GAD Youth Center takes 21 students to Virginia State University

A Fredericksburg nonprofit led 21 students ages 11 to 17 on a college visit to Virginia State University, backed by a grant from Matern Staffing and months of coordination. The trip was designed to show young people that higher education is within reach and to expand their view of future careers.

Why it matters: - GAD Youth Center says the Virginia State University visit was meant to help students see college as attainable and imagine careers beyond their current circumstances. - The trip reached 21 students ages 11 to 17, extending the impact beyond a single campus tour to a broader youth development effort. - The event also underscores how grants and local partnerships can remove cost and logistics barriers for nonprofit youth programs.

What happened: - GAD Youth Center took 21 students on an immersive visit to Virginia State University in a program that took months to organize. - The students came from the Fredericksburg region, and GAD Youth Center invited another local youth-serving organization to join the trip. - Matern Staffing provided a grant that funded the educational experience. - Maria D. Taylor, VSU’s Admissions Visitation Specialist, helped secure the requested visitation date after GAD Youth Center landed on the university’s waiting list. - Denise Caldwell and driver Valerie of LW Transportation Charter Service handled transportation for students and chaperones.

The details: - GAD Youth Center says the organization focuses on mentorship, leadership development, life skills and faith-based guidance for youth. - The nonprofit also offers academic enrichment, career exploration, financial literacy, culinary education, health and wellness, and community engagement. - Founder and President Arline Gause said the visit was about showing youth that college is possible and that their futures are not limited by where they start. - Gause said she founded GAD Youth Center after more than three decades of federal service, including work supporting NASA, the DEA, the Department of Defense, TRICARE and the Department of Justice. - The organization says its work is inspired by Jeremiah 29:11. - Eleven-year-old Antoine said the visit showed him that an injury or unexpected change does not have to end a successful future and that he now wants to become a mechanical engineer. - Parent Kisha Whiting said the trip opened her son’s eyes to opportunities he had not considered and said GAD Youth Center offers mentoring, encouragement and life-skills training families need.

Between the lines: - The trip appears designed as both a college exposure event and a confidence-building exercise for students who may not have had direct access to a university setting. - GAD Youth Center is framing long-term youth success as a community effort, not a one-off field trip. - The emphasis on partnerships suggests the nonprofit is relying on local support to scale access to enrichment opportunities.

What's next: - GAD Youth Center says it will keep focusing on consistent mentorship, intentional leadership and community investment as the way to change outcomes for young people. - The nonprofit says it will continue serving youth through its mix of education, wellness, faith and career programs. - Community partners and volunteers are expected to remain central to future programming.