“Frederick is a man on a mission, driven by the heartache of losing so many young people to gun violence and other crime in Alexandria. He was raised here and has worked as a reserve law enforcement officer for years. So, he loved the community enough to do something about it.

In 2018, Stop the Violence opened its doors in partnership with the Alexandria Housing Authority, and the impact was immediate. Children from all over the city flocked to the Charles Hayward Activity Center knowing that it would be a safe place to gather with their friends and neighbors to play basketball, eat snacks, study, and just be a kid for a few hours after school. Their parents encouraged them to keep coming back consistently for the tutoring and education opportunities. It kept them off the streets and out of trouble.

Mr. Fred and his small team of volunteers have put an incredible amount of personal attention and encouragement on these 1,100+ young people. Their grades improve not just because of the tutoring, but because they know he’s watching their grades, checking in with their teachers, and giving them a push when they need it.

He loves to show off ‘his’ kids. He celebrates them when they achieve success – which could be making the honor roll,  pulling up a failing grade, when a truant student starts attending school regularly, someone goes to college, or someone who has dropped out finishes their GED and starts to learn a trade. He is truly an angel to these young people, and we are so very blessed to have him on our side.”