Author Norman Vincent Peale once said, “The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.” Needless to say, the people of Fairfax County have been full of energy.
More than 500 people gathered last week at the 13th Annual Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards to honor the work of volunteers, including 140 award nominees, 14 award winners and seven community champions.
Volunteer Fairfax, a nonprofit that mobilizes people and resources to meet regional community needs, held the awards ceremony at the McLean Hilton Thursday, April 21.
Six Hunter Mill-based individuals and groups were among the honorees. Andrea Foley of Reston, for her contribution to the BeFriend-A-Child Mentoring Program, won the Direct Service in Arts and Humanities Award. Foley and other Reston honorees will be more fully profiled in a later edition of the paper.
Brad Dutton, a teenager from Vienna, won the Youth Volunteer Award, having spent 10 years volunteering at the Department of Family Services to help young children and infants.
Giving Circle of Hope of Vienna won the Adult Volunteer Group Award for its many service projects, including a bi-weekly reading literacy program at the Embry Rucker Shelter.
The South Lakes Student Government Association won the Youth Group Award for its dedicated service to the local and international community.
Computer Associates of Herndon won the Northern Virginia Technology Council Foundation Award. In its Herndon office, the company opened its third Digital School House, which provides a place for fifth- and sixth-graders to see how technology fits into education.
For her many years of far-reaching service, Kohann H. Whitney, former chairman on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, was given one of the seven Community Champion awards. Whitney, from Reston, was the founding chair of the Fairfax County Park Foundation and has served in leadership roles with the Greater Reston Arts Center, Celebrate Fairfax, Arts Council of Fairfax County and several other organizations.
The Connection Newspapers was awarded the Volunteer Service Award in the media category for its countywide service.
—Jason Hartke