Charities Receive Donations from McLean Women’s Club
In service to the local community, the Greater McLean Republican Women’s Club (GMRWC) presented Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Program (VALEAP) $1,000 on January 12 as this year’s major charitable beneficiary. In addition, the club contributed $1,000 among several other local charities: Final Salute, Insight Memory Care, Jill’s House and Youth for Tomorrow.
VALEAP was founded in 2008 in the aftermath of the VA Tech mass shooting and the tragic killing and wounding of Fairfax County Police Officers at Sully Station. VALEAP’s mission includes critical incident stress management, crisis intervention such as suicide prevention, support to law enforcement individuals in line-of-duty deaths, and mass-casualty incident responses. These services are provided through the Post Critical Incident Seminar (PCIS), Critical Incident Stress Management, and training. VALEAP, based in Richmond VA, is helping to set up similar programs in other states. To learn more about VALEAP visit them at https://valeap.org.
GMRWC, through its fundraising efforts, has made significant donations throughout the years to 501(c)3 charities. The focus is on small or new organizations that would benefit the most from the donation while efficiently serving the needs of the community. For more information visit the club’s website www.gmrwc.net.
New Vehicle Charging Fees Coming Soon
Starting February 1, 2023, the City will implement a new fee structure for its electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. This new fee structure is intended to encourage EV use (first hour free), recoup costs to the City (per kWh charge after the first hour), and increase turnover to make stations available to other users (move vehicle fee after charging is complete).
Access to the charging stations will require the SemaConnect app, which can be downloaded to your smartphone (iOS or Google).
Local Barbershop Announces Reality Show Preview
Earlier this month on social media, The Neighborhood Barbershop announced a red carpet release party for the reel they’ve been cooking up with Torasu Productions, also of Falls Church. The reel was created to bring to life an idea the barbers had to create a reality show based on their exploits and interests. In order to sell the show to a network, the gang had to create an eye-catching 5 minute video to showcase what they bring to the table. Before sending the “sizzle reel” off to various networks, the crew at the shop wanted to share it with their friends, family, and neighbors here in the Little City, as without all their loyal patrons and friends, this wouldn’t have been possible in the first place.
The red-carpet event will be held at Clare and Don’s Beach Shack on the evening of January 21st, starting at 8 p.m. with Thomas Harvey of Harvey’s Restaurant to emcee. There will be lots of food, drinks, surprises and shenanigans throughout the evening, and you won’t want to miss this great event. There is no strict dress code but dressing up is encouraged.
Recipients Announced for F.C. Arts and Humanities Grants
City Council recently approved the recommendations from the Arts and Humanities Grant committee to allocate $44,000 in funding for Arts and Humanities grants for Fiscal Year 2022-2023. The City will apply for an additional $4,500 of funding through a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
Four proposals were received for Project Grants for a total of $17,300. Four proposals were received for Operational Grants for a total of $29,829.
Recipients include Creative Cauldron, Falls Church Arts, Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, The CATCH Foundation and Washington Sinfonietta.
City Council Back in Session for 2023
City Council is back in session, and they hit the ground running with a library tour, regular meeting, and work session all in one night. There are a number of good topics to share – affordable housing, outdoor dining and parking requirements, and the quarterly work plan review which covers the latest on transportation and infrastructure projects that many anxiously await.
Here are two admin PSA’s City Council wants locals to know about:
While new year’s resolutions are still top of mind, consider adding civic volunteerism to the 2023 goals. They have vacancies on their boards and commissions – including Rec and Parks and Transportation. Whether one has professional experience or just interest, their boards are a low effort way to contribute and in a small city like the City of Falls Church, they can have real impact.
Office hours: Letty Hardi will be holding her office hours at Cafe Kindred next Wednesday January 18 at 12 p.m. The full “Meet the Council” office hours will be the following Wednesday January 25, at 9 a.m. in City Hall. With the MLK Jr holiday, the next meeting will be January 23, so office hours are a good informal option to catch up with them.
Welcoming Refugees Apartment Furnishing
A team of 23 volunteers including the loading and apartment furnishing teams pictured above prepared an apartment for a family from Afghanistan on Saturday, January 14. Now a team of five Support Team members, Samira Davis, Allison Brown, Bob Hannah, Danny Katcher, and Rebecca Shaw, will work with the family over the next 18 months to support their transition to life in the U.S.
Welcoming Falls Church thanks Insight Property Group and its Falls Green community for being the launch partner of the Welcoming Landlord Network and the community for its support of the Welcoming Refugees initiative. For more information: email welcomingfallschurch@gmail.com or attend our monthly Open Meeting, Monday, January 23, 6:30 — 7:45pm at the Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Upstairs Conference Room.
ASO Celebrates Strings with an American Premiere
The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) will present a program entitled “Banner” on Saturday, February 11, 2023 (7:30 p.m.) at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center and Sunday, February 12, 2023 (3:00 p.m.) at the George Washington Masonic Memorial.
The Thalea String Quartet brings their signature vibrancy and emotional commitment to dynamic performances that reflect the past, present, and the future of the string quartet repertoire while celebrating diverse musical traditions from around the world. Fueled by the belief that chamber music is a powerful force for building community and human connection, the Thalea String Quartet has performed across North America, Europe, and China. Christopher Whitley (violin) is originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Kumiko Sakamoto (violin) is from Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada; Lauren Spaulding (viola) is from San Antonio, Texas; and Alex Cox (cello) is from West Palm Beach, Florida.
Adult prices for single tickets start at $20, and all tickets for youth are priced at $5, making ASO concerts affordable for families. Military, senior and group discounts are also available in select sections. Seating is very limited at the George Washington Masonic Memorial and is almost sold out, so book your tickets early. Visit www.alexsym.org or call (703) 548-0885 for more information.
Beth Cartland Wins Top Award at ColorLove Opening
ColorLove” – an all-media show that invites viewers to feast on brilliant, bold, and beautiful color, opened on Saturday, January 14, at Falls Church Arts to a standing-room crowd of seventy-five artists, members, and guests who braved the cold to attend the event. Juror Sharon Malley introduced the Juror’s Choice Award that went to Beth Cartland for her mixed media work titled, “Purple Stairs Carry You Far.”
Malley also announced several honorable mentions, including:
“Thinking,” a mixed media piece by Yemonja Smalls.
“Unconditional,” a watercolor by Asia Anderson.
“Fall Cover,” a digital photo on acrylic by Stephanie Lamore.
Fairfax Radiology Consultants Welcomes Pankaj Kaushal
Pankaj Kaushal, M.D. has joined Fairfax Radiology Consultants, PLLC (FRC).
Kaushal comes to FRC from Radiology Associates of Richmond in Fredericksburg, VA, where he worked as a vascular and interventional radiologist. Kaushal is certified in general diagnostic and interventional radiology. Additionally, he has training and experience in vascular radiology.
Kaushal holds a master’s Doctor of Medicine degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. He served an interventional fellowship at Rush University Medical Center, and a resident fellowship at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital and University of Maryland Medical Center. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a focus on multisystemic approaches to health care from the University of Maryland in Baltimore, MD.
