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Two Sides to Two and a Half CentsNews, Page 3

Lorton Brewery Among Fastest GrowingNews, Page 2

NOVA Parks ExpandsNews, Page 8

Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck with NOVA Parks represen-

tatives at the ribbon-cutting for the Stribling property on Saturday, April

14, 2018 at Pohick Bay Regional Park.

online at www.connectionnewspapers.com April 19-25, 2018

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2 ❖ Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ April 19-25, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

Calling all runners and walkers: Register nowfor the 21st Annual Clifton Caboose TwilightRun, a 5K run and a 1-mile run/walk that bringstogether area residents for outdoor fun whileraising funds for a local cause. This year’s Ca-boose Run is on Saturday, May 5 at 6 p.m.

The course starts in the picturesque town ofClifton and winds its way through scenic Vir-ginia horse country. After the race, participantscan enjoy refreshments and live music at theRed Barn near Clifton’s Main Street area.

The Clifton Betterment Association (CBA) willhost the family-friendly race, which typicallydraws 350-400 runners and walkers while rais-ing around $6,000 in preservation funds forhistoric Clifton.

The use of “Caboose” in the event title is a nodto Clifton’s railroad history and small-town at-mosphere. It is also the inspiration for thelast-place Caboose Award, a light-hearted trib-

ute that remains a favorite part of the post-raceparty. First-place CBA members in the men’sand women’s categories receive an awardnamed for the late Jaime Netschert, a belovedClifton resident who was a long-time supporterand participant in the Caboose Run.

This year’s Caboose Run sponsors include:Anthony Reid Tax & Accounting Services; BelleJar Design; BYK-Gardner; Centers for AdvancedOrthopaedics; Clifton Cafe; Clifton CentrevilleAnimal Clinic; Delegate Tim Hugo; DICK’sSporting Goods; Laurence J. Murphy, MD andStacey H. Staats, MD; Main Street Pub; PetersonCompanies; Peterson’s Ice Cream Depot;RulyScapes; and Spokes, Etc. Bicycles.

To register online, visit https://www.signmeup.com/123989 by Wednesday,May 2. Participants may also register on-site atthe Red Barn on Friday, May 4 from 5 - 7 p.m.and on Saturday, May 5 from 4 - 5:30 p.m.

Clifton’s 5K Caboose Run Scheduled for May 5

By Mike Salmon

The Connection

It might be the open aired, laid backwarehouse atmosphere, the foodtrucks and tents out front, the one-lane railroad underpass nearby or the

freight train that rumble by on tracks 75feet from the front door. Or it could be allof these that landed Fair Winds BrewingCompany in Lorton a place in the top 50fastest growing small an independent craftbrewing companies of 2017, according toinformation released by the Brewers Asso-ciation of Boulder, Colo.

For Becky Lee, who stopped by Fair Windson a recent “Brew Crew outing with friends,“every beer there was very tasty,” she said.“I’ve been to a bunch of breweries and thisis a good one,” she added.

A hot item on their beer list is the Howl-ing Gale IPA, a west coast style IPA, saidCasey Jones, owner of Fair Winds. It won asilver medal in a beer competition as thesecond best micro beer in Virginia. Anotherbeer that was just released in April, calledHells Navigator is a May Bock beer whichJones categorized as a beginning seasonbeer, setting the scene for the coming sum-mer beer season to go with the shrimp,crawfish and crab boils they have planned.Fair Winds has been awarded on the na-tional, state and local level, Jones said, be-cause of the “highest possible product qual-ity.”

According to Bart Watson, chief econo-

mist at the Brewers Association, places likeFair Winds offer a quality of beer that comesin different varieties. “Breweries often spe-cialize in styles that may be hard to comeby from other breweries,” Watson said.

If you don’t happen to hit it on a nightwhen there’s a boil, food trucks are part ofthe picture at Fair Winds too. Cipolla Rossais a pizza place that tows their own woodoven behind a truck and fires it up in theparking lot. Chef Joshua Anson was sippinga craft brew while he spun a pizza doughin the air. “I think people love it,” he said.

The food trucks vary from day to day, andoffer a variety from empanadas to barbe-cue. “Our food truck schedule is built onrelationships that we have developed withsome folks who have their own restaurantsand food truck businesses,” said JacquelynOlejniczak, taproom manager.

The industrial look on the inside worksin more ways than one. There are tours ofthe brewing process available, and the openinterior can come with the doors open orclosed, depending on the weather, withsports on the television screens.

There is a movement for customer’s prox-imity to the food source, whether it be awine festival on the farm or beer tastingnear the brewing tubs, as in the case at FairWinds. “People want to be closer to thesource and know where it’s made,” saidJones.

Watson sees that on a bigger scale at theBrewers Association. “Brewery tours arepart of the draw,” he said.

Even the one lane railroad underpass outfront on Newington Road is part of the sce-nario. It is one of the only underpasses ofit’s kind left in Northern Virginia, and Jonesuses it as a point of reference. “It’s so iconic,”he said.

Fair Winds Brewing Company is located at 7000Newington Road, Suites K&L, Lorton, Tel: 703-372-2001.

On a nice day, Fair Winds Brewing Company breaks out the tents, ropesoff the parking lot and brew fans flock to the location. Inside Fair Winds, the tables are full with brew fans.

Lorton Brewery Among Fastest GrowingElements alignfor success at theFair Winds BrewingCompany.

Joshua Anson of Cipolla Rossa,goes aerial with the dough.

Jaci Anson, known as MommaRossa, with an oven baked pizza.

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NewsConnection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or south@connectionnewspapers.com

See Vote, Page 15

By Ken Moore

The Connection

James Parmelee was the seventhspeaker before the Board of Su-pervisors on the proposed budget.Following school personnel,

county employees and a speaker from thePTA, Parmelee was the first to oppose theproposed real estate tax increase.

“I figured somebody in the room shouldtry to speak for the average taxpayer,” saidParmelee, a perennial opponent of taxes,when he gave his opinion of the proposedbudget on the first of three days of publiccomment.

More than 150 speakers testified, 158signed up to speak, during the three daysthe Board of Supervisors allotted to hearfrom the public on the FY 2019 budget andproposed tax rate. The public commentslasted more than 11 hours and 20 minutes.

Advocates voiced passion on topics rang-ing from the environment, health and hu-man services, people with disabilities andwho are aging, early childhood education,fire and rescue services, pay for public safetypersonnel, the opioid epidemic, affordablehousing, diversity, mental health treatment,school bonds and capital improvements, thetriple A bond rating, the arts, libraries, com-petitive pay for teachers, and more.

But the issue for the board to decide onMay 1 is whether to support County Execu-tive Bryan Hill’s proposed budget includ-ing a two and a half cent real estate taxincrease. The board can accept the real es-tate tax increase or vote for a smalleramount but can not raise Hill’s suggestedincrease.

“When the voters in Fairfax County havehad an opportunity to vote on tax increases,you saw what happened last time,” saidParmelee. “The voters of Fairfax County, onthe very same day that they overwhelminglyvoted for Hillary Clinton, they also over-whelming voted against the tax hike.”

If the Board of Supervisors were to adoptthe full two and a half cent tax rate increase,it would amount to an additional $268 onthe average homeowner’s annual tax bill.

Only four speakers, and approximately 21minutes, divided Parmelee from speaker No.12, Kimberly Adams, of Clifton.

“Aa a mother, taxpayer and employee herein Fairfax County, my life and livelihood areimpacted by every budget that this countryadopts,” said Adams.

“We have to remember that we are pre-paring the future for more than 185,000students each year. I would encourage the

school system to go under a similar lines ofbusiness review that the county has gonethrough,” said Adams, who suggested thatsavings from collaboration between schoolsand the county could be identified.

“If at the end of that exercise, savings arenot identified, then we must move forwardin a responsible manner that may mean rais-ing taxes once more or looking for possiblealternatives to property taxes that we havefound to be so elusive here in the county,”said Adams.

THE PROPOSED $4.29-BILLION bud-get would transfer 54 percent of the totalto the school system to fully fund FCPS’sbudget request. It would also fund pay in-creases for teachers and county employees.

Adams spoke for many others when sheaddressed quality of life.

