Welcome to 2017! I hope you have had a wonderful new year so far. I decided to boycott the whole “New Year's Resolution” because, like many, they have never worked for me in the past. Instead I have "New Day Resolutions!" I approach each day with a specific goal and give it everything I have. Some goals take more than a day and that is okay, but when I fail, there are only a few hours to reset and give it a go again. I started doing this in 2015 and it has worked wonders for me. I would love to hear your ideas. What works for you. Are you a New Year's "Resolutioner?" What are your motivators? I am sure that if we can glean this information together, we will become even more awesome than we already are!  Which reminds me, in our post from last month, we left off...

Over the last year, ACTS Sexual Assault Services has provided services to more than 500 individuals who are survivors of sexual assault and/or sexual abuse in Prince William County. Our team of empathetic specialists works with survivors to heal from their trauma through individual and group support, as well as by providing a 24 hour hotline, accompaniment to court appearances, law enforcement interviews and forensic exams. We are able to provide these services, free of charge, to our neighbors in need thanks in part to funding supported by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).  ACTS Sexual Assault Services receives grant funding from two VAWA grants, V-STOP and SASP. These grants are intended to develop and strengthen the provision of direct services to women who are victims of sexual assault, and other violent crimes. The 2 grants total approximately $50,000, and we use the funds to help support 3 sexual assault specialists, a community...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around the ACTS Thrift Store, and I for one am stoked! This is hands down my favorite time of year and I just love giving everyone on my nice list that perfect "thing" that has them written all over it. In the back of my mind though I say to myself " Self? is it just a bit naughty to gift from a thrift?" For this month of sharing I will be giving my top ten reasons thrifting is a go this season. 1. A gift to the community Shop for good! Your purchases help fund charitable causes. Melissa Napora runs our food pantry and deserves a big round of applause for just wrapping up ACTS' largest annual food drive. Operation Turkey ran from November 1st through the 18th this year, and during that time, the Food Pantry served over 700 families. ACTS...

Today in Prince William County, ACTS Domestic Violence Services welcomed October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This campaign shines a light of hope on the dark reality of domestic violence in our families, our schools and our communities in Prince William County and across the Commonwealth of Virginia. One in three women and one in four men have been victims of some form of physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV).  In America, one in fifteen children are exposed to domestic violence each year, often as eyewitnesses to violence, causing trauma and ongoing behavioral and emotional problems. The problem of domestic violence is not just national in scope, but affects our local communities. “In Prince William County, the Police Department fields over 9,000 crisis calls from families involved with domestic violence per year,” stated Dotty Larsen, Director of ACTS...

  My first week at ACTS ended with me throwing away over a thousand pounds of produce, most of which was still completely fresh. It had all been donated  the previous Sunday from the VA Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardeners in partnership with the Dale City Farmers market; and I was instructed to dump it all as we would be receiving thousands of pounds more that coming Sunday. I was given the same instructions the following week. Every job comes with some responsibilities one might not want to do, however throwing away an abundance of perfectly fresh produce was something I refused to continue doing.             There were many reasons I could not bring myself to dump the produce week after week. I have worked on farms and am aware of all of the hard work and resources that go into planting, growing, harvesting, and processing crops. Additionally, the farmers who donated...

Did you know that 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before they turn 18? On June 1, ACTS’ staff participated in an in-service presentation titled Darkness to Light’s  Stewards of Children through its Sexual Assault Services (SAVAS) department. During the two hour training, which was hosted by director Lydia Teutsch, employees learned five steps to prevent child sexual abuse, which are: "If you're too afraid to talk about child sexual abuse before it happens, you may only get to talk about it after it happens." Learn the FactsMinimize OpportunityTalk About ItRecognize the SignsReact Responsibly By the end of the year, all ACTS employees will take part in this preventative and educational program. If you would like to know more about how to prevent child sexual abuse in your community, ACTS Sexual Assault Services now offers an opportunity to learn about how to keep our children safe. If you are interested in learning more about the Stewards of Children training, please contact Lydia at (703)...

A young Hispanic woman, who was 4 months pregnant, came and filed a protective order at the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Intake office and then met with one of the Turning Points court advocates. She disclosed her husband had been physically and verbally abusive towards her. She stated that several months ago her husband had come home drunk and upset. He held a knife and threatened to kill her. He also grabbed her by the neck and began to strangle her. She managed to get away and contact the police. She stated they had been separated for a few months. However he had been threatening via text message to kill her and take the baby away. The court advocate helped her file a preliminary protective order and accompanied her to court that day. She was granted a preliminary protective order and she was provided with resources for immigration agencies that could...

