28
Current pre-apprentices
The website describes 28 active, year-round participants. The exact reporting date is not specified on the page.
Alexandria, Virginia
Building Skills. Confidence. Futures.
Cornerstone Craftsman provides hands-on skilled-trades training, mentorship, and life-skills development for young people ages 12–17 in Alexandria, Virginia.
Find your path
How you can connect
Students & Families
Learn how to join the pre-apprenticeship program.
Learn how to join →Donors
Help expand opportunity for more Alexandria youth.
Help expand opportunity →Volunteers
Share your skills and time with students and families.
Share your skills and time →Community Partners
Work with us to open pathways into the trades.
Work with us →Our program
How the program works
Cornerstone Craftsman is an Alexandria-based pre-apprenticeship program. Young people ages 12–17 learn skilled trades, receive mentoring, and build a path toward a livable wage and a viable career.
- 1
Hands-on skilled-trades instruction
Students learn safety, tools, drywall, painting, carpentry, and related construction skills through structured lessons and projects.
- 2
Mentoring and character development
The program emphasizes the 5Cs of Positive Youth Development: Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character, and Caring.
- 3
Life skills and career preparation
Instruction includes conflict resolution, critical thinking, self-awareness, and accountability, alongside technical training.
- 4
School-year and summer participation
Students meet with instructors and mentors during the school year and more frequently during the summer at the Learning Center.
- 5
Support for students and families
The organization provides mentoring, benevolent/support services, transportation, and ongoing family engagement.
Results
What we can say today
These figures are taken from Cornerstone Craftsman’s current public materials. They are not presented as independently audited outcomes.
44
Youth served to date
Published on the Our History page: Cornerstone has served 44 youth since the informal program began in 2021.
—
Waitlist size
Public pages currently list both 17 and “over 45.” This number will be published here after staff confirm the current count and date.
A 95% retention rate appears on the current website, but the reporting period, participant count, and internal source are not stated. It is not featured as a headline metric until those details can be verified.
Student voice
Skills that carry beyond the shop
“I'm 15 and a student at Alexandria City High School. This program has helped me in so many ways. I've learned many new skills I can use for the future, whatever path I choose. It's also helped me develop my communication skills, making it easier to talk to people. Plus, the program keeps me focused and out of trouble and the streets.”
— A Program Participant, published on the Cornerstone Craftsman testimonials page with no last name given.
Additional parent and community reflections are collected on the impact page. Sensitive court or juvenile-justice history is not used as a homepage story.
Watch and learn
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Recent graduates
Building Our Future: Recent Graduates
Graduate graphics published on the original homepage. First names only, as shown on the live site.
Ways to help
Give. Volunteer. Partner.
Give
Donations support pre-apprentice assistance, instructor time, job materials, tools, meals, transportation, and general operations.
Volunteer
Current posted roles include writer/researcher, program instructor, and weekend driver. All incoming volunteers complete a background check.
Partner
Employers, unions, schools, and community organizations can help with instruction, materials, jobsites, and pathways into apprenticeships.
Trust
Accountable to this community
Cornerstone Craftsman, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity. EIN 93-3474741.
Cornerstone Craftsman officially received 501(c)(3) status in early October 2024. Gifts since formation in October 2023 are tax deductible, limited to the excess of money (and the fair market value of property other than money) contributed over the value of goods or services provided.
Learning Center: 2111 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 102, Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Email: info@cornerstonecraftsman.org
Needs confirmation: Logos below appear on the current public website. They show organizations students have been connected with or that are displayed as community affiliations. They are not presented here as formal partnership contracts.
Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency
View our nonprofit profile
Ready to join, support, or talk with us?
Whether you are a family exploring the program, a neighbor who wants to give, or a partner opening a jobsite, there is a next step.