“Like so many here, I am happy to haveamazing schools, fire and rescue profession-als, human services, parks and librarieswithin my reach. It is why my family liveshere,” she said, in the three minutes givento each individual speaker.

“All residents deserve an equitable oppor-tunity to succeed if they work hard, butfamilies that cannot afford homes in thisarea are a growing group. Many familiesare working hard but there are not enoughgood-paying jobs, not enough affordablecare options, and certainly not enough af-fordable homes in this area. … I appreciateit when you spend my tax dollars to sup-port many who live in need alongside thoseof us who are doing well. We are FairfaxCounty and the people who live here wantan inclusive and welcoming community forall.”

BECAUSE OF VIRGINIA LAW, FairfaxCounty depends almost entirely on real es-tate taxes for revenue, putting a burden onhomeowners in particular, whose increas-ing property values don’t always demon-strate an ability to pay more.

“For nearly 20 years, this board has beenraising real estate taxes two or three timesfaster than household income,” said ArthurPurves, of Vienna.

“This goes on year after year,” said CharlesMcAndrew, of Oak Hill.

Phil Niedzielski-Eichner is the ProvidenceDistrict Planning Commissioner and formerschool board member. But last week,Niedzielski-Eichner spoke as an individualfrom Oakton and was the 23rd speaker.

“The key, of course, is attracting and re-taining high-quality personnel to both[schools and county]. This budget beginsto recover our competitiveness in relationto compensation offered by other govern-mental jurisdictions. I also support the $25million annual increase in FCPS bondingauthority to expedite its school renovationand support new construction that will al-leviate severe overcrowding in some of the

Supervisors to vote onproposed budget,possible real estate taxincrease on May 1.

Two Sides to Two and a Half Cents

Kofi Annan, Fairfax County NAACP“Fairfax County’s demographics are rapidly

changing as you know. It is becoming increas-ingly diverse, and with these changes oftencome a unique set of challenges.

“The county’s revenue outlook is the mostpromising it’s been in years. However the rateof revenue increase is not reflected in the rateof investment in the poor and working classcommunities. The low income Fairfax residents,a disproportionate amount of whom are minori-ties, will not automatically benefit from theimproved economy. Thousands will remain re-liant on low-wage service sector jobs and manywill not receive pay increases. Many of themwill not be able to provide for their kids withpre-K education or have access to affordablehousing. Therefore, we request that the countydirect greater attention and resources to serv-ing the needs of the less fortunate among us.”

Annan expressed concern that the county isunderfunding Pre-K education for needy fami-lies.

“This opportunity gap eventually turns intoan achievement gap, and that widens over time.

“Fairfax County NAACP calls on the countyto commit the resources to enroll at least 300additional kids into Pre-K in 2019 budget anddevise a long-term plan to fund at least 2,000over the next five years.

“Expand access to affordable housing. Manylow income residents will not be able to affordto live in Fairfax County. Many of these fami-lies will spend up to half or more of their annualbudget” on housing.

“For the past few years, 40 percent of policeuse of force has been directed toward AfricanAmericans, who only make up about 10 percentof the county.

“And for the past few years, we have beenasking the county to fund an outside organiza-tion to conduct a study to determine the causesof this disparity, so we can begin the process ofreversing that trend.”

Helen Kelly, Herndon, League ofWomen Voters

“We support the new property tax rate be-cause we believe it gives you more flexibility inmeeting unexpected challenges and we applaudyour increased contributions to the reservefunds to satisfy the bond rating agencies. Astaxpayers we appreciate your efforts to thecounty’s triple A rating.”

Kelly supported Diversion First, gang preven-tion, the opioid task force, the South Countypolice station and the Office of Elections.

Their Own Words, A GlimpseDale Stein, president, McLean CitizensAssociation

“MCA is concerned about the context of theincreases in spending and the apparent lack ofcost savings. MCA feels that each budget shouldinclude new efficiency, in operations particu-larly in budgets of $4.3 billion. ... “

Louise Epstein, chair, McLean CitizensAssociation’s budget and taxationcommittee

“We really support teacher raises” while alsoexpressing concern about allotting millions forraises for administrators in the school system.

Kay Larmer, McLean, Commission onAging

“We applaud your commitment to makingFairfax a livable community for people of allages.

“Currently in Fairfax County, about one inseven residents are older than 65. By 2020, theproportion will nearly be one in five.

“We will need more affordable and accessiblehousing, improved and more creative transpor-tation services , increased home based andcommunity based services, new communica-tions technology, programs that promote ethnicand cultural diversity.”

Leann Alberts, Springfield, DisabilityServices Board

“Working age people with disabilities makeup nearly 15 percent of the Virginia’s popula-tion and are far more likely to be unemployedand to live in poverty than people without dis-abilities. Supports for people with disabilitiesare vital to the fabric of our community. Theyare every bit as essential to Fairfax County asour roads, emergency first responders, schoolsand environmental services. They are valueadded services that empower people with dis-abilities to live and prosper in the community.”

Enrique Carrero, Fairfax Countyemployee

“I am proud to be the first one in my familyto graduate from college, and I feel it’s impor-tant to give back to the community through myjob as a public employee. I help families in needget heating in the winter and air conditioningin the summer. I’ve heard some people saymillennial workers don’t care about retirement.So, let me clear that up. As a 23-year-oldmillennial, I care deeply about my future andbelieve that we all deserve to live comfortablywhen we’re too old to work.”

Helen Kelly,Herndon,League ofWomen Voters

LouiseEpstein,McLeanCitizensAssociation

Dale Stein,McLeanCitizensAssociation

Kay Larmer,McLean,Commissionon Aging

Leann Alberts,Springfield,DisabilityServices Board

JamesParmelee,Centreville

KimberlyAdams, Clifton

Arthur Purves,Vienna

PhilNiedzielski-Eichner,Oakton

Kofi Annan,Fairfax CountyNAACP

4 ❖ Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ April 19-25, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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By Marilyn Campbell

In an era when consumers can pur-

chase merchandise and depositmoney into a bank account using asmartphone, teach-

ing money smarts to chil-dren can be fraught withcomplications. April is Fi-nancial Literacy Month andlocal financial advisors sayteaching children how tomanage their money re-sponsibly is a necessarypart of becoming a finan-cially responsible adult.

“How a parent treats cashis the way their kids willtreat cash; lead by ex-ample,” said Andrea Foster,professor and departmentchair of Business, Econom-ics, Accounting, ComputerApplications and ParalegalStudies (BEACAPS) atMontgomery College. “If your kid sees you cuttingcoupons and budgeting, when they grow up they will

April is FinancialLiteracy Month.

Teaching Money Managementdo the same. They will see the benefits and the valueof your thriftiness. “

One of the most important financial lessons that aparent can teach is how to save, advises Foster. “Teachthem how to budget so that they can learn how tosave for what they want,” she said.

Children pay attention to and learn from the waysin which their parents manage money and it’s criti-cal that they learn financial literacy at home, sug-gests Victoria G. Henry, assistant vice president at

West Financial Services, Inc.in McLean.

“Explaining the concept ofsavings early to children iskey,” added “It is natural towant to spend everythingright away, so it may be hardto understand why it is impor-tant to set a little aside for fu-ture expenses. Perhaps itcould be explained by sayingthe savings will come in handyif a favorite toy breaks or islost.”

An ideal time to offer a les-son in saving is when a childreceives money as a presentfor a birthday or other occa-sion, says Henry. “It is a goodpractice to have them save

See Observing, Page 5

“Explaining the concept ofsavings early to children iskey. It is natural to want tospend everything rightaway, so it may be hard tounderstand why it isimportant to set a littleaside for future expenses.”

— Victoria G. Henry,West Financial Services, Inc.

Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ April 19-25, 2018 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

TJHSST Admissions Statistics for Class of 2022Applicants Percent Admitted Percent

Reduced Fee or 336 10.6% 7 1.4%Waived Fee Paid

GENDERMale 1,683 53.3% 278 57.3%Female 1,477 46.7% 207 42.7%Total 3,160 485

ETHNICWhite 870 27.5% 111 22.9%Black 220 7.0% 10 2.1%Hispanic 276 8.7% 23 4.7%Asian 1,633 51.7% 316 65.2%Multiracial/Other* 161 5.0% 25 5.2%Total 3,160 485

SCHOOL TYPEPublic 2,996 94.8% 460 94.8%Private/Home 164 5.2% 25 5.2%Total 3,160 485

* This category includes students who checked “Multiracial” on their application and/or studentswhose ethnic designation numbered ten or fewer.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)has offered admission to 485 stu-dents for the Class of 2022 at Tho-

mas Jefferson High School for Science andTechnology (TJHSST).