Did you know that ACTS has a Sexual Assault Specialist dedicated to working with Spanish-speaking clients? This is critical, because according to the County 22% of Prince William County residents are of Hispanic origin, and 32% of students enrolled in the county’s public school system identify as Hispanic/Latino.. Of that number, many are immigrants who have come to America to find work and help their families back home. However, life in America, or their journey to America, often takes a terrible turn when sexual predators take advantage of an individual’s immigration status, assaulting adults, teenagers and children. ACTS has heard countless stories of sexual victimization, including tales of sexual assaults by “trusted authorities” who turned out to be impostors; employment-related assaults by co-workers and/or supervisors who tell victims that they will be arrested if they report an assault to police; and other traumatic sexual assaults that occur while crossing the border....

The residents of the Oaks of Wellington, a + 55 community located in Manassas, are an example of those very words of John Wesley. Several of their community members had an arts and crafts fair which provided hand crafted items for the public to purchase. They raised, and generously donated, the $310 dollars, to ACTS! We can only say “Thank You” for caring and being an important part of the service ACTS provides in the Greater Prince William community. Photo Credit: Next Avenue

On February 19, 2016 Prince William County Police officers (Criminal Investigations Division-Violent Crimes Bureau) were recognized for their tireless effort and commitment to support the ACTS Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) Team. Whenever there is a suicide in Prince William County, law enforcement calls ACTS to mobilize the LOSS Team. Within an hour, our staff or trained volunteers are on site at the family’s home to provide comfort and support. Briana Sewell presented Commendations from the office of Congressman Gerald E. Connolly. The following officers’ names have been entered into the Congressional Record: Dan Carton, Brian Cavanaugh, Brian Coady, Darien Cupka, Dan Downey, Mike Fernald, Ben Grantham, Ray Hyatt, Rob Kasper, Joe Medawar, Juan Pena ( deceased), Gina Pinedo, Astrid Robinson, Caillen Smith, Mike Sullivan, and Gary Van Dyke. During the luncheon, Chief Steve Hudson (Prince William County Police) and Steve Liga, CEO of ACTS, highlighted the benefits of the...

Dear Friends, Let me begin by saying thank you for the outpouring of support I have felt since coming to ACTS one year ago. Starting a new job is always stressful. Moving states to do so is doubly so, as many of my neighbors in the military know so well. This community has made it so much easier than I ever expected. As spring arrives and the weather warms, the wind of change is upon ACTS in the best possible way. I am very fortunate to have such a committed and diverse staff that is able to share their wonderful and creative ideas to make us all grow and make a greater impact on Prince William County. Visit our thrift store or stop by the administrative offices, and you’ll see what I mean. You will be greeted with a genuine smile. ACTS as an organization is really comprised of people from...

Several years ago my life was moving fast and I was a typical American. In our family we spent what we made, putting nothing aside for a rainy day. Our children had numerous activities and I had only recently made the switch from a stay at home mom to a working mom. Little did I know my life was about to undergo a series of unfortunate events worthy of a movie. You never know how quickly you can lose everything. Most Americans are one paycheck away from financial disaster. My downfall began with the untimely and unexpected death of my younger brother. Soon after my mother began to go blind. I made the decision to quit work and care for my mother. Little did I know this was the beginning of losing everything I had but my family.   Over the next couple years I experienced many other personal struggles, however the...

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA—Action in Community Through Service of PWC has received a $20,000 grant from the Stafford Hospital Community Benefit Fund located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The grant period is January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016. This grant supports staffing for the ACTS Helpline, which provides services directed toward crisis intervention and suicide prevention. Helpline is a 24/7/365 telephone crisis hotline, which is certified for suicide intervention by the American Association of Suicidology. ACTS Helpline also provides Senior Link, a free call reassurance program providing scheduled phone calls to senior citizens or physically disadvantaged shut-ins. As part of this grant, ACTS is required to: Increase the number of crisis and suicide calls responded to from 54,166 to 56,800.Increase the number of outbound Senior Link calls from 15,188 to 15,947.Participate in 12 outreach activities that will reach a minimum of 150 individuals in Northern Stafford and Southeast Prince William Counties.Collaborate with...

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Local Friends.. Ft. Belvoir Federal Credit Union branches are collecting non- perishables for ACTS, so stop by today and drop your goods in one of these boxes.

Today, the Prince William Chamber of Commerce held a Cuisine de Commerce to showcase restaurants and caterers in the chamber. All attendees were encouraged to bring food for the ACTS food pantry. Thank you so much for all the donations! The event sponsor, Burke & Herbert Bank, also announced that it will be holding a food drive now through Thanksgiving in all of its local branches to support the ... See More