Tag: social services
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Peers in recovery help those still struggling regain control of their lives
At the Peer Resource Center open house, left to right: Byron Hall, Jullie Calkin, and peer support specialist Karen Wands Park. People in recovery are finding the help they need from people who’ve made it through similar challenges and have been trained as peer support specialists. That’s the premise of the Peer Resource Center, a … Continued
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ACCA childcare center wants to expand
The Annandale Adult Day Center occupied some rooms on the right side of the building. The departure of the Annandale Adult Day Center from the building at 7200 Columbia Pike has left some vacant space that the ACCA Child Development Center (CDC) would like to expand into. The CDC, a full-day, affordable child care program … Continued
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New Agape Center on Lincolnia Road offers social outlet for seniors
A bingo game in the main room of the new Agape center in Lincolnia. About 150 seniors are enjoying organized activities and a chance to socialize every day at the new Agape adult daycare center on Lincolnia Road. A friendly game in one of the activity rooms. The new facility, which opened in November, offers … Continued
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Just Neighbors offers a life line to local immigrants
A green card. Like many undocumented residents of the Annandale/Mason area, Alejandro didn’t see much of a future for himself after he graduated from Annandale High School. Just Neighbors, an immigrant advocacy organization based in Bailey’s Crossroads, helped him attain status under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which allows certain people who came to … Continued
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Grocery donations collected for needy next Saturday at area stores
ACCA volunteers at the 2014 Day of Service food drive at Shoppers. When you do your grocery shopping next Saturday, buy a little extra for those in need. Sept. 26 is the “Day to Serve” food drive to benefit the pantry operated by the Annandale Community for Christian Action. ACCA volunteers will be stationed at … Continued
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County plans to close Annandale Adult Day Care Center
Clients enjoy a game of seated, balloon volleyball. The Annandale Adult Day Care Center, which serves people with mental and physical impairments, most of them in their 80s, could be shut down as the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors struggles to cut costs. Each county agency was asked to come up with a list of … Continued
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Painful funding cuts outlined at Mason Budget Town Hall
From the left: Mason Supervisor Penny Gross, school board member Sandy Evans, and County Executive Ed Long. Of all the funding cuts in the Fairfax County advertised budget for 2016, one will hit some Annandale families especially hard: The budget would terminate the Annandale Adult Day Care Center located in the former Annandale Elementary School … Continued
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New county building brings health services to Merrifield area
The interior of the building has a nature theme. Staff from various mental health, substance abuse, and other programs operated by the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board have begun moving into the agency’s new building at 8221 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive in Merrifield. Staff from youth services programs began moving in first in mid-January. When … Continued
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Health programs moving to new Merrifield Center next month
Merrifield Center Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) programs that are currently based in offices on Woodburn Road, Annandale, and other locations in Fairfax County and Falls Church will be moving in January to the new Merrifield Center building at 8221 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive, near the Route 50/Gallows Road intersection. The CSB is a … Continued
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Help a needy family celebrate Thanksgiving
The Kiwanis Club of Fairfax sponsored a family for the holidays last year through Our Daily Bread. [Kiwanis Club photo] Our Daily Bread is seeking assistance from the community to help provide holiday meals and gifts to low-income individuals and families. More than 3,000 Fairfax County households have been registered for the organization’s Holiday Program … Continued
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Food program helps Culmore residents support their families
Culmore residents collect produce Many of the families living in the Culmore community would have a hard time feeding their families if it weren’t for the twice-monthly food distribution program organized by the Legal Aid Justice Center. On a recent rainy Thursday morning, about 80 people, most of them immigrants from Central America, lined up … Continued
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Free workshop on how faith communities can grow food for the needy
Members of Columbia Baptist Church raise food for the needy. The public is invited to a free workshop in Annandale on how faith communities can develop gardens to benefit local food pantries or members of their congregation. The “Community Garden Harvests that Make a Difference” workshop takes place Sunday, Sept. 28, 3-5 p.m., at the … Continued
Commentary: Ray Rice incident highlights need to protect abuse victims
By Jasmin Witcher With all the recent focus on the Rice family, the NFL, and questions as to who viewed the video and knew what, and when, I believe we should stop judging and pointing fingers and start focusing on the larger issue. Domestic violence is a local and a national problem that knows no … Continued
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Annandale students ready for school, thanks to huge Resource Fair
Annandale Terrace Principal Andrea Garris (left) and her staff meet a student. It’s still summer break, but Annandale High School was filled with children Aug. 13 for the second annual Back-to-School Annandale Pyramid Resource Fair. According to organizers, at least 4,000 people came. There were free school supplies from Kits for Kidz, clothing from the … Continued
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Supervisors approve expansion of shelter for women abuse victims
An illustration of the expansion project. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors agreed July 29 to allow Bethany House of Northern Virginia to expand a shelter for women victims of domestic abuse in the Barcroft Hills neighborhood. The expansion plan has generated controversy in recent weeks, as some neighbors who oppose it put up signs … Continued