Outstanding volunteers named ‘Lord’ and ‘Lady Fairfax’

Congratulations to Frank S. Vjada and Betsy Washington for being named Lord and Lady Fairfax of the Mason District for 2011.

It’s been a Fairfax County tradition since 1984 to recognize outstanding citizens for their volunteerism, heroism, or other special accomplishment by designating them “Lord Fairfax” and “Lady Fairfax.”

Each member of the Board of Supervisors and the chairman select two people to honor each year. The award program is held in conjunction with the Celebrate Fairfax festival, which takes place June 10-12 at the Fairfax County Government Center. The honorees will be recognized by the board June 7 at a dinner hosted by the Coastal Flats restaurant.

Vajda is the Neighborhood Watch Coordinator for the Camelot neighborhood, which has the oldest continuously operating Neighborhood Watch in the country. He has represented Mason District on the Fairfax County Park Authority Board for the past 10 years, runs the annual Camelot candle/luminaria sale, which has raised thousands of dollars for Children’s Hospital over the years, and takes part in many other community volunteer activities.

Washington designed an award-winning Resource Protection Area garden at Lake Barcroft that serves as a model for environmentally sound landscaping for waterfront properties. She leads a Tree Replacement Program to regenerate Lake Barcroft’s aging forest and writes an engaging and educational column on the environment for the community’s newsletter.