Arlington Connection ❖ May 17-23, 2017 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

HomelessCount RisesNews, Page 3

DemocratsSelect NomineesNews, Page 3

It’s a Group RunNot a Race

News, Page 2

HomelessCount RisesNews, Page 3

DemocratsSelect NomineesNews, Page 3

It’s a Group RunNot a Race

News, Page 2

online at www.connectionnewspapers.comMay 17-23, 2017

Pho

to

by M

ary D

em

psey/T

he C

onnectio

nEntertainm

ent, Page 8

❖

C

lassified, Page 10

ArlingtonArlingtonConnectionConnection

TheThe

Page 4

Matching Values ofFamilies and NanniesPeople, Page 5

Regular parkrun partici-pants Paul Russell andMark Stevenson enjoy thephysical challenge of theweekly events as well asthe natural surroundingsat Roosevelt Island.

Regular parkrun partici-pants Paul Russell andMark Stevenson enjoy thephysical challenge of theweekly events as well asthe natural surroundingsat Roosevelt Island.

2 ❖ Arlington Connection ❖ May 17-23, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

See It's a Group, Page 10

News

By Mary Dempsey

The Connection

On a chilly Saturday morning inearly spring, runners of all agesand abilities crossed the bridge

from the Mount Vernon Trail to gather onRoosevelt Island. The race would be a 5kout and back, looping mainly alongboardwalked stretches of marshy wetlands,up through the forested center of the islandand briefly flashing by the granite slabs anddry canals of the Theodore Roosevelt Me-morial.

After crossing the finish line, runnersgathered at the trailhead to sip water, catchup with friends and pass around homemadeenergy bars. As they began to drift back overthe bridge toward Rosslyn, many promisedto see each other again in the next week ortwo.

That day marked the 25th TheodoreRoosevelt Island parkrun. The event differsfrom other area timed 5ks in a few signifi-cant ways: it takes place weekly — notyearly — and is also free.

Parkrun is an international network offree weekly timed 5k events. It operates onthe idea that running should be accessibleand affordable rather than elitist and cost-prohibitive.

Eileen Nelson and her husband Rick areregular parkrun participants. Nelson, whois from England, first found out about it inher home country and has enjoyed beingable to continue being involved with theRoosevelt Island runs.

“Parkrun stated in the U.K., but hadspread all around,” Nelson said. “There’sabout 15 of us [regular participants] whocome from different countries, mostly En-gland, Ireland and Australia. It’s a friendly

group, easy-going. It’s not as intense asother races.”

According to the parkrun website, theweekly runs first began in Teddington atBushy Park, one of the Royal Parks of Lon-don, with just 13 runners. That was in 2004and for many years the event stayed withinEngland. In just over a decade, however, ithas exploded into a multi-national organi-zation sponsoring runs in more than a dozencountries.

Parkrun is rapidly expanding in theUnited States, with a handful of inauguralruns coming up in May and June, includeones in nearby Baltimore and Richmond.

The Roosevelt Island parkrun will be ap-proaching its first anniversary this August.Darrell Stanaford, the event director for thisevent location, is also the country managerfor parkrun USA.

Although Stanaford was not the first per-son to begin a parkrun in the United States,he has led efforts over the past severalmonths to develop the infrastructure so thatother parkrun events can be set up aroundthe United States more easily.

“If someone wants to start a parkrun intheir community, we can help,” Stanafordsaid.

Parkrun encourages people of all ages and abilities to join in for aweekly timed 5k, regardless of whether participants choose to run,jog, or walk

Darrell Stanaford, who is countrymanager of parkrun USA, and hiswife Svetlana began the RooseveltIsland event in August 2016.

A Group Run, Not a RaceRoosevelt Islandparkrun attractsrunners, joggersand walkers.

Pho

to

s by M

ary D

em

psey/T

he C

on

nectio

n

Arlington Connection ❖ May 17-23, 2017 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

NewsArlington Connection Editor Steven Mauren

703-778-9415 or arlington@connectionnewspapers.com

See Homeless, Page 11

By Vernon Miles

The Connection

Every year, the Metropolitan Wash-ington Council of Governmentsreleases a snapshot look at homeless populations in the region.

Exact homeless population counts can bedifficult to ascertain, so the Point in Timesurvey is one of the few indicators of thestatus of homelessness in each locality. Since2013, the Point in Time survey has shownthat Arlington County has halved its home-less population, from 479 in 2014 to 232 in2017, 51.7 percent decline. But in 2017, thenumber was an increase by 58 people. Thenumber of people in families who werehomeless rose from 50 to 85, while the num-ber of individuals who were homeless in-creased from 124 to 147.

