Send announcements to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, e-mail to loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is two weeks before the event. Photos/artwork encouraged. For more information, call Jennifer Lesinski at 703-917-6454.
This free listing is reserved for activities and events that are open to the public at no or minimal cost.
Effective immediately, flu vaccine will be available to any Loudoun County resident who would like to be protected from the flu this year. The Loudoun County Health Department is providing flu vaccine to children under 4 years of age on a walk-in basis at the Health Department, located in the Shenandoah Building at 102 Heritage Way, N.E. Leesburg. Loudoun Hospital's Mobile Health Van will be conducting flu clinics for anyone 4 years of age and older at the following locations.
* Feb. 2: Ashburn Farms HOA, 21400 Windmill Drive, 4-7 p.m.
* Feb. 4: Purcellville Giant Food Store parking lot, East Main Street, 5-8 p.m.
* Feb. 5: South Riding HOA, adjacent to Town Hall, 43055 Center St., 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
* Feb. 6: Philomont Fire Station, 36560 Jeb Stuart Road, 1-3 p.m.
* Feb. 7: Dulles Town Center, Center Court, 2100 Dulles Town Center: 4-8 p.m.
* Feb. 7: Cascades HOA, adjacent to clubhouse, Lowes Island Community Center, 4-7 p.m.
* Feb. 12: Sugarland HOA, adjacent to pool, 200 Greenfield Court, Sterling, 2-7 p.m.
* Feb. 13: Leesburg Baptist Church, 835 Lee Ave., S.W., 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
* Feb. 14: Middleburg, on Route 50 in front of Safeway, 2-7 p.m.
* Feb. 18: Purcellville, next to Town Hall, 130 E. Main St., 2-7 p.m.
Visit the Loudoun County Government Web site at www.loudoun.gov/codeflu.
Inova Blood Donor Services will be having blood drives throughout Loudoun County in February, at the following locations:
* Feb. 8, 3-8 p.m., Sterling Park Safety Center, Patton Hall, 46700 Middlefield Drive, Sterling. Call 1-866-256-6372.
* Feb. 12, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m., South Riding Town Hall, 43055 Center St., South Riding. Call 1-866-256-6372.
* Feb. 17, 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Loudoun Hospital Center, 44045 Riverside Parkway, Lansdowne. Valentine treats for all donors. Call 1-866-256-6372.
* Feb. 20, 7:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m., St. Francis de Sales, Parish Hall, 37730 St. Francis Court, Purcellville. Call 540-338-6313.
Alzheimer Caregivers Support Group meetings are held at 7 p.m., the second Monday of each month, at Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Road, Sterling.
The Scholarship Committee of The Ladies Board is seeking applicants interested in the nursing profession. Previous recipients and applicants are also encouraged to apply. The scholarships are awarded to students as supplemental aid. Scholarship amounts ranged from $500 to $3,000. Scholarship applications are available at the Gift Shop at the Loudoun Hospital Center Lansdowne Campus, the office at Loudoun Nursing and Rehabilitation Center or the Twice Is Nice Thrift Shop in Leesburg, or can be downloaded at www.ladiesboard.org. Contact Margaret Vaughan at 540-338-6221 for requirements and questions. Applications are due no later than Wednesday, April 6; and should be returned to Margaret Vaughan, P.O. Box 581, Purcellville, VA 20134.
The Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization. Group provides free services including educational programs and lectures, brown-bag seminars, quarterly newsletters, and a 24-hour HOPEline. The HOPEline (703-461-9616 or 1-800-970-4411) is staffed by trained breast-cancer survivors who provide information and emotional support to callers. Call 703-461-9595 or visit www.y-menca.org for more information.
Safe Sitter Classes. Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Services and Reston Hospital Center for girls and boys ages 11-13 who are interested in babysitting. Call Broadlands Regional Medical Center at 703-858-3465 to register.
Senior Newsletter. The Loudoun Cooperative Extension is offering a newsletter for seniors, "As You Age." The research-based newsletter was created by professors at Virginia Tech in the fields of human development and nutrition, foods and exercise. For a free copy, contact Kalinda Santos or Beverly Samuel at 703-777-0373.
