A Penny For Your Thoughts

How do you support your community? Volunteer in your local school? Plant trees or pick up litter in public areas? Belong to a service club? Help out at the library? Involved in Neighborhood Watch? There are so many ways each one of us can support our community. Here are some examples:

Bailey's Day 2004, sponsored by the Bailey's Crossroads Rotary Club, will be held this Saturday, October 2, from 12 noon until 5 p.m. at Payne and Church Streets, near St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Bailey's Day will feature artists and crafters, business and food booths, and live entertainment, as well as children's rides. Admission is free, and all proceeds raised from Bailey's Day will help fund Rotary projects in the Bailey's Crossroads area. For information, contact Don Wellen, Event Chair, at 703/898-5981.

The Friends of the George Mason Regional Library is hosting its ever-popular book sale today from 5 to 9, tomorrow from 10 until 6, Saturday from 10 until 5, and Sunday from noon to 5. The book sale will be at the library, 7001 Little River Turnpike in Annandale. Proceeds from the book sale support programs at public libraries throughout Mason District.

Students at Grace Lutheran Elementary School in Falls Church are feeding and clothing the needy. They are collecting non-perishable foods which will be donated to the Capital Area Food Bank, the largest public non-profit food and nutrition education resource in the Washington Metro area. Donations from the community are most welcome, and can be dropped off at the school, 3223 Annandale Road, through October 15. You also can help the Capital Area Food Bank by purchasing a coupon at the check-out of your local Giant food store. The coupons are in very small amounts, $1, $3, $5, etc., are very easy to add to your grocery list, and the amount you select will be forwarded to the food bank.

It's an easy way to help. Students also are conducting a coat drive to benefit the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Sioux tribes in South Dakota. Gently-used coats and winter clothing can be dropped off at the school through November 15. For more information about the food or coat drive, call the school at 703/534-5517.

The First Christian Church will hold its annual Pumpkin Patch sale from October 11 until October 31. The stand is scheduled to be open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. each day, weather permitting. The First Christian Church is located at 6165 Leesburg Pike between Seven Corners and Bailey's Crossroads. Proceeds from the sale support programs at the Bailey's Crossroads Community Shelter.

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The Mason District Fall Town Meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School, 3333 Sleepy Hollow Road in Falls Church. The town meeting will focus on Fairfax County's Environmental Excellence Plan, which was adopted by the Board of Supervisors in June. I look forward to seeing you there.