e-Pathfinder | March 2022
The Board of Directors and Staff of Britepaths and the Financial Empowerment Center at South County gathered on Saturday, March 19 for our annual planning retreat. After 2 years of Zoom meetings, it was fun (and a little disconcerting) to see everyone in person and realize that no, we're actually not all the same height!

We held break-out sessions to provide input to the development of our next three-year Strategic Plan and our DEIA vision, and got energized for another great year of helping local families on their journeys to self-sufficiency.

We're so grateful to our Board members, who volunteer their time, skills and energy to support our work and govern and strengthen our organization.
Artful Living: May 19, 2022
Join Us! We are looking forward to connecting with our community once again at Artful Living: Connected!

Thursday, May 19, 2022
7 p.m.-10 p.m.
Country Club of Fairfax

Juried Art Show & Sale · Live Music by Batida Diferente · Live Auction & Raffles · Exquisite Food, Wine & Beer · Hear from Our Clients · Benefits NVA Families in Need
Read the Connection Article

Get Involved! Seeking:
  • Art Submissions (due 4.24)
  • Sponsors
  • Event Planning Committee Members

Click Here for Details
Thank You to Our Sponsors! Anthem, Apple Federal Credit Union, Ken & Linda Kozloff (in honor of Marcelle Miles), MBH Settlement Group, Miller Consulting Group and Printing Ideas.

Questions? Contact Sidney Arrington at events@britepaths.org or 703.273.8829.
Early Bird: Register by May 5 & Save!
Thank You for Helping Our Neighbors in 2021!
Farewell to Marcelle
Wishing a fond farewell to our longtime friend and colleague Marcelle Miles! She ran our Financial Empowerment program for 11 years, and was instrumental in growing the program exponentially in terms of clients we serve annually, partners who support our work and utilize our coaching and instruction for their clients, and our crew of dedicated volunteer financial coaches, mentors and instructors.

Our Financial Empowerment clients often say that they feel the support they are receiving is truly tailored to meet their needs, and Marcelle has played a large role in making that happen. We miss her already, but know she is near and will always be a friend of Britepaths. We wish her well in her next pursuits. Thank you, Marcelle!

Marcelle has already purchased her tickets to Artful Living on May 19, so can catch up with her there!
Clockwise from top left: Marcelle at left with volunteer Irma Magadan and Financial Mentoring Manager Carole Rogers in December; Marcelle took the group selfie at our staff lunch last July; Carole and Marcelle with our volunteer Financial Coaches getting ready to start our Credit Report Review Clinic in December; and Marcelle with Programs Director Christina Garris -- they worked together for her entire time at Britepaths.
A Wealth of Personal Finance and Job Readiness Resources
Do you know anyone who is looking to jumpstart their career or improve their finances? Or do you know of a faith community or other organization that could share our information in the community? Britepaths and the Financial Empowerment Center at South County offer a wealth of free, virtual services, and we need everyone's help to spread the word.

Offerings include: Financial Coaching, Job Readiness Coaching, Tax Consulting, Small Business Consulting and Food Entrepreneur Consulting, our Avenues to Career Training Healthcare pre-employment program and IT training courses, and a variety of personal finance and career development classes and workshops. Several services are available in Spanish.

Click Here to Learn More
Saving for Retirement: FECSoCo was excited to offer our first workshop on saving for retirement this week! Our clients are always welcome to discuss retirement planning by scheduling a free virtual Financial Coaching session.

Volunteer Financial Coach and Instructor Adam Van Duesen wrote an article for us with some tips for saving for retirement. Read Article
Volunteer
Special Thanks!
Foundation for Financial Planning: Britepaths and the Financial Empowerment Center at South County are grateful to the Foundation for Financial Planning (FFP) for selecting us to once again receive a significant grant to help fund our financial coaching and mentoring services this year. FFP has supported our work for more than seven years, and also refers many excellent volunteer financial planners to us.

Church of the Holy Comforter: Thank you to the Church of the Holy Comforter for providing a generous grant to support our Food Bridge Program. They have helped us feed our hungry neighbors for decades, and we're grateful for their ongoing support.

Food Pantry:

Springfield Democrats: Thank you to the Springfield District Democrats for running a food drive for Britepaths in February. They donated more than 600 pounds of our most-needed items and $150 in grocery store gift cards. And a special shout-out to SDDC members Jane Barker and Sen. George Barker, who also support our Food Bridge families each year through the Democratic Women of Clifton & Northern Virginia’s annual holiday drive. Read the Connection article.
Myterra Neighborhood: Thank you to the Myterra Homeowners Association for running a food drive. On March 2, they delivered 165.5 pounds of food and supplies, and a check for $250.

Food4Thought Supporters

Thank you to many generous groups who provided grants or weekend food packs to our Food4Thought partner schools!

Donna Reid (left) of the Springfield District Democrats delivers food collected during their February food drive. Britepaths' Mila Cobos is at right.
Junior League of Northern Virginia members assemble Food4Thought packs for students at Bull Run ES.
Volunteers Amini Bonane (right) and Nate Bunger, along with two other volunteers, came in on March 11 to help us weigh and organize a huge amount of food donations. Britepaths' Cecilia LeGrand is at left.
Britepaths
Our Mission is to provide our neighbors in need with short-term safety-net services and empower them to work toward long-term self-sufficiency.