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News to Use: Back To School
Get ready, they're going back!
Moms across Virginia are cheering Back To School! School supply drives are underway throughout the Commonwealth to help all Virginians get back to learning. Learn more about Charlottesville-based Backpack Buddies and reference a school supply donation list:
Pictured: The Governor and First Lady at River's Bend Children's Center.
Viva Virginia
Fall foliage is finest in Virginia! Learn more about the hundreds of natural assets across Virginia. Search through our 41 parks and many trails, picnic shelters, nature programs and more.
Virginia's Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick. Photo by Kathy Taylor Scott.
Not just "business as usual" in VA!
Meet Secretary Caren Merrick! She shares about being the first woman in her family to achieve a college degree, being a woman in business and how government should support small businesses.
The First Lady with rescue Red at the July 2022 Spirit of Virginia Award. Photo by Paige Cecere.
Congratulations to Hope's Legacy Equine Rescue!
"The work that animal rescues, like Hope's Legacy, provide to God's creatures surely inspires. It has been an honor meeting Maya and witnessing her care of these beautiful animals," said the First Lady.
Image courtesy of the Virginia Public Access Project.
How can we help? Reach out!
Concerned about cost of living? Worried about resources for your child during the upcoming school year? Discover your political district and contact your Virginia government official, or reach out to the Governor's Office for help.
Virginia is for Families: Highlights of State Budget Victories
Repealed the state tax on groceries & personal hygiene products;
Increased funding for the Virginia Preschool Initiative, which provides resources for parents to place at-risk and underserved children into Pre-K;
Increase in Women’s and Infants' Health Services for the Perinatal Quality Collaborative and Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative (VNPC);
Significant investments to support school modernization throughout the Commonwealth through the School Construction Fund and Literary Fund Construction Loan Program;
Funding for Virginia Girls State, a nationwide program that provides young women with the opportunity to learn firsthand how their state and local governments work;
Funding for Mary Baldwin University’s Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership Program – the nation’s only all-women cadet corps;
Provide tax relief for military retirement income & benefits for surviving spouses;
Safe and Sound Task Force – Bringing together community partners and government to end the practice of children sleeping in local departments of social services, hotels and emergency rooms;
Increase in the Standard D to relieve tax burdens on Virginia’s families;
Investments in initiatives to combat human trafficking.
Creature Corner
The Governor and First Lady attended the 97th annual Chincoteague Island Pony Swim in July! See the American Horse Council's 2018 study for factoids on Virginia's horse industry.