Compassionate Friends. A support group for parents who have lost a child meets the first Wednesday of the month at St. James Episcopal Church, Janney Parlor, 14 Cornwall St. N.W., Leesburg. For more information, call 703-724-7623 or e-mail iluvu2lauren@earthlink.net.
Sterling/Reston DRADA (Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association) Support Group meets first and third Tuesdays of each month, 7-9 p.m., in Reston. For more information and directions, call Ginny at 703-966-2510.
Haynesworth Pediatrics will be holding free monthly discussions on various health-care related challenges and issues facing parents. These free sessions will be held at Douglass Community Center on 407 E. Market St. in Leesburg. All parents are invited to attend the presentations, held every first Wednesday of the month from 7-8 p.m.
Loudoun County Free Clinic. Clinic needs volunteers for Wednesday and Thursday nights from 5:30-9 p.m. Needed are administrative, Spanish interpreters, physicians, nurses, lab tech and pharmacist volunteers. The non-profit clinic provides acute, non-emergency quality health care services to uninsured Loudoun County residents. Call Lyle Werner at 703-779-5412. E-mail LoudounCommunityFreeClinic@lh.org.
Domestic Violence Group for Women. A 10-week group for women previously or currently emotionally, verbally or physically abused is being offered by LAWS (Loudoun Abused Women's Shelter). Issues addressed will be the impact abuse has on children, why some people are abusive, evaluating healthy relationships and legal concerns. A children's group runs concurrently with the women's group. Call for more information at 703-777-6552.
Stroller Strides classes Ñ a fitness program for new mothers and other caregivers, incorporating the stroller and baby in an outdoor setting Ñ are now available in Leesburg. The 50-minute workouts include power walking and calisthenics. The classes are offered Mondays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m., and Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10 a.m., at Potomac Station Multi-Purpose Court, at the corner of Rivercreek Parkway and Potomac Station Drive. For more information, call Lisa Atkinson at 800-445-8748 or 703-771-7801 or e-mail latkinson@strollerstrides.net.
Tours of Birthing Inn. The Loudoun Hospital center is offering tours of the Birthing Inn on weekends and evenings. There is no charge for the tour, however registration is required. Registration may be done online at www.thebirthinginn.org or call 703-858-6360.
Asthma Auto Program. Program offered by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Maryland-Greater Washington, D.C., Chapter, is accepting donations of unwanted vehicles to raise money to fund educational programs, asthma care training, scholarships, research, and patient assistance for area residents. Call 800-727-9333.
Birth Mother's Support Group. Meets weekly in northern Virginia for any woman who has ever placed a child in adoption and would like to meet with others who have done the same. For more information call Pat Cunningham or Stephanie Hayden at Catholic Charities at 703-425-0100.
Foster Parents. To participate in the foster parent program, call Children's Services of Virginia at 703-331-0075 or visit www.childrensservicesofva.com for more information.
American Lung Association of Virginia. Organization offers an e-mail service to residents in areas affected by smog-unhealthy levels of ozone pollution, which includes the Northern Virginia-Metropolitan D.C. area. Subscribers will receive smog alerts the day before ozone pollution levels are predicted to be unhealthy. For more information on ozone pollution and to sign up for the Smog Alert, visit www.lungusa.org/virginia.
American Red Cross Classes. Classes include adult, child and infant CPR, first aid, baby-sitter training and more. Advance registration required and there is a fee. Call 703-777-7171. Visit www.redcross.org/va/loudounco.
Assisted Living. "Choosing an Assisted Living Facility: Considerations for Making the Right Decision," a booklet produced by the Consumer Consortium on Assisted Living (CCAL) in cooperation with the MetLife Mature Market Institute, can be ordered by calling 703-533-8121. Single copies are $10 each.
Reach to Recovery Program. The American Cancer Society offers free services to women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo recent surgery. A trained volunteer who has survived breast cancer is available to talk with patients confidentially, provide helpful information and offer emotional support. A Reach "kit" is given to each patient, which includes a leisure bra, a soft prosthesis for mastectomy patients, exercise items and literature. Call 703-938-5550.