St. Gabriel´s Episcopal Church

Goal: $3,000.00

Specific Need

Educating with Love ~ Educando con Amor offers free STEAM education programs year-round to children and teens from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, with a special focus on those in greatest need. These programs are part of St. Gabriel's ~ San Gabriel's Episcopal Church’s commitment to social justice. Over half of the volunteer staff and teachers are teenagers so in addition to allocating funds raised in 2025 to expand our after-school and summer programs, we will provide professional development opportunities to enhance teaching and leadership skills. The sustainability of our programs depends on the dedication of our volunteer staff and instructors, which is why investing in their professional development is essential.

The technology component of the STEAM curriculum includes LEGO® MINDSTORMS® robotics, Scratch programming, science labs, math classes, software development on the Arduino platform, 3D printing, and digital design. The arts, life skills, and personal development segments of the curriculum encompass drawing and painting, digital art, culinary arts (cooking classes), choral singing, public speaking, yoga, mindfulness, and emotional intelligence.

The expansion of our programs continues to bridge the educational gap for children in our county living at or below the poverty level, all within a safe and supportive environment. To ensure accessibility, our programs are offered at multiple locations, including Sterling, Ashburn, and Leesburg.

Mission

The mission of Educating with Love ~ Educando con Amor and Saint Gabriel’s align and converge. For Educating with Love it is to “value every human being without distinction by making a difference through community education and relevant life skills for the Loudoun County community.” The church’s mission is to "encounter God, build meaningful relationships, and make a difference in the world." While the church’s mission is predicated on its religious values to love & serve our neighbors; Educating with Love's mission is not a mechanism to proselytize but to empower children and youth to flourish, thrive, and build self-confidence through engaging and enriching educational opportunities.

As one of the social justice initiatives of our faith community, St. Gabriel’s ~ San Gabriel's Community Education Programming is open to individuals of all beliefs or none. Our programs have no religious affiliation, involve no proselytizing, and are offered free of charge to all participants in Loudoun County.

Profile

The success of our free programming is rooted in a wide and diverse network of partnerships, including the National Institutes of Health, Lighthouse Robotic Solutions, Peers & Students Taking Action (P.A.S.T.A.), Okoh-Tisch Music Studio, Emily Mason Music, Inc., Chef Jonathan Clawson, Loudoun County Mental Health & Substance Abuse Prevention, Loudoun Hunger Relief, Sterling and Douglass Community Centers, churches of various traditions, the Pratt Family Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties, 100WomenStrong, The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, the Claude Moore Foundation, the Loudoun Chamber Foundation, and numerous private foundations.

Educating with Love ~ Educando con Amor's STEAM community education programs for children and teens enhance the public health of our county by providing education and fostering justice, equity, awareness, and dignity among children and youth from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, with a special focus on those most in need. Our programs are delivered throughout Loudoun County to ensure access to all residents. Accessibility to services enhances the public health of a community and education in all forms impacts not only the participant but successive generations thereafter.