Social4Good Celebrates 5 Years of Doing Good
By SHARON GRACE
Photos by EMILY BISHOP
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
Desmond Tuto
Social4Good (S4G) has put Desmond Tuto’s statement into action for the past five years and recently paused to celebrate its accomplishments. The gathering took place November 15 on National Philanthropy Day which recognizes the importance of charitable activities in the form of donated financial, in-kind, and volunteering support.
More than 75 members, nonprofit partners, sponsors and guests gathered together at The Mather in Tysons. Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert and Ronell Chatmon, Community Engagement Representative Office of Congressman Gerald E. Connolly, VA-11 commended the local impact of the organization. Since August 2019, S4G has supported 40 Northern Virginia nonprofits with in-kind and financial support totaling nearly $210,000 and untold hours dedicated to supporting the needs of children, women, and families.
The group heard from representatives from its two critical mission projects – Fairfax Diapers and BRAWS (Bringing Resources to Aid Women’s Shelters). The evening provided for networking and discussion of future collaboration. Amy Wilker, Director, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program, Stop Child Abuse Network (SCAN), noted, “This was also a great opportunity to connect with the directors from the other non-profit organizations to exchange information and ideas on how we can all partner to serve our community and learn more about resources to bring back to SCAN.”
In addition, the attendees heard about S4G’s November project, the Nighthawk Nest Food Pantry at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC). The goal of the pantry is to provide easy on campus access to free food and personal care products for students, faculty and staff. Working with NVCC, S4G developed an Amazon Wish List of much needed items. The result was daily deliveries with over 220 items, valued at more than $3,500 which were distributed to the six NVCC pantries.
“It’s like Christmas every day at the Nighthawk Nest,” said La’ Tonia M. White, M.A., Director Financial Stability and Advocacy, NOVA Community College. Ms. White explained how gifts of items like diapers and feminine care products are very helpful because they take a lot out of the students and their families’ budget. Students can lose focus when they are worried about feeding themselves and their families and are more likely to drop out. The donations to the pantry help them continue to work toward their goals.
S4G’s founder Faith Boettger reflected on the progress the group has made: “Over the past five years, we’ve gained a deeper understanding of what was not right in our community and worked together to do something about it. We learned to support what nonprofits say they and their clients need – and use that model every single month to make a difference. The industry calls it Trust Based Philanthropy and from the stories our nonprofit partners tell us, we know it works!”
The celebration was made possible with support from Event Sponsor – FlexProfessionals; Space Sponsor – The Mather; Impact Sponsors – PBMares Wealth Management and Jodi Bentley and Katie Hunter, COMPASS; Food and Wine Sponsors – Social Burger, The Wine Outlet, and Together We Bake, as well contributions from S4G’s project and leadership teams.
S4G is an all-volunteer, grassroots organization that brings together engaged women who want to meet new people and support the organizations that make our community strong. Each month, this column will highlight S4G’s monthly project to raise awareness on critical needs in our community and local nonprofits making a difference.
To learn more about S4G or to donate to support local nonprofits, visit www.Social4Good.community.
