to conduct business in the future.

In the second segment, Catherine discusses some trends that Squires has been noticing in the field. Specifically, she mentions concerns regarding an increasing reluctance to file a complaint by members of the Hispanic community, and the immigrant community at large. In today’s current political climate, many immigrants are afraid to speak up even if they are legitimately covered under the law. It is a disturbing trend, and Squires emphasizes that her case mangers do not need documentation from people when filing a complaint. She worries that many people are getting taken advantage of, because they are unwilling to speak out.

Squires also points out that it is illegal for a housing provider to retaliate against someone who files a complaint. If a housing provider evicts a tenant after they have filed a complaint, the provider could be subject to fines as they are not viewed favorably if they retaliate.

Additionally, Squire’s office is available as a resource to the community, as they provide education and outreach services. Services include training for housing providers, real estate professionals, property managers, lenders and other housing professionals. They are also available to provide information and training to the public at no cost.

by Rachel Simon

VA Senator Scott Surovell on Inside Scoop

(Oct. 15, 2018) Catherine Read interviews State Senator Scott Surovell (D-36), in a discussion ranging from transportation to predatory lending to environmental reforms regarding coal ash. Sen. Surovell represents the 36^th district, including parts of southeastern Fairfax, eastern Prince William and northern Stafford counties. Surovell is a native Virginian and graduate of West Potomac High School, James Madison University, and University of Virginia Law School. He is proud to represent the area in which he grew up.

Throughout his tenure in the Virginia General Assembly, Surovell has worked hard to expand opportunities and help solve problems for his constituents. He was first elected to office as a Delegate in 2009, followed by a successful bid for the state Senate in 2015. He recognizes the great disparity and income inequality in his district, which very much mirrors what is happening throughout Northern Virginia.

Transportation

One of the areas that Sen. Surovell has paid particular attention to is the Rt. 1 Corridor, stretching through the Alexandria portion of Fairfax County. Year ago, this corridor used to be a vibrant commercial district, but has been left behind as much of the rest of the area experienced economic growth. The result is that these neighborhoods are now some of the poorest and are home to some of the most vulnerable residents of Fairfax County.

Starting in 2009, Surovell brought his big ideas to VDOT regarding redevelopment along the corridor. He successfully lobbied VDOT to fund a study of the area south of the Huntington Metro. This led to a set of recommendations that were given in 2015 to ultimately widen Rt. 1 to 6 lanes and to institute a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to facilitate traffic flow. Accordingly, the land needs to be rezoned along the corridor to allow for increased density. In order for the region to qualify for grants through the Federal Transportation Administration, the number of residents needs to increase from 40,000 to 100,000 in order to support the investment in transportation upgrades.

One of the biggest concerns that surround a redevelopment project of this scope is to ensure that residents are not displaced during the construction of the project. There is already a shortage of affordable housing in the area, and when planning the redevelopment it will be crucial to ensure that affordable housing remains available. In order to qualify for the federal funding, there is a provision that there is no net loss of affordable housing after the project is complete. Additionally, public officials need to be very careful that communities are not displaced and torn apart.

As part of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) Act that passed in 2013, which raised the gas tax and grantors tax in order to fund local transportation initiatives, the Rt. 1 corridor is finally seeing some money flowing down to fund projects. The NVTA is making a $370 million down payment to begin the work on this development. The process of getting this work done is long and complex; Surovell said we can expect to see a shovel in the ground in 2026.

Additional projects in his district include widening of Rt. 1 in Dumfries and the bottleneck of traffic on I-95 South when crossing the Occoquan. The hangup with that particular project includes having to renegotiate the contract with Transurban, who maintains the HOT lanes on I-95, as they will suffer in lost toll revenue if the road is being worked on.

Coal Ash

Sen. Surovell has worked hard over many years to bring reform to the power industry in regards to how they dispose of coal ash. Coal ash is the residue that is produced after burning coal for power. For years, standard operating procedure allowed Dominion Energy, the state’s main power provider, to bury this coal ash in the ground. Holes were dug, filled with water and the ash was dumped in them. Several years ago those coal ash “ponds” burst, and that coal ash flowed into the adjacent rivers, polluting the Potomac, Occoquan and James Rivers. The EPA then ordered the state to shut down the practice and clean up the sites, which all show evidence of arsenic, cadmium, lead and hexavelant chronium, mercury and selenium. Up to this point, Virginia was the only state that did not require power companies to recycle coal ash.

