Community Connection

Community Lodgings News

35th Anniversary Sneaker Ball

The City of Alexandria’s Mayor Justin Wilson opened the evening with a welcome as guests were seated at tables that were adorned with sneakers decorated by the students in our Youth Education Program. The sneaker decorations were great conversation starters! The Silent Auction encouraged some friendly competition for a good cause where guests bid on items like Wizards tickets, a vacation to Cancun, Mexico, and fine jewelry. Raffle drawings kept everyone on their toes as they anticipated winning prizes like a year’s supply of Toppers Pizza and a luxurious staycation at The Westin. A crowd favorite was the Wine Pull where everyone that played had the chance to win a bottle from a variety of quality wines from local donors. The night ended with a Fund-a-Need fundraiser where guests had the opportunity to donate to several projects that benefit the youth and families we serve. After dessert was served, everyone danced the night away to music with DJ Kos and toasted “Cheers to 35 Years”!

A Special Visit With Congressman Don Beyer

We always encourage our students to be leaders and to aim high for their goals. Who knows? We may have a future President among us! We recently took 13 of our middle and high school students on a field trip to visit Congressman Don Beyer and take a tour of the Capitol. Seeing our political leaders in action was really inspiring to our students!

2022 Annual Holiday Store, Tuesday, December 13

It’s that time of year again! Our Annual Holiday Store is on Tuesday, December 13th! This fun holiday event gives our students the opportunity to shop for Christmas gifts for their families. Thanks to the generosity of our community of supporters, all gifts are donated so our students can shop at no cost!

Your Holiday Store donation makes a difference for a family that is struggling to put gifts under the tree this year. Click here to download and print our Wish List. For a convenient way to donate, shop directly on our Amazon Wish List to have your gifts delivered directly to Community Lodgings.

Looking for other ways to get involved? We are seeking volunteers to help at the Holiday Store! Each year, volunteers help by setting up the store, helping students shop, and wrapping the gifts. Click here to sign up to volunteer.

Please Note: The minimum age to volunteer at the store is 15 years old. Masks are required at all times in the store.

Community Spotlight

Toppers Pizza

The Weekender Program

Our Weekender Program is going strong! Every Friday, we provide each student in our Youth Education Program with a supply of nutritious snacks to take home. Did you know that all of the students in our program are enrolled in Alexandria City Public Schools’ Free and Reduced Lunch Program? The Weekender Program helps combat food insecurity as some students may not have another meal beyond the meals provided at school. Thank you to The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, The Express Lanes Community Grant Program, and The Rotary Club of Alexandria, for helping us ensure that our students can remain focused on their schoolwork instead of hunger!

A Look Into The Past

Fun Facts From 1987, The Year Community Lodgings Was Founded

Did you know?

• The average price for a gallon of gas was 85 cents.
• The average cost of rent was $385
• The International Year of Shelter for the Homeless was recognized by the United Nations
• A dozen eggs cost 65 cents.
• VHS tapes were only $3.49.
• The world population reached 5 billion people

Volunteer Updates

Volunteer Spotlight: Sneaker Ball Volunteers

Mia Carey

Volunteer Opportunities

We are currently seeking volunteers for the following opportunities. For volunteer inquiries, please email Kyle Hughes at khughes@community-lodgings.org

Boys Mentoring/Girls Mentoring
Location: Community Lodgings Learning Centers
Time: Monday Evenings at 6:00 PM

Description: Our group-style youth mentoring program is for youth in grades 7-12. Mentors will work as a group alongside their fellow mentors to facilitate programming that fosters a safe and positive learning environment. Mentor duties include the following:

• Develop mentees’ ability to analyze circumstances and make choices that will help them reach their personal goals.
• Expose the mentees to different experiences and people to increase awareness of choices available.
• Build self-esteem to promote confidence in the mentees’ abilities to make responsible choices.
• Build trusting relationships.
• Help mentees become engaged and responsible citizens through participating in community service work.

Parenting Workshop Facilitator:
Location: Virtual
Time: Monday Evenings, 5pm or later
Description: We are currently seeking experienced volunteers to facilitate a 2-4 session parenting workshop for our Transitional Housing Program. Facilitators are asked to assist in mentoring our transitional housing residents in best practices for parenting, growing parenting skills, and how to best handle each unique situation. This can include some or all of the following;

• Behavior Management
• Decision Making
• Social Skills
• Social Emotional Development
• Parenting Styles
• Anger Management
• Developmental Skills
• Special Needs
• Other Relevant Topics

Social Media Intern/Volunteer:
Time: 15-20 hours per week
Location: Virtual (Note: the volunteer may occasionally be asked to be on-site to create content)
Description: We are currently looking for interns or volunteers to assist with daily, and weekly, social media tasks. This can include, yet is not limited to;

• Replying to comments on social media
• assisting with content development
• Liking/following/commenting on posts
• social media strategy implementation

Student Spotlight

Sneaker Ball Student Volunteers

A big thank you to Angie, Darlyn, Orly, and Esteven, along with their mentors, Henry Tran and Laura Bloodgood from our Youth Mentoring Program, who did amazing jobs running our red carpet interviews! Also, a special thanks to Darwin, who represented our Youth Education Program and delivered a moving speech about his experience at Community Lodgings. Our students really make us proud!