Call to Action - November 14, 2023-Holiday Events
Greetings, Prince William - Are you making your list and checking it twice? We're getting all kinds of requests for support of holiday events, so here we go!
- It's All About a Kid and a Toy! Volunteer Prince William has kicked off Untrim a Tree, which provides gifts for children attending Title I schools in the community, along with Senior Baskets for homebound senior citizens. Individuals, groups, clubs, families, etc. can come together to make Christmas possible for everyone! New location this year: Prince William County Fairgrounds, donation drop-off dates are December 10 (9am-8pm), or December 11-12 (12pm-8pm). An online donor form can be filled out at https://bit.ly/3QcHLYH or email utat@volunteerprincewilliam.org for more information. Volunteer help will be needed to sort toys and deliver Senior Baskets - stay tuned for more information!
- Get into the holiday spirit by being a Volunteer Bell Ringer for Salvation Army-Prince William Corps! Bell Ringers are needed through Christmas Eve for the entire County. Duties include ringing the bell, greeting the public, assisting donors, maintaining monitoring of the kettle and cash and any other duties as needed. Volunteers age 18+ welcome, volunteers age 12-17 are welcome to volunteer with an adult. You'll feel great knowing that all money raised stays in our community, supporting Salvation Army programs that help local families! Please visit https://registertoring.com to sign up and learn more.
- Mark your calendars! Prince William County Solid Waste Division will hold a free Document Shred Event for Prince William area residents on Saturday, November 18, 9am-1pm (or until trucks reach capacity). The event will be held at Pfitzner Stadium, 7 County Complex Court, Woodbridge, former home of the Potomac Nationals baseball team. This is for PWC area residents, no business or commercial shredding will be accepted. It's a wonderful way to safely dispose of those old documents which are cluttering up your home! Please visit https://bit.ly/3SiUhHm to learn more.
- Manassas City Public Schools is hosting a Coat Drive to support families in need whose children attend Manassas City schools. New or clean, gently used coats are needed to ensure children will stay warm this winter. Donations can be brought to any MCPS elementary school or to the MCPS Central Office, 8700 Centreville Road Suite 200, Manassas 20110 through November 20. Please call 571.377.6096 or email mcowell@mcpsva.org for more information.
- The folks at House of Mercy are collecting toys for their Christmas with Mercy program and your help is needed! Help spread the joy of giving this Christmas by donating toys for this wonderful program which helps their clients have a Happy Holiday Season! They're hoping to give toys to over 450 families this year (averaging over 1,000 children) so lots of help is needed! Please drop off new toys (valued at $25 or more) by December 1st at their Thrift Store located at 8182 Flannery Court, Manassas 20109. Can't get out to shop? Please visit houseofmercyva.org/christmas-with-mercy/ for more information, including a link to their Amazon Wish List page. Volunteers will be needed, stay tuned!
- Three Weeks to Go! Greater Manassas Christmas Parade still needs Volunteer Elves age 18+ to support Santa Lights Manassas on December 1 and the Christmas Parade on December 2! Duties include helping stage the participants, answer spectators' questions and keep everyone safe so they can enjoy the parade and the tree lighting. What better way to get into the holiday spirit, plus you get to enjoy all the floats and bands close up! Please visit https://bit.ly/465msNf to fill out an online volunteer form, email dhannum.gmcp@gmail.com for more information.
- You can help foster kids have a wonderful holiday! CASA CIS' 3rd Annual Give the Joy of Toys fundraiser is now live, and they need help from the community to help purchase toys from their Amazon wish list. The toys will be delivered directly to their offices, and on December 6, their advocates have the chance to "shop" from the donated toys for gifts for their CASA kids! It's a wonderful fundraising event for both the children served and their advocates, who have so much fun coming to pick out toys and socialize with staff and other supervisors. Please visit their Amazon wish list here: https://a.co/h3YCTNI and call 703.330.8145 for more information.
- Remember our fallen veterans by participating in Wreaths Across America, being held December 17, 10am-3pm at Quantico National Cemetery. To participate in wreath laying, please visit https://bit.ly/47vLqGB to register. It's a wonderful way to honor our veterans and Remember, Honor and Teach their service and sacrifice to younger family members. Volunteers are also needed on December 16 and 17 to provide support to this event. Please visit https://bit.ly/46b0SHi to sign up. For more information, please email NOVAVETS.WAA@Novavets.Org.
- Quantico National Cemetery is in Urgent need of sponsored wreaths for this year's Wreaths Across America, as their normal supplier is no longer available. You can sponsor a wreath by visiting https://bit.ly/49wCuCL, then scroll down to the button marked Sponsor Wreaths. The wreaths are $17 and will be used at Quantico. It's a wonderful way to support this program, especially if you are unable to attend in person. Please email NOVAVETS.WAA@Novavets.Org to learn more.
- Spread holiday cheer with Boxes of Basics! This holiday season, you can make local children's holidays brighter by sponsoring a Box of Basics. All items go to children in need, referred by local school social workers, other nonprofits and community organizations. Your generosity can help multiple kids. It's super easy: 1) Visit https://bit.ly/3MCjEA7; 2) Select a size/gender of Boxes of Basics and sign up; 3) Use the shopping list provided to help fill a box; 4) Deliver your unwrapped items at one of their convenient donation sites by December 20th. You'll feel great knowing your purchases will help a child meet their basic clothing needs! Please visit https://boxesofbasics.org/clothing-donations for a list of donation sites.
If you are looking for other opportunities during this holiday period, please don't forget to call our wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William at 703.369.5292. You can also visit our website at www.volunteerprincewilliam.org. Thanks so much for all you do in our community.
