Extraordinary Donation of School Supplies Provides an Excellent Start to the New School Year

CFNC students will be very well-equipped this school year thanks to the extraordinary donation made by a fellow Alexandria community member, who felt moved by CFNC's mission to help at-risk children succeed.

On August 16, Sara made a surprise visit to CFNC's Birchmere location, delivering 200 pieces each of 25 different school supplies--for a total of nearly 5,000 items! The supplies, including crayons, markers, lined paper, kid-friendly staplers and hole punches, filled the entire lobby and larger items that Sara purchased for CFNC continue to arrive via mail. Sara's generosity is incredible and CFNC is extremely grateful.

Sara's donation could not have come at a better time. Her gift is an enormous help, providing an excellent start to the 2010/11 school year. Her school supplies will be distributed to each of CFNC's classrooms and assist our teachers in fostering the growth and education of their students. We look forward to welcoming Sara back to CFNC soon so that she can witness students enjoying her gifts.

CFNC is always in need of supplies for the classroom and other items that help us to meet the needs of the children and families we serve. To find out what our current needs are please take a look at our Wish List, visit our website at www.cfnc-online.org or contact Anna Berke, Manager of Development, at aberke@cfnc-online.org or (703) 836-0214.

Run or Walk in Support of CFNC this Fall

Autumn is a wonderful time for outdoor exercise-especially while supporting a great cause! There are two upcoming opportunities that we hope you'll take part in. The first is the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon, which will take place on Sunday, September 19and the second is Acumen Solutions Annual Race for a Cause™ 8K on Sunday, October 17. A portion of the proceeds from both events will benefit CFNC, among other local charities. If you can't join the race, there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer or make a donation. See below for more information. On your mark...get set...go!

Race Ambassador Doreen Gentzler will run the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon, accompanied by her husband, Bill. Also on the course will be CFNC's Manager of Development, Anna Berke. With more than 3,500 participants registered there are only 500spots remaining! Register today on the race's website. There you'll also find a course map, information on the benefitting charities and volunteer opportunities. We hope to see you out there on race day! Click on the links below to see a two-part interview with Steve Nearman, which aired on Fairfax Community Public Access to promote the race.

Part I

Part II

CFNC is also proud to announce that we will be partnering with Acumen Solutions for their 2nd Annual Race for a Cause™ 8K and 1K Fun Run race on Sunday, October 17, 2010 in Arlington, VA. CFNC will be one of 12 charities benefitting from the race and it's up to the runner or walker to pick which charity their donation will benefit. The 1 mile format has been added this year to give families and young runners a chance to participate. Two-thousand dollars in combined prizes will be awarded to winners. Acumen Solutions' previous 10K road races and last year's Acumen Solutions Race for a Cause™ 8K have contributed over $125,000 to benefit local nonprofits. The company has contributed over $1 million dollars to charitable causes since inception. This is the first time that CFNC will benefit from this event. For more detailed information and registration go to http://www.acumensolutions.com/theraceforacause/

Check out the link below for a PSA promoting the race and asking that you support CFNC upon registration. Spread the word!

Race for a Cause PSA

CNFC Goes "Back to School" with Safeway

CFNC will benefit from Safeway's back to school fundraising program. As a participant, CFNC will receive a percentage of qualifying purchases made by customers who have linked their club cards to CFNC. Here's how you can make your purchases help the nearly 200 children and families that CFNC serves this school year:

Step 1: Sign up for free now. Log onto www.escrip.com anytime, register your Safeway Club Card and select The Child & Family Network Centers, by searching our Group Number: 500004246.

Step 2: Shop at Safeway and purchase specially marked products. When shopping at Safeway stores between August 11, 2010 and September 14, 2010, look for yellow School Bus tags on over 2,000 participating products. When purchasing these products, present your Safeway Club Card at check-out. You will be able to check your receipts throughout the program to see how much of your purchases will go to CFNC. The total will be updated after each shopping trip at the bottom of the store receipt.

Step 3: Between September 18, 2010, and October 13, 2010, your Safeway receipts will provide a redemption code, located at the bottom of each receipt. In order for CFNC to receive the funds, you will need to either: (1) log on and enter your redemption code(s) at www.escrip.com OR (2) mail/drop-off your receipts at CFNC (3701 A Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, VA 22305). You can return to www.escrip.com as many times as necessary between September 18, 2010 and October 13, 2010 to register additional receipt codes.

CFNC & Harris Teeter: Together in Education

CFNC will once again participate in Harris Teeter's Together in Education program- a fundraising program for schools in the communities where Harris Teeter grocery stores are located. When customers purchase select Harris Teeter Brand products using their VIC card, Harris Teeter contributes a percentage of those purchase dollars to the schools of the customer's choice.

We need your help! There are two ways to ensure that funds from your qualifying Harris Teeter Brand purchases will be credited to CFNC. You can simply give the cashier your VIC Card and the school's Together in Education number (CFNC's is 6467) during checkout or, better yet, you can link your VIC card directly to CFNC by registering online here. That's it! The program runs from August 1, 2010 thru May 31, 2011, but you can register your card online anytime.

In the 2009/10 school year, the program raised nearly $1.4 million for participating schools of which CFNC recieved less than $100. Help us raise significantly more this year by linking your card today! Thank you for your support.

CFNC Celebrates the Class of 2010

The Child & Family Network Centers (CFNC) marked the end of its 26th school year this June with graduation ceremonies in its eleven classrooms located in seven preschool sites throughout Alexandria and Arlington.

The graduation ceremonies are a time to celebrate the great gains made by both children and their parents over the course of the school year. Children demonstrated their learnings through songs in both Spanish and English, dance, and recitation of the alphabet, colors and numbers. In recognition of their accomplishment, each child received a diploma as well as a gift from their teachers. Additionally, thanks to the generous donations made at CFNC's Annual Spring Benefit in May, children took home a backpack with school supplies for kindergarten and practice materials to help them during summer vacation.

CFNC graduations are a very festive and often emotional time for teachers and staff as they send their students off to kindergarten. It is a time for teachers and staff to reflect on the skills they have nurtured and instilled in each child; and tools that will equip them for success in kindergarten, and prepare them for life beyond CFNC's doors. We are proud of the students of CFNC's class of 2010 and excited for what their futures hold!