A Bristow-based arts nonprofit is throwing a gala next month to help adults across Prince William County who struggle with reading, English communication, and employment-related tasks. Art of Life Charities will host its Stories of the Future Gala on Nov. 21 at the Magnoliya Grand Conference and Event Center in Manassas, with proceeds benefiting Literacy Volunteers of America-Prince William, a nonprofit that has quietly served the county's adult learners for 35 years.
The event, which starts at 6:30 p.m., is being hosted by Art of Life Charities, whose president Kelly Haneklau founded the 501(c)(3) with a mission of using the arts to meet regional human-service needs, according to KellyHaneklau.com. As reported by InsideNoVa, Haneklau said times are hard for everyone right now, especially volunteer-led charities working on the ground to help those in real need.
Haneklau's framing of the gala leans into a contradiction she says defines the county: Prince William is one of the most affluent counties in Virginia, yet many residents live paycheck to paycheck, she told InsideNoVa. That tension is borne out in county-level data — Prince William's median household income tops $110,000, but roughly 5.3% of residents still live at or below the federal poverty line, per VCE Publications at Virginia Tech.
Why Literacy Volunteers of America-Prince William
Art of Life Charities selected Literacy Volunteers of America-Prince William, known as LVA-PW, as this year's beneficiary. The Woodbridge-based organization was founded 35 years ago by local library manager Dona Swanson, who started it after noticing adults in the county facing daily barriers because they couldn't read or communicate well in English, according to the organization's own account on lvapw.org. Today LVA-PW serves more than 700 adult learners annually with help from over 200 trained volunteer tutors across basic literacy, English as a Second Language, GED prep, and workforce skills programs.
The demand for that kind of instruction is substantial in Prince William County, where residents collectively speak over 160 different languages, the same county report notes. Nationally, InsideNoVa reports that 54% of U.S. adults read below a sixth-grade level and roughly 21% are considered functionally illiterate, struggling with tasks like filling out forms or reading the news.
Adults who can't read well face compounding challenges, including difficulty securing jobs, feeding families, finding housing, and higher healthcare costs, per InsideNoVa's reporting. That last point echoes broader research linking low health literacy with hospitalizations and healthcare costs.
Institutional Backing and Grant Support
LVA-PW's work hasn't gone unnoticed by regional funders. The program has received a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, according to Prince William Living. The program offers tuition-free classes for low-income adults and an immigrant-focused program.
An Art Heist With a Guaranteed Payoff
Beyond dinner, drinks, appetizers, dessert, live entertainment, a silent auction, a paddle raise, and dancing, the gala will feature what organizers are calling an Art Heist Pass. An additional $25 pass guarantees its holder a work of art donated by local, regional, and national artists participating in the fundraiser, according to Linton Hall Patch. The same listing notes that out-of-town guests can take advantage of discounted lodging at the new Hilton Hotel adjacent to the Magnoliya Grand venue.
This isn't Art of Life Charities' first time organizing a benefit gala for a cause outside the arts world. The group previously staged a September 2022 gala in Orange, Virginia, that raised money for Therapeutic Adventures, a nonprofit serving individuals with disabilities and complex medical needs, according to a report from BIG 100.
Tickets for the Stories of the Future Gala are available at www.artoflifecharities.org. Those interested in volunteering can reach Art of Life Charities at [email protected] or 571-330-3966, per InsideNoVa's report.
