BELONG!

I've volunteered with Belong! for a couple of years now, and the program is excellent. It has been a gift to watch the kids grow up and help them with everyday challenges. The kids are highly motivated, energetic, and excited to learn.

I've volunteered as a science lead, group lead, and general volunteer, and each role has been well-managed and organized. The impact that Belong! has on everyone involved is truly touching and uplifting, and I hope to continue to volunteer in the future.

I have volunteered with Belong! for a few years and I keep coming back. The kids are so eager to learn and fun to spend time with, and it has been a joy watching them develop as both people and students. The Belong! program does a remarkable job aiding the academic progress of its students through its summer programs and tutoring.

I began as an assistant volunteer for the science class as part of a summer program. In subsequent years, I dove into roles as group leader, science class leader, and helped organize along with Ms. Karen Covell, who masterminds the whole operation. The positive impact Belong! has had on the kids is so apparent, and I hope to continue to come back in future years.

Belong serves local kids with high needs with one on one weekly mentoring sessions. As a mentor, I appreciate how dedicated the small staff is and how much fun it is to work with my student in a regular basis. It’s a great opportunity for me and other volunteers!

The community at Belong! is so incredibly inviting and warm. Belong! is a wonderful program for both the students and the mentors. The students gain the opportunity to learn while having fun, and mentors connect with students and are given the chance to give back to their community. All the students are wonderful, and it is evident how much the volunteers and program directors care. I have gone back every summer and throughout the school year and have loved it every time.

Working as a volunteer at Belong!, an after-school tutoring and mentoring program for children, is incredibly rewarding and impactful. All kids need some type of special, one-on-one help, and this program provides an opportunity for caring high schoolers and adults to provide that help. Under the direction and inspired vision of Karen Covell, Belong! and its staff are creative, energetic and committed to the children they serve. The opportunity to work with them on their language and math skills also pays real dividends for each child and for our society as a whole. Watching and encouraging them as they grow in confidence and mastery is incredibly satisfying way to express your hope in our future.

Belong strives to live up to its name -- and that is to make children from immigrant families feel like they are fully embraced by their community. Reading is a crucial skill that affects a child's success in all subjects, and Belong attempts to enhance the reading ability of the students in the program. It provides a caring and nurturing environment where the children can grow and eventually have a greater chance to reach their full potential.

It’s great to see the kids learn and grow! Many of the children served are ESOL students and behind in grade. They soak up the help of working with an adult who’s not their parent or teacher like a sponge. Very much needed work in the Title 1 schools.

I've volunteered with Belong! for a little less than a year and a half and I've really loved working with everyone. I'm a high school student and I really liked working with the elementary level students because it gives me a sense of accomplishment to know that the next generations have access to the help they need to succeed.

I’ve worked with kids through other organizations, but Belong has been the most impactful by far. They are so detailed and thoughtful with the activities they plan and the mentees they match us up with, and there is no limit to both the resources and kindness that Belong provides to kids. While I’ve only been a mentor for a couple of years, I can say that I’ve grown so much mentally and emotionally and it’s truly a delight to see my mentee grow and thrive as well.

Extremely well run mentoring of young, disadvantaged children in the Vienna/Tysons area. Belong commits to carefully match mentors with students, train all volunteers, provide all needed mentoring resources, supervise all mentoring, and maintain friendly, professional relationships with students, families, and mentors.
Volunteering is fun, safe, and meaningful!

A wonderful organization impacting lives one at a time right here in our community. It has been my pleasure to volunteer with Belong weekly the past two school years and I will continue this year.

Belong! Without a doubt, a program that helps and that not only guides you, but also supports you at every step. I love the special bond they have with families and children. I think this is very essential in every community.

Serving at Belong! was a wonderful experience. The organization does truly meaningful and impactful work. I had the chance to work with and teach a group of 12 sixth- and seventh-grade students at the Belong! Academic Enrichment Summer Program for four weeks. It was amazing to help them grow in their abilities and confidence, from reading and writing in English to solving math problems to performing an improvised play to learning a new game at recess. The other volunteers and staff were always incredibly kind and helpful. Overall, the experience was extremely positive and fun, and I would highly recommend Belong!

Belong! is a Vienna VA based organization that provides many services to those in need in the community. They provide after school mentoring and tutoring for students, personalized for their individual needs, which promotes and reinforces their own skills. Belong! provides scholarships for students from low income families that help them to receive a higher than high school education. Belong! has also opened opportunities for their volunteers to enrich their own lives through the many ways we can serve this very deserving organization.

