![Standing center stage, senior Ananya Akula conducts the Phoenix Chorale. “[Conducting and teaching] is really fun,” Akula said. “Music education is what I want to do.” On the day of the choir assessment, Akula found out that she received the President’s Music Scholarship – a full ride to the University of Miami Frost School of Music.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ananya-1200x800.jpg)
![With the energy and effort the Bolts were bringing to the game, the Phoenix had to step up and match them to make it through their first game of the season. Many of the girls on the team, including freshman Nazly Rostom, have been playing soccer since their childhood and have grown a love for the sport as a result. “It was fun to see how we actually played in a [real] game,” Rostom said. “Even though the outcome was not what we were hoping for, I’m still happy we got to play together.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0154-1200x800.jpg)
![Held up by a group of cheerleaders, flyer sophomore Leyu Yonas poses as part of a stunt, also supported by flyer junior Shayne Mitchell behind her. (Left) Prior to the pink out football game on Oct. 13, the athletes practiced in the aux gym from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Right) On Oct. 19, the cheerleaders competed in their District Championships at Woodgrove High School. “We definitely put all our effort on the mat [at Districts], and it showed,” Mitchell said. Left: Photo by Nadia Shirr. Right: Photo by Steve Prakope via Victor O’Neill Studios.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/feature-image-1200x823.png)
![Sophomore Xavier Smith (6), the Phoenix quarterback, runs the ball as his teammates help hold up the defense. “My [offensive] line collapses, so I just [have to run], and its a good way to get first downs because [Tuscarora’s] defense was really good,” Smith said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_5383-1200x897.jpg)
![As the referee throws the ball up for the tip-off, freshman Simone Diby leaps towards the ball to get it in Phoenix possession. Diby is a new member of the Phoenix girls basketball team, and despite it being a change, she finds it enjoyable. “It’s definitely a different experience if you’ve never played on a team, [but] I think it’s still fun.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DSC_0057-1200x662.jpg)
Mobile Hope Responds to COVID-19s Impact On Homelessness
After the pandemic, many were left without jobs, homes and enough money to survive. This tragedy left and continues to leave many helpless, but organizations like Mobile Hope are here to heal the community.
Volunteering with nonprofits like Mobile Hope is a way to give back, especially to help community members get back on their feet in light of the pandemic.
March 1, 2022
Since March 2020, COVID-19 has caused over 70 million cases and 864,203 deaths in the United States alone. During quarantine, many offices, businesses, and companies closed, leaving 5.1% of Virginia unemployed. Nearly two years later, businesses have slowly reopened, but with safety precautions that include requiring proof of vaccination and masks in public places.
Due to unemployment, many Virginians are unable to provide for their families or pay rent, resulting in mass home eviction filing across the country. In Richmond, VA alone, there were 4,862 home eviction filings. The large amount of eviction filings led to a temporary stop to residential evictions to prevent the spread of the virus.
In an effort to help kids in need, Mobile Hope, a local nonprofit organization, is focused on helping to “provide support and emergency shelter to youth up to age 24 who are at-risk, precariously housed, or homeless.” They hold multiple food and clothing drives and accept money donations to help young adults to find jobs, homes, and ways to become self-sufficient.
Recently, Mobile Hope moved to a bigger location in downtown Leesburg and they are hoping to expand their program to include a boxing ring/gym, trade school, and a job-training center at their new facility. With the new space, Mobile Hope is in need of volunteers, as they are a “critical” part of the organization’s team, according to their website. In an effort to recruit new volunteers, Mobile Hope sends out emails to previous volunteers asking for their help again and for them to sign up for various events through SignUp Genius links found on their website.
Mobile Hope offers a wide variety of ways for volunteers to contribute to the effort, including working on their bus and working in the food pantry or Mobile Hope’s store. With the help of volunteers, Mobile Hope has been able to assist hundreds of kids get the materials they need to continue their education, get jobs, and have a better life overall. Each time the Mobile Hope bus comes by, “30-80 children will visit,” Donna Fortier (founder and executive director of Mobile Hope) said in an interview with the Washington Post.
Mobile Hope is constantly looking for new volunteers and offers a variety of volunteering opportunities. The link to help their cause can be found here.
![Standing center stage, senior Ananya Akula conducts the Phoenix Chorale. “[Conducting and teaching] is really fun,” Akula said. “Music education is what I want to do.” On the day of the choir assessment, Akula found out that she received the President’s Music Scholarship – a full ride to the University of Miami Frost School of Music.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ananya-600x400.jpg)
![Senior Fatima Qaderi grew into the person she wanted to become when she was younger and continues to work towards growing more confident in using her voice when it matters. “I didnt get treated the way I wanted to be treated, and I realized that it wasnt just them treating me the wrong way, it was me treating me the wrong way,” Qaderi said. “I forced them to like to look at me in a way where Im someone who needs to be respected; they cant just disregard me, they cant just look over me because I have a different opinion, because Im a woman, because Im Afghan, because Im Muslim, or whatever. It just took going through different experiences to figure out how [I wanted to] be heard.” Photo courtesy of Fatima Qaderi.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_3870-600x471.jpeg)
