Potomac School Honors Amanda Marshall With Exemplary Service Award

MCLEAN, VA — The Potomac School awarded Amanda Marshall, founder of Fair Chance and co-founder of Families4Families, with its Award for Exemplary Service during a school-wide assembly on Friday.

The award, presented to Marshall during an assembly honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., recognizes people in the wider community who are making an important difference through service to others.

Founded in 2002, Marshall's Fair Chance works to strengthen nonprofit organizations that support children and families in communities affected by racism, discrimination and poverty. It provides training and resources to help nonprofits build capacity, so that they can serve their communities more successfully.

“Amanda Marshall has devoted her career to partnering with individuals and organizations to address societal needs, with a particular focus on supporting children and families,” Tim Jaeger, Potomac’s acting head of school, said in a statement. “Her compassion, creative approach to problem-solving, and perseverance inspire The Potomac School community as we too seek to make a positive difference.”

The Potomac School, on a 90-acre campus in McLean, is an independent coeducational day school that with 1,066 students in grades K-12.

At Friday’s school assembly, Marshall, who lives in Washington, D.C., with her family, noted that Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

“I couldn't agree more,” Marshall said.

“I believe that each person, regardless of how old you are, how much money you have, or where you live, can make a positive impact on the lives of others,” she emphasized.

In its 20 years of existence, Marshall’s Fair Chance has partnered with more than 200 nonprofits in the D.C. area. Together, those nonprofit organizations serve more than 150,000 children and families. Marshall now serves as a board member at Fair Chance.

Marshall, her husband Alex, and their sons launched Families4Families (F4F) in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of F4F’s goals is to empower young people to make a difference through service.

Student-led F4F Clubs collect food and other essential items and work with local nonprofits to get the donations to people in need. In less than three years, Families4Families has grown into a nationwide organization, with 55 student clubs in 25 cities. The organization’s volunteers have collected and donated enough food to provide 880,000 meals.

Several students at The Potomac School are active with local F4F clubs.

Melinda Adamec, a parent of a Potomac student and a F4F volunteer, said Marshall and her family have given so many young people the opportunity to engage and contribute to their communities.

“While the donations benefit the families who receive groceries monthly from the clubs, there’s also tremendous benefit for the students who work together in these clubs and gain hands-on experience serving their communities,” Adamec said in a statement.