“Look over the last four or five years,” saidKathleen Sibert, president and CEO of Ar-lington Street People’s Assistance Network(A-SPAN), “We’ve declined by 51 percent.That’s what everyone in this field looks at:the trends.”

While County Board leadership expressedpride at the long-term trends, there was alsoconfusion over what caused the uptick in2017.

“I can’t explain it,” said County BoardChair Jay Fisette. “It doesn’t really makesense to me. Maybe it’s accurate. Maybe it’san aberration. Staff doesn’t understand iteither.”

One of the primary causes could be animperfect methodology. The Point in Timestudy is conducted on one night in everylocality throughout the region. The totalpopulation of homeless living in shelters is

calculated while others in the streets searchfor homeless. Many suggested the weathercould have played a factor in the changingnumbers. Hilary Chapman, housing pro-gram manager for the Washington Metro-politan Council of Governments, said 2016’scount was taken in blizzard conditions, somany of the usual camp sites were aban-doned and there weren’t as many homelesspeople in the streets. In 2017, conditionswere much better, so the camping sites wereoccupied and there were more homeless inthe street. Six of the nine jurisdictions sawtheir unsheltered count increase in 2017,which accounts for 10 percent of the total.

Chapman also added that Arlington’shomeless population was small enough thata small number in persons can make a per-cent increase of the “rate of change” seemlarger than it actually is.

Professor Frank Shafroth, the director ofthe Center for State and Local Leadershipat George Mason University, said risinghousing costs could have played a part inthe increase in homelessness.

“Home appreciation in Arlington over thelast decade has increased 23.7 percent,”said Shafroth in an email. “That cannot helpbut put pressure on rents. At the same time,some of the budget and civil service cuts

made by the administration have cost jobs.That is why there is a focus on trying toincrease the supply of affordable housingavailable to the lowest income households.”

Sibert says while rising housing costs area problem for Arlington, it would be un-likely to affect the homeless population.

“For someone really poor, the housingprice increase wouldn’t affect them,” saidSibert, “they couldn’t afford it anyway.”

Sibert emphasized that many of thepeople in extreme poverty in Arlington areonly able to work part-time jobs, some hav-ing to care for children and being unable toafford childcare, others with mental ill-nesses that keep them from being able tohold down longer term jobs. In these jobsthey might be making $6,000 to $8,000each year.

“Their salaries aren’t going up at all tomatch the cost of housing, but they wouldnever be able to pay for housing here,” saidSibert. “It’s too expensive, that’s why wehave housing subsidies and affordable hous-ing developers. They won’t be able to af-ford anything in this region.”

But Chapman said that the possibility thatloss of affordable housing has a connectionto homelessness can’t be discounted. InD.C., Chapman said the decline in afford-able housing had shown a direct connec-tion to the increase in numbers of familiesexperiencing homelessness.

“There is naturally occurring affordablehousing in Arlington, and as developer pres-sures increase, those older garden styleapartments are being pushed out,” saidChapman. “I disagree that people can’t af-ford to live here. Housing cost could be a

By Vernon Miles

The Connection

One year after losing the Demo-cratic nomination for CountyBoard, Erik Gutshall has emerged

from a party caucus as the Democratic can-didate in November’s County Board elec-tion to replace County Board Chair JayFisette. Fisette and much of Arlington’sDemocratic leadership had thrown theirsupport behind Gutshall during the cam-paign. Over a three-day caucus, from May11 to May 13, voters supported Fisette’shandpicked successor.

The caucus was divided into rounds, withvoters ordering their selections from firstchoice to fourth. After each round, the can-didate with the least votes would be elimi-nated and those voters’ ballots would begiven to the next candidate. Gutshall ledwith 2,877 in the first round, followed byKim Klingler with 1,116 and Vivek Patil with986. Peter Fallon was eliminated in the firstround with 945 votes. Gutshall received 332

of those votes, the most of any of the othercandidates, which pushed his lead into amajority with 3,209 votes.

Judith Desplechin was one of the votersturning out to support Gutshall at the May13 caucus. Desplechin, a Columbia Pike resi-dent, said that years after its cancellationshe was still sore about losing the streetcar.She voted for Gutshall, but said she was stillunsure of her vote and was upset how vagueeach of the candidates were in the “issues”section of their website.

Among voters leaving the polls, many saidthey were happy with the selection of can-didates available. Most voters said theiropinions on candidates were formed bythose who visited their homes or those theirneighbors had been vocally supporting.

