City of Alexandria, Virginia
________________
MEMORANDUM
DATE: APRIL 2, 2025
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER /s/
FROM: JACK BROWAND. INTERIM DIRECTOR
RECREATION, PARKS & CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of National Recreation and Park Association’s Out-of-School Time Youth Mentoring Program Grant Opportunity.
BODY
_________________________________________________________________
ISSUE: Consideration of approval to accept grant funding, if offered, to launch a new, evidence-based mentoring program for grades 6-8 on the City’s west end to include Francis C. Hammond Middle School students living in the William Ramsay Recreation Center neighborhood, who need extra support.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Approve $60,000 in grant funding, if awarded, from the National Recreation and Park Association Virginia; and
(2) Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents that may be required.
BACKGROUND: The Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities (RPCA) applied for a National Recreation and Park Association’s (NRPA) Out-of-School Time Youth Mentoring Program grant.
The grant announcement was received by staff on March 6, 2025, and the application was submitted on the deadline to apply, March 14, 2025. Up to twenty communities across the U.S. will be awarded $60,000 to operate mentoring programs between May 2025 and September 2027.
RPCA proposed serving 12 boys and 12 girls, in grades 6-8 on the City’s west end to include Francis C. Hammond Middle School students living in the William Ramsay Recreation Center neighborhood. This area, and the diverse youth that will be served, have been identified as high-needs for mentoring, social-emotional skill-building, truancy and delinquency prevention and intervention, and engagement in evening, weekend, and summer programming. With the Community Outreach and Engagement team’s extensive experience with mentoring program development, management, evaluation, and sustainability-beyond-grant-funding, Alexandria’s RPCA is well-positioned to execute this project. Community partners will include Francis C. Hammond Middle School, NoVA RAFT, MENTOR - The National Mentoring Partnership, and AmeriCorps VISTA.
The mentoring program, to be named by participating youth, will provide group and one-to-one mentoring, connect youth to after school, weekend, and summer programs and opportunities, support social-emotional skill development, and provide case management, family engagement, and connection to community resources. The overarching goals of the program are to decrease risk factors and increase protective factors; provide non-parent adult support through one-on-one mentoring; prevent juvenile court involvement; decrease school behavior referrals; and increase attendance and academic success.
DISCUSSION: Over the past 23 years, RPCA team members have developed successful frameworks for mentoring programs, utilizing evidence-based mentor program design and best practices in socio-emotional learning among youth.
Grant funding will enable full implantation of the program, with support from a full-time AmeriCorps VISTA member, and well-trained and coached part-time staff and volunteer mentors. Grant funds will be used to pay part-time employees, fund program activities and special events for youth, engage families, and support youth engagement in out-of-school time programs and activities. $60,000 has been requested to support this program, with anticipated spending as follows:
Fiscal Year 2026: $30,000
§ $20,000 for part-time, seasonal staff salaries
§ $10,000 program activities, supplies, and family engagement and other special events
Fiscal Year 2027: $30,000
§ $20,000 for part-time, seasonal staff salaries
§ $10,000 program activities, supplies, and family engagement and other special events
This mentoring program supports the Alexandria City Council Priority to Support Youth and Families by expanding academic, social, and emotional services and physical support to youth during out-of-school hours. The program supports numerous strategies outlined in Alexandria’s 2025 Children and Youth Master Plan and Alexandria City Public Schools’ 2025 Strategic Plan.
FISCAL IMPACT: No cash match is required.
This program is funded by a federal award (# 15PJDP-24-GG-03819-MENT) awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, and is contingent upon the availability of federal funds.
STAFF:
Emily Baker, Deputy City Manager
Laura Durham, Deputy Director, Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities
Linda Odell, Crime Prevention Programs Manager, Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities
Madeline Nance, Youth Service Coordinator, Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities
Faye Maslaki, Division Chief, Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities
Morgan Routt, Director, Office of Management and Budget