Back to School = Big Fun!

A Message from Executive Director, Karen Pillis

Back to School at West End is just about my favorite time of year!!! Seeing the children so excited to meet their new teachers and get re-acquainted with their friends is so heartwarming!! Our staff is ready for a great year with fabulous plans to engage and support our students in their academic pursuits and all of our partners are on board to offer wonderful enriching programs that will appeal to all! Family Service of Roanoke Valley, Mill Mountain Theatre, Carilion Community Outreach, the Jefferson Center's Music Lab, and Virginia Tech's VTDITC are beloved by our students and our staff alike! As we prepare for Spooky Sprint in October, our students have resumed training with their Badge Buddies from our fitness partner, RunAbout Sports, the Roanoke City Sheriff's Department and the Roanoke City Police Department. We offer programming every day that Roanoke City Schools are open and if you are in the neighborhood and would like a tour, just let me know. I would love to share the latest news and introduce you to the most amazing children in the world!!!

We Are So Grateful to our Partners!

This fall Carilion Clinic Community Health & Outreach (CHO) is conducting a Kindness in the Classroom series along with a vaping prevention program to middle school students. Thank you!

Thank you, Family Service of the Roanoke Valley for providing social emotional learning groups to our students. FSRV will be with us all year long providing support three days a week.

We love when Mill Mountain Theatre comes each week to capture and cultivate our younger students' imaginations. Thank you!

The Music Lab at Jefferson Center helps students explore their own creativity by working in small groups all year round. Thank you!

VTDITC: Hip Hop Studies at Virginia Tech works with students twice a month to support students in their love for creating music. Thank you!

Back to School Faces

Volunteer Spotlight

MKB, Realtors

MKB, Realtors, the region's largest locally-owned brokerage in the area, is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year! In celebrating, a 50 for 50 program has been implemented where employees are encouraged to commit 50 hours of community service. On Tuesdays in September, members of MKB Realtors helped support K-5 students with homework help, tutoring, and after school fun! Thank you, MKB, Realtors!

Upcoming Events

The time has finally arrived! Break out your costume, bring your families and come join West End Center for the Spooky Sprint 5k: Spooky Sprint 5K 2023 (runsignup.com)

Interested in volunteering? Reach out to Leigh Ann Hamlin, lhamlin@westendcenter.org

A special thank you to Mast General Store

During the month of August customers were asked to help build a better future by rounding up their purchases in support of local youth. Mast General Store collected $1,702.30 for West End Center. Thank you!

Interested in getting more involved with West End Center? Here are some ways to do that:

Volunteer to tutor or mentor students.
Help plan or volunteer at an event.
Follow us on social media and share our posts with friends to spread the word about the work we do in our community.

If you want to talk about any of these opportunities or are a business who would like to work with West End Center, or you just want to learn more, contact Karen Pillis, kpillis@westendcenter.org.

Our Badge Buddies are busy training for the Spooky Sprint 5k! Don't forget to register to join them for a run or cheer them on October 28th at 9am!

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