Local teens recently collected coats and food for other youth in their community. The project through Family Service’s Teen Outreach Program® (TOP®)allowed them to give back, joyfully delivering donations to the Presbyterian Community Center. They saw how positively they can impact the community.
Your support of Family Service of Roanoke Valley allows us to partner with many outstanding community programs.
Presbyterian Community Center (PCC) has been a force of support and outreach in the community since 1967 and partnered with Family Service since 1996. PCC is one of our original community partners and takes part in all of our youth development programs. Our mission is to empower and heal and through our collaborative efforts. This allow us to better serve our community.
Within the partnership with PCC, we are fortunate to provide our outstanding prevention and intervention services.
Teens receive Life Skills Programs such as Positive Action, Teen Outreach Program® (TOP®) as well as community counseling and therapeutic day treatment.
Teens and program participants complete service learning projects that often involve PCC. Teens enthusiastically support the food pantry by running food drives throughout the year and then deliver the collections to PCC. The staff are always helpful and show participants exactly how and where their much needed donations are distributed. This experience also opens their eyes to the need within their own community and empowering them to be part of the support and relief efforts.
The most recent service project to collect items for PCC was run by the TOP® group at Stonewall Jackson Middle School, which is facilitated by Hannah Whitt and Ana Zuniga.
The highlight was the tour our teens and mentors received, showing them the workings of the pantry as well as the youth center. They definitely felt the service “glow” and upon reflection of the experience with the teens, they could not wait to do more.
Teens are also facilitating a student run media campaign aimed at addressing underage drinking, just one of many programs designed to enrich and educate our communities youth.
Partnered with The Boys and Girls Club of Roanoke Valley and Blue Ridge Behavioral Health, the group of teens aged 11 to 14, is facilitated by Sommer Casto, Youth Development Specialist and dedicated community leader.
The group meets at PCC and plans their service projects with the support and guidance from our staff. This is a perfect example of the power of our community partner efforts in our collective endeavor to empower our youth and provide service to our community.
We are very proud to be partnered with Presbyterian Community Center for so many years and look forward to many more. Thank you for making that possible.
