On Thursday, May 19th, at The Winery at Bull Run in Centreville, Virginia, OAR Nova will host our 50th Anniversary Celebration and Fundraiser from 7pm to 9pm.

As a valued community partner, we want you to be a part of our celebration! Those in attendance can expect to enjoy a complimentary program with one complimentary drink ticket, delicious hors d’oeuvres, a live jazz band, and a special guest speaker. Additionally, we will hold a raffle with exciting prizes like a night at the Four Seasons in DC, dinner at Filomena, and a 20-person private wine tasting at Total Wine and More. Stay tuned to our social media pages to see what else we add!

Our guest speaker this year will be CJ Appleton, a third year Ph.D. student in George Mason’s Criminology Law and Society program. CJ is a former Division I football player whose life was derailed by justice involvement and drugs and alcohol. 

After a decade marked with self-destructive behavior, CJ got clean at the age of 27, went back to community college, and began the journey he is currently on now. In the last 10 years, CJ has gone from living under a bridge in Portland Oregon to accumulating 10 years of sobriety, being a two-sport college athlete, becoming an honor roll student, attaining a Master’s degree, winning multiple awards including having an award named after him, and being accepted at one of the elite universities in the country for his PhD studies. He is currently dedicated to creating transformational research to improve the justice system and create pathways to successful life for formerly justice involved people.