The Campagna Center

Our Early Childhood programs from across the city celebrated the many cultures and nationalities represented by our children, families, and staff as part of our annual Multicultural Festival. Over 58 families attended, and 9 countries were represented, including Trinidad and Tobago, Afghanistan, Sudan, El Salvador, India, México, South Korea, Jamaica, and Ghana. Activities included a Storytime in partnership with our Wright to Read Program and local children’s book author, Hanh Bui, who read her latest book The Yellow Áo Dài, and a fashion show parade highlighting the many nationalities represented in our programs.

Thank you to our many partners who came out to support this event: ‘s Early Childhood Wellness Program, and members of Global Youth Action Network

Recently, our New Neighbors Program’s End-of-Year Celebration congratulated students and teachers on completing another fantastic year of the program. 34 students, 20 volunteer teachers, and 27 family members and guests attended. The event also highlighted the cultural diversity within the program, reflected in a shared meal that featured dishes from Afghanistan, Mexico, Egypt, and other countries.

You can read more about this event and other Campagna updates in our May newsletter that went out last week (link in our bio).

Thank you to Literacy Foundation for our 2026 adult literacy grant! Funding received will support our New Neighbors Program, which provides English Language Learning classes and wrap around supports for adults. In this photo, one of our dedicated volunteer teachers leads a lesson.

Celebrate the start of summer by grabbing a scoop or a pint at in Old Town this Wednesday at our Ice Cream Social Fundraiser!

25% of all sales from 4 to 7PM will be donated to Campagna Center. You’ll also have a chance to check out our signature flavor pairing, “Summer Camp-agna” which features Brambleberry Crisp, Buttercream Birthday Cake, and Double Dough.

Yesterday, Mesia Dillard-Warner, our Director of Preschool Programs and Services, received the Educator of the Year Award from at the Community Champion Honors, presented by System. We are so proud of Mesia and her amazing impact, including being a trailblazer for the ALX preschool initiative which supports coordinated enrollment for early childhood care and learning across the city of Alexandria. Thanks to Mesia, more children and families in our city will be connected to critical early childhood education and care that meets their needs.

Mesia accepted the award surrounded by the Campagna community! From left to right: Elizabeth (Liz) Magyar, Director of Infant and Toddlers Programs and Services, Edith Hawkins, President & CEO, JaLissa Coffee Lyon, Chief Program and Operations Officer, Mesia Dillard-Warner, Director of Preschool Programs and Services, Katia de Hoyos-Duncan, Early Childhood Education Site Manager, Tiffany Ramsey, Early Childhood Education Site Manager, Christine Schull, Campagna Board Member.

We’re thrilled to share that our President & CEO, Edith Hawkins, has been chosen as a 40 Over 40 Honoree by !

We’re fortunate to have such a wonderful leader at the helm of Campagna Center. We’re also proud that Edith has been honored in this way only a year into her tenure as President & CEO. Since returning to Campagna after serving as our inaugural Chief Program and Operations Officer, Edith has already made her mark.

Cheers to her, the other 40 Over 40 Honorees, The Chamber ALX, and all the good work being done in Alexandria!

Please help out at the Wright to Read End of Year Picnic on Saturday, June 6! We are in need of 15 more volunteers to make the 2026 Picnic the best one yet for our students and volunteers.

From set up, to event staffing, to breakdown, we have a variety of roles and time slots available - sign up via the SignUpGenius Link in our bio.

The Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend featuring the Taste of Scotland has been chosen as a Best of Virginia 2026 winner for best annual charity event in Northern Virginia by Magazine!

The Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend is a beloved Alexandria tradition that dates back over 50 years and celebrates the city’s Scottish heritage. We now partner with and to host the festivities, particularly the Scottish Christmas Walk Parade, which have always been powered by local citizens and volunteers. A key part of the weekend is our Taste of Scotland fundraiser, an iconic evening of Scotch tasting and holiday fare, which was attended by 350+ guests and raised over $175,000 this past year. All proceeds from the Taste of Scotland go to support our work serving 2,000+ under-resourced children, teens, and adults in our community.

Mark your calendars for first weekend of December for the 2026 Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend!

We are excited to share that JaLissa Coffee Lyon, our Chief Program & Operations Officer, has been chosen as a 40 under 40 honoree by !

Congratulations to JaLissa on this well-deserved honor! 🎉🎉🎉

Since JaLissa joined Campagna Center around this time last year, she has already made a big impact. We are proud to have such a wonderful executive team member be recognized with this award!

We are so grateful to everyone who supported our Spring2ACTion campaign! Our final numbers came out to over $164,000 raised by over 180 donors to power our mission. From spreading the word to attending our watch party to making a gift, every person who engaged with our campaign contributed to this success.

Today, we would like to particularly highlight a group of donors, the hosts of the Green Eggs and Beer Parade Party for their generous donation of $6,300 in loving memory of Duane Smith. Their donation was made during the early giving period and took advantage of our matches from Passport Auto and Mason Hirst Foundation to triple their impact to $18,900! Thank you to Karen Barthold, Chip Walker, Mike Goodwin, Kristen Moran, and Katie Kane Smith for making this gift to Campagna Center and for coming by the building this week (Chip, Mike, Kristen)! And, of course, thank you to our matching partners!