In the School Board race, MoniqueO’Grady managed to take the Democraticendorsement from James Lander, the in-cumbent School Board member. O’Gradyand Lander were close in the first round,with O’Grady having 2,743 votes andLander with 2,119 votes, but after Maura

McMahon was eliminated for the secondround, O’Grady’s lead swelled to 3,441while Lander had 2,336.

Voters at the May 13 caucus said theywanted fresh faces on the School Board.

“I was interested in seeing new leader-ship in the schools,” said Carole Russo. “Ca-pacity is a top issue of mine. I’m also not afan of block scheduling and I don’t want tosee it snuck in under our noses.

Arlington County Democratic ChairmanKip Malinosky said the last time the Demo-crats had hosted a caucus was in 2014,when 1,800 voters showed up. In the 2017primary, 5,973 voters turned out to vote.

“More candidates, more voters,” saidMalinosky, saying that more campaigns helpspread the word and mobilize more resi-dents to come out and vote.

So far, only Gutshall and independentAudrey Clement have announced their can-didacy for County Board in the Novemberelection. The filing deadline for indepen-dent and non-primary party nominees isJune 13.

Gutshall and O’Grady win Democratic nominationfor County Board and endorsement for School Board.Comeback King

County Board candidate sup-porters gather at the entranceto Washington-Lee High Schoolon May 12.

Pho

to

by Verno

n M

iles/T

he C

on

nectio

n

Amid long-term homelessness successes, Arlington sees increase.Relapse

Arlington homelessness statistics.

Pho

to

co

ntributed

4 ❖ Arlington Connection ❖ May 17-23, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

whereseniors ages62 and better

enjoyrewardinglifestyles inthe heart

of Alexandria

By Marilyn Campbell

During the month of May, Na-tional Water Safety Month,water safety educators arewaging a month-long cam-

paign to educate the public about respon-sible water practices before the start of sum-mer. The campaign is designed to help pre-vent drowning and water-related illness andinjuries.

“The most important tip from swim ex-perts [is] to have your child in perpetualswim lessons,” said Gina Bewersdorf, whoowns Goldfish Swim School in Reston.“Situations will always arise in which weor our children are around water, [like] ata friend’s pool party, vacation near a lake,or a boating trip, so learning the necessaryskills to stay safe is vital. It only takes a sec-ond for a child or adult to unsuspectinglyfall into a body of water.”

Constant adult supervision is the first andbest way to prevent accidents in and aroundwater, says Lisa S. Grepps, director, Mar-keting & Communications, The Associationof Pool & Spa Professionals in Alexandria.She also recommends additional safeguardsto help prevent children from gaining un-supervised access to a pool or spa or to warnof a child’s presence. “But don’t get lulled

into a false sense of security with barriersand other devices as they are just backupsto the primary means of accident preven-tion which is constant adult supervision,”said Grepps.

Keeping a cell phone nearby to make acall to 911 in case of an emergency andavoiding swimming at the first sign of badweather are two tips that Ann Thompsonof Ann’s Aquatics in Bethesda offers to herstudents and their parents. “I tell parentsthat certain flotation devices are great, butthey are in no way a replacement for re-sponsible adult supervision,” she said. “Andthe supervision should be undistracted.

Don’t get lost in a conversation or a phonecall and divert attention away from yourchildren, not even for a second. If you leavethe pool area, no matter how brief the pe-riod of time, take the children with you.”

In addition to learning to swim,Bewersdorf recommends making sure thatchildren are taught water safety skills aswell as how to perform CPR on both adultsand children. “We recommend a child en-roll in swim lessons as early as possible[and] year round, not just during thewarmer months. Persistent swim lessons areproven to be incredibly beneficial in orderto keep these life-saving skills sharp” she

said. “We offer classes as young as fourmonths old in which the parents are con-stantly with their infants. This gets the childused to simply being in and around waterand they learn simple safety skills.”

When choosing a pool, check for an on-duty lifeguard. In cases where a lifeguardis not available, look for accessible safetyequipment such as a rescue ring or pole.

“We want people to have a safe and funtime swimming and that’s why [we] issuepermits to all public pool facilities and rou-tinely inspect them to ensure they are be-ing operated in a safe and healthy manner,in accordance with Fairfax County Code,”said Martin A. Thompson, EnvironmentalHealth supervisor for Fairfax County. “It’salso important that swimmers take steps tomaximize the health benefits of swimmingwhile minimizing the risk of injury or ill-ness to themselves and others.”

