November Project Spreads Holiday Joy to Familes Experiencing Homelessness

S4G brought joy and hope to the youngest residents at Carpenter's Shelter, allowing them to  experience the magic of opening presents thoughtfully chosen and lovingly wrapped by their parents. We are proud of our project total of $6144 in donations:

• $2368 in toys to support Carpenter's Shelter's Holiday Market.

• $2976 in grants for gift cards for teens and adult at the shelter.

• $400 in wrapping supplies to stock the Holiday Market, 

• $400 in Bombas socks gifted to Carpenter's Shelter.

October Project Brings Scholarships, Supplies, and Connections for Disadvantaged Job Seekers

Our October Project included a breakfast event at the NVFS Training Futures site marked by powerful storytelling, networking, and connections that left both members and Training Futures students engaged, motivated, and inspired. The best part of the morning was the opportunity to connect one-on-one with motivated job seekers who bravely and eloquently shared their courageous stories with us. S4G raised over $4,300 to support the Training Futures program, giving students access to needed supplies and providing scholarship and transportation assistance to remove common barriers to successful program participation. 

In September S4G Organized Its 6th Annual Diaper Drive in Support of Fairfax Diapers, A Critical Need Partner

S4G tackled diaper insecurity in September by partnering with Fairfax Diapers. With no overhead or staff, EVERY diaper and dollar donated to Fairfax Diapers provides diapers for families in need! S4G raised $4,100 in financial donations, giving Fairfax Diapers the flexibility to purchase what they need, when they need it, at the best prices. In addition, members donated $1900 in diapers. The project ended with a gathering of 30 S4G members who sorted and packaged diapers for distribution to local nonprofits. Special thanks to the Fairfax Social Collective for participating in the drive and Vienna Vintner for donating the wine and bubbly to toast our collective impact. Over the past 6 years, S4G has donated more than $25,700 to support Fairfax Diapers’ mission. 

August Project Succeeds in Welcoming Artemis House Clients to Safe, Post-Shelter Housing

During August, S4G members learned about the important work of Artemis House in providing a safe haven for victims of domestic violence and their families and supporting their post-shelter journey. To support clients, S4G provided Artemis House with over $2700 to purchase air mattresses and other items needed for the shelter and created welcome baskets for 24 Artemis House clients as they transition to post-shelter housing.   Through collaborative efforts with Kids Give Back and St. Mark Catholic Church, the 24 Artemis House clients also received buckets filled with cleaning supplies as well as personal hygiene care kits!   

While on Vacation, S4G Continues to Make an Impact in July

S4G took a break from project work in July but continued to do good by issuing $2,300 in grants to the following nonprofits:

• Specially Adapted Resource Club (SPARC) provides adults with severe disabilities learning opportunities and social connections. Our grant will provide cooking appliances and grocery gift cards to teach cooking life skills to clients.

• All Ages Read Together educates children in need with free preschool programs in their communities. Our grant will allow them to purchase books and classroom supplies.

• Vecinos Unidos provides homework and academic support to Herndon youth who need assistance that they cannot find at home. Our grant will allow them to purchase summer books for their students attending their summer program. 

• Rustic Love brings the community together to help the food insecure. We will sponsor their mural in Vienna, supporting their efforts to help food-insecure kids and families in our community. 

June Supported BRAWS and Their Fight for Menstrual Equity 

S4G members gathered at Trousseau in downtown Vienna to celebrate another successful project in support of BRAWS, our critical need partner. Tara Bloch, Executive Director, educated members about the growing need for period products and the challenges women face when having to choose between purchasing menstrual products for themselves or feeding their families.  

Member contributions raised $4,185 to help fill one pallet with menstrual products and provide pads, new sports bras, and new bralettes to local tweens and teens in need. In addition, for every 5 bras purchased by S4G members at the event, Trousseau donated one bra to BRAWS. 

In May S4G Brought Comfort & Relief to Those Struggling with Serious Mental Illness 

S4G members gathered together to hear from representatives from The Wellness Circle Crisis Stabilization Unit (WCCSU) and The Northern Virginia Mental Health Foundation (NVMHF). Members also wrote notes of encouragement to Wellness Circle clients and staff. Here are May’s impressive results, totaling $5,049:

• $2,507 in financial donations to NVMHF for the provision of grants to people in treatment, including Wellness Circle patients. 

• $2,542 in in-kind donations for Wellness Circle clients in treatment, including 15 sleeping bags, 20 backpacks, 4 TracPhones + 1600 minutes, and EVERY SINGLE ITEM on our Amazon Wish List!

In April S4G Helped Combat Childhood Hunger

In April S4G partnered with Food For Neighbors (FFN) to collect 646 pounds of food and toiletries for the food pantry at Luther Jackson Middle School. S4G’s in-kind donation was the largest received during FFN’s April 27 Red Bag event. S4G also provided $2,830 in financial donations so FFN can purchase grocery gift cards for the most vulnerable teens for when they would otherwise go hungry. On National Volunteer Day on April 27, 15 S4G volunteers participated in FFN’s Red Bag Program’s food sort, which in total across nine operational areas collected 25,800 pounds of food and toiletries from 1,969 participating households!

In March S4G Created Book Bags for Summer Reading Program Targeting Title I, Pre-K Students

S4G raised $4,076 in financial donations to help the Assistance League of Northern Virginia (ALNV) supply 375 Pre-K children in need with a book bag and three books that they can keep and read over the summer. Using our donations, ALNV was able to purchase the books in bulk at a significant discount. S4G members assembled the book bags at a social event, where they also learned about ALNV's efforts to meet the basic needs of students at nine Title I schools in our community. The evening ended with a member book swap. 

In February S4G Hosted An Incredible Evening + Provided Supplies and Enrichment for Underserved Students!

S4G raised over $5,000 to support the Belong!'s after-school mentoring program.  Financial donations will be used to support field trips and enrichment opportunities and in-kind donations provided educational resources and games for Belong!'s growing program.

The project culminated in an engaging Build & Learn event with dinner, craft activities, the creation of a mural that reflects the value of Belong!'s program, and quality time spent with the students and mentors!

In January S4G Provided Essential Supplies to At-Risk Babies!

S4G raised $4,570 to support the Jennifer Bush Lawson Foundation’s Nursery Project (JBLF). Financial donations will be used by JBLF to purchase: car seats to ensure at-risk babies leave the hospital and travel safely; and pack-n-plays to support safe sleep. In-kind donations created breastfeeding kits to support a healthy breastfeeding relationship. Each gift to new moms and babies was accompanied by a note of encouragement written by S4G members.