Every child loves to dance. They love having an audience and showing off all the creative ways they can move to their favorite songs. Last year, several children from our Culmore Safe Youth Project had the opportunity to put together their own dance routines and perform in front of a real live audience. Instead of spending their summer cramped in their suffocating tiny apartment homes or playing on their deteriorating playgrounds, they spent a week dancing under bright stage lights in glamorous costumes, savoring each moment of stardom.

Yhomara "Yhomi" Warshavsky of Fairfax Jazzercise first learned about our 4^th, 5^th and 6^th graders residing in the Culmore neighborhood from Lisa Moffett, a long-time enthusiast of Yhomi's Jazzercise class and the Board President of Alternative House. Lisa's passion for these young and talented kids resonated with Yhomi's desire to make a difference in our community. She took the young people out of their neighborhood for a week and enrolled them in her Jr. Jazzercise Camp. This year, the kids received news that they were invited again to relive their dreams. 

From June 30^th to July 3^rd, several children from the program learned how to make healthy frozen fruit slushies, played an extremely difficult version of Twister involving shaving cream, and wrote letters to our troops in honor of Independence Day. Yhomi's daughter, Shoshana Warshavsky, a sophomore at Lake Braddock High School also spoke to the group about the dangers of social media and quickly became a role model for the participants. 

Even in the midst of all the fun-filled activities, the campers found time to plan and rehearse their farewell performance. On July 3rd, excited parents, Alternative House staff, and fellow Jazzercisers gathered at the Gesher Jewish Day School auditorium to cheer on the performers. Kids from Alternative House performed a dance routine that showed off beautiful Latin moves that elicited "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd. Cartwheels and backflips (with the help of Shoshana) were equally impressive and our kids loved every minute of being on center stage. Yhomi wore a permanent smile on her face throughout the entire show. It was clear that the kids brought Yhomi and the audience as much joy as she had brought them through this memorable camp experience.

Yhomi looks forward to the young people returning again next year. She loves seeing their confidence grow with each dance step. Perhaps one of these children will become a world-famous dancer one day thanks to the seed that was planted in them this summer.

 

Alternative House volunteer Benjamin Bush makes a considerable impact  at our Springfield Family Resource Center. For his Senior Project at Potomac High School, Ben elected to install an entire computer lab at Alternative House's Springfield Family Resource Center.  The Center is gaining in popularity as word about the new lab and computer classes spreads in the Springfield community and beyond. 

The Springfield Family Resource Center offers services, information, and resources to parents and children.  There are youth programs, language classes, legal services, tutoring, assistance with forms (e.g. benefits, unemployment), and now, computer learning classes.  The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive and enrollment in computer classes has exceeded projections.

For his project, Ben collected and refurbished ten laptops that he then donated to the Springfield Family Resource Center's computer classes. After setting up all of the computers, Ben, who is bilingual in Spanish and English, continued on by volunteering to help teach the computer classes. He has developed a reputation for being sincere, dedicated, and patient.

Ben often leads class tutorials and addresses individuals' concerns or issues, helping people of all ages gain understanding and overcome fears and uncertainty in the technical realm. What began as a high school student's generous and creative senior project has led to more members of the community being informed and skilled with using computers and navigating the internet. These important skills can lead to job promotions, increased capabilities in schoolwork and research, and a better-informed public overall.

In the fall, Ben will be attending college at Washington University, Saint Louis, double-majoring in Mathematics and Computer Science and we at Alternative House wish him all the best in his endeavors!