<lst>Send announcements to the Herndon Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, send an e-mail to herndon@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is Thursday 5 p.m. for the following week's paper. Photos/artwork encouraged. Call Meghan Williams at 703-917-6437 with questions. This free listing is reserved for activities and events that are open to the public at no or minimal cost.
Volunteers needed at the Herndon Adult Day Health Care Center. The center is looking for individuals to run the following programs: bingo, ceramics, any musical programs/sing-alongs, horticulture programs and individuals interested in helping with community trips. Process involves an interview, filling out paperwork, criminal background check, TB screening and orientation. Contact Kelly Fowler at 703-435-8729.
People who are looking for an opportunity to help folks directly and can stay by their home phones for just one day a month can become a Family Assistance volunteer, providing "Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help" to your neighbors in need. Last year FISH helped 931 families and individuals with financial assistance totaling more than $120,000. FISH also needs drivers to take elderly and disabled persons to local doctor appointments and to help pick up furniture donations, Call 703-437-0600.
Volunteers are needed weekdays, 10 a.m.-noon, to guide individuals and families through four rooms of the Kidwell Farmhouse at Frying Pan Park in Herndon. Training is provided. Preferred commitment is at least two shifts per month. Kidwell Farm, located at Frying Pan Park and operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority, recreates the era from 1920 to 1950 when family dairy farms blanketed the local landscape. Call Sherry Bizette at 703-437-5318 or apply online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks.
Travelers Aid is seeking volunteers to serve as mobile guides and information desk staff at Washington Dulles International Airport. Volunteers provide access to agency social workers, airport information, directional services, transportation options, tourist information and more. Trained to be information experts, our volunteers welcome people to the Washington capital region and add a personal touch. We have a need for weekday evening, 6-9 p.m., information desk volunteers. Mobile guide scheduling is flexible. Contact Travelers Aid at 703-572-7350 or volunteer@mwaa.com.
The Reston-Herndon American Association of University Women's tutoring/mentoring program at Forest Edge Elementary School in Reston needs volunteers to spend an hour on Tuesdays, from 3:15-4:15 p.m., working with academically at-risk young girls, supporting them with friendship, homework help and some fun. The program also needs substitutes and donations of games or books. Call Elisabeth Pugh at 703-759-4494 or e-mail Metrigero@aol.com. Visit the Web site www.aauwofva.org/branches/reston.htm.
The Fairfax County Health Department is launching a major volunteer recruitment drive to staff the Fairfax Medical Reserve Corps, a program of the Fairfax County Citizen Corps. More than 13,000 medical and nonmedical volunteers are needed to respond to a full-scale public-health emergency in Fairfax County. In the event of a bioterrorism attack or a naturally occurring epidemic, MRC volunteers would be called upon to staff vaccination or medication dispensing sites. In a worst case scenario, this could mean providing for all residents in Fairfax County — more than 1 million people — in three to five days. To accomplish this, 96 teams, comprising 142 people per team, would staff dispensing sites at all county public-high schools and George Mason University. In addition, a large number of non-medical volunteers are needed to provide general support, such as assisting patients with forms and performing data entry and other administrative tasks. Contact Foster at 703-246-2485, TTY 703-591-6435, or by e-mail at donna.foster@fairfaxcounty.gov or visit www.fairfaxcountycitizencorps.org.
The Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is seeking volunteers for nursing homes or assisted living facilities in their communities and weekly visits. Listening, observing and mediating, the ombudsman works with the residents, their families and the facility staff to ensure that resident's rights are protected and they are being adequately helped. Applicants must successfully complete training and must be available to volunteer four hours per week during regular business hours. Call 703-324-5435. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ombudsman.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training is recruiting volunteers to train for marathons and races to honor local cancer patients. Call 703-960-1100 or visit www.teamintraining.org.
Volunteer Emergency Families For Children needs volunteers willing to open their homes and provide short-term — one to 21 days— emergency shelter to local children who are victims of abuse, neglect, etc. Volunteers can choose the age, gender and length of stay for each placement. Most requests in this area are for three- to five-day stays. Call 800-756-6167 or e-mail MMiller@VEFC.org for details.
The Center for Multicultural Human Services is seeking CHAMPS mentors to provide children of prisoners in Northern Virginia with friendship, recreational activities and constructive example. Contact Ellen Klene at 703-533-3302, Ext. 107 or eklene@cmhs.org.
Fairfax County General Court Services is seeking volunteers and interns to assist in the Fairfax County General District Court performing administrative tasks. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age and successfully pass a criminal background investigation. Call Lorraine Lottahall at 703-246-4760 or e-mail lorraine.lottahall@fairfaxcounty.
Volunteer tutors are needed for day and evening hours to work one-to-one with adult learners in public libraries or adult learning centers. Additional opportunities are available working with adolescents in alternative school settings. The Volunteer Learning Program trains tutors, assesses learners, and provides materials with follow-up support. VLP is a joint community project of the Fairfax County Public Schools Adult and Community Education, Fairfax County's Juvenile Court, and the Fairfax County Public Library. Call 703-246-2139 or e-mail VLP@fcps.edu