PWCCF President Dr. Vanessa Gattis prepares for another year of PWC Gives!

One of the pre-eminent charitable organizations within Prince William County is giving a platform for the community to give back to help those in need.

Prince William County Community Foundation founder and president Dr. Vanessa Gattis spoke with the PW Perspective about the success of last year’s PWC Gives!, a county-wide, 24-hour online fundraising event designed to promote charitable giving in and throughout Prince William County. The goal is to bring the county’s nonprofit organizations together in a day of unified fundraising to bring resources to our organizations. Nonprofits will use the funds they raise through PWC Gives! to increase the impact they are making in our community.

“We are really excited about the opportunity to have this again, because it’s going to benefit so many people,” said Gattis, who was honored as the Grand Marshall at the Dale City 4th of July Parade. “Last year we raised more than $40,000 in giving, and it helped nonprofit organizations to continue functioning.”

In preparation for this year’s event, which will take place from September 1-2, PWCCF distributed thousands of save the date mailings throughout the county and will have special items to give out to participants as well. “We have over $11,000 in prizes we have obtained, and are looking forward to having the great citizens of Prince William County be a part of this.”

Similar to last year, there are several organizations that have signed up, 15 to this point. Although the current economic climate has made it a challenge for some to take part, Gattis understands why that is. “There’s a lot of competition between the organizations as they are trying to meet year-end goals,” she said, “and because of inflation, we realize that some may not give as much as they did before.”

However, she believes that PWC Gives! will capitalize on last year’s success is because of the importance that nonprofits have on a local level. “We want people to know that nonprofits are the backbone of our community! The services they provide are critical to those in need, and we want to support them as much as possible.”

Another reason is that through this event, it will continue to serve as an opportunity to build the local economy. “Through the efforts of these organizations, we get to keep the services where we live going, and it’s important that we spend our dollars in Prince William County.”

Recently, she took a trip to Tanzania, and reflected on what she learned during her excursion. “It helped me to understand that their NGO’s (Non-government organizations) provide a great need with school supplies and food resources. The things that they need overseas are similar to what we need here, and whether it was the Back To School Giveaway, or the upcoming Health Expo, our goal is to be of service whenever possible.”

The Health Expo will be taking place on Saturday, October 8 at the Dale City Boys and Girls Club. They are still looking for vendors, as the plan is to host approximately 60 for the day.

In addition, their C.H.O.W. (Combat Hunger on Wheels) Wagon will be at the Dale City Commuter Lot, 14050 Genimi Way, today starting at 2:00pm.