We love hearing how our financial empowerment workshops make a difference! 

Beckha Drake, who manages the Second Story Young Mothers program, shared how impactful our recent tax workshop was. Led by Nancy Ryan from Legal Services of Northern Virginia, the session equipped young mothers with the knowledge and resources they need to take control of their finances.

Food Insecurity affects 27% of Fairfax County residents, making access to nutritious food a daily struggle for many families. You can help by joining Britepaths and Fairfax County for a post-holiday food drive supporting local pantries.A Fastran bus will be on-site collecting nonperishable food and grocery gift card donations for Britepaths' emergency pantry. Your contributions will support FCPS students and families through our Food4Thought program. Since 2011, Stuff the Bus has collected over 240 tons of food, helping households in need. Let's keep the momentum going! Bring your donations of 

non-perishable foods to help fight hunger in our community.  

Our Senior Director of Operations, Dawn Sykes, packed weekend meal packets for students at Fort Hunt Elementary School with the Iota Epsilon Sigma Alumnae Chapter 

of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority. Forty volunteers packed 200 weekend meal packets ensuring that Ft. Hunt ES students have access to nutritious food when school meals 

aren’t available. The packets were delivered with the help of Antoine Pierce, Family Liaison.

We are thrilled to share that Kiplinger's Personal Finance has featured dedicated Britepaths Financial Empowerment Volunteer, Erica James CFP®, in its February 2025 issue! Since 2018, Erica has generously shared her expertise as a financial mentor and personal finance instructor, helping our clients strengthen their financial foundations and work towards long-term stability. In the article, she highlights why pro bono financial planning is essential and how providing guidance on budgeting, saving, and debt management can be life changing for individuals and families striving for self-sufficiency.

Volunteers like Erica make this work possible, offering invaluable support to our neighbors working towards brighter futures. 

Many Mosaic Elementary students face food insecurity outside of school hours. 

Britepaths' Food4Thought program provides weekend food packs and Mosaic ES provides snacks during the school day to ensure children can access nutritious meals. Mosaic ES is collecting donations of shelf stable and readily consumable snacks to support this vital initiative. Please get in touch with Jenny Holiday at jennyholliday@yahoo.com for any questions regarding donations.

Your generosity can make a real difference in the lives of local children and their families.