Thompson advises adhering to othersafety guidelines from the Centers for Dis-ease Control and Prevention (CDC) whichinclude looking to see if the drain at thebottom of the deep end is visible, stayingout of the pool if you have diarrhea, cover-ing any open wounds with waterproof ban-dages, showering before entering the pooland only using flotation devices that areCoast Guard approved.

Water Safety Month designed to educatepublic in advance of summer swimming.Safety in the Water

Learn to swim no matterthe age. This is one of thebest ways to be safer inand around the water.

Photo courtesy of

Goldfish Swim School

Arlington Connection ❖ May 17-23, 2017 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

See Matching Families, Page 7

People

By Mary Dempsey

The Connection

For working parents, finding reli-able care for young children is astruggle. In an area like Arlington,the high cost of living keeps most

parents working, forcing them to make thedecision of who will care for their childrenduring the workday.

Greenbrier Baptist Church (GBC) minis-try leader Paulette Ellison has created a newchildcare service which focuses on provid-ing area families with dedicated nannieswho share their goals and values.

Ellison founded Christian Child CareAgency (CCCA) two years ago. A native ofJamaica and a veteran nanny herself, Ellisonfelt called to provide for her community bymentoring other childcare providers andmatching them with suitable families.

“When I came to this country [in 1994],my first job was as a nanny,” Ellison said. “Ifound that I was a natural at it. After mylast nannying job in 2013, I wanted to turnall of my experience into a business.”

At the time, Ellison had also just begun

her ministry at Greenbrier, which is calledGBC@TheTable. Through her ministry shebegan to feel more and more connected tothe community and called to serve.

“The premise of @TheTable is relation-ships, building deeper relationships,” saidthe Rev. Pamela Chisholm, the head pastorat GBC. “If you invite me to the table to sitdown with you and eat, that means that youwant to know me better.”

The ministry meets on the first Saturdayof every other month to eat lunch togetherand discuss both spiritual matters and dailylife.

“The ministry is more casual and infor-mal,” Ellison said. “We really get to knowthe neighbors. When we spend time to-gether, we really get to know more aboutthe person.”

Ellison added that at her ministry, attend-ees can expect to learn something new andexpand their horizons.

“I invite guests speakers and sometimeswe have musical guests coming in,” Ellisonsaid. “Our congregation is very diverse, soevery time we meet we do a different cui-sine, from soul food to Vietnamese and Ko-rean. People can broaden their palate inmore than one way.”

Despite her new role as a leader in herparish, Ellison was nervous about the tran-sition to owning a business. As a devoutChristian, she sought spiritual guidance and

also found support from her family andchurch community.

“We had great confidence in Paulette,having seen her take on more responsibili-ties around the church and lead her minis-try,” said Leslie Chisholm, the head pastor’shusband. “When she came to us with herplan for the child care service, she reallyhad her ducks in a row.”

The church has supported Ellison by giv-ing her an office space in the parish. LeslieChisholm has also helped Ellison with heraccounting needs.

Ellison’s family was similarly ready tosupport her endeavor. Her daughter Janeil

Ellison, who has a background in journal-ism and communications, has helped herwith her website and social media accountsand her sister Hadiyah McDowell has takenon a large part of the administrative work.

Even with that support, being a smallbusiness owner has been a surprising chal-lenge for Ellison.

“If I was just doing it for myself, I don’tknow if I could have kept going,” Ellisonsaid. “It’s for my church and my commu-nity, so that gives me the strength to perse-vere.”

While there are plenty of childcare pro-viders in the area, Ellison feels that manyof them do not truly meet the needs of ei-ther the parents or the providers.

“There are many wonderful daycare ser-vices around here and some parents mightnot have any other choice, but you don’thave that one-on-one, that focus on yourchild’s needs,” Ellison said.

On the other hand, Ellison believes thatmany nannying agencies don’t take the timeto place the right nannies with the rightfamilies. In addition to making sure that allof its nannies are highly qualified, CCCAaims to make sure that nannies share thevalues of their host families.

“Her process is to really get to know ev-ery nanny that comes in through a detailedinterview,” said Janeil Ellison. “She can then

Matching Values of Families and Nannies

Paulette Ellison’s efforts have beensupported by her parish and herfamily, including her daughterJaneil who manages her websiteand social media accounts.

By M

ary D

em

psey/T

he C

on

nectio

n

Paulette Ellison alsomentors newchildcare providers.

