The sponsors of the 9th Annual Business Philanthropy Summit are calling on Alexandria businesses, residents and community organizations to nominate businesses and nonprofit leaders for two prestigious awards to be presented at the Summit on March 15. Nomination forms for these awards can be found at www.alexandriavolunteerbureau or by e-mailing summit@alexandriavolunteerbureau.org. Nonprofit organizations can also apply to participate in the Nonprofit Showcase in which community organizations introduce their work to business representatives. The breakfast event will be held at the Belle Haven Country Club from 7:30-10:30 a.m. on March 15. Tickets are $25. To register for or to sponsor a table at the event, contact the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce at abrown@alexchamber.com or visit www.alexchamber.com to register on-line
The T.C. Williams High School girls' and boys' lacrosse teams are selling bags of mulch as a fundraiser. Each 3-cubic feet, 40-pound bag costs $4.75. Orders must be received by March 17, with checks made out to T.C. Williams Lacrosse Boosters, c/o Linda Davenport, 206 Elm St., Alexandria, Va. 22301. Pick-up will take place from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, March 24, at George Washington Middle School, 1005 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria . Delivery is available, in City of Alexandria limits only, for a $20 additional fee and minimum 10-bag order. Order forms may be obtained at www.acps.k12.va.us/tcw/mulchsale.pdf or by contacting Bill Garrahan at 703-926-0919 (work) or william.garrahan@xo.com; or Mark Fitzsimmons at 202-429-8068 (work) or mfitzsimmons@steptoe.com .
"Supporting a Culture of High Achievement Among Minority Students" is the topic of a free workshop sponsored by Alexandria City Public Schools from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, in the Minnie Howard School Auditorium, 3801 West Braddock Road, Alexandria.
Participants will receive information on
* Strategies for supporting a culture of high achievement in the home;
* Strategies to use at home to support your child in more rigorous courses, such as Talented and Gifted (TAG), honors and Advanced Placement (AP);
* Strategies for identifying and dealing with obstacles that get in the way of minority students entering and succeeding in TAG, Honors and AP courses; and
* Strategies for promoting motivation and self-confidence in African-American and Latino male students.
Light refreshments will be served.
To register, go to http://www.acps.k12.va.us . For additional information, contact Curriculum Specialist for TAG Diann Gully at diann.gully@acps.k12.va.us or 703-824-6680.
The Naomi Project is an all-volunteer resource program for pregnant and newly parenting mothers. Clients range in age from 14-41 and volunteers range in age from 26 to 75. Attend the semi-annual training event March 10. Contact Kathy Shinal 703-549-0111, ext. 129 or e-mail kshinal@campagnacenter.org.
The Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities and the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services are co-hosting a public forum on Wednesday, March 14, to hear from local residents about ways to update and strengthen the annual state plan for the Vocational Rehabilitation and Supported Employment Programs operated by the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services. The hearing will be held from 6-8 p.m. in Room 2000, City Hall, 301 King St., Alexandria. The current state plan can be reviewed at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/offsite/?pg=http://www.vadrs.org/stateplan.htm. To request reasonable ADA accommodations, contact Elizabeth Smith, DRS, at 1-800-552-5019, TTY 804-662-9040. Sign language services will be provided.
The Alexandria Commission for Women is taking reservations for the 27th Annual Salute to Women Awards Banquet. The Banquet, held in March to honor Women’s History Month, is scheduled for Monday, March 26 at the Radisson Hotel, located at 901 N. Fairfax Street, in Old Town Alexandria. A reception will be held at 6 p.m. and dinner will begin at 7 p.m. Invitations are being mailed out this week. Tickets are $75 each and reservation payments can now be made online using eChecks at www.alexwomen.com. The community is invited and welcome to attend. The deadline to RSVP for this event is March 21. For further information, contact Jen Harris at 703-838-5030, ext. 112, by e-mail at jennifer.harris@alexandriava.gov, or visit the Web site at www.alexwomen.com.
The National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.) recently announced that the City of Alexandria has been named one of the top ten communities in the nation in its 2006 Accessible America Competition.
The Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) Special Education Parent Resource Center is sponsoring two upcoming events.
* Bring the most challenging problem or situation in your home or classroom to the First Annual Children Together Problem and Solution Panel, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, at Jefferson-Houston School for Arts and Academics, 1501 Cameron St., Alexandria. Enter through door No. 4 at the West Street end of Cameron Street.
A panel of experts -- including a psychologist, social worker, regular and special education preschool teachers, speech pathologist, parents, occupational therapist and autism specialist -- will generate possible solutions!
If possible, please e-mail your problem by Feb. 26 to alipnick@acps.k12.va.us or call 703-706-4552. Problems also will be accepted from the floor, as time permits. Babysitting is available with advance notice; ACPS opt out credit also is available.
* The Children Together Annual Conference for Parents and Educators, Building Inclusive Classrooms, will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. (with registration starting at 3:30 p.m.) Thursday, March 22, at First Baptist Church of Alexandria, 2932 King St., Alexandria, with post-conference workshops Friday, March 23, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (registration at 8:15 a.m.).
Thursday afternoon will feature eight workshops repeated in two sessions so that each person will be able to attend two different workshops. Topics include Literacy Using Songs; Explore More, Play More; Creating Electronic Books Using Intellitools Classroom Suite; Friday's post-conference will feature Behavioral Consultant Sharon Weiss presenting Handling a Child's Challenges with Competence and Compassion in the morning, and Victoria Brown and Sarah Pleydell presenting Integrating the Arts in Early Childhood: Natural Connections to Language and Literacy in the afternoon.
Complimentary registration is available on a limited basis for Alexandria parents of children with special needs. Opt-out credit is available for the Thursday workshops.
To receive a conference brochure and registration form, please call 703-706-4552 or e-mail alipnick@acps.k12.va.us
SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) of Northern Virginia is currently seeking nominations for the 2007 Ally in Prevention Awards. Winners will be selected by an Allies in Prevention Coalition task force and will be announced at the group's annual Allies in Prevention Awards Luncheon in March. To nominate someone in Alexandria for the award, visit www.scanva.org or contact the SCAN office at 703-820-9001.
Alexandria's Community Lodgings is launching a $400,000 capital campaign to expand its thriving Family Learning Center. The campaign will fund construction of an addition that will double the Family Learning Center's classroom space. Visit www.communitylodgings.org or call 703-549-4407.
Jack Taylor’s Alexandria Toyota will match up to $100,000 of any new money contributed to The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria’s upcoming Gala. The SFA’s 21st Anniversary Gala will be held at the Hilton Mark Center, 5000 Seminary Road, Alexandria, on April 14. For information about the Gala Honor Roll and tickets, visit www.AlexScholarshipFund.org or call 703-824-6730.
The City of Alexandria has partnered with Rebuilding Together Alexandria, a leading volunteer community organization, to implement a new free weatherization program for low-income homeowners to help City residents increase home comfort and lower heating fuel bills this winter. For additional information on the weatherization program or to apply for assistance, call the Alexandria Department of Human Services, Office of Community Services at 703-838-0971. For more information on other types of home repair assistance, call Katharine Medina of Rebuilding Together Alexandria at 703-836-1021.