Correction
In the Feb. 16-22 edition of the Herndon Connection, a photo package depicting seniors celebrating Valentine's Day at Herndon's Harbor House, mislabeled the participants of the event. The seniors active in the day's festivities were not all residents of the Harbor House, but instead members of the adult daycare program run out of the Harbor House.
Children's Book Drive Location Change
Boy Scouts from Troop 1570 will be collecting children’s books — new and gently used — for a literacy project. Donations of elementary-school-aged books will be collected Saturday, Feb. 26, 12-4 p.m. at the Northpoint Giant grocery store, 1450 Northpoint Village Center, Reston. Boy scouts with collection boxes will be at the entrance. Books will not be collected at the Reston Library and Herndon Fortnightly libraries, as previously planned.
Call Aaron at 703-709-9772 with any questions.
Reston YMCA Event
In an attempt to bring children and families in to experience health benefits of aquatic programs offered, the Reston YMCA will host Splashdown 2005.
Free and open to the public, the event will be Saturday, Feb. 26 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Reston YMCA.
During the open house visitors will have the opportunity to sign up for swim lessons and aquatics programs. Families will also receive a coupon for $25 off all Group Swim Lessons and Aquatic Programs for spring I and II sessions.
In addition to providing pool games and aquatics demonstrations, prizes will also be given ranging from eight weeks of aquatic classes and a three-month membership to water bottles and inflatable water toys.
Pre-Festival Jazz Concert
Westfield High School will present a pre-festival jazz concernt, Saturday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Westfield auditorium. Headed by Charles Chaffin, director, the event will be $5 for adults and $2 for seniors or students. Westfield High School is located at 4700 Stonecroft Blvd. Chantilly.
Girl Scout Cookies to Benefit Tsunami
Girl Scout Troop 4515 will donate 15 cents per box of their cookie sale proceedes to donate to Tsunami Victims.
Cookie booth sales are scheduled for Feb. 27, 12-4 p.m. at the Fox Mill Giant and March 12, 6 -9 p.m. at the Fox Mill Blockbuster.
Assistance League Membership Meeting
Assistance League of Northern Virginia will hold a multi-town membership meeting on Monday, Feb. 28, from 10:15 a.m. to noon at the Chantilly branch of the Fairfax County Public Library, 4000 Stringfellow Road in Chantilly. Members will review plans for the annual benefit, "Great Escapes" to be held on Sunday, April 10 at Dante's Ristorante in Great Falls.
Anyone interested is encouraged to attend.
Assistance League of Northern Virginia is a chapter of National Assistance League, a nonprofit, nonsectarian, volunteer service organization founded in the early 1890s. Locally, Assistance League members implement its mission to promote the well being, self-esteem and education of at-risk youth and adults living in Northern Virginia through two philanthropic projects, Operation School Bell and Operation Hugs.
Contact Debbie Kiessling, Membership Chairman, at 703-758-1085, or Cindy Burgess, President, at 703-758-8454. The Assistance League national web site is www.assistanceleague.org
Author Pokes Fun at Life
Join author, speaker, and humorist Ron Culberson, on Saturday, March 5 at the Industrial Strength Thearter. Through the art of storytelling and comedy, Culberson will entertain with a powerful message that humor is more than just a punchline. Culberson, Director of Everything! At FUNsulting, etc., is a speaker, humorist, author of "Is Your Glass Laugh Full?" and former social worker. As a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), the highest earned award from the National Speakers Association, he is in the less than seven percentile category of speakers worldwide who have received this designation and has provided entertaining and informative programs to more than 70,000 people.
Admission for adults is $9 in advance; $10 at the door and for children ages 12 and under $7 in advance; $8 at the door. To order tickets, call 703-435-6868.
Training for ESOL Teachers
Enrollment and apllications for scholarships are now being accepted for the Herndon Dulles Chamber of Commerce's Courses for Trainers for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
The introductory certificate program includes 60 class hours of training for introductory and advanced speakers.
Introductory classes begin March 15 and will be taught by faculty from Northern Virginia Community College. Section 1 Classes are offered Tuesday and Thursday nights, 7-9 p.m. at St. Joseph's Event Hall, 750 Peachtree St., and Section 2 are offered Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Neighborhood Resource Center, 1086 Elden St.
Included in the courses will be concepts such as Teaching Basic Literacy, Cross-cultural Communication, Tutoring Adult ESL Students, Grammar Review, Assessing English Proficiency, and Teaching Content ESL. The advanced course will be taught by Fairfax County Public Schools Continuing Education staff, beginning in early summer. Visit www.herndondulleschamber.org. Schedule:
* Introduction to Teaching ESL/ESOL
Section 1: Starting March 15 through March 24.
Section 2: March 19 and 26.
* Strategies for Teaching Basic Literacy
Section 1: March 26 through April 7.
Section 2: April 2 and 9.
* Cross-Cultural Communication
Section 1: April 12 through April 21.
Section 2: April 16 and 23.
* Tutoring Adult ESL Students
Section 1: April 26 through May 5
Section 2: April 30 and May 7.
* Grammar Review for ESL Volunteers
Section 1: May 10 through May 19
Section 2: May 14 and 21.
* Assessing English Proficiency
Section 1: May 24 through June 2.
Section 2: May 28 and June 4.
* Teaching Content ESL
Section 1: June 7 through June 16.
Section 2: June 11 and 18.
Town Seeks Arts Grant Proposals
The Town of Herndon is accepting grant proposals up to $5,000 this year through the Virginia Commission for the Arts Local Government Challenge Grant Program.
Non-profit arts organizations incorporated in the town must meet general policy guidelines as published by the Virginia Commission for the Arts. These guidelines are available at www.arts.virginia.gov.
