Belong Vienna Community Nonprofit Organization

10/13/2026

What Kind of Legacy Do You Want to Leave?

In this special video below, Jim Zinn shares why legacy giving matters and how we can make a lasting difference in the lives of children and families in our community.

Through the Belong Legacy Circle, you can help ensure that future generations of young people have access to the mentoring, encouragement, and support they need to thrive.

A legacy gift is more than a donation. It’s an investment in brighter futures, stronger communities, and a lasting sense of belonging.

🎥 Watch Jim’s heartfelt message below to learn why he believes in supporting Belong. Then please visit our website at https://www.belongvienna.org/legacy-giving to learn how you can join Jim in becoming a member of the Belong Legacy Circle!

Together, we can create a legacy of belonging that lasts for generations.

https://vimeo.com/1234258205

This is "Jim Zinn - Leave a Legacy" by Belong Vienna on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

10/10/2026

Our after school mentoring programs are officially underway, and our elementary school students are already having a great time connecting with their mentors!

Through fun, interactive Social Emotional Learning games, our mentors and mentees are building relationships, practicing teamwork, strengthening communication skills, and learning how to recognize and manage emotions.

At Belong, we believe mentoring is about more than academics. It’s about helping children build confidence, develop friendships, and feel supported by caring adults in their community.

We’re excited for another wonderful year of learning, laughter, and meaningful connections!

09/12/2026

🍎 Our fall mentoring program is almost here! 🎉

Soon, our elementary school students will be back with their mentors each week, and we need your help keeping them fueled, focused, and ready for fun!

Help us stock our snack pantry for the new school year. Every donated snack helps make our mentoring sessions a little brighter (and a lot less hungry!). 💚

👉 Sign up to donate here: https://m.signupgenius.com/ #!/showSignUp/10C0E4CABA62BA2F4C16-belong1?useFullSite=false

09/12/2026

What a wonderful way to kick off another year of mentoring at Belong!

In August, McDonald’s generously provided dinner for our gathering at Cunningham Park, where mentors and mentees had a chance to reconnect and families could register for this year’s mentoring program.

We’re so grateful to McDonald’s for helping us bring our Belong community together!

08/11/2026

We are excited to welcome Jennifer Delacruz as Belong’s newest Youth Program Manager!

Jennifer joined our team two weeks ago and will oversee our evening mentoring programs at Jim Scott Community Center and Marshall High School beginning this fall. Jennifer and her husband, Ed, are both proud University of Virginia alumni (Go Hoos!), and she earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University. She has a background in psychology and human resources development and previously worked in human resources for several small IT contractors before choosing to stay home to raise her three sons.

Jennifer is passionate about helping young people thrive and looks forward to expanding Belong’s focus on social and emotional learning. “I’m excited to join Belong because I believe every young person deserves to feel seen, supported, and valued. I can’t wait to work alongside our volunteer mentors to help mentees grow in confidence, build strong relationships, and discover all they’re capable of,” Jennifer shares.

Jennifer lives in Arlington with her husband and their three boys—Braden (8), Christopher (5), and Max (3). Before joining Belong, she served on the boards of her sons’ preschools, was a member of the executive team of the Cardinal Elementary PTA, and helped establish a youth mentoring program at one of her former employers—an experience that inspired her continued commitment to mentoring. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, swimming, and traveling.

We’re thrilled to have Jennifer on the Belong team and look forward to the positive impact she’ll make in the lives of our students and families.

08/09/2026

As the school year approaches, Belong is looking for adult mentors to spend just 90 minutes a week building relationships with K–6 students. Mentoring sessions take place on Tuesday evenings at Marshall High School, Wednesday evenings at the Jim Scott Community Center, and Tuesday/Thursday afternoons at Cunningham Park Elementary. **Our greatest needs are for mentors in the evening — Tuesday evenings at Marshall High School and Wednesday evenings at Jim Scott Community Center.**

If you’ve ever thought about mentoring, we hope you’ll consider getting involved. You can apply to become a mentor or attend a volunteer orientation to learn more.

Mentor Application: https://app.betterimpact.com/Application?OrganizationGuid=4b3b08d3-dd49-4395-867d-712b60bc3e5d&ApplicationFormNumber=1

Volunteer Orientation: https://m.signupgenius.com/ #!/showSignUp/10C0E4CABA62BA2F4C16-volunteer1?useFullSite=false

One caring adult can make a lasting impact in a child’s life. We hope you’ll consider being that person.

08/05/2026

Tonight, Belong families, mentors, and volunteers came together at Marshall High School for a fun evening of games, build-your-own ice cream sundaes, and time together before the new school year begins.

It was the perfect way to wrap up the summer. Thank you to everyone who joined us! We are looking forward to another great year of mentoring!

08/04/2026

The Rotary Club of Vienna Virginia does so much to strengthen our community through service and support.

We’re incredibly grateful for their generous $3,000 grant to Belong. This funding will help support our mentoring services, ensuring local students continue to have caring mentors, enriching opportunities, and a community that believes in their potential.

Thank you, Rotary Club of Vienna, for your continued commitment to serving our community. We are honored to be one of the organizations you support! 💙

07/24/2026

Our second Summer Family Fun Night was a hit! 🦙🐐🐝

Families had the chance to rotate through three hands-on stations featuring live animals, including alpacas, goats, and an introduction to beekeeping. Kids also had a great time testing their skills on our animal-themed obstacle course!

While the children explored, parents stayed for a first aid and emergency care class, giving them practical skills they can use at home.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for another fun evening of learning, laughter, and community. We can’t wait to see everyone at our next summer event!

07/13/2026

What a fantastic start to our summer! ☀️🚒

We welcomed 31 kids, many parents, and 16 incredible volunteers to the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department for a fun evening of learning, laughter, and community.

A special thank you to the Vienna Fire Department staff for teaching the kids about fire safety and giving them an up-close look at what firefighters do every day. The obstacle course, where kids got to practice what they learned, was a crowd favorite!

A huge thank you to Karen Mokate for organizing such a fun and engaging event from start to finish. We’re also grateful to volunteer Nicole White, who created many of the activities and provided wonderful take-home handouts for the kids.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this such a memorable evening!