Bridging the Gap Family Services, a new provider of mental/behavioral health services, is opening a new office in Manassas, Virginia, to accommodate identifiable at-risk children, adolescents and families of Prince William County and surrounding localities of Northern Virginia.

Plans to develop operations in Manassas, Virginia were initiated by the growing population of mental health service needs within the Prince William County area. Bridging the Gap Family Services founders Jerome Hood, Rahmell Dash and Jerry Dominique; serves as catalyst assisting with serving the mental health population to help reduce the drop out, suicide and recidivism rate of troubled and misguided youth. Research has shown that taking part in community based treatment programs achieve positive outcomes in behavioral and emotional health.

Bridging the Gap Family Services will offer its clients in Manassas, Virginia and surrounding localities with Intensive In-Home services serving at-risk children and adolescents.

“The primary focus of our services is to assist youth who are a public safety risk, have serious mental illness, emotional dysfunctions, behavioral and substance abuse disorders within the home, school and community setting overcome through year-round mentorship and therapeutic coaching,” said Jerome Hood, co-founder and CEO. It is the goal of Bridging the Gap Family services, to prevent the client from becoming hospitalized, homeless, suspended or expelled from school or entering the criminal justice center.

“The opening of Bridging the Gap family Services new Manassas, Virginia location is an important step towards addressing the complex mental health needs of children, adolescents and families in Virginia and eventually across the nation,” said Rahmell Dash, co-founder and COO.

“Our vision is to mentor at-risk youth and mold them to become impactful leaders of tomorrow. We have a wide range of qualified and certified staff with 20 plus years of combined experience,” said Jerry Dominique, co-founder and President.

If you have identified a service need for a child or adolescent ages 5 through 18 and is experiencing mental, behavioral and emotional dysfunctions please submit their information online at BTGFS.org/referrals or contact the intake coordinator directly to schedule an assessment and discuss treatment options and costs at (908) 698-7413. We are committed to being honest and transparent about the cost of treatment and will work with every client and their family to find the appropriate funding source that’s best for them.

Bridging the Gap Family Services hours of operation are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Learning to focus on strengths instead of flaws is the focus of this year’s 9th Annual Regional Youth First Event. Charlie Applestein, an internationally known youth care specialist and author, will give the keynote address highlighting his methods of using positive and inspiring practices to help young people build on their strengths and past successes. The event will be held at the Riverside Convention Center in Stafford on Friday, February 6, 2015.

The theme of this year’s Youth First event is “Find Your Strength.” Hosted once again by Stafford County, this annual collaboration of representatives from youth services organizations in the community provides Human Services professionals from the greater Fredericksburg area with the opportunity to network with other youth service agencies and listen to talks by experts in the field.

Charlie Appplestein will also lead an afternoon breakout session on encouraging youth professionals to take care of themselves so they maintain the motivation to make a difference. Mr. Applestein is President of Applestein Training Resources, LLC. He travels throughout the United States as well as internationally, training and consulting with treatment facilities, foster care associations, parent groups, schools, and juvenile justice programs. He has authored three youth care books widely used within the field, including “No Such Thing as a Bad Kid,” which will be the basis of his keynote address.

Each year, participants are asked to donate to a community service agency. This year’s recipient is the disAbility Resource Center. The mission of the disAbility Resource Center is to assist people with disabilities to achieve the highest potential and benefit of independent living by providing them, those who support them and the community with information, education, and resources. Participants are asked to provide gift cards of any amount to Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Michael’s, A.C. Moore and Homecare America. These gift cards will be placed on a ‘Giving Tree’ to be donated to the center.

Youth First is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on Friday, February 6. Participant registration is full. More information is also available by contacting Ben Nagle at (540) 372-1149 or [email protected]. There is no cost to attend the meeting and continental breakfast and lunch are provided.

Youth First 2015 – The Annual Collaboration of Community Youth Services is hosted by Stafford County with collaboration from the City of Fredericksburg; Rappahannock Regional Area United Way; Rappahannock Area Office on Youth; and Spotsylvania County.

General Manager Rick Coulson and Community Captain Belkis Ermis of the BJ’s Wholesale Club in Woodbridge present Helen McCormick of The House, Incorporated with a $3,750 BJ’s Charitable Foundation grant.

The House will use the funds to purchase five new computers for its Student Leadership Center’s technology learning lab. The Student Leadership Center is a before and after school program where students in grades 4-12 receive homework assistance, career exploration, and leadership development with additional daily programs. The Student Leadership Center molds character and teaches essential skills to transform at-risk students into valuable, fulfilled citizens.

As part of its quarterly grant cycle, BJ’s Charitable Foundation contributed $206,050 to support 46 nonprofits, all of which focus on hunger prevention, self-sufficiency, education or healthcare to help improve the communities surrounding BJ’s Clubs. The House was one of four Virginia-based nonprofits to receive a grant.

