Alexandria Bulletin
<lst>The T.C. Williams High School girls' and boys' lacrosse teams are selling bags of mulch as a fundraiser. Each 3-cubic feet, 40-pound bag costs $4.75. Orders must be received by March 17, with checks made out to T.C. Williams Lacrosse Boosters, c/o Linda Davenport, 206 Elm St., Alexandria, Va. 22301. Pick-up will take place from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, March 24, at George Washington Middle School, 1005 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria . Delivery is available, in City of Alexandria limits only, for a $20 additional fee and minimum 10-bag order. Order forms may be obtained at www.acps.k12.va.us/tcw/mulchsale.pdf or by contacting Bill Garrahan at 703-926-0919 (work) or william.garrahan@xo.com; or Mark Fitzsimmons at 202-429-8068 (work) or mfitzsimmons@steptoe.com.
The Twig, a women's organization which raises money for Inova Alexandria Hospital, has expanded its thrift shop operations at the 106 N. Columbus Street location in Old Town to the space immediately next-door, 106 1/2 N. Columbus.
The space at 106 1/2 will be used to host special sales events with its first event "a Twig Designer Sale" to be held for the new shop's Grand Opening on March 22 through March 24, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Twig Thrift shop is known for its new and gently worn clothing, and 106 1/2 will carry on that tradition. This event will feature top designers such as St. John, Calvin Klein, Dana Buchman, Escada, and many more. This special Designer Sale will also include shoes and accessories.
Other upcoming events scheduled for the new 106 1/2 space are: a new and used cookbook/kitchen item sale in April, and a home furnishings sale in May.
The Alexandria Commission for Women is taking reservations for the 27th Annual Salute to Women Awards Banquet. The Banquet, held in March to honor Women’s History Month, is scheduled for Monday, March 26 at the Radisson Hotel, located at 901 N. Fairfax Street, in Old Town Alexandria. A reception will be held at 6 p.m. and dinner will begin at 7 p.m. Invitations are being mailed out this week. Tickets are $75 each and reservation payments can now be made online using eChecks at www.alexwomen.com. The community is invited and welcome to attend. The deadline to RSVP for this event is March 21. For further information, contact Jen Harris at 703-838-5030, ext. 112, by e-mail at jennifer.harris@alexandriava.gov, or visit the Web site at www.alexwomen.com.
The Children Together Annual Conference for Parents and Educators, Building Inclusive Classrooms, will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. (with registration starting at 3:30 p.m.) Thursday, March 22, at First Baptist Church of Alexandria, 2932 King St., Alexandria, with post-conference workshops Friday, March 23, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (registration at 8:15 a.m.).
Thursday afternoon will feature eight workshops repeated in two sessions so that each person will be able to attend two different workshops. Topics include Literacy Using Songs; Explore More, Play More; Creating Electronic Books Using Intellitools Classroom Suite; Friday's post-conference will feature Behavioral Consultant Sharon Weiss presenting Handling a Child's Challenges with Competence and Compassion in the morning, and Victoria Brown and Sarah Pleydell presenting Integrating the Arts in Early Childhood: Natural Connections to Language and Literacy in the afternoon.
Complimentary registration is available on a limited basis for Alexandria parents of children with special needs. Opt-out credit is available for the Thursday workshops.
To receive a conference brochure and registration form, please call 703-706-4552 or e-mail alipnick@acps.k12.va.us
The public is invited to attend a community meeting to discuss proposed improvements to the playground at Hunter/Miller Park, located at the corner of Queen and N. Fayette streets. The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 26, at the Dr. Oswald Durant Center, located at 1605 Cameron St.
During the meeting, staff of the City’s Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities will present preliminary-site analysis and potential concepts, gather feedback from the community, and outline the next steps and the schedule for renovation.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2007 and continue to the spring of 2008. Funding for the project is included in the current FY 2007-2008 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) schedule.
Persons who are unable to attend the community meeting can send written comments to the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities, Attention: Judy Lo, 1108 Jefferson St., Alexandria, VA 22314 or e-mail judy.lo@alexandriava.gov.
For DASH bus schedule information, call 703-370-DASH or visit www.dashbus.com. For Metrobus schedule information, call 202-637-7000 or visit www.wmata.com.
The Alexandria Convention & Visitors Association will host the Fun Side Forum on March 30, from 8 a.m.-9:15 a.m., aboard the Cherry Blossom, docked at the Alexandria Marina. The March agenda will feature a presentation of newly proposed initiatives to support increasing tourism and transportation needs anticipated with the redevelopment of Alexandria's waterfront. RSVP to 703-838-4200, ext. 203.
The City of Alexandria joins the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce and the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership Inc. (AEDP) in sponsoring the 2007 Alexandria Technology Achievement Award. Nominations are being sought from Alexandria-based companies. All Alexandria-based companies are eligible for nomination. Companies can be nominated by their clients, customers, or other businesses, or they may nominate themselves for the 2007 Technology Achievement Award. Nomination forms are available online at www.alextechweek.com or by calling 703-549-1000, ext. 210. The nomination deadline for the award is 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 22.
