Short Subject: RA Survey, Lake Anne Progress?
It turns out ours was one of 3,000 or so households included in Reston Association’s community survey. In fact, we got not one, but two in the mail. It is not what I expected. The survey was billed as feedback on RA performance to “help . . . its Board of Directors set benchmarks for tracking the quality of services provided to residents.” Sounds like a good idea. In fact, the lengthy survey asks for little direct info on RA or its performance. Only one in five questions are directly or partly relevant to association services—35 out of 158 questions. And, these are not probing questions likely to ID RA services which are excellent, problematic or in between.
Community Clothing Drive for Syrian Refugees Feb. 8-10
A community drive to collect used clothes and other items for Syrian children and women in refugee camps will be held Feb. 8-10 at the United Christian Parish, 11508 North Shore Drive, Reston.
History of African American Spirituals to Be Studied
A seven-session course on the history of African American spirituals and their impact on Christianity worldwide will begin Sunday, Feb. 3, at 9:30 a.m. at the United Christian Parish, 11508 North Shore Drive, Reston. All are welcome.
Call for Nominations—2013 Helios Apollo Awards
Recognizing forward-thinking employers for outstanding employee development programs.
Helios HR, a human resources firm in Reston, announced a call for nominations for the 2013 Helios Apollo Awards. The deadline for nominations is Friday, Feb. 15. Winners and finalists will be honored at the Helios Apollo Awards Ceremony at the McLean Hilton on May 29. This breakfast ceremony will recognize organizations for their outstanding commitment to employee development and engagement, specifically highlighting innovative, collaborative and agile programs.
Viewpoints: Winter Fun in Reston, Herndon
Area residents discuss “the best ways to have fun.”
“I like to go and watch basketball and hockey games. I like to see the Wizards and the Capitals; stay active and have fun. I also like to go to the Reston town center for ice skating and sledding when it snows.” -Justin Britt, marketer at Oracle, Herndon
The 'President's Own' of Vienna, Reston Play in 57th Inauguration
Tuba player Gunnery Sgt. Mark Thiele of Vienna, clarinetist Staff Sgt. Christopher Grant of Oakton and trumpeter/cornetist Staff Sgt. Robert Singer of Reston performed in the 57th Inauguration of the President of the United States on Monday, Jan. 21, as members of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band. This marks the Marine Band's 54th consecutive inaugural appearance.
Letter: Taking Exception on Medicaid Expansion
Your recent editorial ["Expanding Medicaid Good For Virginia," The Connection, January 23-29, 2013] is noble in its desire to "extend health coverage to more than 400,000 residents who currently have no health insurance." If public policy making were just that easy. The editorial then goes on to indifferently say, "the Federal government picks up the tab.
Editorial: Extreme, But Brief, Volunteering
More than 150 volunteers needed to survey chronic homeless for three days in February.
The real solution to homelessness is housing. This week in Northern Virginia, a point-in-time survey will record all of the “literally homeless” individuals and families in the region. Last year, on Jan. 25, 2012, there were 1,534 people who were literally homeless in the Fairfax-Falls Church Community; 697 of them were single individuals and 837 were people in families. A third of the total number of homeless were children. Nearly 60 percent of the adult members of the homeless families were employed.
Classified Advertising Jan. 30, 2013
Read the lastest ads here!
A Chorus of Praise
Fairfax County mentors celebrated during National Mentor Month.
Can we get an “amen?” The joyful noise coming from the David R. Pinn Center in Fairfax on Saturday wasn’t a gospel revival, but it was just as inspiring and enlightening.
Column: A Simple Question
I don’t quite know how to start this column so I’ll begin with its ending: “I’m fine.”
Nazi Commonwealth
Bipartisan team seeks compensation for victims of forced sterilization.
Nobody knows how many people are survivors of Virginia’s forced sterilization program, which targeted people with mental illness, mental retardation or epilepsy. But a bipartisan effort now under consideration in Richmond would hand each and every one of them a $50,000 check from the people of Virginia. According to one calculation, that could mean as much as $73 million.
Indoor Winter Fun with Children
Ideas for entertainment when Jack Frost appears.
Winter weather often means limited open air playtime for some children. “It is very important for children to get as much outdoor activity as possible, but there are times when it is not safe for them to be outside for an extended length of time, or any time at all, because it is too cold. ” said Shannon Melideo, chair of the Education Department at Marymount University in Arlington. “There are many other things that children can do besides sledding and ice skating.”
Winter Fun with Food
Easy and tasty ideas for winter meals.
The stove is fired-up, a sauté pan is sizzling and the thud of a steel knife blade hitting a wooden chopping block fills the air along with the woodsy aroma of fresh thyme. The temperature outside is frigid, but the kitchen feels like an inferno as Chef Kristen Robinson drives a knife though a fennel bulb, kale leaves and a tough-skinned butternut squash with staccato succession.
MLK Foundation Celebrates Diversity
Organization welcomes member of Tuskeegee Airmen.
The Martin Luther King Cultural Foundaion hosted a celebration of cultural diversity Saturday, Jan. 26, at ArtSpace in Herndon. The Reston-based organization provides thousands of dollars per year to send local students to college.
Classified Advertising Jan. 23, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Miss America to Promote STEM
At a pre-Inauguration event Sunday, Jan. 20, newly crowned Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan addressed a large audience gathered at the FAA for a “Federal Open House and Program Mentoring and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).” She spoke passionately about girls and STEM education, which along with her personal issue will be the chief cause during her reign.
Letter: Overcrowded Classes
We now have the distinction of having among the largest class sizes in the area and Virginia state law does almost nothing to protect our children. Current student to teacher ratios are calculated at the county level and afford administrators way too much leverage where they can place as many kids as they want in a classroom, just as long as divisionwide, they do not exceed the state ratios.
Commentary: Too Good to Pass Up
In 2001, over 900,000 Virginians were living below the poverty line with an annual household income for a family of four under $23,050. Over 416,000 of these Virginians were living in deep poverty with a family of four having an annual household income under $11,525. Of the total, 270,000 were children, the highest number of children living in poverty in Virginia since 1998.
Better Said Than Done Comes to Nature House
Better Said Than Done, a community of professional storytellers, will be presenting “Brrr… It's Cold Outside,” a night of storytelling about trying to stay warm in a cold, cold world.