Jarrell S. Mitchell, Col. USAF (Ret), donated $50,000 to United Community Ministries (UCM) to establish The Patricia R. Mitchell Children’s Enrichment Opportunities (CEO) Initiative, as a tribute to his late wife Patricia R. Mitchell.
Patricia Mitchell was a registered nurse, but her passion was helping children. Her nursing career began in Alaska where she supplemented her professional support to the native communities by also focusing on the children. She taught, nurtured, helped, and guided children throughout the state and even started a Girl Scout organization for native children.
Jarrell Mitchell served in the U.S. Air Force for 28 years and lived with his family in the UCM service area for many of those years. His last tour of duty was at the Pentagon as chief of the Engineering Division. He retired in 1987 and then worked as a consultant to the cities of Miami; Seoul, South Korea; Atlanta; and the Metropolitan Washington Aviation Authority, in support of the design and construction of their airport development programs.
He and his wife resided in the Mount Vernon area of Alexandria until her death in 2011, after which he permanently relocated to Sun-City Center, Fla. T
Jarrell Mitchell served on the UCM board of directors from 2002 to 2007.
The Patricia R. Mitchell CEO Initiative supports the following UCM children’s programs:
- Healthy Families Fairfax: Beginning with prenatal services, the Healthy Families Fairfax home visiting program successfully prevents child abuse and neglect through an evidence-based curriculum that helps at-risk families meet immediate needs, offers emotional support to help new parents cope with the stresses of parenting a newborn, teaches basic parenting skills, models positive parenting, and links families to medical providers to ensure that immunizations and well-care visits are on schedule.
- UCM Early Learning Center: Operating since 1986, the UCM Early Learning Center provides early care and learning for up to 82 infant through kindergarten-aged children.
- Youth Development: Elementary and middle school students without access to affordable after-school programs are welcomed at UCM’s two community centers and in the Forward Steps program.