A total of 3,160 students applied for ad-mission.

❖ White students made up 870, or 27.5percent of the applicants, and 111, or 22.9percent of accepted students.

❖ Black students made up 220, or 7.0 per-cent of applicants, but only 10 black stu-dents were admitted, making up 2.1 per-cent of the incoming class.

❖ Latino students made up 276, or 8.7percent of applicants; 23 Latino studentswere 4.7 percent of the incoming class.

❖ Poor students made up 336, 10.6 per-cent of applicants, with seven students whoreceive subsidized meals admitted, for 1.4percent of the incoming class. About 28percent of Fairfax County Public School stu-dents, or more than 51,000 students qualifyfor Free or Reduced Meals, a measure ofsignificant poverty.

❖ Asian students made up 1,633, or 51.7percent of the applicants and 316, or morethan 65 percent of the incoming class.

Approximately 71.9 percent of the stu-

Admissions to TJ Continue to Exclude Poor and Black Studentsdents offered admission reside in FairfaxCounty and 28.1 percent are from Arling-ton, Loudoun, and Prince William countiesand the City of Falls Church.

Approximately 94.8 percent of studentsoffered admission are currently attendingpublic schools.

Established in 1985, TJHSST is agovernor’s school offering a comprehensivecollege preparatory program emphasizingthe sciences, mathematics, and technology,and is often cited in rankings as the top highschool in the country.

Specialized technical laboratories, includ-ing a technological computational center,enhance the academic curriculum and pro-vide students with experience in state-of-the-art technology, opportunities for inde-pendent research and experimentation, andinteraction with professionals from the sci-entific, technological, engineering, and in-dustrial communities.

The selection process for admittance toTJHSST involves a holistic review of eachcandidate’s semifinalist essay, teacher rec-ommendations, and student-authored infor-mation sheet, as well as consideration ofgrades and test scores on the admissionsexamination. A summer round of admis-

sions for eighth graders newly moved to aparticipating district after Sept. 30 of theprevious year will add to the 485 offers at

the end of June. For more information, con-tact the TJHSST Admissions Office at 571-423-3770.

even 10 or 20 percent of the gift, and letthem have the rest to spend how they want,”she said. “If they decide to spend their funmoney on something and then quickly re-turn asking for money for something else,it is a good to remind them that maybe theyshould think more carefully about how theywant to spend their money in the future.This will help them get into the practice ofmaking wise choices with spending and sav-ing down the road when they start earningmoney as well.”

Foster also suggests helping children de-velop savings goals.“[Whether] by piggybank, envelope, can, or jar, a vessel is animportant tool for teaching kids how to save

Teaching Lessons in Money ManagementFrom Page 8

Teaching youngchildren about theconcept of savingmoney is a criticalpart of financialliteracy.

for major milestones,” said Fos-ter. “Identify a goal for the sav-ing and have them save to-wards that goal.”

Transparency builds enthusi-asm, adds Foster. “Using a clearjar for saving creates enthusi-asm and motivation as the kidssee it fill up with the coins,” shesaid. “[Saving] also teachesthen self-reliance and notcounting on their parents tohelp them for everything. Bygiving a reward, kids can learnthe value of money and how tospend money.”

Foster also suggests encour-aging children to keep a spend-

ing diary and limiting theamount of money they canspend or the number of itemsthey can purchase whenshopping for themselves.“Show them that stuff costsmoney,” she said. “Havethem keep track of all themoney that mom and dadspend on them in one month,from food to clothing andother things. They will real-ize how much it costs tomaintain them and howmuch all the stuff that theywant costs.”

Involve children in afamily’s charitable dona-

tions, advises Henry. “Ask your children tothink about what kinds of charitable effortsthe family should support,” she said. “Havethem research and pick a charity and thenmake a small contribution to that organi-zation on their behalf.”

“Have children earn their allowance andlet children experience the pain of not hav-ing enough money if they don’t budget cor-rectly,” said Dr. Brian Hollar assistant pro-fessor of Accounting, Economics & Financeat Marymount University. “Experience is agood teacher and learning when the stakesare low is invaluable.”

Hollar underscores the importance ofteaching solid math skills. “It’s hard to de-velop strong financial literacy without un-derstanding exponential growth,” he said.

6 ❖ Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ April 19-25, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Opinion

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13this year, and as every year atthis time, This newspaper callsfor submissions to our Mother’s

Day photo gallery.Send photos of mothers, grandmothers,

great-grandmothers, with children or withoutchildren in the photos. Please name everyonein the photo, the approximate date taken, de-scribe what is happening in the photo and in-clude your name, address, email address andphone number. We will not print your full ad-dress or contact information.

You can upload photos andinformation directly towww.connectionnewspapers.com/mothersday/ or email to

editors@connectionnewspapers.com.Mother’s Day is just one of many occasions

throughout the year that we would love to re-ceive photos from our readers. Send us photosand notes when anything of note is happeningin your family, neighborhood, school, club …Be sure to include basic information: Nameeveryone in the photo, the approximate datetaken, describe what is happening in the photoand include your name, address, email addressand phone number. We will not print your fulladdress or contact information. Send toeditors@connectionnewspapers.com

Soon after we publish our Mother’s Day

photo galleries, we will begin to ask for sub-missions for our Father’s Day galleries. Father’sDay is June 17 this year.

Each year we seem to receive many morephotos for Father’s Day. We’re curious whetherthat is because it is the second of the set soreaders are more aware or because mothersare more likely to send in images of the Dads.

Twice a year we ask you to send photos andtell us stories about your pets and how theyhave come into, touched and left your lives,publishing the last week in July and the lastweek in February.

In late summer, we invite readers to sharewhat they know about their community forneighbors and newcomers alike.

And wrapping up the year, we gather writ-ing and art from local students to fill our holi-day edition. Each year, through an enormouseffort by area teachers and school staff we re-ceive an amazing display of student talent.

Regular contributions to our entertainmentcalendars, community bulletin boards, schoolnotes, and business notes help us to share newsin your community. We also always welcomephotos and captions from community organi-zations (Scouts, sports teams, faith groups,school activities, etc.) and local businesses.

Please start by sending in photos for Mother’sDay, preferably by May 4.www.connectionnewspapers.com/mothersday/.

Virginia PressAssociation Winners

Connection writers and photographers gar-nered awards at the Virginia Press Associationannual award banquet. Here is the list of ourwinners, with more details to come in the fu-ture:First Place, Michael Lee Pope, Business and Financial

Writing, Great Falls ConnectionFirst Place, Bonnie Hobbs, Public Safety Writing,

Chantilly ConnectionFirst Place, Mark Mogle, Pictorial Photo, Great Falls

ConnectionFirst Place, Mark Mogle, General News Photo, Arlington

ConnectionFirst Place, Eden Brown, Public Safety Writing,

Arlington ConnectionSecond Place, Dan Brendel, Government Writing,

Alexandria Gazette PacketSecond Place, Vernon Miles, Feature Series or

Continuing Story, Alexandria Gazette PacketSecond Place, Fallon Forbush, Breaking News Writing,

McLean ConnectionSecond Place, Fallon Forbush, General News Writing,

Reston ConnectionSecond Place, Bonnie Hobbs, General News Writing,

Fairfax ConnectionSecond Place, Marilyn Campbell, Education Writing,

Great Falls ConnectionThird Place, Shirley Ruhe, Personality or Portrait Photo,

Arlington ConnectionThird Place, Fallon Forbush, Education Writing, Great

Falls ConnectionThird Place, Mary Kimm, Editorial Writing, Great Falls

Connection

Send in Mother’s Day Photos

Editorial

To the Editor:This week, April 15-21, is Na-

tional Volunteer Week, an oppor-tunity for organizations across thecountry to pause and recognize theimportance and impact of the mil-lions of selfless individuals whovolunteer in our communities.Governor Northam recently hon-ored some of Virginia’s most re-markable individuals and organi-zations that have committed toservice across the Commonwealthat the 2018 Virginia Governor’s

Volunteerism and Community Ser-vice Awards. Their stories of ser-vice were touching, uplifting, andan inspiration for all of us to domore for others. I encourage youto read more about these remark-able volunteers atVirginiaService.virginia.gov.

