Loudoun County businesses and residents continue to reach out to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Here are just some of the upcoming fund-raisers and other community outreach projects.
* Old Dominion Brewing Company is donating 50 cents to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina relief for every growler, a half-gallon bottle filled directly from the tap for take-home use, filled during September.
In addition, Sunday, Sept. 25, from 1-4 p.m., the company will host a casual buffet dinner at its Brewpub to raise money for hurricane relief. The staff is donating their time to reduce costs. Tickets are $50 and include all food and beverages. Visit www.olddominion.com.
* Sterling United Methodist Church, 304 East Church Road, will hold a ÒMidweek Chicken Bar-B-QÓ Oct. 4, from 5-7 p.m., to raise funds for the Gulf Coast victims of Hurricane Katrina for a suggested donation of $7 per meal. All food, including chicken/hamburger, baked beans, slaw, roll and brownie/cookie, will be carry-out meals. Call the church 703-430-6455.
* Brothers, Alec, 8, and Cameron Simmons, 6, of Potomac Station, are collecting "Hug Buddies" to give to the evacuated children. The collected Hug Buddies will be sent to shelters housing the Gulf Coast evacuee for distribution to as many children as the collected Buddies can cover.
Anyone interested in contributing a new stuffed Hug Buddies can contact Shirley or Lamar Simmons at 703-831-1017 or send an e-mail through their Web site at www.ShirleyandLamar.com.
* The All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) and Al-Fatih Academy support the Dulles Area Community Networking Effort to collect food and supplies and take it down to affected areas in Louisiana to help evacuees. The ADAMS Center, 46903 Sugarland Road, Sterling, is a drop-off location for canned food, dry food and supplies.
Also, tax-deductible donations for the Dulles Area Networking Relief Effort can be written payable to ADAMS. The coordination is occurring at the former Herndon Police Station. In addition, Al-Faith Academy students collected and helped sort supplies at the Herndon Police Station Sept. 16.
Since Sept. 2, the ADAMS community and youth groups have been collecting donations at its Friday Prayers in Sterling, Reston, Fairfax, Leesburg and Tysons Corner for hurricane victims/evacuees and donating to the Hurricane Katrina efforts of Islamic Relief, American Red Cross, Islamic Center of Baton Rouge, National Council On Islamic Scouting and Dulles Area Networking.
* The Good Shepherd Alliance, a faith-based organization devoted to helping the county's homeless population, has jumped into the effort to help Katrina victims. Janice King, director of social services for GSA, has secured a temporary home in Leesburg for the extended family of 27 who arrived in a caravan of eight cars from New Orleans. A parishioner at St. James Episcopal Church in Leesburg, who wishes to remain anonymous, donated the house to the 12 or 13 family members remaining in Loudoun, while they search for jobs and permanent homes. King and GSA workers helped them pick out furniture to outfit the house at the charity's thrift store in Sterling. The owners of the house, along with volunteers, have helped clean and arrange furniture.
In addition, the organization is seeking volunteer office workers to help cope with the influx of Katrina victims. Board chair Joy Trickett said it would be ideal for a retiree or an evacuee settling here looking to help. Call Trickett at 703-887-5772, cell, or 703-433-2631, office.
* On Sept. 19, the Holiday Inn Washington-Dulles in Sterling, hosted a luncheon organized by the Herndon Dulles Chamber of Commerce. The event was a fund-raiser to help provide relief to the displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina. At the luncheon, information about KatrinaÕs nationwide economic impact was presented by Rudy Penner, senior fellow at the Urban Institute.
* More Loudoun County government senior managers have been deployed to New Orleans as part of Northern Virginia's regional response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Assistant Chief Jack Brown of the Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services and John Pumphrey, assistant director of the Department of Information Technology arrived Wednesday, Sept. 14, at the New Orleans Emergency Operations Center. They were scheduled to be joined Friday, Sept. 16, by Roger Biraben, division director for Mental Health and Substance Abuse of the Department of Mental Health/Mental Retardation/Substance Abuse Services; Kevin Johnson, coordinator of the Office of Emergency Management; and Don McGarry, chief of the Public Works Division, Department of General Services.
The five Loudoun representatives are part of a municipal management support team drawing from all levels of government from the five major Northern Virginia jurisdictions of Loudoun, Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William counties and the City of Alexandria.
The team is being deployed in response to a request from the National Emergency Management Association, which oversees a nationwide compact of communities willing to help others in emergencies.
* Two Loudoun County Animal Care and Control Officers are working in and around Waveland and Biloxi, Miss., helping to secure and collect dangerous dogs running at large. Janette Reever and Jeanette Farrell were part of a four person team from the Department of Animal Care and Control that delivered needed veterinary supplies to the area last week. The two other members of the team, Aaron Wheatley and Adrienne Lawson, have returned home.
* In the days immediately following the hurricane, the Department of Social Services and many other county departments worked closely with the Loudoun Chapter of the American Red Cross to find shelter for several dozen evacuees from the Gulf States.
* The Board of Supervisors Sept. 6, approved a $25,000
contribution to a hurricane relief fund coordinated by the Virginia Association of Counties.
* The Northern Virginia Fire Chiefs was expected to send a team of 50 firefighters and paramedics to Mississippi in response to requests for assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The team was scheduled to depart Friday, Sept. 16.
Under the auspices of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), firefighters and paramedics will be providing emergency services in areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
Jurisdictions providing personnel are Arlington County Fire Department, City of Alexandria Fire Department, City of Fairfax Fire Department, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, Loudoun County Department of Fire and Rescue Services, and Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue.
The team may be deployed for a period of 14 days.
* In response to the gasoline shortage caused by Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Richard Fleeter, president of AeroAstro Inc. in Ashburn has urged that all of the company's employees telework at least one day per week.