July 2025 Newsletter

Congratulations Maddy!

Congratulations to Maddy Sleeter for winning the 2025 Volunteer Arlington Youth Service Award. In 2024 she won the Volunteer Alexandria Youth Service Award, so basically she is the unofficial Northern Virginia Youth Volunteer! You make us proud! If you are a youth who wants to grow as a leader, join us at an upcoming event.

Grant Funding

We’re thrilled to share that we’ve received a grant from the National Park Foundation to catalyze our efforts as part of The Collective Campaign for National Parks— a nationwide effort to elevate philanthropic support of our national parks, ensuring these iconic places thrive for generations to come.

This grant will increase and strengthen our fundraising capabilities, address current challenges, and build for the future. The grant is part of a larger, joint nationwide effort between the National Park Foundation, the National Park Friends Alliance, and over 100 park partners like Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail— to collectively raise $4.5 billion by 2028 and further strengthen the philanthropic landscape for our national parks.

Support the Mount Vernon Trail and the Collective Campaign for National Parks today!

MVT at E. Abingdon Community Meeting

On Tuesday, July 8 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., the City of Alexandria invites community members to a virtual construction information meeting about changes being made to the sidewalk and Mt. Vernon Trail access point at the intersection of E. Abingdon Dr. and Slater’s Lane in north Old Town.

Staff and the contractor for the Mount Vernon Trail Improvements at East Abingdon Drive Project will give a virtual presentation on the construction plans, work hours, parking restrictions, lane closures, and more, as well as answer questions from the community.

Registration is required. Please complete the following form to receive the meeting link and passcode.

Moth Madness on July 20th

Join us after dark for Moth Madness, a nighttime nature adventure celebrating the mysterious beauty of moths! As the sun sets, we’ll gather around softly glowing light traps to observe an array of moth species up close. Whether you're a seasoned lepidopterist or just curious about the creatures that flutter through the night, this is your chance to learn, explore, and marvel at the hidden world of nocturnal pollinators.

June Recap

In June we hosted 5 volunteer events with 114 volunteers giving 215 volunteer hours. Highlights included hosting our volunteer and supporter appreciation party and our annual Bat and Firefly Walk.

Before/After Photo of the Month

Many times with invasive species removal you can’t see the difference after one volunteer event. We were shocked when we looked back at photos from June 2021 and compared them to today. No more invasive bush honeysuckle blocking the view around the corner.

You can check out more before/after photos here.