And yet, this amazing group ofvolunteers are just a fraction of themore than 2 million who serveannually in Virginia. Each day, in-dividuals give their time and tal-ents to make our communities

Letters to the Editor

safer, healthier and stronger.Whether it is the parents andgrandparents volunteering in ourschools, community members col-lecting and donating food to ourfood banks, or busy professionalsutilizing their skills to help indi-viduals and organizations in timesof need — volunteers are the forcebehind addressing our greatestchallenges.

On behalf of the Governor’s Ad-visory Board on Service andVolunteerism, I would like to

thank these fantastic volunteers.Thank you for caring. Thank youfor committing. Thank you for un-derstanding the power of service.We want you to know that we seeyou and we hear stories of howyou are changing communities forthe better. You provide hope to somany and inspire others to followyour lead to serve.

Jessica BowserGovernor’s Advisory Board on

Service and Volunteerism

It’s Time to Give Volunteers the Credit They Deserve

VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDSTEM Professionals Needed.

Help assist K-12 STEM teachers aspart of the American Associationfor the Advancement of Science’sSTEM Volunteer Program,stemvolunteers.org, during the2018-19 school year. In the 2017-18 school year, there are 85volunteers in six NorthernVirginia school districts. ContactDon Rea at 571-551- 2488, ordonaldrea@aol.com.

Volunteer Adult MentorsNeeded. Help assist theDepartment of Family Services’BeFriendA-Child mentoringprogram. The mentors provideopportunities for companionship,guidance and support to childrenwho have been abused andneglected, or who are at risk ofabuse and neglect. Contact

Ibrahim Khalil atIbrahim.khalil@fairfaxcounty.gov or703-324-4547.

Volunteer Victims Needed. VirginiaTask Force 1 (VA-TF1) is holding afull scale exercise and needsvolunteers to act as victims in need ofrescue. The exercise will take placefrom the evening of Monday, April 23through afternoon of Thursday, April26. A minimum shift of six hours isexpected, overnight volunteers areespecially needed. “Victims” willneed to be able to crawl in and out ofrubble piles, capable of sitting orlying in place for extended periods oftime, and not mind getting dirty.Contact Christopher Yorty atchristopher.yorty@fairfaxcounty.gov.

PARENTS HELPING PARENTSParent Support Partners, a service

of the Healthy Minds Fairfaxinitiative, are all parents who havereceived training and are qualitied tooffer education, support andassistance at no cost to families orcaregivers. They provide reliableinformation that families can use indecision-making and are familiarwith services and resources that canhelp families in distress. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/healthymindsfairfax or www.nami-northernvirginia.org/parent-peer-support.html.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATIONChild turning 5 years old by

Sept.30? If so, contact your child’sschool to make arrangements forkindergarten enrollment. Mostschools begin getting informationtogether now for parents of incoming

kindergartners, and many host anorientation or open house. Allkindergarten programs are full-day and located in FCPSelementary schools. Check yourschool’s webpage or contact theschool directly for specificenrollment information and datesof orientationor visitwww.fcps.edu/registration/kindergarten-registration.

VOLUNTEERS WANTEDThe Fairfax Station Railroad

Museum needs volunteerdocents on Sunday afternoonsfrom 1-4 p.m. Greet museumvisitors and tell them about theexhibits, the Museum and the itsrailroad and Civil War history.

Bulletin Board Submit civic/community announcements at ConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos and artwork welcome.Deadline is Thursday at noon, at least two weeks before event.

See Bulletin, Page 11

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Fairfax Station,Lorton & Clifton

Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ April 19-25, 2018 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Your “Nicely Done” Kitchen or Bath is Right Around the Corner!A “One-Stop Shop” That Goes Above and Beyond Your Imagination

Kings’s Park Shopping Center8934 Burke Lake Road, Springfield VA 22151703-764-3748 www.nicelydonekitchens.com

Find us on Houzz,Facebook, & Angie’s List!

See Volunteers, Page 11

News

Pohick Churchto HostCoffeehouseFundraiser

The Pohick Church EpiscopalYouth Community (EYC) willpresent an evening of entertain-ment, snacks, coffee and hotchocolate on Sunday, April 29,from 6 –8 pm. Performers will in-clude youth, adults and local mu-sicians. The event is free, but do-nations are encouraged. Proceedsgo toward the Sr. High SummerMission Trip to Ohio. For moreinformation contact Youth Direc-tor Rusty Booth at 703-339-6572or rusty@pohick.org . HistoricPohick Episcopal Church is locatedat 9301 Richmond Highway inLorton, at the corner of U.S. 1 &Telegraph Road.

VolunteersNeeded

Volunteer Solutions provides mean-ingful volunteer opportunities toimprove the lives of older adults andadults with disabilities in FairfaxCounty. We update our Urgent Needslist regularly. If you don’t see what youare looking for, consider another oppor-tunity or call 703-324-5406, TTY 711.Apply online atvolunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov

CountywideOpportunities

❖ Mealtime Companion: Join a newand exciting endeavor to help ensurethat Meals on Wheels recipients (whohave memory loss) are appropriatelyheating and consuming their deliveredmeals. Volunteers are needed duringlunchtime hours, 2-3 days per week, toassist participants with heating theirfood and to provide mealtime compan-ionship. Guidance on working witholder adults with dementia is offered.

❖ One-Time Opportunity in May -The Helping Hands Program providesan opportunity for individuals andgroups looking for a time-limited com-munity service project. Volunteers assistolder adults with house and yard workincluding: deep cleaning, organizingand decluttering. Contact Emily Thomasat Emily.Thomas@fairfaxcounty.gov.

❖ Older adults are missing importantmedical appointments due to lack oftransportation. Drive older adults Mon-day through Friday, generally between8 a.m.-5 p.m. Opportunities availablethroughout Fairfax County.

❖ Senior Centers – Technology Edu-cators to provide support to participantsin groups and one-on-one. Basic knowl-edge of MS Word, Phone Apps,Facebook, Digital books, etc. Scheduleand location will vary based on centerlocation and volunteer availability. Cen-ters are looking for support between thehours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Apply online

❖ Respite Care volunteers give fam-ily caregivers of a frail older adult awell-deserved break so they can goshopping, attend a doctor’s appointmentor just have coffee with a friend. Volun-teers visit and oversee the safety of the

8 ❖ Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ April 19-25, 2018 Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ April 19-25, 2018 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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“Loving People to Life”

News

By Steve Hibbard

The Connection

A ribbon-cutting cer-emony was held Satur-day, April 14, 2018 fora new 3.2-acre parcel

of land known as the Striblingproperty, which was purchased bythe Northern Virginia RegionalPark Authority and will be addedto Pohick Bay Regional Park.

The waterfront property valuedat $2.1 million is situated on theMason Neck peninsula in a lot lo-cated within the current park bor-ders that had served as a privateproperty before Pohick Bay was aregional park.

“We’re really excited to add an-other piece of parkland to theNorthern Virginia Regional ParkAuthority System and also to theland that we’ve preserved on Ma-son Neck,” said Paul Gilbert, Execu-tive Director of the Northern Vir-ginia Regional Park Authority(NOVA Parks). “It’s a beautifulproperty overlooking Pohick Bay. Ithas water access; it’s right near ourcamping facilities. And it’s a greataddition to the park and will servethe public for generations tocome.”

“We actually have 1,800 acres onMason Neck – 1,000 acres is PohickBay Regional Park, and another800 acres, which is part of the landthat we lease to the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service,” he said. “So,we’ve been involved in preservingland on Mason Neck from the verybeginning.

“We preserved the first piece ofland here in the 1960s and have

been adding to it ever since. Hav-ing parkland is a critical part ofhaving a good community andgood resources for the public. A keytest for any park agency is, is itgrowing? Because we have to begrowing our land base of parklandas our population grows,” he said.

