If you live in Alexandria, or have visited, you may have noticed a charming, little boat house along the Potomac in Old Town. At first glance, it looks like it could be a tourist information center and gift shop, or, with its decorative wooden dinghies out front, a boutique nautical goods retailer.

But The Alexandria Seaport Foundation isn't trying to sell tourists Alexandria-branded coffee mugs or tee shirts. Inside that quaint shingled building, power tools are whirring. Hammers thwack against wood. The smell of sawdust itches the nose. Voices rise and fall over the din of collective effort.

And if you listen closely enough, you hear a happiness in those sounds. The whispers and laughter of new friends. An almost indefinable buzz of newfound purpose and reclaimed pride. We hope you'll tune in to a story of how one organization is making a difference in the lives of several local young adults.