A Heartwarming Partnership with Neighborhood and Community Services

At Volunteer and Partner Services, fostering strong community partnerships is one way we extend the Department of Family Services’ reach and positively impact the Fairfax County community. Recently, we’ve grown our partnership with Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services through deploying Rylynn, our agency’s trained facility dog to provide comfort, support, and connection to people from children to older adults in some NCS programs. Learn More.

BeFriend-A-Child Training November 8

BeFriend has been busy using some new methods to recruit new passionate volunteers who are excited to contribute to the program. Due to the surge of incoming volunteers, BeFriend is having a virtual training session on Saturday, Nov. 8 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. We can still use more volunteers, so if you’re interested in learning more about the program or being considered for the upcoming training, please send us an email or call us at 703-324-7072.

Parenting Education Volunteer Spotlight: April Pavis-Schroeder

April, a 14-year resident of Springfield, started volunteering with Parenting Education Programs in fall 2024. Since then, she has supported several classes including a Spanish-speaking class and an African American culturally focused class. April believes that every child needs multiple caring adults in their lives, and she gets to be one for the children in the Parenting Education Program. April brings her infectious, positive energy to every class. She even brings her own young daughters to class. April considers it an opportunity to model positivity and teach them to be confident members of their family, classroom, and community. If you want to help families relate to each other better, please apply online. Volunteers are trained to co-facilitate classes working with parents and children. For more information, contact Parenting Education Programs by email or call 703-324-7720.

BeFriend-A-Child Mentoring Program Falls into Fun at Cox Farms

 Amidst crisp fall air and turning leaves, Fairfax County’s BeFriend-A-Child mentoring pairs got a treat — a day out at Cox Farms. One sunny weekend in October, mentors and mentees spent an afternoon exploring hayrides, pumpkin patches, farm animals, and games. They made memories and strengthened connections in a relaxed, carefree setting. Learn more.

Body Safety Program’s First Visit to Ft. Belvoir Upper Elementary

We are excited to share the incredible success of our Body Safety program at Ft. Belvoir Upper Elementary School, our first-ever partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) on a military base! This groundbreaking initiative gave us the opportunity to empower children with essential skills to recognize and report unsafe situations. Thank you to the school’s amazing counselor, Ms. Alex Habib for designing the class schedule and coordinating every detail of our visit. Her wavering support of the program was invaluable. Learn more!

Recognizing Our Kinship Heroes

Kinship caregivers are everyday heroes. They step up when family is needed most, ensuring that children stay connected to their roots and loved ones. During Kinship Care Awareness Month in September, Department of Family Services Foster Care and Adoption partnered with Citylight Church and Boost Others through Project Belong to honor these incredible families who have opened their hearts and homes to the children of relatives. Read more about this generous outpouring.

Adopt-A-Family Featured on ABC7 News

Check out this video interview of our program supervisor, Sam Carrico on Good Morning Washington talking about how our Adopt-A-Family program is unwrapping opportunities for kindness. Spread the word and help sponsor a family this year! Learn more about how you can help.