THE PURCHASE was made pos-sible through a series of conserva-tion grants, including the Land andWater Conservation Fund as wellas the Virginia Land ConservationFoundation. In addition to thegrants, a below market rate loanwas provided by the Virginia CleanWater Revolving Loan Fund, ad-ministered by Virginia ResourcesAuthority. The property will also beprotected by a conservation ease-ment held by the Northern VirginiaConservation Trust (NVCT) to fur-ther ensure the conservation visionfor this parkland.

Michael Nardolilli, Chairman ofNOVA Parks, said: “As our region’spopulation grows, so does the ne-cessity for more public parkland.The Board and staff of the North-ern Virginia Regional Park Author-ity are committed to doing our partto provide for the increasing needsof park patrons.”

He added: “The land portfolio ofNOVA Parks has grown by 20 per-cent over the past decade or anadditional 2,000 acres. So, if weput that in terms that we can allunderstand, 2,000 acres is aboutthree-square miles of new publicparkland over the past 10 years —or that would be three ArlingtonNational Cemeteries. And in ourarea where land is a premium, that

really makes a difference.”Supervisor Dan Storck (D-Mt.

Vernon) added: “There’s a lot ofhistory here. A lot of the quality oflife for this area is about the parksand the green space that we havehere. Mount Vernon District hasamazing numbers of options andresources and opportunities forpeople to enjoy the natural world.And even the parts of the naturalworld that man has intervened,even those are some amazingplaces along the Potomac and Mt.Vernon Estate, and the fact that wehave woods and views like this.”

According to Katie Weidenfeller,a NVCT Board member: “This prop-erty wouldn’t be happening todayif it weren’t for the partnership….The Northern Virginia Conserva-tion Trust’s role in this partnershipis to make sure this land stays likethis and it remains a place for wild-life — for people to enjoy naturein perpetuity.

That’s what land trusts do. Weare institutions that protect landforever. So, this land will be herefor your grandkids and your great-grandkids and hopefully they’ll beable to see this beautiful view aswell.”

Added Glenda Booth of the Vir-ginia Land Conservation Founda-tion: “It’s a rare opportunity andan honor to be able to preserveanything and especially a parcelhere on the river. And the Founda-tion chose this project…. This waschosen and recommended by thestaff and chosen by the Board be-cause of its location on thePotomac River and its adjacency toa conserved area to a park. The

Board believed it could also con-tribute to public recreation in ourarea and to water quality of theriver and to the overall integrity ofthe Mason Neck Peninsula.”

According to Brian Bauer, Mar-keting and Communication Admin-istrator with Northern Virginia Re-gional Park Authority. “This wasthe Stribling properly formerlywhen the park was created manyyears ago. This property remaineda private residence and only re-cently did the owner decide that itwas time to sell, and fortunatelyfor us, she approached us first.”

Gilbert said in the near future,the property won’t change dramati-cally. The two existing houses onthe Stribling property could berented to park staff. In the longerterm, he said it could be used foroverflow camping.

“It’s a beautiful site where folkscould launch a canoe or kayak. Wecould have tent camping or smallcabins that would be a nice addi-tion to that because our campingfacilities continue to be very popu-lar. They’re busier now than they’vebeen for decades,” said Gilbert.

NOVA Parks was founded in 1959as a regional park agency withparks in Arlington, Fairfax, andLoudoun counties, and Alexandria,Fairfax and Falls Church. It hasabout 12,300 acres and 33 parks,much of it protecting the rivers andwaterways of our region. PohickBay Regional Park offers a varietyof amenities for its users, includ-ing camping (tents, cabins andRVs), trails, golf, boating, play-grounds and a waterpark.

The official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the purchase of the Stribling property at PohickBay Regional Park.

(From left): Paul Gilbert,Executive Director, NOVAParks; Michael Nardolilli,NOVA Parks Chairman;Mount Vernon DistrictSupervisor Dan Storck; andGlenda Booth, Board Mem-ber with the Virginia LandConservation Foundation.

Paul Gilbert, Executive Director of NOVA Parks, and AlanRowsome of the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust.

NOVA Parks ExpandsAcquires 3.2-acre Stribling Property within Pohick Bay Regional Park.

Michael Nardolilli, NOVAParks Chairman, addressesthe crowd.

Mt. Vernon District Supervi-sor Dan Storck addressesthe crowd.

Kathie Weidenfeller, North-ern Virginia ConservationTrust Board Member.

Paul Gilbert,Executive Directorof NOVA Parks,addresses thecrowd.

Glenda Booth,Board Member

with the VirginiaLand Conservation

Foundation.

Mount VernonDistrict

SupervisorDan Storcktalks with

NOVA Parkofficials at theribbon-cutting

for theStriblingproperty.

10 ❖ Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ April 19-25, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Submit entertainment announcements atwww.connectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/. Thedeadline is noon on Friday. Photos/artwork en-couraged.

ONGOINGArt Exhibit: Pulp Fiction. Through April 29,

gallery hours in Arches Gallery, Building W-9 ofthe Workhouse Arts Center, 9518 WorkhouseWay, Lorton. Pulp Fiction showcases work byartist Anne Hollis, exploring mixed media artwhile focusing on moments in time frommythological stories to real life. Visitwww.workhousearts.org/.

Art Exhibit: The Scenic Route. Through May 6,gallery hours at Warrior Way Gallery (W-16),Lorton Workhouse Arts Center, 9518 WorkhouseWay, Lorton. Chester Kasnowski, a veteran ofthe United States Air Force, is a multi-disciplinary artist who believes in the power oftradition and history. In The Scenic Route,Kasnowski engages with the history of landscapeimagery and modernizes the genre through hisuse of abstracted brush strokes. Free. Visitwww.workhousearts.org/event/chester-kasnowski-scenic-route/ for more.

Art Exhibit: This and That. Through May 7, 11a.m.-5 p.m. daily at The Artists’ UndertakingGallery, 309 Mill St. in Historic Occoquan. “Thisand That.” an features copper work by AnneJordan of Fairfax; oil paintings by Steve Mylesof Reston; and turned wood by Greg Wandlessof Fairfax. Call 703-494-0584 or visitwww.theartistsundertaking.com.

Rock of Ages – The Musical. Through May 20,Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. atWorkhouse Arts Center, Building W-3 (Theatre),9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton. This Tony-Awardwinning musical takes the audience back to the1980s era of big: big bands, big egos big guitarsolos and big hair. Amidst the madness, aspiringrock star Drew longs to become the next bigthing in music, and longs for fresh-off-the-busnewcomer Sherrie, a Kansas kid with stars in hereyes. This musical comedy lovingly features hitsfrom the time with music from Styx, Journey,Bon Jovi, Whitesnake and many more. Parentaldiscretion advised. $20-$35. Visitwww.workhousearts.org.

FUN-Exercise Thursdays, noon-12:50 p.m. atGrace Presbyterian Church Family Room, 7434Bath St., Springfield. Inova certified exerciseinstructor leads a moderate level exercise classwith music and current events conversation.Muscle, Balance, Strength Training using stretchbands and weights both standing and seatedexercises. Instructor donation is $5.moorefitt@yahoo.com or 703-499-6133.

English Conversation Groups weekly atGeorge Mason, Burke Centre, and LortonLibraries Practice and improve your English. Dayand start times vary. Visit: va.evanced.info/fairfaxcounty/lib/eventcalendar.asp

THURSDAY/APRIL 19FACETS’ Opening Doors Breakfast. 7-9 a.m.

at Fairview Park Marriott, 3111 Fairview ParkDrive, Falls Church. Free breakfast to educatethe public and local businesses about FACETS’work to help families and individuals who arestruggling in the Fairfax community. SeveralFACETS’ clients will be sharing their storiesabout homelessness and efforts to overcome it.Contact Shawn Flaherty at 703-554-3609.

THURSDAY-SUNDAY/APRIL 19-22Library Book Sale. Thursday, 3-9 p.m.; Friday,

10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.;Sunday, noon-5 p.m. at George Mason RegionalLibrary, 7001 Little River Turnpike, Annandale.Find thousands of high-quality books, CDs,DVDs, and video games at the George MasonFriends Spring Book Sale. Come early for thebest selection, then come back on Sunday forhalf-price bargains. VisitGeorgeMasonFriends.blogspot.com.

