To have engagements, weddings, obituaries, or other significant personal events listed in The Arlington Connection, e-mail arlington@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is 2 p.m. the Thursday before publication. Call Rebecca Halik at 703-917-6407. Photos are welcome.
The Northern Virginia Senior Olympic Committee has new leadership for 2009 which includes Jack Hobbs, (Alexandria), chairman; Carol Mackela, (Arlington), secretary and Judy Massabny of the Arlington County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources and Brian Johnson from the Fairfax County Parks Authority serve as co-coordinators on the Committee.
Several Animal Welfare League of Arlington staff and volunteers have been nominated to receive awards from the Metropolitan Council of Governments Animal Services Committee for their outstanding dedication, commitment, and service to animal welfare. The nominees and their award categories are:
Volunteers of the Year: Rebecca Kingery, Nicky Roberts, Kit Hudgens, and Vanessa Hartman for their dedication to small companion animals at the shelter and their assistance with adoptions of 159 rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, rats, mice, birds, and ferrets in 2008.
Animal Care Team of the Year: Bonnie Wilson, Kim O’Keefe and their kennel staff go far beyond just keeping our shelter clean and comfortable for our animals.
Animal Control Officer/Humane Officer of the Year: Alice Burton, Chief Animal Control Officer.
Community Partnership of the Year: Arlington County Office of Emergency Management (Lucia Schmidt, Debbie Powers), Animal Welfare League of Arlington (Kay Speerstra), Arlington County Dept. of Health and Human Services (Robert Sharpe), Arlington/Alexandria Chapter of the American Red Cross (Dawn Kuras).
Veterinarian of the Year: Dr. Jeff Newman and the staff of Caring Hands Animal Hospital, Arlington.
Administrative/Customer Service of the Year: Rita Naimoli, Coordinator of Volunteer Training for the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.
Adoption Team of the Year: Rebecca Gall and the adoptions team at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.