FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 15, 2023
Campagna Center Announces Forward Together Capital Campaign
Fundraising effort to expand essential programs and renovate South Washington Street Building
Alexandria, VA – Campagna Center, Alexandria’s leading nonprofit organization focusing on educational and social development services for children and families, is proud to announce its Forward Together capital campaign, a $6.7 million fundraising effort aimed at expanding programs and ensuring its headquarters building supports the quality of services the community deserves. Thanks to the generosity of early supporters, Campagna Center has raised more than $5.7 million in advance of the public launch. The Campagna Center is now asking for the community’s help to raise the remaining $1 million.
Campagna Center serves over 2,000 children and families each year from cradle to career:
Early Childhood: Early Head Start, Alexandria Head Start and Early Learning Center provide high-quality early childhood education and support to children from birth to five.
Elementary School: Wright to Read supports relationships between students and adult Tutor-Mentors who help them build their literacy skills and develop a lifelong love of reading; Campagna Kids provides affordable, enriching activities and learning opportunities for school-aged kids like homework help, spring and summer break camps, and before and after school care.
Middle and High School: Building Better Futures provides students with college and career readiness with the supports they need to succeed in school and beyond.
Adults: New Neighbors is an English-language learning program that offers language classes and services for refugees and immigrants new to Alexandria.
For more than three decades, the Campagna Center has served the Alexandria community well from its location at 418 S. Washington Street. In recent years, program space limitations within the aging headquarters building have impeded the organization’s ability to deliver upon and expand its mission to serve Alexandria children and families prompting the launch of the Forward Together capital campaign.
Forward Together addresses the increasing demand for Campagna Center’s educational and social development programs which equip young children with crucial skills, place school-age children on a path to becoming productive adults, and support and empower families. “The Campagna Center is a bright light in helping babies and young children, high school students, and new immigrants,” said Janice Abraham, Campagna Center Board Chair. “The dedicated and talented staff and volunteers serve thousands in our community.”
The Forward Together campaign funds will cover essential capital improvements, provide programmatic support, and establish an endowment to safeguard the Campagna Center’s long-standing success and secure its sustainability for the future.
“Campagna Center has offered critical education and support services to Alexandrians for more than 75 years. Through the renovation of our space, we will be able to more effectively deliver our programs in a new, enhanced learning environment with dignity and respect for all served,” said President and CEO, Tammy L. Mann, PhD. “Now is the time. We are resolute in our determination to expand our impact to ensure a brighter future for children and families across our great city.”
Renovations are currently underway at Campagna Center’s headquarters on South Washington Street to create dynamic new program space. The additional classroom spaces will be used across the organization’s programs, with better equipped workspaces improving the Center’s ability to attract and retain staff and volunteers. Most importantly, the renovation will bring Campagna Center’s core programs under one roof for the first time in the organization’s history. Campagna Center’s programs are currently being run out of a temporary building while construction continues. Renovations are scheduled to be complete by September 2023.
“An investment in Forward Together is an investment in the future of Alexandria’s children and families.” said Walter Lukens and Alden Philbrick, Forward Together Campaign Co-Chairs and Former Campagna Center Board Chairs. “There is a growing need for Campagna Center’s vital programs and services, like Building Better Futures and New Neighbors. We ask you to consider donating to this important effort to support the children and families who need us for generations to come.”
To learn more about Campagna Center and the Forward Together campaign, please visit campagnacenter.org/forward-together or contact Kathryn Duval, Chief Development Officer, at 703.224.2395 or kduval@campagnacenter.org.
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ABOUT CAMPAGNA CENTER
Campagna Center, Alexandria’s leading not-for-profit organization, equips children and families with a comprehensive set of tools they need to thrive. The mission of Campagna Center is to deliver exceptional educational and social development programs for children, teens, and adults. Since 1945, Campagna Center has served the community by offering a range of programs that foster a dedication to learning to over 2,000 children and families on a daily basis. campagnacenter.org