FRIDAY/APRIL 20Family Movie Night: Leap. 7 p.m. at Stacy C.

Sherwood Community Center, 3740 Old LeeHighway, Fairfax. Leap (rated PG). An adultmust accompany anyone under the age of14.Lights go down at 7 p.m., and participantsmay bring their own snacks. Fairfax-basednonprofit organization Britepaths will acceptdonations of non-perishable food from 7-9 p.m.Admission is free. Call 703-385-7858.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/APRIL 20-21Volunteer: Healthy Strides 2018. At Burke

Lake Park, 7315 Ox Road, Fairfax Station.Support those who are trying to make healthier

strides in their lives by volunteering at theHealthy Strides 2018 Community 5K, 10K andFun Run. Volunteers are needed Friday, April20, 2:30-8 p.m. to distribute race packages. Onrace day, Saturday, April 21, volunteers will beneeded 5:30 a.m.-noon, registration and bagcheck, staff the hospitality and refreshmenttables, serve as course attendants, and help withwater stops www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/healthy-strides/community-10k5k-run.

Short Play Festival. Mixer at 7 p.m.; show startsat 8 p.m. both nights at Epicure Café, 11104 LeeHighway, Fairfax. An interfering motherattempts to “out” her gay son…A scientistcreates the ‘perfect’ woman, who thinks she’s too

good for him …. In the wee hours of BlackFriday, two sisters plot, in military precision,their shopping strategy for the day…. InfinityStage presents its 2018 10 x 10 x Infinity ShortComedy Play festival. Seating is limited. Tickets$20 at www.infinitystage.com.

APRIL 20-MAY 11Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts Festival. The

33rd Annual Fairfax Spotlight on the ArtsFestival kicks off with a glittering Gala eveningFriday, April 20 at Old Town Hall celebratingthree decades of arts in the City of Fairfax.Some events are free and some require a fee.Visit www.fairfaxspotlight.org.

SATURDAY/APRIL 21Pet Adoption Event. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Pet

Supplies Plus, 11054 Lee Highway, Fairfax. Finda new forever animal friend with the help of theCity of Fairfax Animal Control and AnimalShelter. Visit www.fairfaxva.gov/government/police/programs/animal-control/adopt-a-pet.

Walk to End Sexual Violence. 9:45 a.m. atFairfax County Government Center, 12000Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. 4thAnnual Fairfax County Walk to End SexualViolence and resource fair. Activities will includeDJ, Zumba, raffles, and food trucks (11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.). Family-friendly event, children andpets are welcome. Free. Contact Angela Acostaat Angela.Acosta@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-324-9484. Visit bit.ly/2uZOi1i for more.

Benefit Buffet Luncheon. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. atOutback Steakhouse, 6651 Backlick Road,Springfield. The Springfield Outback Steakhousewill be presenting a fundraiser to benefit theFriedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance. Covercharge is $35 and includes an all you can eatbuffet including sliced steak, sliced chicken, sidedishes, non-alcoholic beverages and dessert. Livemusic. Visit www.curefa.org, or contact DonnaWilson at the Springfield Outback atobs4713@outback.com or 703-912-7531.

Britepaths Artful Living: “Empowerment.”7-10 p.m. at Sherwood Community Center, 3740Old Lee Highway, Fairfax. An evening of Art,Wine and Strengthening Our Community inassociation with the Fairfax Spotlight on the ArtsFestival. For more information and to register,visit britepaths.org.

Art of the Draw. 7-11 p.m. in the McGuireWoods Gallery at Workhouse Arts Center,Lorton. COLLECT! Art of the Draw is theWorkhouse Arts Center’s annual Collector’sShowcase fundraiser re-imagined as an excitingevening in vintage Vegas, with fine art, food,drink, music, and casino games. All proceedssupport the visual arts, performing arts, artseducation, and history programs at theWorkhouse. $75. Visit www.workhousearts.org/event/collect-art-of-the-draw.

SUNDAY/APRIL 22NTRAK Scale Model Train Show. 1-4 p.m. at

the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum, 11200Fairfax Station Road, Fairfax Station. TheNorthern Virginia NTRAK members will hold anN gauge model train show. Ages 16 and older,$4; 5-15, $2; 4 and under, free. Visitwww.fairfax-station.org, www.facebook.com/FFXSRR, or call 703-425-9225.

Empty Bowls for ECHO. 5-8 p.m. at Prince ofPeace Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, 8304Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield. “EmptyBowls” allows participating artists and groups tocreate and donate bowls, then serve a simplemeal. Guests who attend “Empty Bowls” choosea handmade bowl to keep as a reminder of allthe empty bowls in the world. 13 and older:$35; 12 & Under, food donation (5 cans): free.Visit www.poplc.org.

TUESDAY/APRIL 24Storytime in the Park. 10:30 a.m. in Old Town

Square, 10415 North St., Fairfax. In associationwith Fairfax County Public Library. Weatherpermitting. Visit www.fairfaxva.gov for more.

Social Media Feeds – EmotionalConversations. 7-8:30 p.m. at KingstowneLibrary, 6500 Landsdowne Centre Drive,Alexandria. Part of the Hot Topics: News, Bluesand How to Defuse. An interactive workshop onmedia literacy and dialogue skills. Guided byexperts from GMU’s School of Conflict Analysisand Resolution and FCPL librarians. Visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov/event/3971589.

FRIDAY/APRIL 27Assistance League Fundraiser. 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

at Country Club of Fairfax, 5110 Ox Road,Fairfax. The Assistance League of NorthernVirginia annual spring fundraiser will include aluncheon and silent and live auctions andfeature Keynote Speaker Tony Perkins, Co-hostMAJIC 102.3/92.7 and Anchor, Fox 5 News.Funds raised will support programs which touchthe lives of 6,000 local children. $65. Visitwww.northernvirginia.assistanceleague.org.

Spring Concert. 7:30-9 p.m. at St. StephensUnited Methodist Church, 9203 Braddock Road,Burke. The St. Stephen’s United MethodistWomen Maranatha Singers will present anevening of music. Refreshments servedafterwards. All Welcome, Free. Call 703-250-5013 or visit www.ststephensfairfax.org.

Entertainment

‘The Front Page’Set in a Chicago press room in the 1920s, reporter Hildy Johnson wants to break away from journal-

ism and get married. All that changes when an escaped convict, Earl Williams, breaks out of jail andsuddenly falls into the reporter’s hands. Fast-paced and filled with crisp dialog and sharp humor, thisclassic comedy packs a wallop of nostalgic Americana. Through April 21; Thursday, Friday and Satur-day, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. at The James Lee Community Center, 2855 Annandale Road, Falls Church.Visit www.providenceplayers.org for tickets.

Virginia Ballet dancer.

CoppeliaVirginia Ballet Company And School will present the classic ballet Coppelia, professionally staged and

fully costumed. Saturday, April 28, 2 and 7 p.m. in the Ernst Community Cultural Center Theater, NorthernVirginia Community College Annandale Campus, 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale. $30 for adultsand $20 for children, students and seniors, plus a $3 fee per each ticket at www.vaballet.org. A limitednumber of general admission tickets ($12) is available for the Working Stage Rehearsal on Friday, April27 at 6:30 p.m. Must be purchased in advance online.

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Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ April 19-25, 2018 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

This volunteer found a wayto act in support of twocauses simultaneously:Saving the Environmentand Banning Puppy Mills.

An old bike was among the finds at Lake Accotink duringthe annual Fairfax County Parks cleanup day with TheNature Conservancy on

Girl Scout Junior Troop 3446 from Springfield were joinedby their parents to help clean up Huntley Meadows Parkin Alexandria for the annual Fairfax County Parks cleanupday with The Nature Conservancy on April 7.

Saving the Environment at Lake Accotink ParkThis Spring Fairfax County is

holding events to help preserve thebeauty of area park environments.One such event, the Lake AccotinkPark Volunteer WatershedCleanup, sponsored by the ParkAuthority and the The Nature Con-servancy, took place on April 7.Many answered the call — 215volunteers donated 450 hours ofservice and collected 150 bags oftrash at an estimated weight of2,000 pounds, from 9.5 miles ofthe Park and Accotink Creek.

