Tag: volunteers
Help ‘Gary Claus’ bring holiday gifts to kids
Mason District residents are invited to help “Gary Claus” (Det. Gary Moore) bring holiday joy to local children. For the past few years, Moore has donned full Santa gear to deliver toys and pajamas to kids in some of the area’s neediest communities. This year, Gary Claus will be at the Culmore Community Center, Wadsworth … Continued
Help clean up Americana Drive
Volunteers are invited to join the next Americana Drive Cleanup event on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Participants should meet at the corner of Americana Drive and Patriot Drive in Annandale. Signing up in advance will help the organizers make sure there are enough supplies. Friends of Accotink Creek adopted Americana Drive through … Continued
Help Klaudia get a prosthetic arm
Klaudia Castillo, a former resident of Fairmont Gardens in Annandale, is asking the community to help her raise money for a prosthetic arm. People can donate to a GoFundMe campaign set up by her family. Castillo was badly injured in a car crash five years ago. She was on the way to work when another … Continued
Volunteers pack backpacks for students
Nearly 100 volunteers gathered at the Arlington Moose Lodge in Bailey’s Crossroads Aug. 6 to put together 2,000 backpacks full of school supplies for students in the Justice High School pyramid. Half of the backpacks will go to Justice High School and Glasgow Middle School; the rest will go to elementary schools, said Kate Walter, … Continued
Library room dedicated to community activist Carmen Fernandez
Community activist Carmen Fernandez was posthumously recognized July 9 at a ceremony to name the meeting room at Woodrow Wilson Library in her honor. Fernandez founded the nonprofit Hispanics Against Child Abuse and Neglect (HACAN), an educational and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening families through parent education and out-of-school activities for youths. Fernandez spent many … Continued
Donations sought for school supplies
It’s still the middle of the summer, but it’s not too early to plan ahead for the start of school. Britepaths is asking for donations of backpacks and funds for school supplies for students in the Justice and Fairfax high school pyramids. The nonprofit’s Collect for Kids Back to School Program will benefit 2,500 students … Continued
Covid didn’t stop these Eagle Scouts
The Covid pandemic has been hard for everyone, and that includes members of Scout troops. Nevertheless, three members of Troop 1525, all graduating seniors, were recognized for attaining Eagle Scout status at a Court of Honor ceremony June 7. “We are calling them Covid Eagles because they all performed their service projects and earned their … Continued
Garnett remembered as community activist
Funeral services for Eileen Garnett will be held Thursday June 2, at 11 a.m. at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, 2700 19th St. S., Arlington. Those attending are encouraged to wear happy colors, “as this was mom’s wish,” says her daughter, Megan Garnett. The service will be livestreamed and can be accessed here. Garnett … Continued
Annandale teacher volunteers at refugee center for Ukrainians
After volunteering to help Ukrainian refugees, Annandale High School teacher Meredith Hedrick has a better understanding of the issues students face in her English-as-a-second-language classes. Hedrick, the ESOL department chair, worked with World Central Kitchen May 6-17 in a Polish border town, where she helped distribute food and other supplies to newly arrived Ukrainians fleeing … Continued
Volunteers rescue trees choked by vines
Northern Virginia’s oldest and best-loved trees are in mortal danger. Unless people can get rid of the vines choking their trunks, the trees will die. Tree Rescuers, an outreach program that educates the public about the risks of non-native vines, is saving trees and spreading life-saving information throughout neighborhoods. The program is part of Plant … Continued
Kehrer Baseball Complex dedicated at Pine Ridge Park
The Fairfax County Park Authority has named the baseball facilities at Pine Ridge Park in Annandale the Kehrer Baseball Complex. The new name honors Darryl and Dawn Kehrer, longtime volunteers with the Annandale-North Springfield Little League (ANSLL). The late Darryl Kehrer served as an ANSLL and Annandale High School Boosters volunteer for a combined 29 … Continued
Mason District residents honored by Volunteer Fairfax
Longtime ACCA volunteer Mary Lee Dispirito and James Albright and the Annandale Greenway Team are among the 49 nominees, 11 winners, and 10 Community Champions recognized at an awards ceremony hosted by Volunteer Fairfax April 20. Dispirito, the recipient of Volunteer Fairfax’s Lifetime Achievement Award, has devoted countless hours over the past 35 years – … Continued
Korean community aids Ukrainian refugees
The Washington, D.C., area Korean American community raised more than $214,000 to help Ukrainian refugees, reports Jewon Ryu of the Korea Times. The funds were handed over to the American Red Cross on April 14. More than 2,000 Korean Americans contributed to the fundraising drive for Ukraine. Many of the donors had survived the horrors … Continued
Families invited to volunteer festival
Families are invited to Spring-it On, a volunteer festival and fundraiser April 30 hosted by Kids Give Back. The event, 1-4 p.m., at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 8922 Little River Turnpike in Fairfax, features service projects, face painting, music, food, raffles, and games. Families will have an opportunity to participate in the following service projects: Filling … Continued
Annandale resident raises funds for water project in African village
Annandale resident Lassine Doumbia is one of the few people from a remote village in the West African nation of Mali to emigrate to the U.S. and find success working for the federal government. Rather than simply focus on creating a new life here, he has been working tirelessly on making life better for the … Continued