Tag: volunteers
Volunteers decorate veterans’ homes
Jessica Sutherland got a nice surprise Saturday morning. A team of over 50 volunteers showed up at her house on Dodson Drive in Annandale to do yard work, including mulching and bulb planting, and put up holiday decorations. The volunteers were with the Decorate a Vet program, which was started in 2010 by Jeff Jones, … Continued
Santa’s Ride brings joy to children spending holidays in the hospital
Sorry, reindeer; Santa’s going to be riding a Harley this year. At least that’s his mode of transportation next Tuesday, Dec. 10, for “Santa’s Ride,” an annual charity event in which police officers escort Santa on a countywide tour on motorcycles, SUVs, and police cruisers to collect donated toys for hospitalized children. The group will … Continued
Annandale church hosts ‘alternative gift market’ this weekend
Tired of trying to buy holiday gifts for people who already have too much stuff? How about giving something that inspires change instead? That’s the idea behind the Alternative Gift Market this weekend at John Calvin Presbyterian Church, 6531 Columbia Pike, Annandale. The market, in the church’s Fellowship Hall, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Dec. 7 and … Continued
Help Annandale High School, Rotary Club collect funds for ShelterBox
A family on Guintican Island, Philippines, in front of a ShelterBox tent next to the ruins of their house destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan. Do you want to help the victims of the typhoon in the Philippines? Or refugees from the conflict in Syria? Annandale High School is teaming up with the Rotary Club of Annandale … Continued
Bring holiday joy to a lonely, needy senior
The 2012 gift-wrapping party at the Annandale Fire Station. Home Instead Senior Care of Annandale’s Be a Santa to a Senior program is in full swing. This program brings together local residents, merchants, schoolchildren, and community groups to provide gifts and holiday cheer to needy and lonely elderly people who are otherwise unlikely to be … Continued
Toy drive supports needy students at Bailey’s Elementary School
Every year, the Bailey’s Elementary School community provides toys and grocery gift cards to the neediest students before the winter break. In the past, Bailey’s has been fortunate to receive donations from the Toys for Tots program, but that organization stopped helping Bailey’s last year, so the school is reaching out to the surrounding community, … Continued
Supervisors hosting blanket drive for Syrian refugees
Children in a Syrian refugee camp in Turkey. [Photo from Bob Lazaro’s blog] The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is hosting a blanket drive for Syrian refugees in Turkey. The goal is to fill a shipping container with blankets that will be delivered to Turkey. A local relief agency will distribute them to refugee families … Continued
Green Spring Gardens, Hidden Oaks volunteers honored
From the left: Park Authority Board Chair Bill Bouie,; Mason District Park Authority Board Member Frank Vajda, FROGS President Susan Voss, FROGS Treasurer Ivy Sinaiko, FROGS Secretary Elizabeth Promen, and FROGS Vice President Clinton Fields. The Fairfax County Park Authority Board recognized the 20th anniversary of Friends of Green Spring (FROGS) at its Nov. 13 … Continued
Volunteers clean up Seven Corners
Volunteers pick up lots of trash from the Willston Center parking lot. About 40 children and adults gathered at the Willston Multicultural Center Saturday morning for a Seven Corners Cleanup event. The volunteers included members of the Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club; kids, parents, and staff from the after-school program that meets at the Willston Center; … Continued
Sponsors sought to help needy families during the holidays
A child receives a gift from an Our Daily Bread holiday program sponsor. [Photo from ODB.] Our Daily Bread (ODB), a nonprofit based in Fairfax, is seeking individuals, community groups, and businesses to sponsor needy families for Thanksgiving and the December holidays. Sponsors provide a holiday meal and gifts for family members under 18. If … Continued
New ‘welcome to Annandale’ sign is an Eagle Scout project
Annandale has a great new welcome sign, thanks to Matthew Sonnen, a Camelot resident and ninth-grader at Falls Church High School, who organized the project as part his quest to become an Eagle Scout. The red, white, and blue sign, on a median strip between an Exxon gas station and Gallows Road just … Continued
Engaged, active seniors urged to join the Senior Citizens Council
The Senior Citizens Council meets at the Lincolnia Senior Center. Anyone involved with any sort of group, club, or civic organization that involves senior citizens in the Annandale/Mason area is encouraged to join the Senior Citizens Council, Region 2. Individuals can participate, too. The council generally meets on the last Friday in the month at … Continued
Winter facilities needed to prevent hypothermia among the homeless
The approaching cold-weather season might be dismal and unpleasant for a lot of us, but it’s life-threatening for the area’s growing homeless population. During the winter, the Bailey’s Crossroads Community Shelter, as part of the Fairfax County Hypothermia Prevention Program, works with a network of religious facilities to provide the homeless with a warm place … Continued
Annandale High School seeks contributions to help pay for turf fields
The Annandale Atoms football team on the school’s practice field. Annandale High School has an opportunity to get two synthetic turf fields—if the school can come up with $100,000 by Nov. 1. That’s a daunting challenge, as the school community has only been able to come up with $32,000 so far. The AHS Athletic Booster … Continued
Local churches provide dinner at Poe Middle School every afternoon
Poe students enjoy dinner in the cafeteria. Lower-income students at Poe Middle School in Annandale no longer go home hungry, thanks to volunteers from area churches who serve them an early dinner during the Raven’s Nest after-school program. “It’s a very needy population, and we do what we can to make their lives easier,” says … Continued