The Naomi Project, a free, confidential, interfaith program sponsored by the Virginia Council of Churches, needs volunteers who will be trained to serve as mentors to at-risk pregnant women and new mothers. The Naomi Project is active in Fairfax and Arlington counties, Alexandria and Falls Church. It is an all-volunteer resource mother program that pairs high-risk or at-risk pregnant women and new mothers with trained volunteers who are committed to promoting healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. Mentors provide positive reinforcement, help clients learn about good health during pregnancy, locate needed information and services, model sound parenting skills, and support their clients as they plan for healthy, stable futures.
The next training session for volunteers is four Thursday evenings--April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28--at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Spanish-speaking volunteers are especially needed. Contact Pilar Jones at 703-860-2633 or naomiproject@hotmail.com, or visit www.naomiproject.homestead.com .
Make a difference in a child’s life and become a mentor with CHAMPS. Mentors in this program are volunteers who provide children of prisoners in Northern Virginia with friendship, recreational activities and constructive example. Contact Ellen Klene at 703-533-3302 Ext. 107 or eklene@cmhs.org for more information.
The Great Falls Optimist Club is a child-centered non-profit organization that focuses its activities on supporting, encouraging and challenging children to reach greater heights. A voluntary organization, the club is always interested in welcoming new members and volunteers. Among the many annual projects sponsored by the club are the Fall Festival and Fourth of July event in Great Falls. In addition, the club has raised funds for: providing local learning centers with mentoring support, money and equipment to address the needs of learning and emotionally challenged students; supporting local youth and sport groups through donations; providing local families with needed meals and gifts during the holidays; contributing to Special Olympics, Operation Smile, a floating dental charity performing plastic surgery for children of third world countries, and Habitat for Humanity; supporting the Analemma Society in its efforts to establish an astrological education facility at Turner Farm Park; contributing to Turner Farm Park; honoring local police and emergency personnel; and much more.
If interested in joining the Great Falls Optimist Club or volunteering at specific events, contact T.R. Cook, president, at 703-938-5885 or cooksphotoart@aol.com, or Angela Bongiorno, membership co-chair, at 703-759-2925 or angela.bongiorno@verizon.net.
The Children's Friendship Project for Northern Ireland (CFPNI) is seeking local families to help further the peace and reconciliation effort in Northern Ireland where division continues. Consider hosting a Protestant and Catholic youth (ages 15 to 18) for four weeks this summer. To be eligible, families must provide a safe, neutral setting for the teenagers to get to know one another, a single bedroom for them to share and day-long supervision.
The teenagers participate in various activities designed to build trust, encourage cooperation and break down barriers. The majority of their time is spent getting to know each other and joining a family in its normal routine.
CFPNI is a non-political, non-denominational and all-volunteer peace program aimed at building trust, understanding and friendship among the next generation of leaders in Northern Ireland. Applications to host must be submitted by March 31. To obtain a host family application, contact Joe and Tamera Drozd at 703-255-1628 or nvacoordinator@cfpni.org.
For more information about this program, visit www.cfpni.org.