VCE Prince William Financial Ed & Housing Counseling

03/10/2026

🏠 Celebrating Local Expertise at the NoVa Housing Expo!
We want to give a huge round of applause to our incredible Master Financial Education Volunteers (MFEVs) for their hard work at the Northern Virginia Housing Expo this past weekend!

A special thank you to Cathy Yelvington for being a powerhouse of information at our booth. Cathy shared a wealth of knowledge with attendees regarding:

🔑 Our First-Time Home Buyer Program

📊 Comprehensive financial education courses

🏠 Vital resources from the VCE Financial Education & Housing Counseling Department

We also want to give a major shout-out to Chuck Botwright, who took to the stage to teach an insightful session on Rental Basics. Navigating the rental market can be tough, and Chuck’s expertise is an invaluable asset to our community.

Our volunteers are the heartbeat of what we do at Virginia Cooperative Extension. Thank you, Cathy and Chuck, for helping our neighbors build a more secure financial future!

Want to learn more?
Check out our upcoming classes and counseling services here: https://www.pwcva.gov/department/virginia-cooperative-extension/financial-education

02/20/2026

The future of Prince William County is being planned today. As the County updates its Comprehensive Plan, community input will help shape smarter growth and stronger resilience.

Be part of the discussion by attending an upcoming public meeting. Learn more about sustainability goals, infrastructure planning, and environmental protections - tell us what matters most to you.

You can also share feedback through the online survey.

Find meeting info and the survey link at PWC Works: pwcworks.pwcva.gov/sustainability-cpa

02/18/2026

VT Giving Day starts at Noon TODAY!!
Hokies! VT Alumni, and Friends of VCE--you can give to Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension and benefit the Greater Prince William area by participating in VT Giving Day. A donation, no matter how small matters.
Your donation specific to Virginia Cooperative Extension Prince William will benefit local programs
By supporting the Virginia Cooperative Extension and 4-H on Giving Day, you can help us further invest in our outreach efforts. Donations received will be used to fund scholarships to support those needing help to access the local unit's classes and camps.
Thank you for your support!

https://givingday.vt.edu/amb/VCEPrinceWilliam

02/06/2026

Join us there! Virginia Cooperative Extension Prince William
Virginia Cooperative Extension
Prince William County Government, Virginia

If you're a first-time homebuyer looking for a home in Northern Virginia, don't miss our 2 free workshops on "First Time Buying Programs" March 7 at Fairfax High School. The “Inside the Beltway” and "Outside the Beltway" workshops will be moderated by Virginia Housing and include information from AlexandriaVA.gov, Arlington County Virginia – Government, City of Falls Church Government, Prince William County Government, Virginia , Loudoun County Government and Fairfax County Government .

Fairfax County Housing

02/05/2026

From the pitch stage to our dining room table! 🥂

We just received these gorgeous linens from J.DelVacchio Prints, and they are the perfect addition for special dinner occassions. Seeing Jaclyn DelVacchio turn her vision into these beautiful products is exactly why we love the Start SMART program.
This is just the beginning! We’ll be sharing more updates and "glow-ups" from our participants as they scale their businesses.
💻 Browse her collection: www.jdelvacchioprints.com

Note: Commercial products are named in this publication for informational purposes only. Virginia Cooperative Extension does not endorse these products and does not intend discrimination against other products that also might be suitable.

01/12/2026

Capturing the Spirit of the West!
We are bursting with pride for one of our own! This past weekend, Start SMART Pitch Competition participant and talented wildlife photographer Evelyn Parks reached a major milestone.

Evelyn hosted her very first expedition gallery, "The Spirit of the West – Photography Reception," at the wonderful Jirani Coffee House. Her breathtaking images of nature and wildlife truly brought the soul of the wilderness to our community.

✨ A Community of Support
Success is even sweeter when shared! It was incredible to see the Start SMART family show up in full force. Several classmates and our lead instructor, Enica Russell, were there to cheer Evelyn on and celebrate her hard work and artistic vision.

Check out some highlights from the event below! 👇

Join us in the comments! Let’s give Evelyn a huge "Congratulations" on her first successful exhibition! We can’t wait to see where your lens takes you next, Evelyn! 🦅🌲

12/19/2025

12/18/2025

Huge congratulations to the 14 incredible entrepreneurs who took the stage this past Tuesday at the George Mason University Manassas Campus for the Start SMART Series Pitch Competition!

After weeks of hard work, our winners proved they have the "SMARTs" to take their businesses to the next level:

🏆 1st Place: Noel Cherowbrier, ExCaliber Intake Forensic Capture (Sponsored by The SkillSource Group) 🥈 2nd Place: Courtney Gaskins, Spin Art Joy (Sponsored by PWC Dept. of Economic Development & Tourism) 🥉 3rd Place: Tigist Awoke, SmartDeal (Sponsored by John Marshall Bank)

A massive shoutout to our dedicated instructors from Mason SBDC (Timm Johnson, Coach Siragusa, Bernard Feret) and Virginia Cooperative Extension (Enica Russell, Chuck Botwright) for coaching these stars to greatness.

And of course, thank you to our expert judges—David Hunn, Brendan Baldwin, and Subodh Nayar—for making the tough calls!

12/10/2025

After 11 weeks of hard work, we've finally reached the point where we ask the only two questions that truly matter: "What's my business worth?" and "Where do I get the money?" 🤑 Thanks to Timm Johnson for breaking down the complex world of valuation and the eight paths to financing!

Instruction is over. The hustle begins.

Next Tuesday, December 16th, these small business leaders will be fighting for the gold at the Pitch Competition Grand Finale at the Life Sciences and Engineering Building at GMU Manassas.

Massive gratitude to our sponsors who have pledged the prize money:

🥇 The SkillSource Group

🥈 Prince William Economic Development

🥉 John Marshall Bank

Good luck, pitchers! May your slides be sleek and your answers be sharp! 📊

12/03/2025

🎤 Week 10: From Mumbles to Money Makers

Ten down, almost done! 🎉 We hit the infamous Week 10 of the Start SMART Small Business Series, focusing on the Pitch!

Coach Siragusa from SBDC helped our students iron out the crinkles, eliminate the "uhms," and turn their 5-minute rambles into compelling, concise pitches. By the end of the night, every student was ready to face a room full of venture capitalists.

Great job, team! Next stop: Funding! 🚀

12/01/2025

Apply today to become a Master Financial Education Volunteer. Learn how you can help others to make smart money decisions and understand how to empower themselves to reach their financial goals.

Applications are currently being accepted now and through February 4, 2026.

12/01/2025

Join us to learn more on understanding credit reports and scores. This session will be presented virtually on 12/11/2025 at 7:00pm. To sign up for this session, click on this link to be sent registration info and the Zoom link: https://bit.ly/UnderstandImproveCreditReportScore