To the Editor:
I am writing to invite our community to join Springfield senior taxpayers and families in a demonstration on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m.–noon at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway in Fairfax.
We will be standing at the same spot as the demonstrators for justice for John Geer displaying placards and distributing flyers.
We are planning another demonstration in the future that will include not only placards and flyers near the parking lot, but also demonstrations inside the Fairfax County Government Center of senior health programs sponsored by the Burke/West Springfield Senior Center Without Walls (BWSSCWoW) that I founded and have been developing since 2007. Our affordable senior health programs include line dancing, Hawaiian hula, tai-chi, yoga, self-defense, zumba, walking club, genealogy discussions, book club, mahjong, as well as social interactions in celebrations of 80+ birthday parties and others.
The theme of the Nov. 21 demonstration is “Let’s Help Sharon Bulova Help Us Get Springfield Senior Center.” Our numerous emails and phone calls have been ignored by the Springfield District incumbent – we have been requesting since November 2014 for a working group to implement solutions to redress the unfairness toward Springfield senior taxpayers and families: other districts have 17 permanent senior centers, Springfield District, none.
On Election Day, November 3, 2015, 4,226 (19 percent) of Springfield voters supported our petition and we will continue to pursue social justice beyond the ballot box through demonstrations so that more Springfield District residents would support our cause. Chairman Sharon Bulova has won with the theme “We Care for Each Other in Fairfax County” but we have to add the footnote: “except in Springfield District, particularly for senior taxpayers and families, and where residents have to demonstrate for social justice.”
We welcome suggestions and participation in our community activism for social justice. More information available at my website: www.facebook.com/Foley4SpringfieldSeniorCenter.
Corazon Sandoval Foley
Burke