• Battera Revitalization
• New Technical School
  
• Harvest Fest
  
• Government Employees
  

Corner Dump

Donate your car or truck - We are especially in need of a running truck with a trailor hitch to transport construction supplies and equipment to and from the work site.

Send us you empty ink and toner cartridges - By letting us recycle your used-up printer cartridges, you get the added bonus of supporting Pathways and protecting the environment at the same time!

Office/Cleaning Supplies

At Pathways we are always looking for ways in which we can better serve the Petersburg community.  In that spirit, this fall we have opened the doors of our new Technical School.  Formerly, our education programs catered only to Petersburg youth 16-24 years of age.  However, a neglected population of individuals exist whose needs were not being met by any of our services. Our technical school helps serve community needs by providing job training opportunities for adults of any age.  Our technical school reaches out to older individuals laid-off in this economy who are looking to retool with a new skill to become more competitive in the job market. Some students have recently graduated from High School knowing that learning a trade increases job opportunities and helps them differentiate themselves amongst their peers.
 
The Technical School has begun with two major program offerings: data cabling and weatherization.  Students commit to a 14 week program and choose to specialize in data cabling installation or weatherization.  Regardless of their choice in training, all students work towards certifications in OSHA, First Aid & CPR, and as a Customer Service Specialist.  As a Certified Data Cable Installer, students are certified to join a promising IT field where they will have the knowledge to install cabling for phone, internet, and cable systems.  Students joining the weatherization track will be trained in new and emerging green building materials and techniques, while gaining the technical skills that allow them to improve the energy efficiency of today's residential homes. With 14 students currently enrolled the program is off to a fantastic start and looks to have a promising future.

State and Federal Employees

Did you know that Pathways is a member of the Combined Federal Campaign and the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign?  These are designated giving programs for federal and Virginia state employees, respectively.

If you are a government employee, please consider a gift to Pathways through one of these programs.

Federal: CFC# 69207            

Virginia: CVC# 3379

New Inititative to Revitalize Battersea

Petersburg’s historic Battersea neighborhood will be the focus of a new revitalization project of the Virginia Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).  The program will rely heavily on community engagement and quality of life planning to improve the health and sustainability of Battersea.

This comprehensive, neighborhood-driven approach brings together strategies for the development of both “places and people” concentrated in specific neighborhoods.  Resident leaders and community stakeholders will create and implement a quality of life plan that will, over time, help transform Battersea into a community of choice and opportunity where families can happily live, work and raise their children. 

LISC will provide Pathways with a two-year grant to administer the multi-year program, which plans to expand capital investment in the area while building family income, improving educational access and developing a healthier living environment.  Pathways was selected by a committee that included local residents, churches and non-profits that provide services to or reside in the Battersea neighborhood.  The organization was chosen from among a number of non-profit applicants because of its strong history of providing comprehensive, community-based services to the Battersea neighborhood for more than 14 years. “We will be looking to area partners to help implement small projects in the coming months and larger efforts over the next few years that will continue to improve the quality of life in Battersea,” said Dwala Ferrell, Executive Director of Pathways.

Greta Harris, LISC Program Vice President says “LISC is a national organization with a community focus.  In collaboration with community development organizations, LISC helps to support neighborhood priorities and opportunities with a variety of human, financial and technical resources.  We are delighted to launch this proven rebuilding strategy in Central Virginia within the Battersea community.”

Last Thursday, Pathways hosted over 300 people for our biggest Harvest Fest ever. Besides food and fellowship, our guests were able to get a free flu shot and take part in a community survey on housing in Petersburg. Veronica Jemmot of LISC capped off the evening with the official kick-off of a new Battersea project (see article above).

In addition to area residents, we enjoyed the presence of our partners: Studio Ammons, VCU, Morning Star Baptist Church, ReBuilding Together, CARES, Petersburg Public Schools, LISC, Southside Training Center, and the Petersburg Islamic Center.

A special thank you to our staff, board, and volunteers, who went the extra mile to pull off another marvelous event.

Our YouthBuild students deserve the highest praise for their efforts. They cooked, cleaned before and after, set-up, took down, greeted, served and made things happen with wonderful attitudes and real ownership.

YouthBuild student chops potatoes harvested from our rooftop garden