Other VOP Programs

The Virginia Organizing Project has entered into a Joint Plan of Work with a wide variety of organizations in the following areas: Environment, Human Rights, Transportation and Community Support. Information on each of the programs, plus contact information, follows.

Adopt a Soldier

Adopt a Soldier is dedicated to helping those who desire to support the wounded, injured, and ill troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital. For more information, visit http://adoptasoldier.bigjohnmiska.com.

Advancing Green Chemistry

The mission of Advancing Green Chemistry is to advance green chemistry and support green chemistry advocates. For more information, visit www.advancinggreenchemistry.com

Blue Ridge Radio Project

The mission of the Blue Ridge Radio Project is to create and run one or more radio stations in the Central Virginia area that are accessible and responsive to the community. For more information, visit www.blueridgeradio.org.

Camping for All

Camping for All’s mission is to increase camping opportunities for people with special needs. For more information, contact Deborah Shapiro at camping4all@earthlink.net.

Childhood Obesity Task Force

The Childhood Obesity Task Force creates a supportive community that fosters healthy weight and overall fitness for children and their families. For more information, contact Barbara Yager at 434-996-5520.

Community Bikes

The Community Bikes program works with disadvantaged youth and low-income adults to provide youth mentorship as well as an open bike shop that provides free or low-cost bicycles as a method of alternative transportation. For more information, visit www.cvillecommunitybikes.org.

Community Organizing Writing Project

The Community Organizing Writing Project encourages community organizers to write about their experiences. For more information, contact Joe Szakos at 434-984-4655 ext 222.

Earth Week Charlottesville

Earth Week Charlottesville is the central coordinating organization for this area’s Earth Day efforts, planning and promoting community events and activities that have an environmental focus. For more information, visit www.earthweek.org.

EMS/Science Communications Network

EMS/Science Communications Network is dedicated to encouraging environmental public health scientists and medical practitioners to contribute to public discussion about their work through the media and thereby elevate the quality and quantity of environmental health reporting. For more information, visit http://www.sciencecommunicationnetwork.org/.

Environmental Health Sciences

Environmental Health Sciences is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2002 to help increase public understanding of emerging scientific links between environmental exposures and human health. For more information, visit www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org or www.OurStolenFuture.org.

Families and Allies of Virginia's Youth

Families and Allies of Virginia's Youth is a statewide family-driven organization that engages youth and families of all races, ethnicities and economic status to empower and support families and young people who encounter the juvenile justice system, and to push to transform that system into one that is fair and effective, that engages families, and that appropriately serves young people in settings near their home communities. For more information, contact Liane Rozzell at 703-338-3289.

First Street Church Project

The First Street Church Project is developing a multi-tenant community facility in downtown Charlottesville that will include a day shelter for the homeless, a resource center for people in need, a community kitchen and a multi-purpose arts and events space. For more information, contact Chip Staples at 434-989-3995.

Food Not Bombs

Food Not Bombs exists to feed the hungry from bountiful excess and challenge war as the fuel of poverty. For more information, contact Brian Buckley at 434-296-3963.

Foothills Child Advocacy Center

Foothills Child Advocacy Center provides a system where intervention and prosecution in cases of child abuse/neglect and victimization are well-coordinated and effective in a child and family-friendly environment which is as non-traumatic to children as possible and which contributes to prevention of child victimization and the safety of all children.

Gulf Coast Bookmobile Project

The Gulf Coast Bookmobile Project seeks to aid people affected by the hurricanes of 2005 by providing them with cultural resources for education and entertainment, and with communication and information services.

Help Winneba Read

Help Winneba Read is working to build a library and computer center in Winneba, Ghana. For more information, contact Nana Ghartey at 434-296-0083.

Interfaith Gay/Straight Alliance

The Interfaith Gay/Straight Alliance is a collaboration of people of faith that works for full civil rights for lesbian, gay, transgender and queer persons and their families. For more information, go to www.interfaithgsa.org.

Piedmont Sustainable Woods

Piedmont Sustainable Woods' mission is to promote good forestry practices in Central Virginia and find more valuable uses for trees being extracted by arborists and developers. For more information, contact Eric Gilchrist at 434-977-0934.

Public Housing Association of Residents

The Public Housing Association of Resident's mission is to empower low-income residents to protect and improve our own communities through collective action. For more information, contact pharnurse@hotmail.com

Quinn Dam Project

This project worked to remove the privately-owned dam on the Tye River just downstream of the Amherst-Nelson County line. For more information, contact, Jason Halbert at 434-220-0083.

RAIL Solution

RAIL Solution works to promote appropriate transportation improvements and safety in the I-81 corridor and to the Virginia rail service. For more information, visit www.railsolution.org.

Richmond Tenants Organization

The Richmond Tenants Organization works to promote and further the legal, social and economic rights of residents in public housing developments.

Rooms for a Reason

Rooms for a Reason works to help create a soothing atmosphere for people dealing with cancer. For more information, contact Kathy Dahlstrom at 434-977-0283.

SHEA Collaborative

The purpose of the SHEA Collaborative is to encourage the development of events and programs that engage underserved communities in the Charlottesville area and to promote innovative collaboration in Charlottesville among groups, organizations and individuals active in the areas of Service, Humanities, Education and the Arts by funding proposals for specific events and programs. For more information, contact Joan Fenton at 434-979-8110.

Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards

The mission of Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards is to stop the destruction of our communities by irresponsible surface coal mining, to improve the quality of life in our area, and to help rebuild sustainable communities. For more information, visit http://www.samsva.org/.

The Bridge/Progressive Arts Initiative

The Bridge is a Charlottesville-based initiative which aims to strengthen and enrich our community through collaborative interaction in the arts. For more information, visit www.thebridgepai.com.

The Clinch Coalition

The Clinch Coalition works to provide protection and preservation of local forests, wildlife and watersheds of the Clinch Ranger District of the Jefferson Nation Forest and surrounding areas. For more information, visit www.clinchcoalition.net.

The People United

The primary focus of The People United is to build and strengthen connection between diverse activist groups. For more information, contact Jeff Winder at 434-361-0243.

Virginia Forest Watch

The Virginia Forest Watch promotes the use of Sustainable Forestry methods on both public and private lands to reduce the amount of destruction to our environment that result in habitat loss, reduction of water resources and the threat of flooding. For more information, visit www.virginiaforestwatch.org.

Virginians for Alternatives for the Death Penalty

Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty is a statewide citizens’ organization dedicated to educating the public about alternatives to the death penalty. For more information, visit www.vadp.org.

Westhaven Afterschool Program

The Westhaven Afterschool Program provides after-school activities for students in grades pre-K through 12 at the Westhaven site in Charlottesville. For more information, contact Harold Folley at 434-984-4655 ext 231.

Westhaven Clinic Coalition

Westhaven Clinic Coalition addresses the health and resource disparities prevalent in the low-income Westhaven neighborhood by providing residents with health assessment and referral services, outreach and wellness programs, individual support/counseling, advocacy, nutritional education, enrichment activities for seniors and youth and more. For more information, contact whclinic@juno.com.

Wild Virginia

Wild Virginia works to protect the George Washington National Forest. For more information, visit www.wildvirginia.org.