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.
Join Loudoun Habitat for Humanity for a volunteer orientation and learn how to contribute to solving the affordable housing crisis. Both sessions are at 10:30 a.m. with donuts and juice. July 9, Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, and July 30, Purcellville Library, 220 E. Main St.
The International Center for Language Studies (ICLS), which has been selected to run an ESL (English as Second Language) program for 25 high-school students from France this summer, needs families to house them during each of their two three-week sessions, July 10-30 and July 31-Aug. 20. Families will be expected to provide room and board, to help facilitate the studentÕs use of public transportation to travel to and from ICLS and to include them in weekend activities that will enhance their American experience. The students will have paid for the various incidental costs; a stipend will be paid to each host family. Contact 202-639-8800.
The Loudoun Summer Music Fest is seeking volunteers for "Live at the Belmont" concert series Sundays through Aug. 28 to be ticket takers, concession booth staffers, a variety of general helpers and a dedicated cleanup squad. E-mail johnb@loudounhomeless.org or visit www.liveatbelmont.com.
The ESL and Immigrant Ministries needs volunteers to teach English as a second language to adult immigrants in 18 locations in Northern Virginia. Free training for volunteers is provided in August and September. Classes begin in September. Both daytime and evening classes are offered. Consult www.eslim.org for full information about the program, including class schedules, locations and a volunteer application form. Or call 703-271-8341, Ext. 3 and leave a message for a return call.
The Youth Music Preservation And Promotion Association is looking for local families to host a musician for a week during the Second International Gathering of Youth Orchestras in Leesburg this summer. These host families provide the musician food, transportation and accommodations during their stay. Call 703-728-2589 or write info@ymppa.org.
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors is seeking volunteers to fill vacancies for representatives on the following county and regional advisory boards, commissions and committees.
* Advisory Commission on Youth: Sterling District.
* Affordable Dwelling Unit Advisory Board: One single-family home builder.
* Bull Run Alcohol Safety Action Program: One at-large representative.
* Cable TV Advisory Committee: Broad Run District.
* Commission on Aging: Sterling District.
* Commission on Women: Sterling and Sugarland Run districts
* Community Criminal Justice Board: At-large and Catoctin District.
* Community Policy and Management Committee: Provider representative.
* Commuter Bus Advisory Board: Potomac, Sterling and Sugarland Run districts.
* Disability Services Board: At-large business representatives or representatives who have a disability or who have a family member with a disability.
* Equal Employment Opportunity Plan Committee: At-large representatives.
* Fire & Rescue Commission: Three at-large representatives who are Fire and Rescue volunteers.
* Historic District Review Committee: One at-large representative.
* Library Board of Trustees: Broad Run and Sugarland Run districts; Open Space Advisory Committee: Sterling and Sugarland Run districts.
* Road Viewers Board: At-large representatives.
* Woods Road Special Exception Oversight Committee: At-large representatives.
Contact Sally Keefer, Board of Supervisors office, 703-771-5034. Information about each board, committee and commission is available on the Loudoun County Government Web site at www.loudoun.gov/advisory.
Good Shepherd Alliance Inc. (GSA), an organization providing shelter to the homeless, is in need of lawyers with nonprofit experience and mentors for single men, women and families. The services of local electricians, painters, plumbers, carpenters, roofers, car mechanics and landscapers are needed to restore living spaces, vehicles and outdoor shelter areas. Software engineers and technicians are also needed to establish and maintain computer workstations at all shelter facilities. Physicians, dentists and counselors support residents living in crisis situations and many volunteers are needed to help at the Good Shepherd Alliance Thrift Store. To learn more about the Good Shepherd Alliance, contact executive director John Brothers at 703-433-2631 or visit www.loudounhomeless.org.
Volunteers are needed to deliver home-delivered meals and to assist in the Cafe at the Loudoun County Senior Center, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Anyone interested in volunteering for a couple of hours one day a week or once or twice a month, contact Erik Onate at 703-430-2397, Ext. 109.
Loudoun County Community Corrections is looking for volunteers to serve as court assistants. Volunteers must be 18 years of age and pass a criminal background check. A commitment of one year at four hours a week requested. Duties include providing court coverage, performing financial interviews on indigent defendants, data entry, case compliance, case intakes and basic administrative duties. Training is provided but a knowledge of the court system is helpful. Contact Karen McQuaid, deputy director at 703-737-8519 or kmcquaid@loudoun.gov.
The Adult Foster Care Program enables people with mental disabilities to grow and become more independent through the interaction and routines of family life. To help meet the growing housing needs of people with mental disabilities, Loudoun County Mental Retardation Services is seeking to recruit new families to the program and increase the number of placements. Foster families receive a monthly stipend and are provided with ongoing training and in-home support. Contact the Loudoun County Community Services Board at 703-777-0377 or visit www.loudoun.gov/mhmr/afc/.
Odyssey Health Care, a national hospice in the Northern Virginia area, is looking for people with an interest in serving the terminally ill hospice patients and their families. Volunteers offer companionship, friendly visits, running errands, household duties, and/or bereavement services. Other duties include answering phones, translators, or hospice community awareness. Training is provided. Contact Jerri Hays at 703-821-9200.
