For those who give so much of themselves to the community, it was time to say thank you.
Volunteer Fairfax presented its annual Service Awards on April 21, recognizing 21 individuals and organizations for the work they selflessly give to people and groups in need.
Juanita Harris of Westgate Elementary School said The WestGroup Corporation has done more to help her school in the past few years than any other company. WestGroup was given the Corporate Group award.
“They give ongoing support to our school,” Harris said. “They’ve given us money to help build our playground, they’ve provided landscaping services, they helped us buy computers. They’ve helped to develop character in our students” through a program that allows two children from each class to spend a day at WestGroup, she said.
During each quarter, WestGroup opens its doors to two students from each grade who follow the Westgate Way, Harris said, by turning in their homework assignments on time, being respectful to their classmates and speaking kind words at all times.
“Their CEO comes in, their human resources person comes in and talks to the children about what’s going on in Tysons Corner and about their neighborhoods,” she said. “The kids love it.”
Throughout the school year, WestGroup employees come into the school to read to the children and pay to publish the Parent Teachers Association’s annual directory, she said.
“We truly appreciate their ongoing support for the well-being of students at Westgate, she said. “They reach out to us in many ways. They see a need and immediately try to help us out with it.
“We’re very proud to be honored,” said Debbie Moser, director of human resources for WestGroup. “Volunteerism is a big part of the culture here at WestGroup.”
During the awards breakfast, the judges read from a letter written by a teacher in regards to the partnership with WestGroup, saying how much the day out of the office means to the students.
“The teachers have found that the students that come to our office like it so much they try to come back again,” Moser said. “One girl had been quiet and shy in school before, but she couldn’t wait to go back to the school and tell all her classmates. She was so excited to tell the other students about her community.”
AT FORESTVILLE Elementary School, Jose Rodriguez was nominated for the Direct Service in Education award for his work on the school’s Web site with the Parent Teacher Association.
“Jose and his wife had just moved to the area last year and were at a Newcomer’s Coffee when we met,” said school principal Matt Harris. “He told me he’d just moved from Atlanta and that he’d worked on the Web site for his daughter’s school there. I knew we were going to have a vacancy on our staff and I asked him if he’d be willing to help us.”
The Web site was refurbished and recently won the Best of the Web award from the Fairfax County Public School System.
“He’s incredible,” Harris said of Rodriguez. “He’s put in tons of hours on the development and maintenance of the site. He takes the information for all of our fifty PTA committees himself and puts it all on the Web site.”
For Rodriguez, it was a way to get involved in his new community.
“His eyes lit up when I told him about my work in Atlanta,” he said of his first meeting with Harris. “Me and Amy Thompson, the PTA president, sat down and talked with Matt about what they wanted on the site and what could be done.”
As someone new to the community Rodriguez said he had no idea what the award was when Harris told him he’d been nominated.
“I didn’t know the scope of the award until I got there that morning,” he said. “Matt is a great person, he never fails to tell you how appreciative he is of all the volunteer work at Forestville. Not knowing how big the award was actually made it more special.”
As for the Best of the Web recognition, his Web site was selected out of about 135 elementary school Web sites in the Fairfax County system, which awards the title to one high school, one middle school and three elementary school sites.
“You’re never sure if what you’re doing is really what people will like,” Rodriguez said. “When I first got to Forestville, I saw the incredible acts of volunteerism, not just in the PTA but the number of parents who come in daily to help the students. It is inspiring to see everyone come out and do what they love.”
AS A PAST PRESIDENT of Volunteer Fairfax, Jane Kornblut has dedicated her life to working in the non-profit and volunteer sectors. She was one of seven volunteers named Community Champion for their years of work throughout the county.
Currently, Kornblut works with Third Sector Services, a consulting group that helps to strengthen organizations and help them do more for the people they serve.
“I do a lot of strategic planning for nonprofits,” she said, adding that she’s currently working as the interim director of an organization until a replacement can be found.
“I’m very humbled by this award,” she said. “I feel the things I do, I don’t do for the recognition. It’s really very nice that the community and Volunteer Fairfax gave me this recognition, but I’d keep doing the work I do without it.”
The award was established during her tenure at Volunteer Fairfax to “recognize those in the community that go above and beyond regular volunteer work. We started this six or seven years ago to look at people in leadership positions in the community and to give them a little extra boost.”
Fairfax County has an active volunteer network, she said. “We’ve seen an increase in corporate and workplace volunteerism, and we’re seen a lot of young professionals come out and work with us. People are engaged and involved in their community,” she said.
Following her time at Volunteer Fairfax, Kornblut spent a year with the professional nonprofit graduate program at George Mason University. “I’ve determined for myself that I’ll do things I feel are important and that I know have the greatest nonprofit impact,” she said.
“There is a certain revival that goes along with this award,” she said. “It brings awareness to everyone that volunteers and it makes me feel good. The community needs to know what people are doing. There are more people all over the place doing wonderful work very quietly.”
Kornblut was honored for her years with Volunteer Fairfax, said Erin Whyte, special events manager. “Her consulting jobs with Third Sector Services and all the help she gives nonprofits in transition…she helped us strengthen nonprofits through strategic planning, fundraising, executive transitions and evaluation systems,” she said. “She’s very committed to the nonprofit sector,” Whyte said.
DELEGATE JAMES SCOTT (D-53) was also named a Community Champion for his work with Inova Health Systems and the development of the People In Action program, which allows corporate employees to do volunteer work.
“The People in Action program encourages and enables people to get out in the community and created school and business partnerships where employees go into the school and help with activities,” Scott said.
The program started nineteen years ago after Scott left the Board of Supervisors, he said. “It’s an honor to be recognized by an organization with such a great reputation as Volunteer Fairfax for the work I’ve tried to do in the community,” he said. “It encourages me to do more.”
Whyte said Scott’s work with the People in Action program has helped to increase workplace volunteerism.
“He’s retiring the position later this year and we wanted to honor that,” she said. He also received a Public Service Award from Leadership Fairfax in 2000, she said.