Task 1: Agency Selection

The agency I have chosen for my evaluation is the Salvation Army of Winchester, VA. This branch of the Salvation Army provides many different services to individuals and families in need in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. I have reached out and contacted Tracy Hines, a member of the administration at the Core (headquarters) and received permission to work with and evaluate the agency. I have previously worked with this agency during their Angel Tree Christmas program and they were more than happy to allow me to evaluate their agency.

Currently, I plan to focus on the Center of Hope program. This program provides food, temporary shelter, clothing and other necessities for people in need in the area. I have already scheduled an interview with Tracy to develop a better understanding of the specific services this program provides as well as some more information on the other services provided by the Salvation Army, Winchester, VA.

According to the Winchester, Virginia Salvation Army’s website, the mission of the Center of Hope program is to “provide a safe and secure atmosphere for everyone who comes through our doors whether it’s for food, clothing or shelter,” (Virginia Salvation Army, 2019). The population of the area of service is fairly diverse. The City of Winchester is a mid-size city with one of its biggest draws being the large hospital located there. As with many American cities, homelessness is definitely an issue. Winchester also struggles with drug issues and several programs are set up around the area to help combat this issue. Winchester is also a major supplier of apples. Agriculture, especially Apple orchards dominate the area surrounding the city limits. With this type of economy, many migrant workers are present as well as low income farm hands. There is also a fairly large manufacturing area as well with several quarries and factories being major employers in the area. In addition to this section of the labor force, the Winchester area is also home to many commuters who work at high-income jobs in Washington, D.C. This mix of agriculture and industry and business creates a very diverse population within Frederick County where Winchester is located.

I chose this agency mostly because I had worked with them before and knew they would be happy to assist me with this project. However, I also believe this experience will help me to better understand an agency that provides many important services to my area which will help me in my future career as a school counselor. Being familiar with programs in the area that can help struggling families is an important part of being a school counselor. That way when help is needed, one can properly refer a child or family to an agency that can provide the needed services.

References

Winchester – The Salvation Army National Capitol Virginia. (2019).  Retrieved from http://virginiasalvationarmy.org/winchestervacorps

*The only edit I made from the original to this final version was to change the citation in the third paragraph include the name of the web page from (2019) to (Virginia Salvation Army, 2019).