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 provides support for returning hospitalized soldiers and veterans. For more information, contact John Miska at adoptsoldier@ntelos.net or visit www.adoptasoldier.us.

African American Teaching Fellows

The African American Teaching Fellows’ mission is to increase the number of African-American teachers in the Charlottesville and Albemarle County school systems. For more information, contact Leslie Harris-Scott at aateachingfellows@hotmail.com or visit www.aateachingfellows.org.

Better than TV

Better than Television provides community space and activities that promote empowerment and development of progressive alternatives. For more information, contact Jennifer Connor at jeanrhys@hotmail.com.

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.

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, contact Alexis Zeigler at alexis@bnsi.net or 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 szakos@ntelos.net.

COMPASS Day Haven

COMPASS Day Haven is working to establish a day center for the homeless in Charlottesville. For more information, contact Jim Barns at jbarns@jmrl.org or Erik Speer at erikspeer@yahoo.com.

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, contact Tatyanna Patten at tpatten@earthweek.org or visit www.earthweek.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, contact Pete Myers at jpmyers@ehsic.org or visit www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org or www.OurStolenFuture.org.

Foothills Child Advocacy Center

Foothills Child Advocacy Center will provide a system where intevention 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. For more information, contact Gretchen Ellis at gellis@albemarle.org.

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. For more information, contact Adam Rogers at adrogersam@yahoo.com.

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 NGharteyk@adelphia.net.

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, contact Millie Fife at igsa@virginia.edu.

Quinn Dam Project

This project works 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 jhalbert@wildvirginia.org.

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, contact David Foster at dfoster342@aol.com or visit www.railsolution.org.

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 cervivr1@earthlink.net.

Richmond Tenants Organization

The Richmond Tenants Organization works to promote and further the legal, social and economic rights of residents in public housing developments. For more information, contact Pat Lavelle at pat@justice4all.org.

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, contact Steve Brooks at shbrooks@mounet.com or 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 info@thepeopleunited.org.

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, contact Steve Brooks at vafw@mounet.com or 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, contact Jack Payden-Travers at office@vadp.org or 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 pharharold@hotmail.com.

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 Dave Norris at cvilledave@hotmail.com.

Wild Virginia

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