Having the privilege of being a founding Board Member of Belong, I've been amazed to see the impact of the simple concept of loving your neighbors on our community. As the organization has grown and we have refined our vision and mission, Belong is poised to expand services that will provide long term benefit to those who are underserved in the community. Our reputation is growing in the community as an organization that provides substantive services to our families. As with other efforts where volunteers are asked to help others, it's not a surprise to find that the volunteers often are as transformed as the recipients of the services. I look forward to a bright future for Belong! as we continue to mature and expand our reach to the vulnerable and underserved in the Northern Virginia area.

Belong in an up-and-coming 5-year-old nonprofit that is rapidly developing into a premier youth mentoring resource in Northern Virginia. Its leaders recently developed an innovative, evidenced-based Theory of Change based on the transformative power of mentoring relationships of all kinds to uplift students' academic and social/emotional learning progress.

Belong is a great organization that helps kids very effectively that need assistance that they don't get at home. This is done through tutoring that is specific to each child and also an after school Lego program where the kids got to do some Lego programming too. I highly recommend this well-run and extremely helpful nonprofit.

This is a great non profit organization in the Vienna VA community that does an excellent job of seeking out the underserved elementary school children for special targeted after school tutoring. Specializing in math, reading and technical skills, the children who attend regularly get remedial work on these important topics. As an admin staff volunteer and substitute tutor, I can see first hand how well the organization is positioned to deliver this badly needed assistance.

As a volunteer tutor and monthly financial supporter, I've seen, first-hand, the difference that Belong! is making in the lives of students in this community. The faithful, caring volunteers at Belong! truly connect with the students who participate in after school tutoring programs. Some relationships have been forged over years. The resources that are shared with students and the encouragement that kids receive is truly changing the trajectory of their lives. Most students are immigrants themselves or first generation Americans and some of them are beginning to consider college for the first time. Belong! is opening educational doors that have traditionally been closed to lower-income families. Keep doing what you're doing Belong! Team!!

I loved volunteering with Belong! The leaders of the organization created a warm environment that tutors and students thrived in. It was amazing how much each student grew over the course of a few months with Belong. Not only did they become more proficient in math and reading, they also became more confident and self-assured. It was also nice to see each student rewarded at the end of the year for their hard work in the mini awards ceremony.

Belong! coordinates among community volunteers, parents of underserved students and school resources to support education in Vienna, VA. It is truly a faith-based organization that seeks to demonstrate God’s love in action. As a volunteer, I have the opportunity to interact with children that express joy in interactions among themselves and with community members who provide tutoring, snacks, listening ears and other support. It is rewarding to see smiling faces and to witness the "aha!" moments of children who participate in tutoring and enrichment programs. The program also supports parent education programs and scholarships for high school seniors.

In a more recent role as Board member, I have witnessed true commitments of donors, Board members, staff and volunteers who value inclusiveness, love within our community and greater opportunities for the underserved.

It is a credit to the Vienna community and to Vienna Presbyterian church that Belong! has been successful in supporting a more loving and inclusive community.

Volunteering at the after-school tutoring and the enrichment camps at Belong! has been a rewarding experience. The kids are excited and eager to improve their math and reading skills through fun activities. It has been gratifying to see the joy and confidence in the children as they master a math problem, create a beautiful work of art, or cook a healthy snack.
The Belong! team is creative, dedicated, organized, caring and an immense value to the Vienna community. They have worked hard to successfully provide a safe stimulating atmosphere for the children to grow educationally and emotionally. If you are interested in a rewarding flexible volunteer organization join Belong!

I've volunteered for quite a few organizations and Belong! is my favorite? Why? Well at the end of the day, for me personally, I want to feel like I've contributed and that I've made a difference even if only for that moment in time. At Belong! the management team is committed, creative and caring. In addition they've provided me with the flexibility that as a retiree I need. The opportunity to commit to one or two children on a weekly basis and to monitor their progress is very rewarding!

Leaders in this organization have formed deep connections with the local communty and work hard to meet the community's needs. If you volunteer with Belong!, you'll get to know some great kids, and the coordinators will provide targeted lesson plans for you to use. Belong! also provides local families with groceries and other essentials, as well as scholarships for graduating high school seniors. I highly recommend getting involved!

Belong brings their motto of “neighbors helping neighbors” to life. During summer camp, volunteers with a variety of skills come together to provide an enhanced educational experience for the campers. Volunteers are able to focus attention on the specific needs of each student and spend the necessary time to help them become successful. This is done in a fun and encouraging environment that strengthens relationships within the Vienna community.

