ParentingMobile Receives Support from Community and Statewide Organizations

Children, Youth & Family Services (CYFS) is pleased to announce the debut of their new ParentingMobile. This fully-equipped mobile classroom visits low- income neighborhoods on a weekly basis to offer accessible, family-friendly advice and parenting information, early childhood playgroups and family consultations.

Initial funding of $35,000 from The Perry Foundation launched the initiative in the spring of 2007. Local businesses including VMDO Architects, Crutchfield, High Tech Signs, All Things Computer and NorVic Construction , as well as CATEC, the County of Albemarle and Crozet United Methodist Church all came forward to design and equip this innovative vehicle.

Last week, the Virginia Department of Social Services, through its Virginia Healthy Marriage and Stable Families Initiative and the Bama Works Fund of Dave Matthews Band in CACF made gifts of $22,500 and $6,500 respectively, allowing for a substantial increase in the number of neighborhoods and families served.

Every day, parents in Charlottesville and Albemarle County are faced with challenges in their efforts to raise their children. For many, poverty and poor housing conditions exacerbate already difficult family relationships. Children, Youth & Family Services has long offered parenting classes, consultations and workshops to families, regardless of income, in an effort to reduce family stress, help parents meet their children's needs in positive ways, and prevent crises before they arise.

The ParentingMobile reaches these families where they live every week to offer guidance and support as they work to give their children the best possible start. CYFS is one of the oldest nonprofits in Charlottesville. For 86 years CYFS has been working to help kids increase their chances for a successful future by focusing its efforts on the prevention of problems. CYFS starts as early as possible and its programs meet kids and families where they are - in their homes, schools, communities, and even on the streets.

For more information, visit their website at www.cyfs.org.

CATEC is Recipient of $2,500 Timberland Grant Through SkillsUSA

As part of SkillsUSA's $2,500 Timberland grant opportunity, the Culinary Arts class submitted a community service project titled "One year of Blessing, Caring, and Thanksgiving to people in need, a commitment that never ends."

The class project began in November 2007, and will be completed in December 2008. The first objective is to fully engage 28 CATEC Culinary Arts I and II students in Community Based Service Learning by providing quality food, quality service, and exposing students to real life situations involving people in need. This provides opportunities that involve various competencies, hands on learning, student creativity and class teamwork. The second objective is to expose the community to the many talents and gifts that our students possess.

With 950 projected community service hours dedicated to this year long project, the Culinary Arts program is the recipient of the $2,500 grant under the Highest Impact/Involvement category.

To see more log on to www.catec.org.

CATEC is Recipient of $2,500 Timberland Grant Through SkillsUSA

As part of SkillsUSA's $2,500 Timberland grant opportunity, the Culinary Arts class submitted a community service project titled "One year of Blessing, Caring, and Thanksgiving to people in need, a commitment that never ends."

The class project began in November 2007, and will be completed in December 2008. The first objective is to fully engage 28 CATEC Culinary Arts I and II students in Community Based Service Learning by providing quality food, quality service, and exposing students to real life situations involving people in need. This provides opportunities that involve various competencies, hands on learning, student creativity and class teamwork. The second objective is to expose the community to the many talents and gifts that our students possess.

With 950 projected community service hours dedicated to this year long project, the Culinary Arts program is the recipient of the $2,500 grant under the Highest Impact/Involvement category.

To see more log on to www.catec.org.

Miller Center Awards Elizabeth Scott Award for Leadership to Dr. Milton T. Edgerton and Patricia Jones Edgerton

The University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs proudly honors Dr. Milton T. Edgerton and Patricia Jones Edgerton with the Miller Center Foundation's Elizabeth Scott Award for Exemplary Leadership, for their years of dedication to the Center and the Charlottesville community.

The ceremony took place on Thursday, December 6, in the Miller Center's Newman Pavilion. Through the award, the Miller Center Foundation acknowledges dedicated volunteers who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to the Center in a leadership capacity, and to the community at large, without expectation of recognition.

"The Elizabeth Scott Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Miller Center Foundation," said Joseph Taylor, executive director of the Miller Center Foundation. "For the award committee to select Milt and Pat Edgerton by unanimous acclimation speaks volumes about all they've given back to the Miller Center and the community."

Dr. Milton T. Edgerton is a highly regarded reconstructive and hand surgeon and is professor emeritus of plastic surgery at the U.Va. Medical Center. He served two consecutive terms on the Miller Center Governing Council and Miller Center Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. Edgerton has also been a strong proponent for the establishment of a School of Public Service at U.Va. and played a key role on the Miller Center's Donilon Committee on Public Service Education. He also served as the president of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons and was founder of the U.S. Plastic Surgery Research Council. He is currently a member of the Jefferson Area Board of Aging (JABA) Board. Patricia Jones Edgerton is the former president of the Board of Trustees of the W. Alton Jones Foundation.

The Foundation was best known for its support of environmental causes and anti-nuclear proliferation groups. She is also founder and trustee emeritus of the Blue Moon Fund, a Charlottesville-based foundation that focuses on improving the human condition by changing the relationship between human consumption and the natural world.

Mrs. Edgerton has also served on the boards of the Walters Art Gallery and Peabody Institute in Baltimore, as well as Worldpaper and the W. Alton Jones Cell Science Center. The Elizabeth Scott Award was established in 2003 to recognize and honor individuals who have exhibited extraordinary leadership, loyalty, generosity, and support of the Miller Center.