Loudoun County's Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is seeking volunteers to join its program. RSVP provides a wide range of opportunities for individuals, age 55 and over, to utilize their experience and skills in the community. To request an information packet and enrollment form, contact the RSVP office at 703-777-0505.
The Aspect Foundation is looking for host families in the west Fairfax County and Loudoun County areas for the coming school year. Host families offer room, board, and friendship and show the visiting students around. Students from South America and Asia are still available for placement. If you are interested in hosting an exchange student please call Kathleen or Robert Rawls at 703-433-0362.
The Therapeutic Foster Care Program at For Children's Sake of Virginia is recruiting caring families interested in providing foster care in Loudoun, Fairfax, Arlington and Prince William counties, and is seeking individuals or families to provide stability and support within a safe, nurturing home to foster children. Call 703-817-9890.
Loudoun Volunteer Services (LVS) announces its volunteer-match Web site, a service of the Points of Light Foundation, corporately sponsored by Dominion Power. The Web site is aimed at both volunteers, who are seeking to find opportunities best suited for their particular interest or skill, and organizations seeking a way to publicly advertise their volunteer opportunities. To register for this free service, visit www.loudoun.gov/pio/volunteer.htm and click on "register your organization's volunteer opportunities," or to volunteer click on "looking for volunteer opportunities." Contact Lisa Rose at 703-777-0113.
The Loudoun County MADD Chapter is seeking additional court monitors for Loudoun Traffic court program in which trained volunteers observe and gather data on DUI court proceedings, including arraignments, pretrial hearing, trials and sentencing. The data collected focuses on three prongs: to evaluate the courts, to track the offenders and to plot trends in punishment and case outcomes. Training is provided. Volunteer one day a week or one morning or afternoon a week. Leave a voice mail message on 703-771-8127 or send an e-mail to maddloudoun@aol.com.
Loudoun Interfaith Relief Inc., is seeking volunteers that can pick up food from local grocery stores in the Leesburg and Ashburn areas. Drivers are needed every morning. Loudoun Interfaith Relief Inc. is a nonprofit food pantry that provides emergency food supplies to residents in need living in Loudoun County. Call 703-777-5911.
Opportunities, Alternatives & Resources (OAR) of Fairfax County Inc. is a nonprofit organization that helps offenders and ex-offenders break the cycle of crime. OAR of Fairfax provides services to Loudoun and Fairfax counties and is seeking volunteers to teach classes in the Loudoun County Work Release Center. Volunteer instructors will teach courses such as parenting, life skills, employability skills, work place skills, financial planning and conflict resolution. Call to enroll in spring training. Contact the volunteer department at 703-246-3033.
LINK, an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization, is seeking volunteers for its food-bank, assisting needy families in selecting five-day allotments of food items, to restock shelves and load food into family vehicles. Call Roberta at 703-450-4643.
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. For more information about volunteer opportunities and upcoming training sessions contact Travelers Aid at 703-572-7350 or volunteer@mwaa.com.
Loudoun Families for Children, a nonprofit, volunteer organization providing temporary homes for children in crisis and a mentoring program for at-risk children, needs volunteers. Anyone interested in more information about the orientation program, call Kim Burk, 703-771-9505 or e-mail kburk@burkinc.com.
Local families can take in high-school age foreign exchange students next year through two grants from the U.S. Department of State. Aspect, one of the larger high-school exchange student programs in the United States, has been awarded grants for the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program and the Partnership for Learning Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program.
The goal of FLEX and YES is to provide an opportunity for international high-school students from Eurasia, the Middle East and Asia to experience life in a democratic society and learn about volunteerism and free enterprise.
Foreign exchange students who participate in the two programs come to Northern Virginia to live with host families, attend school and engage in activities to learn about American society and values. They, in turn, educate Americans about their own countries and cultures.
FLEX participants are high-school students, ages 15-18
who come from the countries of the former Soviet Union: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
The program YES provides full scholarships for a year or semester of living and studying in the U.S. to a select group of young people, ages 15-18 from Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq,
Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia, Syria, and Yemen.
To learn more about the programs, or to host a student, contact Robert Rawls at 703-409-9776, cell; 703-433-0362 or by e-mail at coyote1437@yahoo.com.
Prison FellowshipÕs National Office, located in Lansdowne, supports the work of thousands of churches in their hands-on ministry to prisoners and their families. Volunteer opportunities are primarily during business hours, which are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. The fellowship is looking for people who have skills or interests in any of the following areas: office administration, marketing, hospitality, data entry, library administration, prayer support and Web research. There are also opportunities for high-school students during the summer months. Contact Dawn, volunteer services, 703-554-8440 or at volunteers@pfm.org.
ÒHelping Others First,Ó a new support organization for senior citizens is launching its Senior Meals Express at the William Watters House in Sterling with a pancake breakfast in honor of FatherÕs Day. The group is looking for anyone interested in donating food or time; as well as help set up a program to work with the residents doing arts and crafts and an exercise program. Contact Pat Wimmer, 703-669-8626 or 703-989-4830.