January 10, 2013
It’s been a busy week here at SCAN. Staff members have been everywhere from The McCoart Administration Building in Prince William County to the Arlington CAC, from one of our Parent Support Groups in South Fairfax County to our very own offices here in Alexandria.
So much of what we do at SCAN is made possible by the strong ties we have with dozens of community partners across Northern Virginia. This week was a perfect example of how we nurture that powerful network, so we thought we’d share a few photos and updates from a week on the road (and why our partners are so important):
1. Our Education Program Manager, Rebekah Beck, attended a meeting this week with the Child Protection Partnership, a multi-jurisdictional network of professionals and citizens who exchange ideas and seek constructive ways to eliminate child abuse and neglect in the Greater Prince William Area. Many CPP members are also active participants in SCAN’s Allies in Prevention Coalition.
2. SCAN’s Executive Director, Sonia Quinonez, sits on the Executive Committee of the Alexandria Council of Human Services Organizations (ACHSO), which also met this week. ACHSO works in a collaborative way to improve human services to benefit the entire Alexandria Community. The result? An innovative and integrated human services model. The group just finalized a webpage listing its statement of purpose and current members here.
3. Some of our greatest collaborations aren’t local. SCAN’s Parent Education Coordinator, Sam Poyta, participated in a call yesterday with the Virginia State Circle of Parents Network. These quarterly calls allow us the chance to network with other organizations providing Circle of Parents Support Groups throughout the state, offering us various perspectives and a
chance to learn from others providing Circle of Parents groups. The calls are led by PCAV’s Julie Rivnak-McAdam who is a great source of support and a tireless advocate of parent leadership and development. SCAN implements three Educational Parent Support Groups (one in English and two in Spanish) using the Circle of Parents® model.
4. We also hosted a meeting this week for our 25th Anniversary Planning Committee. And what a guest list! This SCAN “Dream Team” included three of the four Executive Directors we’ve had, our current Board President and two former Board Presidents. Kind of makes you want to get involved with our 25th anniversary, huh!?
We’re proud of the many community partnerships we have, but the most important collaborations we make are one-on-one. With volunteers. With donors. With the community members we serve. If you’re not already involved, we’d love for YOU to be one of the new personal connections we make in 2013. Please contact us or comment below for more info!