Healthy Hearts
The Washington DC National Women’s Heart Health Fair will be held at Verizon Center (601 F St., NW, DC) on Friday, Feb. 1 from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. as part of a nationwide effort to prevent heart disease among women. Free heart health screenings will be provided by the Sister to Sister Foundation, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and Washington Adventist Hospital. For more information, visit www.sistertosister.org.
Volunteer Management Boot Camp
Volunteer Fairfax (10530 Page Ave., Fairfax) begins its 2008 Nonprofit Training Series on Thursday, Jan. 31 with Volunteer Management Boot Camp, a training service for nonprofit volunteer managers. Led by Volunteer Fairfax’s Training and Special Events Manager Emily Gibbs, participants will learn planning, recruitment, retention and supervision. This session is geared towards beginners, focusing on the core practices of volunteer management, with a fee of $35. For more information, e-mail egibbs@volunteerfairfax.org.
The Vienna Arts Society (115 Pleasant St. NW, Vienna) will be holding its first Judged Winter Show, titled “What Happens in February…,” with a reception on Friday, Feb. 1 from 7 – 9 p.m. The show is open to all mediums of art, with artists interpreting February for themselves, through any subject matter they deem appropriate. The show is judged with prizes, and is open to all artists. The gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.viennaartssociety.org.
Chinese New Year Celebration
The Asian Community Service Center is bringing in the New Year with a Chinese New Year Festival on Saturday, Feb. 2 from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. at Luther Jackson Middle School (3020 Gallows Rd., Falls Church). Activities will include lion and dragon dances, waist drums, meditation demos and workshops for Chinese language, cooking and handicrafts. For more information, visit www.chinesenewyearfestival.org.
Arlington Unitarian Universalist Church (4444 Arlington Blvd., Arlington) is holding a Mardi Gras celebration on Saturday, Feb. 2 from 7 – 11 p.m. Come enjoy a live band, cash bar, New Orleans style food and prizes. Benefits Choralis performance and Habitat for Humanity’s Musician’s Village. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door. For more information, visit www.choralis.org or call 703-237-2499.
Lights, Camera, Auction!
The Congressional Schools of Virginia’s annual Online Auction will run from Sunday, Feb. 3 through Tuesday, Mar. 4. Prizes available for bidding include dining and travel packages, professional services, landscaping, wine tasting and cultural events. All proceeds will fund technology improvements for students at The Congressional Schools of Virginia, a preschool – grade 8 school in Falls Church. For bidding information, visit www.Bid4Colts.com. For more information about the school, visit www.congressionalschools.org.
Merrifield Chipotle Grand Opening and Fundraiser
A new Chipotle (8191 Strawberry Ln., Falls Church) is opening on Saturday, Feb. 8 in the new Merrifield Town Center with a unique promotion. On Friday, Feb. 7 they are throwing a pre-opening fundraiser for Falls Church High School from 5 – 8 p.m. A $5 donation at the door is rewarded with a dinner of any menu item and a fountain drink, with all of the money going to support the school’s student activities.
Annual Women’s Sailing Convention
The Boat Owners Association of The United States in Alexandria will once again be the primary sponsor of the 19th Annual Women’s Sailing Convention, presented by the Southern California Yachting Association. The premier sailing convention is set to launch on Saturday, Feb. 2 at the Del Rey Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, Ca. All women from novices and experts are invited to attend. Various workshops from top women sailors from all over Southern California will be offered. Registration is $160 and includes three square meals, workshops, handouts and a skipper’s bag. For more information, email Gail Hine at Hine@scya.org.
Volunteers Needed for Meals on Wheels Program
JSSA, a nonsectarian social service agency, is looking for volunteers to deliver Kosher Meals on Wheels to homebound elders. JSSA has been able to deliver more than 30,000 meals each year and help clients remain independent at their residence with the help of their generous volunteers. Volunteers pick up meals at the Hebrew Academy (6123 Montrose Rd., Rockville) and deliver them to elders in Montgomery County and Northwest Washington. For more information, call Diane Hays-Earp at 301-816-2639.
“Affair of the Heart” Luncheon and Fashion Show
The Woman’s Board of the American Heart Association Greater Washington Region will be putting on a fashion show and luncheon Friday, Feb. 1 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel (2660 Woodley Rd., NW, Washington) to benefit heart research and education. Saks Fifth Avenue-Chevy Chase will present the Lafayette 148 Spring Collection for 2008. All profits go directly to funding fellowships and grants for research in cardiovascular disease. For more information, call 703-248-1712 or email roxana.hoveyda@heart.org
Falls Church Arts Launches New Exhibit
In partnership with Creative Cauldron, Falls Church Arts is sponsoring an interactive exhibit, “da Vinci Passport.” The exhibit will present its opening reception Friday, Feb. 1 from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Falls Church Arts Gallery (111 Park Ave., Falls Church). The exhibit features works in various media by over 20 artists that interprets one or more of the seven da Vincian principles of genius. For more information, visit www.fallschurcharts.org.
Volunteers Sought to Teach English
Homestretch, a transitional housing program in NOVA, is in search of volunteers to assist in their English as a Second Language classes. Classes are held Monday – Friday from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 – 9 p.m. Those interested should contact Sadira at sdahear@homestretch-inc.org or call 703-237-2035 ext. 101.
Local Educator Honored as “Hometown Hero”
Founder and executive director of the Child and Family Network Centers (CFNC) Barbara Mason will be the focus of a month-long WETA “Hometown Heroes” profile airing Monday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. Mason ensures needy children receive high-quality education from CFNC with her self-created teaching program modeled after the High Scope Curriculum. For more information, visit www.weta.org/heroes.
Superbowl Party at Beach Shack
Clare and Don’s Beach Shack (3014 Wilson Blvd., Arlington) will be throwing a Superbowl Party on Sunday, Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. The party will be featuring delicious food honoring the regions of the two opponents, such as New England clam chowder and Nathan’s hotdogs. Advanced tickers are on sale for $40 and may be purchased at the restaurant. For more information, call 703-532-9283.
Arlington Resident Accepted Into Peace Corps
Helen Rortvedt, a 25-year-old resident of Arlington, has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will be departing for Bolivia on Jan. 28 to begin pre-service training as an environmental education Peace Corps Volunteer. Upon graduation from training in April, Rortvedt will be working in schools and with youth groups to develop an ethic of environmental stewardship. Rortvedt, a graduate of St. Olaf College, will be living with a host family for her first three months in Bolivia and will serve for two years in the country.
Falls Church Gardeners Unite
The Falls Church Garden Club will be having their first meeting of the year on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Falls Church Community Center (223 Little Falls St., Falls Church). Featured speaker Henry Zoller, a reference librarian at the US Geological Survey, will talk about must-have books and magazines for your collection. Refreshments will be served. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 703-698-5081.
Let Your Dog Get Political Too
Organic Doggy Kitchen (Falls Church) and Nature’s Nibbles (2601 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria) are jointly hosting the Virginia Doggy Primary on Saturday, Feb. 2 from noon – 3 p.m. at Nature’s Nibbles. Organic Doggy Kitchen’s new Political Dog Biscuits, shaped as elephants and donkeys for the two parties, will be offered as free samples to any dog who visits Nature’s Nibbles during the event. They will keep a scoreboard to see which “party animal” is more popular among the Northern Virginia canine community, with a portion of each sale of Political Dog Biscuits to be donated to the Washington Humane Society. For more information, call 703-931-5241.