The deadline to submit proposals is March 1 at noon. Proposals can be mailed to Holly Popple, Herndon Department of Parks and Recreation, P.O. Box 427, Herndon, VA 20172 or hand-delivered to the Herndon Community Center located at 814 Ferndale Drive. For more information, call 703-435-6800, ext. 2120.
Herndon Festival Vendors Needed
The Herndon Parks and Recreation Department is actively soliciting vendors for the 2005 Herndon Festival K9/2K Doggie Expo, taking place Saturday, June 4, from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
Acceptance into the event is limited with priority given to local businesses and residents. The selection of vendors will be at the discretion of the Herndon Parks and Recreation Department.
Booth fees are as follows:
* Private Business:
Early Bird, Feb.1-March 31: $50
Regular, April 1-31: $75
Late, May 1-28: $100
* Nonprofit Organizations:
Early Bird/Regular, Feb. 1-April 31: $25
Late, May 1-28: $50
For more information, call the Herndon Community Center at 703-435-6800, Ext. 2109 or e-mail Kimberly.Wood@herndon-va.gov for an application.
Good Neighbor Award Nominations
The Town of Herndon and the Cultivating Community Committee are seeking nominations for the Good Neighbor Award by March 25.
The purpose of this award is to recognize those people who go beyond the call of duty to act as good neighbors in their respective neighborhoods: the neighbor who helps others with repairs or who takes care of common property needs; the neighbor who looks over property while others are away; the neighbor who looks after children and pets; the neighbor who helps out in a crisis; the neighbor who commits helpful or charitable acts toward other neighbors; the neighbor who participates in volunteer activities and who does special things to make the neighborhood a better place.
The winner will receive recognition by Town Council at a public meeting in April. Eligibility for the Good Neighbor Award includes:
* Must be a resident of Herndon.
* Act(s) for which the person is nominated must not be performed as an element of paid employment.
* Contributions to the neighborhood may have occurred over the course of many years, but the judges will give special consideration to recent good deeds.
Residents may nominate a family member, friend or neighbor who makes noteworthy contributions to improve the quality of life in their neighborhood.
To nominate an individual for the award, please attach to a nomination form a description of why you believe that person exemplifies the qualities of a good neighbor. In 300 words or less, answer the question: "What makes this person a good neighbor?" Some of these qualities may include:
* Contributions to the community beyond the scope of normal citizen responsibilities.
* Concern for their neighbors' well-being or overall quality of life in their neighborhood. This concern may be demonstrated by care of property, helpful or charitable acts toward neighbors or participation in committees or volunteer activities that contribute to positive changes in the neighborhood.
Nominations must be made prior to March 25, forms are available on the Town of Herndon Web site, www.herndon-va.gov — click on What's New. Forms are also available at the Herndon Municipal Center and the Neighborhood Resource Center. For more information, call 703-435-6800, Ext. 2010.
Townwide Cable Construction
Verizon will be laying fiber optic cable throughout the town over the next three months. This upgrade will bring high-speed voice and data service to all residences in Herndon.
Work will be performed both in the public right of way and within prescribed easements on private property by Verizon's contractor, Ivy H. Smith. Residents will be notified by door hangers and signs when work will be performed in their neighborhood.
According to Verizon, similar upgrades have taken place successfully with minimal disruption to residents in Falls Church, Annandale, Springfield and Leesburg. For more information, call Ivy Smith at 1-800-768-8831.
Proposed Work Schedule Through February:
* Feb. 25: Van Buren Street, Park Avenue, Monroe Street, Second Street, Third Street, Charlton Place, McDaniel Court.
* Feb. 28: Knight Avenue, Charles Street, Saber Lane, Queens Court, Charles Court, Knight Lane, Kings Court, Stanton Park Court, Cavalier Drive.
Budget Hearings Scheduled
The Town of Herndon is in the process of preparing the upcoming fiscal year 2006 budget, including the FY '06-11 capital improvement program (CIP). The Town Council and Planning Commission will be holding several work sessions and public hearings to give an opportunity for interested citizens to present ideas or issues for consideration while the budget is being developed. All public hearings are held in the Council Chambers; work sessions are held in the conference room, both located at 765 Lynn St.
A budget summary will be mailed to all Herndon residents during the first week in April, at which time it is anticipated that the complete recommended budget document will be available for public review. Information will be posted on the town's Web site, www.herndon-va.gov, as it becomes available. A copy of the proposed budget will be available for review at the Herndon Fortnightly Library.
The complete budget schedule is as follows:
* Monday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m., Planning Commission work session to discuss the CIP.
* Monday, March 7, 7:30 p.m., Planning Commission public hearing on the CIP.
* Tuesday, April 5, 7:30 p.m., Town Council work session to review proposed budget and CIP.
* Tuesday, April 12, 7:30 p.m., Town Council public hearing to allow public testimony on proposed budget and FY '06 portion of CIP.
* Tuesday, April 19, 7:30 p.m., Town Council work session to review proposed budget and FY '06 portion of CIP.
* Tuesday, April 26, 7:30 p.m., Town Council public hearing — consideration and adoption budget and entire CIP.
Town Calendar
Wednesday, Feb. 23, 7 p.m.
Architectural Review Board/Heritage Preservation Review Board, work session
Thursday, Feb. 24, 7:30 p.m.
Board of Zoning Appeals
Saturday, Feb. 26, 10 a.m.
"Welcome to Herndon" orientation seminar
Monday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m.
Architectural Review Board/Heritage Preservation Review Board, public hearing
Planning Commission, work session
Tuesday, March 1, 7:30 p.m.
Town Council, work session
2005 Business License application and payment date
Saturday, March 5, 7-11 p.m.
Herndon Dulles Chamber of Commerce Fundraiser for Children at the Westfields Marriott.