Park Authority honors volunteers
Every year, the Fairfax County Park Authority presents Elly Doyle Park Services Awards to individual volunteers and groups who have contributed their time or experience to improve recreational opportunities and help protect natural, cultural, or historic resources.
The Park Board’s 2023 Chairman’s Choice Award was presented on Nov. 17 to three leaders in recognition of their “outstanding long-term service to and advocacy on behalf of the Park Authority”: outgoing Mason Supervisor Penny Gross, Dranesville Supervisor John Foust, who is also retiring at the end of the year; and Park Board member and former chair Bill Bouie.
Throughout her 27 years on the board, Gross worked on numerous park projects, including dog parks, farmers markets, community gardens, playground improvements, trails, synthetic turf fields, and invasive plants management, the Park Authority states. She was also lauded for supporting an equitable distribution of recreational amenities focusing on underserved populations.
Projects Gross supported in Mason District include the Margaret and John White Gardens, Hogge Park, Monch Farm Park, a new playground in Glasgow Park, the Providence Rec Center racquetball courts, the renovation of Ossian Hall Park, Crossroads Interim Park, the expansion of the Hidden Oaks Nature Center, the Eileen Garnett Civic Space, and the Spotlight by Starlight summer concert series.
Other Elly Doyle Award recipients with ties to the Annandale/Mason District area include the following:
- A Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award was presented to Colleen Cannon, an adapted aquatics volunteer who teaches swimming to adults with physical disabilities and children with intellectual disabilities at the Audrey Moore and Providence recreation centers.
- Larry Newman, youth coordinator for the Phillips Programs in Annandale, also received a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion award for teaching life skills to students with developmental disabilities by having them clean the fitness room at the Providence Rec Center.
The Fairfax County Park Foundation Eakin Philanthropy Awards were presented to:
- Arlene Evans and Barry Dewberry, in appreciation for funding the moon gate structure and hardscape at Green Spring Gardens and supporting the Open Space Land Preservation Fund.
- The Friends of the Hidden Oaks Nature Center, which has partnered with the Park Authority over the years to secure contributions that funded the chainsaw animal sculpture and bench, a microscope, camp scholarships, and the Meaningful Watershed Education Experience program.
- The Morrisette family, the owners of Interstate Moving, Relocation and Logistics, were honored for sponsoring the summer entertainment series and the Combo Classic Golf Tournament.
Outstanding Volunteer Awards were presented to 22 volunteers, including:
- Josefina “Jo” Doumbia, a volunteer at the Hidden Oaks Nature Center, where she introduces students to the natural world through outdoor activities and STEM workshops.
- Junko “JK” Klimek, the pottery monitor at the Audrey Moore Rec Center, assists the instructor and offers tips to the students.
- Eva Novak, the front desk associate at the Providence Rec Center, has a friendly attitude resulting in excellent customer service.
- Sharon Sellers and Jamie Ogden, the hosts of the tea programs at the Green Spring Gardens Historic House, do everything from assembling and decorating the food trays to cleaning up.
- The Youth Award was presented to Hiking Heroes, a volunteer group made up of high school students who host hikes, sponsor trail cleanups, make bird feeders, remove invasive species, and raise funds to support the county’s trail system.
More than 9,645 volunteers contributed 112,000 hours of service to the parks in fiscal year 2023.
“They are a critical component in the success of the park system,” the Park Authority says. “Based on national statistics and measures, the tangible value of this manpower service is $3.5 million. The Park Authority could not function without them.”