Meghan Walker of Springfield has been honored as Citizen of the Year in annual Best of Braddock Honors and Picnic on Wednesday, July 12. Pictured with Walker are David Bulova, Chap Petersen, Eileen Filler-Corn, and John Cook. Photo by Steve Hibbard.
Highlighting the unique contributions of his constituents, Braddock District Supervisor John Cook and the Braddock District Council held the annual Best of Braddock Honors and Picnic on Wednesday, July 12, at his office on Burke Lake Road in Burke.
For the picnic portion before hand, about 50 constituents feasted on catered barbecued pork, chicken, and brisket from Red, Hot and Blue, and chatted with their local leaders, including Supervisor Cook, state Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34), Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-41), and Del. David Bulova (D-37). Afterwards, the Best of Braddock Honors were held where Girl Scout Troop 1795 presented the Color Guard and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. The names of the award winners were entered into the Congressional Record by U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11) as well as the state record in Richmond.
"This is our annual opportunity to say thank you to all of the people in the District who go the extra mile and contribute to the community," said Cook. "We know what makes the county such a great place to live is our spirit of volunteerism and the people who give back to the community and make it a great place to live."
Honorees not attending the ceremony included Jeremiah Bethea, who was honored for being an all-conference, all-regional, and all-state pole vaulter at Annandale High School, and Kyle Gatesman (Young Person of the Year) who has excelled in numerous areas related to math, science, computer science and music.
Among those honored: Morton Berger, who died in March, was given a posthumous special recognition for his Volunteer in Police Service (accepting in his honor was his wife, E.C. Buckminster); Young Person of the Year Katie Pope for an impressive record of community service to a number of civic, church, and charitable organizations; while Irene Merrill of Annandale was honored for continually improving the “Briarwood Court News" newsletter.
Meghan Walker of Springfield Named Citizen of the Year
As the president of the Friends of Lake Accotink Park (FLAP) since 2014, Meghan Walker of Springfield has managed a myriad of support efforts broken down into advocacy/directed support, cultural, and environmental support for the Friends of Lake Accotink Park.
She has also invested time in maintaining close professional contact with Braddock District Park Authority Board Member Anthony (Tony) Vellucci, various Park Authority staff such as Lake Accotink Park Supervisor Julie Tahan, fellow Friends groups such as Friends of Accotink Creek (FACC) and Friends of Long Branch Stream Valley (FLBSV), and a number of community association presidents to advance causes within Lake Accotink Park for both the park and FLAP.
And during this time she also served as the Treasurer of the Danbury Forrest Community Association, where she helped to secure DFCA approval of an easement for the Park Authority to construct a switchback trail that spanned both DFCA and FCPA property rectifying an unsafe trail access to Lake Accotink Park. She spoke on behalf of the community association at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
She has judged cardboard boats and dog costumes for Park Authority events. She has provided significant inputs to the master plan process; and she has been a substitute host/master of ceremonies during the Park Authority’s Summer Entertainment Series Braddock Nights at Lake Accotink Park.