For Matt Terrell (left) with Soe Terrell (right), favorite ice cream flavors are mint and chocolate respectively. Photo by Vernon Miles.
April 4 is Children’s Day in Hong Kong, the feast day of three saints, and Independence Day for Senegal. But most importantly for residents of Alexandria: it was Ben and Jerry’s “Free Cone Day.” From noon to 8 p.m., residents and visitors to Old Town were served a free scoop of ice cream by city officials and volunteers. The event helped raise funds for The Children and Family Network Centers (CFNC), an organization that provides free preschool to at-risk Alexandria children and support services for their families in their neighborhoods.
“It’s been going great,” said Maggie Klefstad, development manager at CFNC. “It’s been very positive, and the warm weather has definitely helped.”
Klefstad said this was CFNC’s third year of partnering with Ben and Jerry’s for free cone day. The CFNC’s goal for the fundraising event is $4,000.
“It’s been crazy,” said Kyra Varner, who works at Ben and Jerry’s and was helping the volunteers. “It’s a wonderful experience. So diverse. I can’t wait until the kids get out of school. I love serving ice cream to the kids, when you can see their face light up.”