Know of something missing from our community calendar? E-mail it to arlington@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is 2 p.m. the Thursday before publication. Call Rebecca Halik at 703-917-6407 with any questions. Photos are welcome. For more volunteer opportunities, classes, announcements visit www.arlingtonconnection.com and click on Community.
<b>Thursday/July 19
</b>NAMI-Arlington support group for individuals who have a parent or sibling diagnosed with a serious mental illness — depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or obsessive compulsive disorder — will meet, 7-8:30 p.m. in Arlington. For more information and meeting location, contact Christina Kozyn at 703-892-2197 or ckozyn@gmail.com.
Business Talk. 7:30-10 a.m. at Arlington SBDC, Suite 341, 901 S. Highland St. Learn about businesses, from ideas to the finish. $45/person. Contact Pratibha Shenoy at 703-892-1528 or e-mail pshenoy@gmu.edu or visit www.arlingtonsbdc.org
<b>Thursday/July 26
</b>Business Meeting. 7:30-10 a.m. at Arlington SBDC, Suite 341, 901 S. Highland St. Learn about Internet marketing and search technology. $45/person. Contact Pratibha Shenoy at 703-892-1528 or e-mail pshenoy@gmu.edu or visit www.arlingtonsbdc.org
<b>F.Y.I.
</b>The "Live And Let Live" Alanon Family Group (www.alanonva.com/) provides a safe and dependable space where GLBT people gather to disciss the 12 Steps and Traditions of Al-Anon Every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Unitarian Church, 4444 Arlington Blvd. Arlington.
Starting now, those who live, work in and visit Arlington County can register for Arlington Alert by texting "1776" to 411911. Arlington County uses Arlington Alert, to contact citizens when an emergency occurs via cell phone, e-mail, pager, BlackBerry, wireless PDA and XM Satellite Radio. In addition to enrollment via text message, Arlington Alert is available on the internet at www.arlingtonalert.com.
Arlington Public Schools is sponsoring a free breakfast and lunch program at 19 sites in Arlington. Free meals or snacks will be provided to all children age 18 and younger through Aug. 18. Contact Food Services at 703-228-6131.
The 2007 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics will be held Sept. 15-27. Participants must be 50 years of age and live in one of the sponsoring jurisdictions: cities of Alexandria, Fairfax or Falls Church, counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun or Prince William. Registration is $10 which includes one event; additional events are $1. Registration forms are available at senior centers or by calling 703-228-3600, ext. 9996. They can also be downloaded from www.novaseniorolympics.com. Registration deadline is Sept. 1.
The Arlington Agency on Aging has limited funds to purchase air conditioners or fans for Arlington residents aged 60 and older, whose income is $15,315 a year ($1,276 a month) for a single person or $20,535 a year ($1,711 a month) for a two-persons household, who have a home situation without air conditioning that presents a threat to the person's health and well being. For an application or more information, contact the Agency on Aging at 703-228-1700, TTY 703-228-1788, or e-mail arlaaa@arlingtonva.us.
Arlingtonians are looking for volunteer ombudsman to act as advocates. Volunteer advocates are assigned to a specific local nursing home or assisted-living facility in Arlington County and make weekly visits, meeting one-on-one with residents. Applicants must be available to volunteer four hours per week, primarily during regular business hours. Also, volunteer ombudsmen must not be employed by a long-term care facility. Interviews of applicants will be held this summer in preparation for the next annual training, scheduled for Sept. 17, 18 and 28 from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each day. For further information and an application, call 703-324-5861, TTY: 703-449-1186 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/LTCOmbudsman.
Volunteer Nurses are needed to work in the Communicable Diseases Clinic of the Arlington County Department of Human Services. Nurses must have Virginia license, current CPR card, and liability insurance. Orientation and training will be provided. Volunteers must be able to work two clinics (Thursdays) per month. Contact Tracey Hess at 703-228-5664. Located at 800 S. Walter Reed Drive.
