Great School, great teachers and my kids learn lots. The school is nice and they have a great…read morechurch. I would recommend.

I had the opportunity to volunteer with Redwood with my coworkers. We worked with the adults with…read moredisabilities. They have activities and workshops - including jobs provided by the community- they can work to earn a paycheck. I loved that it seemed like its own little community. Everyone in the program knew each other, and they had a lot of fun. The disabilities ranged from minor to more severe, but everyone worked together and looked out for each other. I don't think I stopped smiling the entire time I was there. We didn't work with the kids, but they actually have a daycare, for children both with and without disabilities. There didn't seem to be a lot of kids there, which I liked, because all the kids seemed to be getting attention. I have to add that the building is very deceptive. It looks kind of small on the outside but it's actually huge once you get inside, with multiple floors. I really like the idea behind this establishment and I wish there were more facilities like it. If you are looking for a place to volunteer, or know someone with a disability who would like some independence, this would be a great place to start!

What a fabulous daycare location! The staff and teachers are simply wonderful. Handled Covid…read moreprecautions with the utmost care and caution, and handle my son (who is a HANDFUL) with the love and grace that even sometimes I don't have, LOL. No, but really - we love the Alexandria KinderCare family. Thank you for everything!

Crystal Clear has come to the elementary school that I work at for the last several years. We bring…read moreCrystal Clear in to run a science festival for about 550 students. As the teacher who runs the science festival, I work first hand with Crystal Clear. Michelle, the owner and the one who runs the program at the school, is the best! All I had to do was contact Michelle and she took care of everything! She gave me explicit directions on the set up that I needed for the big day and how many volunteers that I needed. Michelle came to the school the afternoon before and set everything up. The day of the science festival she gathers the entire school in one location and gets the kids pumped up with science terminology, experiments, and great rapport! She really gets the kids excited about science and the day they are about to have. She calls kids to the front and gets them involved in the learning. Then each grade comes back for 30-40 minutes to complete science rotations. Each rotation allows the kiddos to get hands on and explore science in a fun way. She keeps things organized by playing a chime to indicate that students need to rotate to the next rotation. At the end of the day, Michelle cleans up her stations. I would recommend this outreach to all as the kiddos not only learned but had a blast!

I was expecting treacly, hippy-dippy Gaia earth mother humbuggery when my youngest daughter asks me…read moreto go on a field trip to the Environmental Education Center at AJ Jolly Park in Campbell County. There was a little of that in the beginning. We were told trees can feel the peeling of their bark just like human's can feel the peeling of skin. But I wrote this off to a very nice way of saying "behave and don't peel the bark off our trees you little buggers!" But then the guides quickly transitioned to science. We learned about the parts of soil and how different soil nourishes plants differently - "Soil, soil, thanks a bunch/Soil, soil for my lunch" was a cute rhyme if possibly a little Gaia-ey.. The kids learned about solar power, and how wetlands clean the water supply. We saw some creepy crawlies. The only compliant would be that it quickly became very evident which of the instructors had children and which didn't - or at least which instructors could relate to children in any meaningful way. Kids are annoying, believe me I'm with you there. But if you're not going to come to them 10% they are not going to come to you the rest of the 90% - and that makes for a long 30 minute solar power presentation.

I've attended several sessions here and have had a blast each time. From making a bird house to…read morecalling in a barred owl with a boom box to learning what types of critters one would see at night. Each time I've been there they have been taught by a very nice young woman. Obviously a lover of nature she breaks down the topics so that kids can get it while making it interesting enough for the adults too. The classes I've attended are free, not sure if there is ever a fee for some of them. Will definitely be back.

i have been involved with numerous NFPs in town, and i can honestly tell you that this one is going…read moreto work wonders. the open house was terrific - hundreds of folks showed up and the vibe was one of hopeful and positive feelings for the community. the space, in the old shop therapy building, is excellent. well-rehabbed and two distinct areas - wordplay itself and the urban legend institute (uli). the uli is wordplay's earned income venture that will help it serve the needs of underprivileged students in underserved schools. i encourage you to swing by wordplay and sign up to volunteer or purchase something cool in the uli.

So far, so good! I've been working remotely via internet and telephone with Ms. Whelan. After…read moreresearching online different avenues for private coaching in the graduate college admissions process, I inquired if Ms. Whelan would help me with my graduate school application and graduate school scholarship essay. Even though Essay Advantage specializes in undergraduate admissions, she agreed to help me out. She is reasonably priced, polite, and knowledgeable. I chose Essay Advantage because of Ms. Whelan's previous experience working both in an admissions office and on an admissions committee. I'm still in the throes of reworking my essays but they have each done a 180 degree turn! I can't imagine where I would be without Ms. Whelan's input. She did more for my essays than the free service offered by a department at my Alma Mater. My application to a Masters of Public Administration program and it's corresponding departmental merit-based scholarship at a major public university are due very soon, so I'll keep you posted on my results. UPDATE: 4/4/2016: I've been accepted into an MPA program currently ranked #11 in the USA and w/ my emphasis ranked as #7 in the USA. Alright! Woo-hoo! I couldn't have done it w/o Essay Advantage! UPDATE: 6/30/2016: Today, I was awarded a Graduate Scholar Award from my university totaling $4,000. I'll get $1K/semester which covers all the miscellaneous fees. Competition was stiff, so I'm pleased with the award.

I live not too far away from Indian Hill Schools and don't always make it a habit to see high…read moreschool shows, but I definitely make sure I check out the shows at Indian Hill high school. For the past three years, I have seen their winter/spring musical--and wow, I have been blown away! Three years ago, they did Phantom of the Opera (with TEENAGERS!), and I am convinced it was up to the same par as a Broadway show. Add on all the cool special effects and the amazing voices, and the overall production quality blew me away! Last year, their theater department put on Les Mis--and wow!! I could not believe this was a cast of young adults. This year, they put on Spamalot. You can tell they have a wonderful backing of parents who are supporting the theater department. I also know some members of the production team, and they are top notch! The time that they put into investing into these teenagers lives while putting on an amazing show is really incredible to see. Thank you for building into the lives of these kids! Currently, they are renovating the high school, but the theater is open. The main entrance to the theater is blocked, but there is an entrance to the right of the auditorium entrance that you can use to reach the auditorium. Do yourself a favor and go support local theater! It is so neat to watch these kids shine doing something they love. It takes so much confidence to get in front of other people, and I am grateful to be able to support them. Kudos to this five-starstar school district!