Tag: social services

Attorneys with Just Neighbors help immigrants resolve legal problems
When local immigrants need legal help, Just Neighbors provides a lifeline. The nonprofit organization based in Bailey’s Crossroads was established 15 years ago “in response to the lack of immigrant legal services for the community,” says Executive Director Rob Rutland-Brown. Just Neighbors helps people apply for green cards and other documents they need to stay … Continued

340 Fairfax County employees are moving to Annandale next June
About 340 Fairfax County employees will be relocated from Falls Church to the Heritage II and III office buildings at 7611 Little River Turnpike in Annandale in about seven months. The move affects these offices: the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, the Health Department, the Department of Family Services, Neighborhood and Community Services, Department of … Continued

Any teen can get mixed up with drug abuse, parents say
In 2008, Fairfax County police busted a heroin ring in Centreville involving more than 50 teens and young adults, many of them students or former students at Westfield High School. Four youths died of overdoses. Sixteen people were convicted, with three sentenced to 20 years in prison. Two of the parents and one youth who … Continued
Several Annandale sites offer free meals to eligible children
Children eligible for free and reduced-price school lunches are encouraged to take advantage of the free summer food program at area schools and other locations. Free breakfasts and or lunches are available to eligible children at 16 Fairfax County public schools, including four in the Annandale area: Holmes Middle School—July 25 to Aug. 19; breakfast, … Continued

Tahirih Justice Center helps immigrant women fleeing gender-based violence
Olga Sanchez Immigrant women in the Annandale area—and throughout Northern Virginia—who are dealing with domestic violence or caught up in human trafficking and don’t know what to do—are finding a helping hand through the Tahirih Justice Center. Tahirih, based in Falls Church, provides free legal and social services to immigrant women fleeing gender-based violence and … Continued
Free physical exams offered for uninsured children
If your school-age children are uninsured, the Fairfax County Department of Family Services is providing free physical examinations at the Springfield Family Resource Center, 7224 Commerce St., T4, Springfield. The exams will be offered 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on July 5, July 6, and Aug. 16. It’s first come, first served, with no appointment necessary. Parents … Continued

Annandale Safe Youth Program honors graduates
Left to right: Judith Dittman, executive director of Alternative House; Andrew House, who received a certificate for being the “Best All-Around Student”; and Fairfax County Board Chair Sharon Bulova. Fairfax County Board Chair Sharon Bulova presented graduation certificates June 13 to students in the Annandale Safe Youth Program. Food for the event was provided by … Continued
Annandale Rotary Club aids local nonprofits
The Annandale Rotary Club presented $4,000 in community service grants to five local organizations June 1 to help them continue their good work: Baileys Crossroad Center (Merica House), a homeless shelter for families operated by Volunteers of America. A $1,000 Rotary Club grant will help residents obtain the necessary training and documentation required to find … Continued

Proposed FX CO charter school would serve disadvantaged youths
Graham Road Elementary School A group Fairfax County residents, several of them teachers, has put forth a proposal to create a charter school in eastern Fairfax County aimed at providing a college prep curriculum to students who might not otherwise consider going to college. The school would have grades 7-12. Key elements of the proposal … Continued
Many challenges, few solutions offered at final Annandale Dialogue on Diversity
If the purpose of the Annandale Dialogue on Diversity was to open up lines of communication among an assortment of immigrants and people with deeper roots here, it accomplished its goals. But if the idea is to lay the groundwork for some sort of longer-lasting initiative aimed at cross-cultural understanding, we’ll have to wait and … Continued
Annandale resident gives half his money to charity
Semmler Prof. Richard Semmler teaches mathematics at the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College and lives in a modest apartment in Annandale. Yet he’s given about $1.2 million to charity. Semmler hasn’t won the lottery and he doesn’t have a hidden source of wealth. He has been able to donate half his annual income to … Continued

Annandale agency helps seniors find jobs
Prothero If you’ve tried to find a job in this tough employment market, imagine how much harder it is for older people—who might have outdated skills and no idea how to look for a job on the Internet. A nonprofit organization based in Annandale (4201 John Marr Drive) offers a much-needed hand to help people … Continued
New support group forming for parents of deployed children
The Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services—in conjunction with the Braddock District, Virginia Wounded Warrior Program, and Easter Seals Greater Washington-Baltimore NOVA Region—is organizing a support group for parents who have children on active duty serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, or anywhere overseas. The group’s first meeting will be Thursday, Jan. 27, 7 p.m. … Continued

Winter is an especially hard time for Annandale’s day laborers
Trying to find work as a day laborer in Annandale is hard. The pay is low, the work is physically demanding, and it’s hard to find recourse when contractors don’t pay what they promised. It’s even more of a hardship in the winter, when people have to stand out in the cold and the jobs … Continued

After 161 cats taken from her home, Village Drive cat lady is adjusting to a lonelier life
Houdini and Eleanor Eleanor Kaufer is adjusting to a lonelier life after Fairfax County Animal Control shut down the cat rescue operation she and her former roommate, Paula Burns, ran out of her home at 7100 Village Drive, Annandale. Since the cat hoarding story surfaced Nov. 19, the total number of cats reported varied. Washington’s NBC … Continued