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As the winter months grow warmer, we are excited for all that spring and summer will bring! This month, we encourage you to share Park View's newsletter with your friends and family. You won't want to miss the opportunities we have to connect. Enjoy this month's read!
What Have We Been Up To?
'Go Beyond' Graduating Class

We are proud to present the second graduating class from the First National Bank's Go Beyond Educational Computer Class . This year's class had 9 graduating students that participated in an 8-week course that taught them the principles of Microsoft Word, Excel & Powerpoint. Since we believe in equipping out students, each graduate upon completion was given a refurbished computer and monitor to put their new skills to work. Congratulations February 2019 class, we are proud of all your hard work!

If you or someone you know interested in participating in any of our upcoming courses, make sure to give Brittany a call at our Resource Center: (434) 845-8468 ext. 2
Valentines for Our Neighbors
A HUGE thank you to  Liberty University's Family and Child Development Association   (FACDA ) this February for making Valentine's Day at Park View one to remember. They spread the love around by taking the time to create handmade cards for every single one of our neighbors. Everyone left with a card and a box of chocolate this Valentine's Day. We can't express how thankful we are for everyone who helps us spread the love here.

The FACDA also collected two boxes full of socks, gloves, and mittens for our neighbors during these cold winter months. We are blown away by your generosity to provide for the community!
Upcoming Events
Blaze Pizza Fundraiser

Love Pizza? Love Park View? What if we told you you could eat pizza for a good cause?

We're excited to announce that we are hosting a fundraiser for Park View at Blaze Pizza on March 20th from 5 to 8pm ! In order to contribute, make sure you simply show the cashier an electronic version or a print out of this flyer upon checkout. ( Click here to open the flyer )

FINALLY, a good excuse to take the family out for pizza. See you there!
Mission House Coffee
Mission House Coffee is dedicated to being a place that is known not just for it’s delicious coffee and baked goods, but for the way they care about the people they serve. Located at the River Ridge Mall, this month they are offering to round all purchases to the dollar and donating the change to Park View! So if you're in the area, check out Mission House Coffee and make a change with your change.

Faces of Park View
This year we want to showcase all the wonderful people that come through our doors and the amazing stories they carry with them. Whether its a volunteer, neighbor, staff member or partner, we hope you enjoy meeting the faces of Park View!
Meet Jen...

Jennifer Williams is well known and loved around Park View, but we only recently did we discovered her talent for writing. It wasn't until a friend read one of her poems one Wednesday night at the Park View Cafe where we first heard her elegant writing.

Jen's personality can quickly light up a room and, while she is no stranger to unexpected hardships, she's chosen to encourage others to be grateful in the small things through her poems. Jen recently lost everything when her house caught on fire one night in January of last year. She so beautifully captures her story in her poem below. We appreciate you Jen!


Winter Flame

Within a quick flash
all we knew was change,
turned upside down,
our lives now rearranged.

You just can't prepare
or really even understand
when things seem so good
then get so far out of hand.

Something that hurts you so deep
and causes such grief,
when it feels impossible to see
any signs of relief.

Your body is shock,
your emotions are numb,
there's so much confusion,
so much to be done.

A tragedy so great,
displaced by a flame,
on a cold winter night
14 lives no longer the same.

-Jennifer Williams
Park View Cafe Schedule

Thank you to the following groups who have served at the Park View Cafe and helped us to create a culture of love and hope for our neighbors:

Meade UMC, West Lynchburg Baptist Church, Lynchburg Baptist, and Bedrock

And we are looking forward to the following groups coming to serve with us this coming month: Amelon UMC, University of Lynchburg, Heritage Baptist
Community Collaboration
Wells Fargo Partners with Food for Thought
A big thank you to Wells Fargo for their collaboration with us this month! They were generous enough to donate $2,500 to put towards meals for hungry students in our Food for Thought Program. We could not do what we do without partners like you, thank you Wells Fargo!
BWXT Provides Pallet Stacker
A prayer for us was answered when we were gifted with an almost new pallet stacker by BWXT. An enormous thank you to Nat Marshall, an employee of BWXT, for thinking of us and arranging the donation from the company. With this pallet stacker, we'll be able to double the amount of space we have at our Food for Thought Warehouse!
Media Spotlight
Food Lion Gift Cards
Our neighbors received an unexpected surprise when they headed out of our doors Thursday, February 21st. Food Lion officials represented their store by showing up to Park View and personally handed out $20 gift cards to every family for Food Lion stores.

They didn't stop there though! They also served our neighbors by pushing carts and helping load groceries. After Food Lion's visit to our Food for Families program, they continued to bless us by meeting a desperate need and donating 20 new carts to Park View Community Mission. A simple visit that day ended up impacting so many lives. Read the full story here .
Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Creates New Ways to Connect the Hungry with Nearest Food Pantries
Lynchburg Feeds is a new initiative to help people in need find the nearest food pantry, soup kitchen or shelter they may not know exists. “A primary reason people aren’t seeking help is they don’t know where it is. The website is designed to solve that,” McKee said.

Get Involved
A Need for Home Essentials

Did you know that a number of the people we serve, come from generational poverty? This means that families, for generations, have been living in patterns and habits that have kept them in a cycle of poverty. This may simply be because they have not had others in their life to speak truth, hope, and potential into them. Many have never been taught basic home essentials education from family or friends. Some people don't know how to do laundry or cook a healthy meal. We want to change that. We will soon be expanding our home essentials program which will includes classes on personal finance, house cleaning, laundry, healthy cooking and first aid. If you have a passion for any of these areas and would like to see how you can be involved email here or call 434-851-2239!
We Need Your Helping Hands

We still need help with our clothing ministry! Clothing is one of the biggest needs for our neighbors. We hope to be able to continue providing clothes to our neighbors in need but we can't keep up with it without your help. Our vision is to create a boutique where people can come to pick out free clothes for themselves and their children or find an outfit for a job interview. We can't make this happen without your help! Please consider how you can come to Park View on a Wednesday or Thursday and help us to sort and organize clothing and fulfill this vision. Email here to find out more or see how you can plug in!
Donations Needed:
Paper Towels
Soap
Shampoo
Toothpaste
Razors
Shaving Cream

Deodorant
Baby Wipes
Laundry Detergent
Dish Detergent
Generic Spray Cleaners
Please join us in praying for God's wisdom, direction and provision.

“The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.”
Psalm 37:23-24
Park View Community Mission
Programs & Contact Info.
Food for Families
Food for Thought
Community Resource Center
Life Skills Institute
Park View Cafe
Executive Director
Rachel Koenig
Laura Bauer
Brittany Melvin
Brittany Melvin
Justine Kiger
Gordy Harper
rachel@parkviewmission.org
laura@parkviewmission.org
brittany@parkviewmission.org
brittany@parkviewmission.org
youthmom1@hotmail.com
director@parkviewmission.org
Connect with Us!