The good news about this is that the coal ash that is being dumped is a key ingredient in the production of concrete. So much so, that the concrete companies are actually importing coal ash from Italy in order to meet their supply needs. Dominion will eventually be able to sell this as a product to the local concrete companies. The ash that needs to be cleaned up could also be marketable, however the challenge is that the coal ash that the ash will need to be dried out and the problem chemicals will need to be extracted from the ash before it can be sold.

The question faced today by lawmakers is how much will this process cost, and how much can Dominion will be allowed to hike rates to cover their costs. There are currently a small group of delegates and senators who are working on coming to a consensus on how to best handle this multi-billion dollar issue.

Predatory Lending

Another very prevalent issue in Sen. Surovell’s district is the practice of predatory lending. There is a high concentration of predatory lenders located in the Route 1 Corridor, including a variety of Pay Day and Car Title loan companies. Over the past several years there have been numerous restrictions on these practices, and it seems like each time there are rules put in place to curb the practice, new companies pop up in a different iteration with another way to scam borrowers.

In 2009 the state put a 36% rate cap on payday loans. Then, in 2010 the car title companies showed up to offer an alternative to those in need. In 2011, the laws put in place were not well constructed, which opened up the door for these companies to lend to car title holders in MD and DC (where this practice is greatly restricted) for up to 267% APR. The people who are seeking these loans are desperate and often do not understand the implications of what they are doing. They often borrow to pay off other loans, and the situation can tend to snowball for them. If you have feedback for Sen. Surovell he is open to hearing from constituents, and would like to work with his colleagues to curb these practices.

by Rachel Simon

Stop Child Abuse Now with Leah Fraley

(Oct. 10, 2018) Catherine Read interviews Leah Fraley, Executive Director of Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN). SCAN works to ensure that every child in Northern Virginia grows up in a safe, stable, nurturing family, with the supports that they need to contribute to stronger communities today, and as adults in the future. Their mission is to promote the well-being of children, improve parent-child relations and prevent child abuse and neglect.

Since 1988, SCAN has worked hard to accomplish their mission through three primary activities. The first is to educate the public about the scope, nature and consequences of child abuse and neglect, and the importance of positive, nurturing parenting. The second is to provide direct parent education opportunities, and the third is to advocate for the children in the community, the legislature and the courts. This effort requires them to collaborate with many community partners; and SCAN always aims to meet parents where they are in the community so that programming is accessible to all who need it.

For example SCAN’s parenting education classes are offered at a variety of locations throughout the region. SCAN will provide either childcare for children under the age of four, or will offer parallel programming for school aged children, designed to help them build strong relationships with their parents and siblings. These classes are aimed at improving family communication and help parents and children both develop skills to deal with challenges and stressors that can lead to abusive behaviors.

SCAN builds strong relationships with those in the public sector, including schools, the court system and the local government agencies, to deliver their services to those in need. They aim to be a resource to anyone who thinks that there is a child in trouble, and is happy to offer guidance and best practices to those who need help in getting families the needed supports.

Fraley points out that our region is unique in that we have a very multi-cultural region. There are families who come here from many different places, and bring their own way of life with them. This requires flexibility and understanding that there is more than one way to do things. She stresses that the programs that they offer give people of all cultures an opportunity to improve their family relationships in both small and large ways.

Recently, they have worked with refugee families who are being reunified after spending much time apart. Some parents have not seen their children in years, and need to get to first get to know their child again. They may have been good at parenting a 10 year old, but if has been years since they were together and the child is now a teenager, the parents will have different challenges ahead of them. Additionally, the child might be upset that the parent left them behind. SCAN aims at helping these families navigate this difficult process and learn to function in their new environment.

Fraley notes that SCAN is an organization that is run primarily by volunteers, who do everything from run classes, work with Court Appointed Special Advocacy Programs, provide childcare and transportation, and advocate on the local and state level for changes to improve our system. On November 3^rd SCAN is holding its annual Toast to Hope event in Springfield to bring the community of volunteers and donors together to raise money for the cause. More information can be found on the website if you are interested in supporting SCAN or becoming a volunteer.