The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a leading nonpartisan public policy institution aimed at bringing together engaged citizens, scholars, members of the media, and government officials to focus on issues of national importance to the governance of the United States, with a special interest in the American presidency. The Miller Center Foundation is the supporting arm of the Miller Center of Public Affairs.

albemarle Magazine Received Two IRMA Awards

albemarle magazine is pleased to announce that the publication won two highly coveted awards at the 2007 Annual International Regional Magazine Association Conference.

IRMA hosted the annual competition- now in its twenty-seventh year-in conjunction with Oklahoma Today magazine in Lone Wolf, Oklahoma. Over forty member magazines from around the world submitted entries to this year's competition to be considered for editorial and design awards. An independent panel of experts with no affiliation to IRMA were selected by the association's Board of Directors and Executive Director to judge submissions.

IRMA presented albemarle with two awards. The magazine won gold for Single Photograph, Pine Knot: Roosevelt's Retreat. The piece was photographed by Charlottesville photographer Phillip Beaurline and featured in the October-November 2006 issue of the magazine. The extraordinary photograph was published in conjunction with an editorial feature written by contributing editor John Kelly. Competition for this category was particularly high, with fifteen entries from other magazines in contention for recognition. The silver award in this award category was presented to Arizona Highways, and the bronze medal was awarded to Oklahoma Today.

albemarle magazine also received an award of merit in the Overall Art Direction category. albemarle is pleased to bring this award home to Jefferson's Virginia. This award is not just ours, but a reflection of our community - the people, places, and events - that albemarle is so proud to represent. We look forward to delivering an award-winning magazine.

"Given the extraordinary level of quality among this group of magazines, receiving two awards is truly an honor," says Alison Dickie, publisher of albemarle. "This is an incredibly gratifying and exciting time for us as we begin our 20th anniversary year."

Draper Aden Associates Announces Managerial Changes

Draper Aden Associates is pleased to announce two managerial changes. Glenn Custis, P.E. will become a Principal Consultant and Julia W. Skare, P.E. has been promoted to Site Planning and Engineering Team Leader in the Charlottesville office.

With over 36 years of engineering experience, Glenn will split his time between the Charlottesville and Richmond offices. He will be responsible for assuring quality control on key projects in Richmond and provide third party reviews for the site planning and engineering teams for Charlottesville and the Hampton Roads office. Glenn holds an M.S. and B.S. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech.

Julia is a Professional Engineer in Virginia and Texas and has 25 years of engineering experience. Her experience includes all phases of design, site selection and plan preparation, construction management, administration and review. She received her B.S. in Civil Engineering from Penn State and her M.B.A. from the University of Dallas at Irving.

Draper Aden Associates, founded in 1972, is a comprehensive engineering, environmental and surveying firm with offices in Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Hampton Roads, and Richmond, VA.

For more information about our firm please visit our web site at www.daa.com.

The Engineering Groupe, Inc. Announces New Director of Surveying

John S. "Skip" Groupe, IV, President of The Engineering Groupe, Inc. of Woodbridge, is pleased to announce that Brad Pace has joined The Engineering Groupe, Inc. as Director of Surveying in our Piedmont Branch Office located in Charlottesville, VA.

Pace brings with him over 18 years of experience in surveying and will be responsible for overseeing all survey functions in our Charlottesville office. He has played a key role in many survey and engineering projects in the Charlottesville area, such as Melbourne Park, SunTrust Bank, Cardinal Point Subdivision, Charlottesville Airport, and Henrico Fire Department, to name a few.

His extensive knowledge of the Charlottesville area and his experience are expected to be a great asset to the Engineering Groupe team.

Pace lives in Scottsville with his wife, Stephanie, and daughter, Kristen.

The Engineering Groupe, Inc. is a 17 year old civil engineering company, headquartered in Woodbridge, VA, with full service branches in Fredericksburg, Leesburg, Charlottesville and Alexandria. The Firm provides civil engineering, planning and surveying services to state, county and municipal agencies, as well as homebuilders, commercial developers, public utility companies and water resource managers throughout Northern Virginia.

JILL's Changing

Many of you know of JILL, the Jefferson Institute for Lifelong Learning, a non-profit program working in association with the University of Virginia to provide a smorgasbord of invigorating short courses to seasoned adults in Albemarle County.

Recently the program was honored to receive a sizeable grant from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Foundation of San Francisco, an organization created in 1977 to improve the quality of life through support for higher education and the arts. As a result of the grant and to comply with the Foundation's requirements JILL has now become OLLI at UVa, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Virginia.

OLLI at UVa will join the current network of more than 115 prestigious lifelong learning institutes throughout the nation to continue to demonstrate that education is a process of discovery that continues over one's entire lifespan. James McGrath, the President of OLLI, views Osher's grants over the next several years as a significant source of funding.

They will enable OLLI to continue its current inexpensive curriculum, provide fiscal backing to improve the program's already intellectually-stimulating array of courses, increase public awareness of OLLI's offerings and expand the program's membership.

For additional information about OLLI and its curriculum, programs and events, please call (434) 923- 3600 or visit OLLI's website at www.olliuva.org.