Partnership to Strengthen Educational, Economic and Workforce Opportunities

The NOVA Woodbridge Campus and Year Up, a national training initiative for 18-24 year olds, held a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Signing Ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 29, in the Black Box Theatre at NOVA-Woodbridge. NOVA President Bob Templin and Year Up President Garrett Moran signed the MOU at the event to officially launch an Associate Degree and internship partnership, which will begin in the fall of 2015.

This partnership will provide NOVA students with training in the professional, interpersonal and technical skills they need to begin successful careers upon graduation. Internships with corporate partners will allow students to gain invaluable experience and local businesses to add competent, skilled professionals to their workforce.

Year Up is a national organization that offers an intensive training program that provides young adults, with a combination of hands-on skill development, college credits, corporate internships, and support. Year Up envisions a future in which every urban young adult will have access to the education, experiences, and guidance required to realize his or her true potential and meaningful employment.

This partnership with NOVA Woodbridge and Year Up is the fourth of its kind nationally.

To learn more, watch this 60 Minutes segment about how Year Up and Community Colleges are bridging the opportunity divide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw2_90N2464. Also, watch this compelling success story by a Year Up graduate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSvI1L69Km8&feature=youtu.be.

The Pi Lambda Lambda (PLL) Chapter, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. is collecting shoes for a #HappyFeet Shoe Drive. PLL is collecting shoes to share with those in the community who may need a little help. #HappyFeet is part of the Fraternity’s social action activities.

Since 2004, PLL has held numerous scholarship fundraisers, cancer and diabetes walks, blood drives, voter registrations, back-to-school backpack drives, coat drives, and projects to feed the homeless. Please join us in creating #HappyFeet for those in need.

Do You Have Shoes You Or Your Family Members Don’t Wear Anymore?

We are collecting shoes of all kind. Many in our community and throughout the Nation are without the basic comfort of having a good pair of shoes to wear. A great opportunity to make a difference. The Social Action Committee thanks those who have already contributed.

POC: Bro. Lee J. Bennett, Jr., 703-400-6979, [email protected]
Like us on Facebook and use hashtag #happyfeet

The Pi Lambda Lambda Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. conducts an annual talent hunt. This competition continues a distinguished legacy of tribute to youth excellence in the arts by our beloved Fraternity.

This competition is open to all currently enrolled high school students (grades 9 – 12). Qualified students compete for performance scholarships. In 2014 the scholarship awards were $700 (1st Place), $500 (2nd Place) and $300 (3rd Place).

The 2015 Pi Lambda Lambda Chapter Talent Hunt competition will be held at Woodbridge Senior High School, 3001 Old Bridge Road, Woodbridge VA 22192. The winner represented the chapter at our District competition (next level) in Norfolk, Va. on April 12, 2015 with the opportunity to win more scholarships.

Students at Grace E. Metz Middle School will take part in a program on February 26, 2015 to celebrate Black History Month. The theme of the program is “Remembering Our Past, Inspiring Our Future.”

“The program is a great opportunity for our students to engage in learning about black history,” stated Eneida Thomas, who is the 7^th grade assistant principal at Metz. “Also, it is a great opportunity for the community to see our wonderful students in action.”

The program begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Metz Lecture Room and will consist of numerous showcases of black historians, poets, musicians, athletes, and scientists. Additionally, performances will be conducted by the Metz Ensemble and Step team.

“This program is free to the public and we would really like to get as many people out to see the positive things that are happening at our school,” stated Metz Middle School Principal Timothy Arrington.

For more information about the program please contact Charita Eley at [email protected] or Tom Alexander Jr. at [email protected]. Media interested in covering the event please contact Almeta Radford at [email protected]

The board of directors of Didlake, Inc., a leading provider of employment and other opportunities for people with disabilities, has named Rick Sebastian as its new president, effective April 1.  

Sebastian, an executive with 30 years experience in the disability services arena, will assume the role of president as part of an ongoing transition process in which he will ultimately succeed current president and CEO Rex Parr.  Parr, who has led the organization since 1977, will remain as CEO while the transition plan is completed and continue to serve in a consulting capacity afterward. 

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Both of the southbound I-95 collector/distributor lanes for Dale Boulevard (Exit 156) will again intermittently close between 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 4 and 5:00 AM Thursday, February 5. Each closure will last up to 15 minutes.

During the full closures, southbound I-95 motorists will not be able to access westbound or eastbound Dale Boulevard/Route 784. However, motorists on Dale Boulevard will still be able to access southbound I-95.

There will also be single lane closures in the collector-distributor lanes between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. The southbound I-95 through lanes will not be impacted by the work and will remain open.

Message signs will be posted in advance of the work so that motorists can use alternate routes.

The closures are again needed for overhead sign work.