A Penny For Your Thoughts

The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia celebrated its 42nd year of service to adult learners and their dedicated teachers and tutors on Thursday, and also celebrated their move back into renovated quarters at the James Lee Center on Annandale Road. A centerpiece of the celebration was a presentation by the winners of the student essay contest. Lisa Novic read her account of accepting the challenge of a supervisory position in the hospitality industry. Brett Barrientos told the audience about how his focus on life has changed since the birth of his son. And Ercalina Tatiana Osinaga related how learning English helped her take her daughter to the doctor without a translator. Each of the students thanked their teacher and mentor for giving them the opportunity to speak and write in the English language. I couldn’t help but think about the other challenge they faced that evening: getting up on the stage and giving a speech in their second language!

Special guest speakers at the well-attended awards ceremony were Cheryl Shaw Barnes who, with her husband Peter, creates and publishes educational books for children about special and historic places through a “mouse-eye” view into the workings of government, and former Redskin Dexter Manley, who struggled with a learning disability for much of his life, and was recently released from prison for drug possession. His story of great successes and deep disappointments makes him an inspiration to adult learners.

The Literacy Council is a non-profit agency that depends on volunteers and generous financial supporters to provide successful adult education. Special recognition awards were given this year to the Freddie Mac Foundation, the Washingtonian magazine, and the Washington Forrest Foundation. If you would like to help, as a donor or a tutor, please get in touch with Executive Director Patricia Donnelly at 703/237-0866, or log on to www.lcnv.org.

Everybody has something to say about traffic. Want to do something about it? The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has circulated a draft “public involvement guide” to help residents understand how to fully participate in transportation planning and programming processes. The public comment period will end on July 31; updates on progress and a printable version of the guide document can be accessed at VDOT’s website at www.virginiadot.org.

Mason District and Fairfax County lost a true friend and pioneer with the passing of Edna White Robinson on June 15. Born in Washington, D. C. and reared in Bailey’s Crossroads, Mrs. Robinson taught at Howard University and was a founder of the Higher Horizons Head Start program. Generations of Mason District residents knew Mrs. Robinson and her husband, Colonel Robinson, as leaders in the Lacy Boulevard and Springdale communities. Mrs. Robinson was a member of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church for 71 years. Her funeral there was full of love and humor as friends and relatives remembered her long life and leadership in the community.