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Wish List
Copy Paper 8.5 x 11
Paper Towels
Tall Kitchen Trash Bags
Lg. Black Trash Bags
Hoodies Lg and XLg
Antibacterial Hand Soap
Gift cards: Home Depot, Lowes, Staples, Office Depot
Donations are accepted at our Emergency Shelter for Teens, 2100 Gallows Road, Vienna, 9am-8pm daily. |
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Thanks Shiner Roofing
Alternative House would once again like to say Thank You to Shiner Roofing for their on going support. For the past four years they have been helping us with professional services and repairs as well as doing donation drives with their employees to support our programs. |
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Volunteer Information
Come join us for a Volunteer Information Session where you will find out more about our organization and how you can get involved. The next Volunteer Information Session will be on February 22. The program will start at 6pm and end by 7pm. Space is limited so please RSVP to
if you plan to attend. For a list of volunteer opportunities and for a volunteer application visit the Volunteer
page on our website. |
| Be An Advocate
Alternative House is a member of the Fairfax-Falls Church Local Human Rights Committee (LHRC). The LHRC reviews complaints of rights violations filed by individuals receiving mental health, intellectual disability and substance abuse services. The LHRC also reviews policies and practices and makes recommendations regarding procedures that affect the rights of individuals. Meeting are held monthly in the Pennino Building in Fairfax. For more information or to volunteer to become a member of the LHRC, please call Erin Bloom at 703-324-7827.
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Tell Your Friends
One of our goals this year is to share the Alternative House story with as many people as possible. If you enjoy reading our newsletter please use the Forward email button at the bottom of this page and share it with a friend. Please recommend our
also. If you Tweet follow us on Twitter
@AlternativHouse |
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We're celebrating at Alternative House this week! "Molly" just graduated from high school - the first student this year in our Homeless Youth Initiative to do so. For a while it looked like she wouldn't be able to get her degree. Conflict at home resulted in Molly's mom telling her to leave. She went to an Aunt's house but problems in the family led to Molly being shut out there as well. Alone and adrift, Molly's grades began to plummet as she had to work more hours to keep her housing. A school counselor referred her to Alternative House and she moved into the Homeless Youth Initiative house in Vienna. This past semester she caught up on her coursework and graduated! From here, Molly wants to go into the Air Force and eventually on to college. We're all so proud of Molly and what she has achieved. I'm sure it's just the beginning. Judith
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Homeless Youth Initiative
 "Loren" moved to this area 4 years ago with her boyfriend. She was pregnant with his child. Once they relocated he became abusive and eventually abandoned her and their child shortly after the baby's birth. Alone and scared Loren confided in her school counselor about her situation. Her counselor referred her to Alternative House's Homeless Youth Initiative immediately. With the help of our housing coordinator Loren was able to locate a place to rent. She found a job in the area and with the help of the rental subsidy is able to afford her rent each month. Every day she wakes her daughter up, gets her ready for school, and puts her on the school bus. Loren then hurries to catch her own bus to school. After school Loren travels to work. After work she then picks her daughter up, feeds her, puts her to bed and does it all again the next day. Loren is able to maintain A's and B's in school and recently, with the help of our staff, became a licensed driver. |
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Visit Alternative House
Join us for an Open Door at the House informational event where you will find out about issues facing young people in our community and get an overview of our history, programs and services. We will also take a tour of our Emergency Shelter for Teens.
Our next Open Door at the House events will be held on:
Tuesday, February 28 at 6:00pm
Wednesday, March 14 at 10:00pm
Please RSVP as seating is limited, the events last one hour. Also, if you would like us to bring an Open Door at the House to you, we would be happy to do that for any civic or faith group, business, school, homeowner's association or club. Please contact Gina Cocomello for more information on any of our Open Door at the House events or to RSVP.website. |
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AH says Thank You to St. John's Episcopal Church
 This month all of us at Alternative House would like to thank the hard working volunteers from St. John's Episcopal Church in McLean. Early in the morning on January 16, 2012 they gathered at their church, they divided into four groups before setting off to work for us. The first group went to work at our Assisting Young Mothers Program where they did yard work and sorted donations. The second group arrived at our Emergency Shelter for Teens where they raked leaves, organized the pantry and sorted donations. Group number three went to our Homeless Youth Initiative house in Vienna where they cleaned, did yard work and made repairs. Volunteers worked along with the residents at HYI. The last group was comprised of the youngest members of the church and a few parents. They stayed at the church and made "Snack Packs" that were delivered to Alternative House later that day. Snack Packs are given out to the students in our after school programs. We can't thank these hard working volunteers enough for their Day of Caring. We truly appreciate all of the support we have received from St. John's Episcopal for so many years. |
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On behalf of Alternative House we would like to thank all of our donors, sponsors and volunteers for your continued support. We couldn't continue to provide our programs and services without you.
Please feel free to contact us at 703 506-9191 or gina_cocomello@TheAlternativeHouse.org for more information.
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Sincerely,
Gina Cocomello Judith Dittman
Development Director Executive Director
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