CFNC Teachers' Academic Achievement

CFNC is proud to recognize two of its Lead Teachers, Arnita Willis and Tiffannie Carey, who both were nominated for membership into The National Society of Collegiate Scholars by Northern Virginia Community College. Both teachers are working towards an Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education and maintained a 3.6 GPA or higher and a ranking among the top 20% of their class, which are requirements for membership into the Society.

Arnita is a Lead Teacher at CFNC's Charles Houston location. In addition to being a stellar teacher and a diligent student, Arnita is a dedicated mother and the wife (for 25 years!) of Louis Willis. Arnita loves teaching because she knows what an impact she is making on her young students by preparing them for successful futures.

Tiffannie is a Lead Teacher at CFNC's Cora Kelly location and has been with CFNC for 5 years. In her own words: "I am proud of this honor and what it means to me, my family and my career."

CFNC is very grateful for its talented and high quality teaching staff, many of whom, like Arnita and Tiffannie, are furthering their credentials. In fact, in 2010, CFNC's teachers completed on average 59 clock hours of professional development and training, far exceeding Virginia State Licensing Standards of 16 hours.

Congratulations, Arnita and Tiffannie!

The RunningBrooke Fund Supports CFNC

CFNC is honored to be one of five recipients of The RunningBrooke Fund. Runner extraordinaire and founder of the Fund, Brooke Curran, stopped by CFNC on February 24to present the contribution and take photos with students.

As always, Brooke brought her amazing and seemingly endless energy to CFNC and had a wonderful time visiting students on the playground and surrounding herself with children! "I just love the little ones," she said. "They bring so much joy."

Brooke's mission is to "Run Globally and Act Locally!" so she has committed to completing one marathon per month on every continent, in each of the 50 states and the five world majors (Boston, New York, London, Chicago and Berlin) while raising money to support Alexandria charities through her RunningBrooke Fund. So far, Brooke has completed marathons in 21 states, four of the five majors and on five continents, with Antarctica and Africa still on her to-do list.

In 2010, CFNC was also very fortunate to be the recipient of money raised through The RunningBrooke Fund and is thrilled about the progress that Brooke has made in 2011 towards her goal to raise $50,000. To read more about Brooke, where she's running next and how you can become a part of the race, visit her website at www.runningbrooke.com.

Moonlight on the Potomac: CFNC's 2011 Annual Spring Benefit! -

CFNC's 2011 Annual Spring Benefit--"Moonlight on the Potomac"-- will take place on Friday, May 13 from 7 PM to 10 PM at the lovely home of Jennifer and Jim Rooney. There attendees will enjoy delicious food, wonderful company and beautiful views--all in support of Northern Virginia's neediest children. Special thanks to the Freddie Mac Foundation for their continued support of CFNC’s work. For more information on ticket purchase and sponsorship, please visit our Events page.

New Year, New Learning Opportunities

Happy New Year from The Child & Family Network Centers!

The success and excitement of our holiday events created a momentum that launched us into the New Year with renewed energy and inspiration. Thank you for your
contributions to our successful holiday events--from coat drives to holiday parties, our year-end campaign and the "Adopt a Family" Program.

We are also thrilled to be kicking off the New Year with a field trip, made possible by our generous supporters at PNC Bank's Grow Up Great Program, to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum's Planetarium. Students, teachers and parents will enjoy a private showing of "One World, One Sky" and have time to explore the museum afterwards. It is a wonderful and unique opportunity and photos from the trip will certainly be a feature of our next newsletter. So stay tuned!

In the meantime, scroll down to read a tribute to a loyal CFNC supporter, meet our Volunteer of the Month, find out what runner extraordinaire Brooke Curran has been up to, learn new ways to support our cause and more! And, as always, please be in touch, stop by for a tour or stay connected with us on Twitter, Facebook and our website.

Honoring Robert Stufflebeam

On September 15, 2010, a long time CFNC supporter and friend, Robert E. Stufflebeam, passed away. Mr. Stufflebeam was 98 years old. A resident of Alexandria, he felt very strongly about CFNC's mission to help underserved children in his community and was a very loyal contributor and advocate for CFNC's cause. Mr. Stufflebeam will be greatly missed, but his legacy will live on through CFNC's work.