Boy Scouts Collect Bikes for the World
Herndon Boy Scout Troop 159 held a successful bike drive for Bikes for the World on Saturday, Sept. 28, collecting 87 used bikes, as well as accessories such as helmets. Bikes for the World is an Arlington-based charity that sends used bikes around the world to help children and adults needing reliable transportation to school, work and health care. Troop 159 collected the bikes on Sept. 28 at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Herndon. The drive was conducted as the Eagle Scout service project for troop member Conor Mears, 16, of Reston. The scouts processed the bikes for shipping, provided donors with receipts, and loaded the bikes onto the trailer. The bikes will most likely be shipped to Barbados in a few weeks.
Active Seniors Compete for Glory
fter 11 days of more than 50 events held Sept. 7-19, the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics finished with a golf event at Forest Greens Golf Course in Triangle, Va. Other events ranged from cycling, swimming and pickle ball to Mexican train dominos and Scrabble.
Leadership Fairfax Honors Community Leaders Who Make a Difference
Leadership Fairfax (LFI) has chosen the 2013 Northern Virginia Leadership Awards (NVLA) recipients via a panel of community and business leaders evaluating nominations submitted by Leadership Fairfax alumni and the general public. The award recipients will be honored at the Northern Virginia Leadership Awards luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Westwood Country Club in Vienna.
Minority Chambers of Commerce to Host Candidates’ Forum
The recently formed alliance of Northern Virginia Minority Chambers of Commerce will give members of the fast growing minority business community the opportunity to meet with the commonwealth’s gubernatorial and statewide candidates at the first-ever joint Candidates’ Forum, Sunday, Oct. 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Campus.
On the Job and Hot on the Trail
Finding people is fun for new, police bloodhound pups.
“We’ll get them out here and acclimate them to the noises — gunfire, [vehicle] brakes and birds,” said Masood. They’ll also be exposed to airplanes, wind, rain, heat, car horns honking, plus obstacles such as fences. And they’ll learn how it feels on their paws to walk in the woods, through brush, on cement, carpet, tile floors, etc. That way, said Clarke, “When they get out on the street, when they’re almost a year old, they’ll be ready.”
Walking to End Alzheimer’s
Reston Town Center Walk draws 1,200-plus participants.
Reston Town Center looked like it was being wrapped in a rainbow as the 1,200-plus participants in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s wound their way through the streets, dressed in a variety of colorful team t-shirts and carrying whirly-wind paper flowers with the names of afflicted loved ones written on the petals. Some 600 communities across the country have joined in the national effort to raise funds and awareness of this devastating disease, and the Alzheimer’s Association’s local National Capital Area Chapter President Susan Kudla Finn reported that more than 112 walks were held just this weekend alone, in addition to the Reston walk Sunday, Sept. 29.
A Grand Musical Night
Reston Community Players’ “Tribute to the Music of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber.”
Reston Community Players present "A Tribute to the Music of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber" at CenterStage, Reston Community Center, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Hunters Woods, Reston. Performances: Oct. 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 8 p.m. Matinees at 2 p.m. on Oct. 20 & 27. Tickets: $23. Call 703-476-3500 or visit www.restonplayers.org.
Light the Night at Reston Town Center
Friends, families and co-workers will gather over three Saturday nights in October to raise funds and awareness for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The 2013 Light The Night Walks will take place on Oct. 5 at the Reston Town Center, Oct. 12 in Rockville, Md. at the Rockville Town Square, and Oct. 19 in Washington, D.C. at Freedom Plaza.
RCC Elections Are Now
To the Editor: The Oct. 5 deadline is approaching for the Reston Community Center (RCC) Board election, or Preference Poll. Six candidates are vying for three places. Many voters do not realize that three of the candidates are running in opposition to the Recreation Center as proposed by the current RCC administration. They are Sridhar Ganesan, John Mendonca and Tammi Petrine. When you vote, please keep this issue in mind. Marion Stillson Reston
Commentary
Affordable Care Act
Another phase of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became effective this week. Although controversial among some politicians who refer to the act as “Obamacare,” it is proving extremely beneficial for those who have had limited or no access to health care. As the benefits of the program become more obvious, these same politicians may regret associating the president’s name with a program that is on its way to making huge improvements in health care for Americans.
Local Scout Trains Eagle Eye on Community Pocket Park
Ethan McKnight of Reston needed a project to graduate to Eagle Scout in Troop 1577. His neighborhood pocket park needed some additional work to go along with the renovation-in-progress by the Fairfax County Park Authority. It seemed like a good fit to seventh-grader Ethan, so he got to work. First he had to get the sign-off from his troop leaders. Then came the more intimidating moment—contact with the Park Authority to explain his proposed project and get the necessary approvals. “It went really good,” said the young McKnight. “Mr. Brissey has been really amazing and helpful to work with,” he added, referring to Wayne Brissey, manager, Area 6 with the Park Operation Division. Once the project was outlined and approvals were secured, Ethan took to the streets around the park, soliciting donations of time, as well as money to make the plan come to life. He must have been pretty persuasive, because not only did he come up with the funds, but on Implementation Day he had gathered a small army of locals and a few other troop members to get the work done. Even Brissey was on hand to provide some supplies and assistance. “This is such a great win-win event,” said Brissey. “With our budget down 25 percent, we were able to put in the needed new equipment, do drainage improvements and work on the trees around the tot lot, but there just isn’t the money to work on the surrounding area.” So Evan’s crew got to digging, hauling, raking and mulching the outdoor exercise area. They even built handicap-accessible picnic tables from materials provided by the county. The workers stayed busy from 9 in the morning to late in the afternoon, but were kept refreshed by beverages and snacks provided by the McKnight family. The crew deemed themselves well satisfied with their efforts and with Ethan for getting the community ball rolling. —Andrea Worker
Multicultural Festival Comes to Reston
Annual multicultural festival held at Lake Anne.
Nearly 50 years ago, Robert Simon founded Reston with several goals, and one of them was diversity. For the past 12 years, the Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association, Reston Community Center and Reston Association have hosted a tribute to that goal, the Reston Multicultural Festival.
Reston Sport & Health Renovates
Location kicks off new features after $1.5 million renovation.
Sport & Health Clubs celebrated a $1.5 million renovation to their Reston location with a ribbon cutting and casino night Thursday, Sept. 26. The renovation of the club, located at Isaac Newton Sqaure, stretched to almost every aspect of the facility.
Residential Studios Put on Hold
Supervisors establish committee, plan additional public outreach.
At the recommendation of Chairman Sharon Bulova (D-At-Large) and Supervisor Michael Frey (R-Sully), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Sept. 24 deferred its Nov. 20 public hearing on a proposed residential studios (RSUs) amendment to conduct additional community outreach. The board also established a Planning Commission Residential Studios Committee.
Northern Virginia Supports Day to Serve
The Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), a coalition of 14 counties, cities and towns that work together on regional issues, passed a unanimous resolution endorsing Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell’s call to participate in the 2013 Day to Serve.