For the past two summers ('22 & '21), I've gratefully volunteered for the Belong! summer camp. Karen, the director of Belong, is extremely talented at attracting remarkable people. The woman who was in charge of the food this summer is a great example: She created a delicious and healthy breakfast, lunch, and snack every day, while staying true to her "real food" roots - the sunbutter/oat/raison ball snacks were a hit with participants and staff alike. Another Belong! volunteer tutored students from her dorm room in University, and encouraged her friends to do the same.
In addition to summer camp, Belong! partnered with our church to pack and distribute bags of groceries to needy local families. What a wonderful opportunity to connect with neighbors we might otherwise not connect with.

I've been volunteering with this organization since last year when I found out about it through a club at school. I'm extremely grateful to be able to make wonderful memories with the students and other volunteers every week! The students are always excited to go to their tutoring sessions and have fun while learning! Seeing all the hard work put in by the organizers and the smiles on the students' faces always makes my day. I'm very glad to be able to volunteer and create bonds with students and volunteers from the community!

BELONG! is a well organized, intentional organization serving children in need in the Vienna, VA area. Children and their families are served in areas of nutrition, organized physical activity, creative endeavors and in an academic study. Volunteers are fully vetted and have a wide variety of skills and experiences to bring to the table. I love the way volunteers work together in training and throughout to best meet the children they serve. Volunteers are encouraged to participate in the planning stages when possible and implement their practices. There is just a wonderful, wholesome, positive and kind-hearted feeling in the atmosphere during every BELONG! event. I have volunteered with BELONG! for two summers and look forward to finding ways to stay involved for years to come.

I was involved in some of the meetings in the community when Belong! was first launched. It was such a joy to gather with members of the community to hear what they said their needs were. From the beginning, activities were initiated to help address what the members of the community said was needed rather than what others thought was needed. I've been impressed with how the staff today carry this philosophy forward as they work to engage and empower community members. More recently, I've assisted with a nutrition and fitness fair as well as served as a volunteer at the summer academic enrichment camp. It's been a joy to see children excited about learning through these programs as well as to work with the professional staff who do a great job with organizing and following through on implementation.

I volunteer in the after school program and the summer camp and am continually impressed by the creativity and resourcefulness of the leadership, the commitment of the volunteers, and the energy and enthusiasm of the students involved with this organization. From the first moment I arrived to begin tutoring I knew I was witnessing, and now part of, something very special. The students arrive ready to learn, giving their all to develop skills that are not easy to master, and the adults do their part by providing engaging enrichment activities tailored to the students with whom they work each week. It is a community of which I am proud to Belong!

I have been blessed to have the opportunity to volunteer with BELoNG! I have volunteered with tutoring and enrichment camps when school is not in session. The joy of helping students reach an aha moment and develop a new sense of confidence is so rewarding. And the children seem so happy to be part of tutoring and enrichment camps. I hope Belong! can continue to reach more students.

I’ve loved working with Belong! over the past few years. Whether it’s been through after school tutoring or summer camps I’ve been able to meet so many amazing people- both students and tutors/leaders. I became involved with Belong! through my church and I know many of my friends from church have volunteered and/or interned with Belong! and enjoyed it as well. I truly couldn’t be more grateful for all the opportunities I’ve gained by working with this organization

I found this organization luckily through a community service group in my school. Ever since then I’ve been involved in Belong. It’s an amazing environment for childhood education and also serves as a safe space for all. I wouldn’t trade the bonds with the kids for anything!

I’ve been a volunteer with Belong from its conception. It exemplifies a well run nonprofit organization by being an integral part of the Vienna community. Belong touches the lives of families and meets their needs as identified. The tutoring program provides a loving, safe and stimulating environment for children to grow emotionally and educationally. As a tutor, I’m privileged to help the children work toward their potential during the school year. The summer camp is tremendous! All children should have such a well run camp to attend! Belong has assisted in driving parents and children for vaccinations and other medical needs. If you want a great volunteering experience join us, you won’t be disappointed!

Belong! is an incredibly well-run, organized and fiscally responsible group. I have been working with them for two years and am so impressed with the team. And the kids. Oh my. I love them. They are excited to be there and getting to know them is the biggest reward. Watching them learn something is icing on the cake. These kids come willingly for more academic work; after a full day of school. The youngest ones are so sad when it is not their day to attend a tutoring session!

I am so encouraged every time I volunteer with or get updates from Belong!. They are well organized and effective at bringing wonderful experiences that make learning fun for students who might not otherwise get out in the community often or spend extra time on schoolwork. Even thought the content is very similar to what they are learning at school, the students are always very excited to come to camps and after school programs. I think the reason is because it is at Belong! that they feel seen and cared for, and that encourages them to learn by making it more fun and accessible.