Taste of Scotland Distills Community Spirit and Support

Alexandria, VA — For many people attending the 54th annual Taste of Scotland in the ALX Community Atrium recently, it’s a “family thing.” A large variety of Scottish clan members in their dress tartans come from abroad and around the country to celebrate the famed founding of the Scots of Alexandria. One of those brightly tartan-clad leaders, Vance “Breeze” Guthrie, said he travels every year from Orlando for the event as part of his role as Clan Guthrie USA President, adding, “It’s just a favorite time of year.”

Guthrie joined others in the crowd of about 400, more than half wearing traditional hunting and dress plaids, and sampled the dozens of bottles of premium Scotch whisky and other tastings, such as Bourbon and some Virginia Single Malt, all pre-measured into tiny plastic cups, and nibbled at an impressive spread of bites and pairings.

The fundraiser gave educators, program directors, and board members of The Campagna Center the opportunity to show off the accomplishments of under-resourced children and families enrolled in the center’s educational programs. Guests mingled at the signature event hosted by Passport Auto and dozens of other sponsors to raise funds for the nonprofit that seeks to meet community needs and whose community impact grows larger each year.

Rachel Lotz, coordinator of The Campagna Center’s Wright to Read program, which shared a display table with the New Neighbors program on Dec. 5, explained, “Our goal is to support tutoring and mentoring programs for kindergarten through 12th grade kids in Alexandria, to support their literacy journeys, to provide them the extra caring adult in their lives, and to help them through elementary, middle, and high school and beyond.”

For example, a clever display of marshmallow “snow people” holding a favorite book (with digitally replicated covers) by  The Campagna Center’s elementary students enrolled in the Wright to Read program revealed a delight with literature; the creations were positioned next to decorated glass cylinders emblazed with quotations chosen by the older students. Subtly, the Taste of Scotland guests were reminded of the heart of Campagna’s mission of community service. The Campagna Center, now in its 80th year, offers programs such as Early Head Start, Head Start, Wright to Read, Campagna Kids, Building Better Futures, and New Neighbors. The majority of recipients come from households earning between 100% and 200% of the federal poverty level. 

Sporting a variety of tartans, supporters and staff at the event took time to praise the highly regarded early childhood and school-aged programs that last year served approximately 2,250 Alexandria residents (450 pregnant women and small children, 152 Wright to Read school-aged students, 1,135 elementary and middle school students, 370 high school-range, and 116 adults in English Language Learning). Supporters credited the nonprofit with playing an essential role in building better futures for the entire Alexandria community and beyond.

“It’s all about community,” said U.S. Senator Mark Warner, who mingled with Campagna staff and supporters, while apologizing that he dressed “so lamely,” laughing self-deprecatingly that “it is not so hard to find something plaid.” He said, “This event is one reason I love Alexandria. There is such a sense of community here in Alexandria and it is a community that cares, and The Campagna Center is so uniquely Alexandria. Trying to homogenize social services takes the heart out of it—and The Campagna Center is all about heart.”

Warner’s comments were echoed by board member Jenifer Baker, a professional speech pathologist, who became a board member four years ago after joining in 2014 as a Junior Friend’s Chair. “It is in our town,” said Baker. “I know early childhood intervention is so key. As a board member, we try to get the word out—we want to tell people about The Campagna Center.” Baker noted that the center’s educators were staffing tables to talk about the various programs and their impacts as reported in bar graph handouts of “real results” including “overall academic performance among Campagna Kids,” and the “100% rate of high school seniors who reported that they are on track to graduate high school this (school) year.” Early childhood student achievement showed an increase of 6 percent (on top of a recorded growing trend the year prior) who are meeting developmental expectations by the end of the school year.

President and CEO Edith Hawkins, who joined the nonprofit in June 2025, credited “such a great community, board, and staff—and we’re all navigating these challenges together. Although there are a lot of pressure points, we have been able to navigate those,” noting other growing challenges such as food insecurity, health, care, etc. “Our partners—I use the word partners broadly as so many people in the community—are so important… Our donors very much believe in our work.” 

Among strategic planning for 2026, Hawkins identified “work force development and economic mobility…(as) a shared interest of everyone right now—that will be a through thread to our community.”