Arlington’s Youth Team is for young volunteers ages 12 - 18 and provides a way for young people to volunteer for the Red Cross in a fun, social setting, while providing necessary services to the Arlington community. During the school year, the Youth Team has meetings once every other week in the evening, along with weekend and evening projects. During the summer, the Youth Team is much more active, with volunteer projects occurring 3-4 times per week during the day. All volunteers (youth and adult) must first attend a New Volunteer Orientation. Orientations are held approximately twice per month. You can find specific dates on www.arlingtonredcross.org. Volunteers age 18 and older must complete a background check. Contact Heather Pritchett, Volunteer Services Coordinator, 703-527-3010 x735.
Library Volunteer. Help make the Central Library's, 1015 N. Quincy St., programs go more smoothly by ushering, handing out programs, preparing children's crafts ahead of time, and then helping children complete their projects during the program. We need reliable, dependable, friendly people. Experience working with children is a plus. Contact Barbara Dean, Volunteer Coordinator, 703-228-7688.
Volunteer Teacher. A group of senior citizens at Walter Reed community have been studying Spanish for 9 months and would like to continue during the summer, even though their teacher is taking a vacation. The group meets on Thursdays from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. at 2909 S. 16th St., and would like to continue through July and August. Volunteers must have some English language proficiency in order to respond to questions from students. Teaching experience is desirable, but not essential. Onsite bilingual staff can assist with resources. Contact Nelly Urbach, 703-228-5700.
Join The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Hike For Discovery program. Individuals can prepare to hike the Grand Canyon and help save lives. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Hike For Discovery is recruiting volunteers to help in the fight against blood cancers by raising funds as they prepare to hike the Grand Canyon in honor of local blood cancer patients. Hike For Discovery provides personalized hike preparation, group hikes, and the chance to meet new people. Call 703-960-1100 or visit www.hikefordiscovery.org/nca.
CrisisLink is hosting an information session for those interested in volunteering or learning more about their 24/7/365 crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and information/referral hotline and other services on Wednesday July 13 from 7–8:30 p.m. at Arlington County Department of Human Services. E-mail volunteer@CrisisLink.org to RSVP and for directions and parking instructions.
The Arlington Disability Advisory Commission is seeking applicants to interview for several vacant positions. The Arlington Disability Advisory Commission is a 13 member, County Board appointed advisory group comprised of individuals who live and/or work in Arlington, and who are interested in and knowledgeable about issues involving people with physical and sensory disabilities. The Commission is seeking expressions of interest from people who would like to serve on the Commission and/or one or more of its committees. Time commitment is approximately 6 - 8 hours per month. Individuals interested in serving on the Commission or any of its committees should contact the Disability Advisory Commission staff at 703-228-7096 or e-mail at amaynard@arlingtonva.us.
Doorways for Women and Families is seeking volunteers for its Safehouse domestic violence shelter program. Volunteers are needed for weekend and evening shifts and to answer our 24/7 hotline. Some weekday opportunities are also available. Training begins August-September. Call 703-522-8858 x13 or e-mail volunteer@doorwaysVA.org. Visit www.doorwaysva.org/volunteer.
This spring, the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) launches a new program "Plant a Row for the Hungry" to bring fresh, nutritious produce to the 700-plus families who come to AFAC for food assistance each week. Local home and community gardeners are encouraged to plant an extra row of produce in their gardens to help AFAC hunger relief efforts. Donations of surplus vegetables such as bumper crops of tomatoes or zuchinni are also welcomed.
To help gardeners get started planting, AFAC will provide free packets of vegetable or herb seeds throughout the spring and summer to anyone agreeing to donate some of the produce back to AFAC. Send a self-addressed, stamped (first-class) envelope to: Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), Plant A Row, PO Box 6261, Arlington, VA 22206-0261
The Arlington Food Assistance Center is Arlington’s food pantry. The mission of AFAC is to distribute groceries to needy Arlingtonians who cannot afford to purchase all the food they need. The high cost of living in Arlington means that many families struggle to make ends meet. In its last fiscal year, volunteers from AFAC distributed over 975,000 pounds of food directly to Arlington families.
Farmers Market. Saturdays from 9 a.m.-noon at N. Courthouse Road and N. 14th St. in Arlington. Enjoy a variety of vendors.