{"id":110199,"date":"2020-05-28T10:56:13","date_gmt":"2020-05-28T15:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/?p=110199"},"modified":"2020-05-28T10:58:13","modified_gmt":"2020-05-28T15:58:13","slug":"making-a-difference-in-the-washington-d-c-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/for-our-wellness\/making-a-difference-in-the-washington-d-c-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Making a Difference in the Washington D.C. Community"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Dr. Vanessa Gattis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dr. Vanessa Gattis is an adjunct assistant professor in the International Psychology Department<\/a> at the Washington, DC Campus<\/a>, a role she truly enjoys. It\u2019s her other role, however, that fulfills her passion for helping others. \u00a0After retiring from the US Army after almost 31 years of service, she found that she wanted to continue serving her community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough a dream, the Lord led me to form the Foundation to continue my service,\u201d Dr. Gattis explains, referring to the Prince William County Community Foundation, Inc.<\/a> (PWCCF).\u201cI formed the Foundation to help empower the residents in our community. I did not know what it would look like in the beginning, as non-profit work was new to me. Through perseverance, determination, and my faith, I knew what I had in my heart could be the start of something big<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

PWCCF serves children 18 years and under, the homeless, and families in the greater Prince William area, providing resources in several areas, including food and health. The organization also offers scholarship resources, and awards to help to promote community solutions. Their largest initiative, Combating Hunger on Wheels (C.H.O.W.), is in partnership with Prince William County Schools and provides meals to \"Helpingchildren 18 years and younger during their summer breaks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the COVID-19 pandemic hit our community and the governor closed all schools, we were forced to revise and revamp our C.H.O.W. mission,\u201d says Dr. Gattis. \u201cAs the schools began serving the grab-and-go meals to\u00a0children, we knew weekend meals would be an issue as more and more parents were out of work. The\u00a0Foundation\u00a0jumped right in by\u00a0helping\u00a0to\u00a0provide\u00a0weekend meals to children in our community from the very beginning of the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every Friday since the beginning of the pandemic, PWCCF has set up its C.H.O.W. Wagon at one of the 22 designated school sites to distribute meals to children whose families are suffering financial hardship so they can have enough food for the weekend. The C.H.O.W. wagon (the organization only has one) has served almost 1,350 families, equating to 8,500 meals since March 27th<\/sup>. The number continues to grow. Currently, they are prepared to continue through July.<\/p>\n

\"Helping<\/p>\n

The Foundation has also conducted food drives throughout the county where multiple churches,\u00a0organizations, and schools have supported them. They have provided food and other resources to the vulnerable populations in the area\u2019s homeless camps, and have provided clothing and school supplies to children in need.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat continues to motivate me are the people in our community,\u201d Dr. Gattis says. \u201cGetting the opportunity to interact with and serve our community daily is my driving factor. I am passionate about what I am doing and cannot think of any place else I would rather be.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about the organization and ways you can get involved, please the PWCCF website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether, we <\/em>can make a difference!\u201d Dr. Gattis exclaims.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Learn more about The Chicago School<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you would like to learn more about programs at The Chicago School, fill out the form below to request more information. You can also apply today through our application portal.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI formed the Foundation to help empower the residents in our community. I did not know what it would look like in the beginning, as non-profit work was new to me. Through perseverance, determination, and my faith, I knew what I had in my heart could be the start of something big.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":110207,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[1143,1116],"coauthors":[1128],"class_list":["post-110199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-our-wellness","tag-covid-19","tag-faculty"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMaking a Difference in the Washington D.C. 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