Unusual items found: plasticpink flamingo, 16-inch diametercorrugated plastic pipe, toilet, anda mongoose bike. Most commonitems found: plastic bottles andbags, and pieces of Styrofoam.Several events are upcoming. Joinvolunteers at a park near you oron April 22, 9-11 a.m. for a LaurelHill Park trash cleanup. 8780Lorton Rd, Lorton.

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Volunteers Neededolder adult for a few hours eachmonth. Support and training areprovided. Contact ElderLink at 703-324-5374, TTY 711. Apply online

❖ The Chronic Disease Self-Man-agement Program needs volunteerleaders to co-facilitate 2-hour work-shops that help people with chronicillnesses. The 6-week programmeets in Fairfax County. A 4-daytraining is provided. The next train-ing to be held in the Spring 2018.Contact ElderLink at 703-324-5374,TTY 711. Apply online

Falls Church/McLean

❖ Falls Church Meals on WheelsDriver Coordinators needed toschedule drivers and manage themonthly meal delivery calendar.Apply online

❖ The Lewinsville Adult DayHealth Care Center in McLean islooking for musicians for one houra week at 3:30 p.m., Bingo Helpersand a Kikuyu-Speaking Social Visi-tor. Flexible schedule, anytimebetween 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Monday to Friday. Apply online❖ The Bailey’s Senior Center in Falls

Church is looking for Front Desk Assis-tance and a Jewelry-Making Instructorto teach a class once a week.

❖ The James Lee Senior Center inFalls Church is looking for one or twoLine Dance Instructors to teach a class,open to all levels, between the hours of10 a.m.-12 p.m. on Wednesdays.

❖ The Pimmit Hills Senior Center inFalls Church is looking for General Ad-ministrative Volunteers, and a CeramicsAssistant.

❖ Vietnamese Meals on Wheels ur-gently needs drivers in FallsChurch-Annandale to deliver meals mid-day during weekdays.Non-Vietnamese-speaking volunteersare welcome.

❖ The Lewinsville Senior Center inMcLean needs Instructors for the follow-ing classes: Spanish, Italian, BallroomDance and Basic Guitar.

Reston/HerndonArea Opportunities

❖ The Herndon Senior Center is look-ing for Knitting Instructors.

❖ The Herndon Adult Day Health Care

Center is looking for Lunch Assistants,Monday-Friday, and a Spanish In-structor to teach basic Spanish wordsto a small group of seniors, Monday,Wednesday or Friday, 10-11 a.m.once a month.

More VolunteerOpportunities

❖ Adult Day Health Care and Se-nior Centers – Visit centers to assistwith fitness activities, arts andcrafts, meal time, entertainment andmuch more.

❖ Caregiver Respite – Respite vol-unteers give family caregivers ofolder adults, who cannot be left alone,a well-earned break. Volunteers arematched with families in or near theirown neighborhoods. Volunteers re-ceive training and support.

❖ Grocery Shopping – Shop for anolder adult or accompany them to thegrocery store. Commitment: twohours every other week. Apply online.

❖ Household Services – Unpackboxes, change light bulbs, paintsmall areas, straighten cupboards orclosets, organize paperwork, writeletters. Commitment: varies.

12 ❖ Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ April 19-25, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Steve Hibbard

The Connection

Members of the InternationalUrban Search and RescueTask Force 1 gave thePowerPoint lecture and

demonstration, “Beyond the Whispers,” toa crowd of 50 seniors at the Osher LifelongLearning Institute (OLLI) at George MasonUniversity on Friday, April 13, 2018.

Paul Serzan, a Firefighter Paramedic andK9 Handler with Virginia Task Force 1, whobrought his dog Angus, gave the presenta-tion along with Capt. Alex Obert of theFairfax County Fire & Rescue Department,on the work they do to save people’s lives.With the assistance from Angus, a 7-year-old American purebred Black Labrador Re-triever, they demonstrated outdoors howdogs, through smell, can find peopletrapped under buildings or rubble.

Serzan, who has 10 years with the FairfaxCounty Fire Department and seven years onthe Virginia Task Force 1, is certified in di-saster and wilderness live find, so he’s anexpert on finding lost hikers, someone wan-dering with Alzheimer’s or autism or any-body trapped in rubble.

Capt. Obert, who has been with theFairfax County Fire and Rescue Departmentfor almost 17 years, and with the Task Force1 for 12 years, works as Station Captain atthe Fair Oaks Firehouse on Route 50. TheTask Force has both international (USARTeam 1) and domestic (Virginia Task Force1) disaster response experience.

They said the world-famous Task Force 1Team is called into action during naturaldisasters like flooding, typhoons, tornadoes,tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, and cy-clones in addition to bombings. It has beendeployed internationally to Nepal, Japan,and Haiti; as well as Hurricanes Irma andMaria in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islandsand to the bombing in Oklahoma City.

THE TEAM, which was established in 1986after helping on an earthquake in MexicoCity, relies on the expertise of its emergencymanagers, planners, physicians and para-medics and includes specialists in structuralengineering, heavy rigging, collapse rescue,logistics, hazardous materials, communica-tions, canine and technical search.

“We have 210 members to fill 19 posi-tions. We are able to deploy multiple teamsat any time. We can go out as a heavy teamand medium team without a problem andstill have people and firefighters, men andwomen, that are able to respond to emer-gencies here in Fairfax County,” said Serzan.“We don’t have to call for mutual aid. Wehave everybody that we need from our de-partment. There’s no putting units out ofservice. There will always be a fire engineat every single house fully staffed.”

He continued: “We are highly trained anddeployable at any moment’s notice…. Ouraverage deployment is supposed to last 10-

14 days; it’s gone up to 21; and when wewent to Puerto Rico it was 24. We are ableto work 24-hours nonstop at two sites, andthat’s what the United Nations requires usto do in order to be certified with them togo to international deployments to be ableto work. So, we have enough people,enough men and women to take care ofthat.”

Founded in 1991, OLLI at GMU was in-spired by the Fairfax County Commissionon Aging and visionaries Kathryn Brooks,

Lilyan Spero, Ken Plum and Shirley Fox. Itbegan as a learning in retirement nonprofitcenter with 100 members. Today the insti-tute has blossomed into a multi-campusoperation (located in Fairfax, Reston andSterling) with 1,200 members across North-ern Virginia.

Affiliated with George Mason University,OLLI offers classes for seniors and retireesbut there’s no age restriction, no homework,no exams, no grades, and no credit, saidKaren Nash, Finance Associate with OLLI.The instructors come from GMU, the com-munity, or are OLLI members themselves.Classes are free but the annual membershipis $425 or an introduction membership is$150.

According to Rita Way, OLLI Board Mem-ber, OLLI offers 200 courses in its Springcatalogue including classes on music, art,philosophy, history, science, writing andmore. In addition, there are OLLI clubs thatmembers have formed, such as writing,needlework, classical reading or music, aswell as special events like field trips to mu-seums, plays and musical performances.

“OLLI is a wonderful institute for thoseof us that have either retired or have the

time now to enjoy getting more education.There are marvelous courses that areauthored,” said Way.

“You can get involved as much as youwant or as little as you want, and perhapsdo things that you were never able to dowhen you had a job.”

According to Stephanie Trachtenberg,OLLI Special Events Committee Volunteer,“OLLI is made up of people who want tocontinue learning. You become a memberand you can take unlimited classes on anytopic. There’s a catalogue that’s put out byterm.”

EXAMPLES of OLLI classes include speakerAmelia Draper, the weather person fromNBC-4; Eye Health for Age 55 and Olderwith a local optometrist; and NBC-4 NewsReporter David Culver.

“We had a breakfast this morning honor-ing the OLLI teachers and the main mes-sage that came out was we just love learn-ing and we love to have fun, and that’s whatretirement should be about,” saidTrachtenberg, a member since 2013.

For more information on OLLI, visit thewebsite: www.olli.gmu.edu.

OLLI Talk on ‘Beyond the Whispers’With dog Angus, members of Virginia Task Force 1 give lecture to OLLI seniors.

Paul Serzan, a Firefighter Paramedic and K9 Handlerwith the Virginia Task Force 1, works with his dogAngus during a talk at the Osher Lifelong LearningInstitute for seniors on Friday, April 13, 2018.

