News: Creighton's Corner Elementary School and Northern Virginia Family Service Team Up to Help the Homeless

Ashburn (October 18, 2012) – Creighton's Corner Elementary School is teaming up with Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) to Help the Homeless in the Northern Virginia region. During the week of October 22, CCES will be teaching their students facts about homelessness during PE classes and library time. More than 1,200 students and staff have made a commitment to raise awareness of homeless issues in our region.


Ms. Robyn Resh Davinic, Ph.D., one of the parent champions of the event, says she helped organize the program for students because recently the plight of homeless children and families in the Ashburn area has appeared in the news.

Davinic states that “one does not expect homelessness in a suburban middle to upper class community. I wanted to partner with NVFS to help children who are homeless or precariously housed because I know NVFS has a long, successful history of meeting the needs of people in crisis. The Help The Homeless Campaign at CCES is a win-win situation for us; our students have the chance to learn about homelessness while also realizing they have the ability to make a positive change in their community. The campaign can empower our children to reach out to aid those in need.”

The CCES PTA is sponsoring the event along with Sam Plank, physical education teacher; Wendy Ricci, librarian; and Dave McGuigan and Stacy Chapman, technology resource teachers. Awareness about the prevalence of homelessness, especially amongst families and children, will begin with fifth grade students educating their peers via morning announcements.

In physical education classes during the week, students will participate in relay races, exercise circuits, and a walk while learning about homelessness. Additionally, during library time, staff and volunteers will be reading books about homelessness to the children and following up with a discussion based on any questions raised by the children.

The CCES community is excited to partner with NVFS to help families, and in particular, children in the Northern Virginia region who are homeless. The goal is to raise awareness of homeless issues while also assisting NVFS in earning a bonus incentive from Fannie Mae. Every registrant and donation counts toward the goal of 4,000 overall participants needed to be eligible for the bonus. To support CCES, please visit http://www.hthwalks.org/site/TR?team_id=18741&pg=team&fr_id=1763

Some facts about homelessness:
*There are 11,830 homeless people in the Metropolitan Washington Area
*Homelessness among families has increased nearly 23% since 2008
*Schooling for homeless children is often interrupted and delayed, with homeless children twice as likely to have a learning disability, repeat a grade, or be suspended from school.
*Many adults in homeless families work, yet they do not make enough money to afford a stable place to live.

About Northern Virginia Family Service: NVFS serves nearly 33,000 individuals and families throughout our community each year. Whether a family needs help with safe & stable housing, workforce development, emergency services, child & family enrichment, health access, or any combination of them ─ the NVFS mission is to lend a helping hand to permanently lift families out of poverty and put them back on the road to independence. For more information, please visit www.nvfs.org

About Creighton’s Corner Elementary School: CCES is an Ashburn based elementary school in Loudoun County serving more than 1,170 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The PTA supports teachers and administration and actively looks for ways to extend learning beyond the classroom. For more information, please contact Robyn Resh Davinic with the CCES PTA at robyndavinic@hotmail.com or 908-304-3242. The school’s website is http://www.loudoun.k12.va.us/Domain/9695

ABOUT HTH: The Help the Homeless (HTH) Program raises funds to support organizations working to prevent and end homelessness. Since 1988, it has raised more than $90 million, impacting thousands of families, children, and veterans in the Washington metropolitan area. With the success of the program in the Washington metropolitan area, in 2012, HTH has expanded to five additional markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.

The HTH Program provides a fundraising model to help build the capacity of nonprofits working to prevent and end homelessness. Each year, tens of thousands of people get involved in the program by participating in a HTH community walk, making a donation, being a sponsor, or volunteering their time to support organizations dedicated to serving homeless people. To learn more about HTH, please visit www.hthwalks.org.