Marvin Powell, 38, a MONY financial professional and resident of Centreville, was named chairman of the Centreville Community Foundation (CCF) early this year. The foundation runs beautification projects, supports economic development and plans the Centreville Day celebration.
"People need the opportunity to participate and the opportunity to help the community, and we want to give them that opportunity," said Powell while sitting at the Fair Lakes Silver Diner, where he conducts much of his business.
The CCF is already well on its way planning Centreville Day on Sept. 11, in the Centreville Historic District off of Braddock Road and east of Route 28. There will be arts and crafts, community organizations and local businesses booths, and children’s period games from the 1800s. Local bands and musicians will perform, and there will also be a walking tour through Centreville history using the historic district
A parade is also being organized, which begins at 10 a.m. at Centreville High School and continues up Union Mill Road, eventually ending at Mountain View High School.
"We're going to have all kinds of amusements and rides for the kids," said a smiling Powell, who couldn't reveal all of what Centreville Day will have to offer. "We're going to have some delightful surprises that I think people are really going to enjoy."
A period dinner from the 1800s is being offered Sept. 10, which will be followed by a series of stories about Centreville, from both the past and the present, presented by the Tales of the Blankets.
"I think the community foundation has some wonderful key people who deserve the spotlight more than I do, they do so much for the community," Powell said.
Pat Lawless, the former chair of the CCF, commented on Powell.
"He had come to the meetings all last year, and when they needed someone to step up he did. He seems to be a very forward-thinking person," Lawless said, and reflected on how Centreville Day has changed over the years.
"It’s grown tremendously. It’s evolved with various wonderful projects. I’m quite pleased that it will be in the historic district," Lawless said.
Sue Davis, 56, is on the Centreville Day subcommittee of the CCF and praises the hard work of the volunteers.
"They are wonderful, we would not be having Centreville Day if it were not for our volunteers, we are blessed with a lot of really helpful people," Davis said, adding that no one in the CCF is paid for his or her services, making everyone involved a volunteer. Many volunteers work 10 to 20 hours a week on top of full time jobs.
While enrolled at Kent State University and majoring in economics, sociology and pan-African studies, Marvin Powell attended a leadership camp where participants played a game called "Star Power." Where the star pieces created rules for the circles and squares to follow.
"It was like our society, with the wealthy, the middle class and the poor. The wealthy make the rules for everyone, and the rest are the worker bees," said Powell, who has devoted his career to helping people with their finances.
Powell has a wife Kimberly, 37, a consultant at the Library of Congress, and a daughter, Kaihla Janais, 5. Powell moved to Centreville from New York after taking a job offer from Mony Life Insurance Company.
"We just thought that this was a better place to raise a family," Powell said.
Jane Scott, an associate agent for Griffin-Owens & Associates, has worked with Powell in the local chapter of Business Network International, an organization that helps businesses network and grow through word of mouth.
"He’s one of the most effective leaders I have ever met, he does a really good job of keeping us motivated. He keeps us on our toes," Scott said.
Anyone living in Centreville can become a member of the CCF. For more information on how to join the CCF, go online at www.centrevilleva.org, and for more information on Centreville Day call Sue Davis at 571-213-7298.
The CCF also works on the beautification of Centreville, by keeping Lee Highway clean, and through efforts to restore Centreville’s Historic District.
The group has plans to place demarcation signs along the borders of Centreville and is in the process of planning fundraising events to benefit local charities and organizations.