The Alexandria Court Service Unit is seeking adult males to serve as mentors for at-risk boys, ages 11 and 12. Mentors will team with youth in the iMentor program to produce a short movie on a topic of interest. An orientation for individuals who are interested in serving as mentors will be held on Tuesday, March 13, from 6:30 -8 p.m. in the library of the George Washington Middle School, located at 1005 Mount Vernon Ave. For more information on the Mentor program or to serve as a mentor, call Linda Odell at 703-838-4144, ext. 251, or e-mail linda.odell@alexandriava.gov.
The Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities is seeking nominations for three annual awards that honor local residents and organizations. All nominations and applications for the awards must be received by Monday, April 30. For more information or to obtain nomination forms, e-mail Mike Hatfield at mike.hatfield@alexandriava.gov or call 703-519-3357, 711 TTY. Nomination forms are also available online at www.alexandriava.gov/human/awards_notification.pdf
In honor of Women's History Month, Ten Thousand Villages, located at 915 King St. in Old Town , will be celebrating and honoring women worldwide during the month of March. Ten Thousand Villages will be showcasing products from two of their women's cooperatives "Hope for Women in India and Women of the Cloud Forest in Costa Rica" and donating 20 percent of the sales of their products in March to the Alexandria Office on Women's programs against domestic violence. Visit www.villagesofalexandria.com <http://www.villagesofalexandria.com/> or 703-684-1435.
The Alexandria Commission on Aging, an advocacy organization for older Alexandrians, is seeking nominations for its Annual Awards. The awards honor individuals, regardless of age, who have demonstrated superior contributions in advancing issues and projects that favorably affect older Alexandria residents. The deadline for submitting nominations for the awards is 5 p.m., Friday, March 30. For more information on the Annual Awards or to obtain a nomination form, visit alexandriava.gov <http://alexandriava.gov/> , or call Debbie Ludington at 703-838-0927.
The Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse is in need of volunteers to serve in the following positions:
* Guardians for adults with mental retardation and mental illness. Guardians make decisions about personal care, health care, living conditions and recreation. Guardians are court-appointed and bonded. The duties require approximately four hours per month.
* Representative Payees to receive Social Security checks and pay bills for persons with mental retardation or mental illness. A separate bank account is opened with automatic deposit and there are few monthly transactions. The duties require two hours per month, per account.
* Friendly Visitors to plan one-on-one outings and activities with a resident of an Alexandria group home for adults with mental retardation. This volunteer activity requires approximately two hours per week.
* Mentors to meet one-on-one with a specific child on a weekly basis to provide friendship, act as a positive role model, plan leisure and recreational activities together, participate in age appropriate activities and assist the child with school work as needed. Meetings with the child take place primarily in neutral locations away from the child's and mentor's homes. Being a mentor requires approximately two hours per week.
Contact Jennifer Cohen Cordero at jennifer.cohen-cordero@alexandriava.gov or 703.838.4455, ext.165.
SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) of Northern Virginia is currently seeking nominations for the 2007 Ally in Prevention Awards. Winners will be selected by an Allies in Prevention Coalition task force and will be announced at the group's annual Allies in Prevention Awards Luncheon in March. To nominate someone in Alexandria for the award, visit www.scanva.org or contact the SCAN office at 703-820-9001.
Alexandria's Community Lodgings is launching a $400,000 capital campaign to expand its thriving Family Learning Center. The campaign will fund construction of an addition that will double the Family Learning Center's classroom space. Visit www.communitylodgings.org or call 703-549-4407.
Jack Taylor’s Alexandria Toyota will match up to $100,000 of any new money contributed to The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria’s upcoming Gala. The SFA’s 21st Anniversary Gala will be held at the Hilton Mark Center, 5000 Seminary Road, Alexandria, on April 14. For information about the Gala Honor Roll and tickets, visit www.AlexScholarshipFund.org or call 703-824-6730.
HEW Federal Credit Union (HEWFCU), a federally insured financial institution can now serve the entire City of Alexandria. All residents are able to join HEWFCU and take advantage of the low-cost products and services the credit union offers. With experienced lending and member services staff and a physical facility already located in the area, HEWFCU has the tools and infrastructure to deploy to the market as an alternative to non-traditional financial services providers. Visit HEWFCU's office located on 400 N. Columbus St.; or visit www.hewfcu.com.
Rebuilding Together Alexandria (formerly Christmas in April) is seeking homeowners who need assistance with home repairs. Teams of volunteers work on many houses throughout Alexandria, repairing and renovating homes so that homeowners may continue to live in warmth, safety, and independence. All repairs are made at no expense to the homeowner. If you are a low-income Alexandria homeowner and need help with home repairs, call for an application at 703-836-1021 or e-mail info@rebuildingtogetheralex.org for more information. Limited applications accepted.
Virginia Tech’s Urban Affairs and Planning Program in Alexandria is presenting a New Metropolis Lecture Series during 2006-2007. The lecture series focuses on cutting-edge topics and ideas about metropolitan development in the United States and abroad. Lectures will be held from 7-9 p.m. at Virginia Tech’s Alexandria campus, 1021 Prince Street, 3rd floor main conference room, and are open to the public, free of charge.
April 25, 2007, William Millar, President of the American Public Transportation Association — "The Future of Transit in the U.S."
Contact Heike Mayer at 703-706-8122 or heikem@vt.edu