
If you have any experience helping to teach English as a second language, you could put that to use in helping Afghan refugees settle into Alexandria.
Nonprofit Northern Virginia Resettling Afghan Families Together (NOVA RAFT) — which aims to help Afghan immigrants settle in — started a program in late August to help students improve their English skills.
The program benefits both children and adults and is taught at the William Ramsay Recreation Center (5650 Sanger Avenue).
“ESL volunteers will work closely with our Dari-speaking instructor to help our students improve their English skills,” the program’s website said. “Classes meet on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. Beginner class with young children is from 9:45-11:45 a.m. and the advanced Beginner class is from [noon] to 2 p.m.”
Volunteers are also needed for childcare assistance and specific skills, like phonics/basic literacy.
The volunteer sign-up sheet is available online.

Anyone who has traveled along the Mount Vernon Trail can tell you the kudzu near the old GenOn power plant is so thick it nearly swallows the trail. Now, Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail are fighting back.
The group is organizing a pushback to the kudzu invasion on Saturday, Aug. 19 from 9-11 a.m. The group is meeting on the trail near 1198 N. Fairfax Street.
Volunteers will be using pruners and loppers to remove the vines, as well as hauling away vegetation and fallen tree branches.
Volunteers should bring water, long sleeve shirts and long pants. Volunteers should bring gloves, pruners and loppers if they have them, but some will be available to borrow.
https://twitter.com/MtVernonFriends/status/1692491825553023072

ALIVE! and Volunteer Alexandria exceeded their goal and collected more than 33,500 in last month’s first-ever citywide food drive.
The nonprofits collected 33,511 pounds of food from 38 locations across Alexandria last month.
“Thank you, Volunteer Alexandria, for hosting this food drive for us and the community,” said Jenn Ayers, ALIVE! executive director, “Donations like the ones we’ve received go a long way to keeping our costs down and provide a healthy variety of food to people who need help.”
The food collected will feed thousands of Alexandria families needing assistance. The effort was so successful that Volunteer Alexandria Executive Director Marion Brunken said that there will be another food drive next summer.
“We are thrilled to have exceeded our goal by over 3,000 pounds for our first community food drive and thank everyone who was able to help in some way,” Brunken said.
While the food drive was successful, ALIVE! always needs more donations. Food can be dropped at the ALIVE! Food Warehouse (801 South Payne Street) on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 pm. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.
The food drive was sponsored by Ting Internet, Fitness Together and the Rotary Club of Alexandria.
Volunteer Alexandria and ALIVE! wanted to thank the following organizations:
- Agudas Achim Congregation
- Alexandria City Hall
- Alexandria Children’s Dentistry
- Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library
- Dolce and Bean
- Department of Community and Human Services
- Department of Beer and Wine
- Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
- The Episcopal Church of Saint Clement
- Fairlington Presbyterian Church
- Fairlington United Methodist Church
- First Christian Church of Alexandria
- First Church of Christ Scientist
- Fitness Together
- Gilbane Building Company
- The Goodhart Group
- James M. Duncan Branch Library
- Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
- McEnearney Associates
- Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church
- Old Presbyterian Meeting House
- Old Town North Community Partnership
- Rotary Club of Alexandria
- Russell Temple CME Church
- Sixteenth Tabernacle Beth-El
- Ting Internet
- Top It Off
- Trinity United Methodist Church
- TTR Sotheby’s International Realty
- United Bank
- USDA Food and Nutrition Services
- Venue Condominium
- Washington Street UMC
- Westin Alexandria
- YMCA Alexandria
- Zweet Sport Total Fitness Studio
The Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail are starting the new year with some improvements near Daingerfield Island.
The volunteer organization, which does everything from clearing the trial to fixing bumps and other issues, is hosting an event on New Year’s Day. The work area is the trail on Daingerfield Island near 615 Slaters Lane.
This time, the work involves cleaning trash, clearing vegetation, and fixing several bumps in the trail.
For those that can’t make it in person, the organization is also raising funds to keep volunteers equipped with tools and supplies.
According to the event posting:
Volunteers may perform some of the following work:
- Using pruners and loppers to remove vegetation growing into the trail
- Using hand saws to cut tree branches
- Hauling away vegetation and fallen tree branches
- Picking up trash
What to Bring:
- Water
- Gloves (We’ll have some to borrow)
- Long sleeves and long pants
It took 5 volunteer to help move this huge limb at Belle Haven Park! 💪
Come flex your muscles at an upcoming volunteer event: https://t.co/h4sn9LtQJL
Donate to help us keep making the trail safe: https://t.co/gjFDOHYMUC pic.twitter.com/0DQcKJL6Ih
— Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail (@MtVernonFriends) December 22, 2022