About 50 people attended the Osher Lifelong LearningInstitute discussion.

StephanieTrachtenberg,OLLI SpecialEvents Commit-tee Volunteer.

Alex Obert,Captain, FairfaxCounty Fire &Rescue.

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Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ April 19-25, 2018 ❖ 13www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

ALEXANDRIA TOYOTA

FOR YOUR TOYOTA

WELCOME TO ALEXANDRIA TOYOTA’SPERSONALIZED CAR CARE EXPERIENCE

14 ❖ Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ April 19-25, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

On Saturday, April 14,WashingtonExec hostedits fifth annual K-12

STEM Symposium at The NysmithSchool in Herndon. The event at-tracted nearly 4,000 students, par-ents, industry leaders, governmentofficials, non-profit executives andeducators.

Attendees enjoyed Altamira’s“Girls in STEM” interactive wing,Vencore’s flight simulator and avariety of other interactive exhib-its. Among the biggest hits werethe virtual reality showcase, 3Dprinters and slime creation sta-tions. In addition to the displays,attendees had the opportunity tohear from former NASA astronautCady Coleman, NASA Chief Infor-mation Officer (CIO) Renee Wynnand other STEM Superheroes.

New to the Symposium’s pro-

gramming this year,WashingtonExec presented severalawards. The STEM Rising Staraward was presented to KavyaKopparapu and Kirthi Kumar, stu-dents at Thomas Jefferson HighSchool for Science & Technology.Anne Swanson, U.S. educationand workforce development coor-dinator at CGI Federal was namedMost Inspiring STEM Executive of2018. Boolean Girls, a non profitdedicated to educating girls tocode, build, invent and animatetook home STEM Non-Profit of theYear, while Business Women’s Giv-ing Circle and Northrop Grummanwere awarded Best STEM-Sup-porting Businesses of the Year.

This year’s WashingtonExec K-12 STEM Symposium brought to-gether key players in the STEMfield to enthrall students with thescience and technology they learnin their classrooms. ElevatingSTEM education through eventslike WashingtonExec’s K-12 STEMSymposium spurs the nationalconversation among leaders, par-ents and students about STEM’sincreasing importance to the fu-ture.

Former NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman speaks to stu-dents at WashingtonExec’s 5th Annual K-12 STEM Sym-posium.

STEM SymposiumHeld in HerndonThe eventattractednearly 4,000participants.

Washington Na-tionals mascot,

George Washing-ton, greets chil-

dren headed intoWashingtonExec’s

5th Annual K-12STEM Symposium.

Photos

contributed

Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ April 19-25, 2018 ❖ 15www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Though I immerse you regular readers inthe excruciating details of my cancer-affectedlife, rarely do I bombard unsuspecting con-versationalists who unknowingly yet sincerelywander into territory with which many of youare intimately detailed. Not that I don’t havestories to tell, and/or perhaps even unsolic-ited advice to offer; generally speaking, if Ican avoid it, I don’t want to drag the conver-sation into a cancer-centric black hole.

It’s not because I’m uncomfortable talkingabout cancer, or that I would feel it an inap-propriate invasion of my privacy, or that Iwould feel the need to blather on non-stop.Hardly. But I would see it as the end of aninnocent inquiry undone that then takes on amore empathetic, sympathetic and possiblyeven pathetic tone, some of which mightmake me uncomfortable.

The reason being: part of what feeds myself-preservation and sense of well-being isreading and reacting to the feedback I receivefrom others when the subject matter turns tocancer, however well-meaning their inten-tions may have been.

Sometimes the reactions I get aren’t help-ful (“Tell me Ken, how’s it feel to knowyou’re going to die?”). Sometimes, I findmyself rationalizing, explaining and revisitingissues and experiences more helpful and ofinterest to the party that asked the questionrather than to yours truly who’s now havingto answer the question. Not that I don’t wantto be helpful or have difficulty empathizing;nothing could be further from the truth.

It’s more that I don’t want to see theirexpressions/hear their apologies when theirinnocent question (“So what do you do?”)elicits an extremely unexpected answer. “Nottoo much. I have stage IV, non-small cell lungcancer.”

Then I have to decide how I involved Iwant to get them in my life. Since I’d just assoon not get them involved for all the reasonsI’ve outlined, usually I deflect their questionsand/or redirect them away from me and backto them. I don’t exactly shut them down. It’smore like a gentle closing. I’m not rude orthe least bit off-putting. I’m more like a trafficcop re-routing emotions to avoid any acci-dents – for all parties engaged.

My experience has been that respondingto an innocent question with a “I haveterminal-cancer”-type bombshell tends totake the conversation in an entirely differentdirection than likely intended. The serious-ness of my response/situation and the emo-tions – maybe even memories it stirs in theperson who asked the question, can hijack anevening and cause at least for a few minutesanyway, a rather dreary dynamic. All of whichI don’t want to happen and more so, don’tneed to happen. As a cancer patient, I don’tneed dreary. I don’t need pity. I don’t neednegativity. I need humor. I need encourage-ment and compliments. I need to be made tofeel, as Tony the Tiger might say: “Not justgood, but GREAT!”

When I assess my nine-plus years post-diagnosis; having lived now years beyond myoriginal “13 month to two-year” prognosis, Ican’t quite attribute my amazing good for-tune to anything in particular. However, I willadmit to this: trying not think about my diag-nosis/prognosis too much, trying to remainpositive, trying to be funny and self-effacing,and trying to avoid people and situationswhere I might feel bad, are all components.Are they working to keep me alive more thanthe medicine, my pills and my miscellaneousnon-Western alternatives are?

Yet another question or two I’d rather notanswer.

If Only It WereThat Simple

county’s fast developing areas,” saidNiedzielski-Eichner.

“As one who was on the front lines advo-cating for passage of the Meals Tax, I findthis reality ironic in light of the significantvoices arguing against the meals tax due toits regressivity. Since each one percent ofthe property tax rate is projected to gener-ate approximately $25 million in revenue,the proposed 2.5 cent increase in the realestate tax rate will generate about $62.5million. The meals tax was projected to gen-erate a $100 million per annum, with al-most a third of this revenue, $28 million,to be paid by tourists and visitors to Fairfax.”

Kofi Annan, president of the FairfaxCounty NAACP expressed concern that thecounty is underfunding services to low in-come families, including housing and Pre-K education for needy families.

“This opportunity gap [of not having ac-cess to PreK education] eventually turnsinto an achievement gap, and that widensover time.

“Fairfax County NAACP calls on thecounty to commit the resources to enroll atleast 300 additional kids into Pre-K in 2019budget and devise a long-term plan to fundat least 2,000 over the next five years.”

Annan asked the supervisors to fund anoutside study of racial disparities in policeuse of force.

“For the past few years, 40 percent ofpolice use of force has been directed towardAfrican Americans, who only make up about10 percent of the county,” Annan said.

“And for the past few years, we have beenasking the county to fund an outside orga-nization to conduct a study to determinethe causes of this disparity, so we can beginthe process of reversing that trend.”

From Page 6

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Vote onBudget onMay 1

Bulletin Board

Training and orientation provided. Othervolunteer opportunities are gardening, publicityand exhibit planning. The Museum is located at11200 Fairfax Station Road in Fairfax Station.Call Michael at 703-945-7483 for moreinformation.

THURSDAY/APRIL 19FACETS “Opening Doors” Breakfast. 7-9 a.m.

at Fairview Park Marriott, 3111 Fairview ParkDrive, Falls Church. Free. To educate the publicand local businesses about FACETS’ work tohelp people who are struggling in the Fairfaxcommunity. Several FACETS’ clients will besharing their experiences with homelessness andefforts to overcome it. Register atwww.FACETScares.org or contact 703-352-3268.

Opioid Crisis Conversation. 7 p.m. in the StacyC. Sherwood Community Center, 3740 Old LeeHighway, Fairfax. This community healthemergency affects all ages, culturalbackgrounds, income levels and neighborhoods.Join the city’s conversation on the opioid crisiswith an outreach panel discussion featuring firstresponders, educators, health-service providers,and public-safety officials. A question-and-answer period will follow. Call 703-385-7894.

16 ❖ Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ April 19-25, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com