6 ❖ Arlington Connection ❖ May 17-23, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

@ArlConnection

An independent, locally owned weeklynewspaper delivered

to homes and businesses.Published by

Local Media Connection LLC

1606 King StreetAlexandria, Virginia 22314

Free digital edition delivered toyour email box. Go to

connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

NEWS DEPARTMENT:arlington@connectionnewspapers.com

Steven MaurenEditor

703-778-9415smauren@connectionnewspapers.com

Mike SalmonAssistant Editor

msalmon@connectionnewspapers.com

Vernon MilesReporter

757-472-3435vmiles@connectionnewspapers.com

Eden Brown, Shirley RuheContributing Writers

arlington@connectionnewspapers.com

ADVERTISING:For advertising information

sales@connectionnewspapers.com703-778-9431

Debbie FunkDisplay Advertising/National Sales

703-778-9444debfunk@connectionnewspapers.com

Andrea SmithClassified & Employment Advertising

703-778-9411asmith@connectionnewspapers.com

David GriffinMarketing Assistant

703-778-9431dgriffin@connectionnewspapers.com

Editor & PublisherMary Kimm

mkimm@connectionnewspapers.com@MaryKimm

Executive Vice PresidentJerry Vernon

703-549-0004jvernon@connectionnewspapers.com

Editor in ChiefSteven MaurenArt/Design:

Laurence Foong, John Heinly,Ali Khaligh

Production Manager:Geovani Flores

Special Assistant to the PublisherJeanne Theismann

jtheismann@connectionnewspapers.com@TheismannMedia

CIRCULATION: 703-778-9427circulation@connectionnewspapers.com

ArlingtonThe

Connection

News

By Eden Brown

The Connection

State Sen. Barbara Favola (D-31) be-lieves Virginians can turn the VirginiaHouse of Delegates around from itscurrent Republican control if enough

new voters come out and vote in the Novem-ber 2017 elections. Those who have just got-ten the right to vote — immigrants and stu-dents — sometimes don’t know the legislativeelections for their state assembly are just asimportant as the federal elections that takeplace every four years.

Speaking to a “We of Action Virginia” groupat the Shirlington library on May 1, Favola saidshe is energized by the increased interest inVirginia politics. She highlighted the impor-tance of keeping a Democrat as governor ofVirginia. “We have to elect a Democratic gov-ernor even if you aren’t a Democrat,” she urgedthe group. “Independents, Progressives, mod-erate Republicans need to think about whatcould happen here if we end up like NorthCarolina, with a GOP governor and GOP con-trol of the state assembly. When that happenedin North Carolina, wIthout the moderating in-fluence of a Democrat in the governor’s role,there were no brakes on the extreme legisla-tion that started getting passed. In July 2016,after the North Carolina legislature passed ‘the“bathroom bill”, eliminating anti-discrimina-tion protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender people, the National BasketballAssociation pulled the 2017 All-Star Gamefrom Charlotte to protest the law,” Favola said.

Favola cited a few of the more conservativeGOP candidates for office: “Corey Stewart,chairman at-large of the Prince William Boardof County Supervisors, who seems to have alove affair with the Confederate flag,” she said.“I was with him during my tenure on theCounty Board when we were both being inter-viewed by a news outlet and he never acknowl-edged the important contribution of immi-grants to our economy.”

She also highlighted Karrie Delaney, who willbe attempting to unseat GOP Del. JimLemunyon (D-67) in Fairfax/Loudoun County.Lemunyon, Favola said, is “one of those Re-

publicans who package themselves as moder-ates, but they vote with the Republican lead-ership every time.”

Favola described the difficulty of trying topass health-care friendly legislation in Rich-mond: she took on the Medicaid expansion is-sue, which she felt qualified to do since sheused to have oversight on the Medicaid pro-gram when she was in the federal government.She shepherded the expansion legislationthrough the General Assembly, dealing withevery objection raised by the GOP. Every rea-sonable request the GOP raised — and therewere many — the Democrats accommodated,because “we wanted 400,000 people to havethis insurance. But when it came time to passthe legislation, it was the week Eric Cantor losthis primary, and the GOP said they had to with-draw their support because Tea Party candi-dates might take advantage of the situation andthey would lose their seats. House majorityleader, Eric Cantor, was defeated by a Tea Party-backed economics professor who had ham-mered him for being insufficiently conserva-tive; Cantor was criticized for being soft onimmigration. “It was clear it was ‘incumbencyprotection.’ not the welfare of Virginians, thatwas a priority,” Favola said. “The way the dis-tricts are drawn leaves no incentive for nego-

tiation,” she said. Favola will be pursuing theredistricting issue this summer given the im-portance of better bipartisan cooperation.

Favola also described other transformationallegislation which had been hard to pass in anassembly dominated by the GOP: Virginia hadstopped benefits to foster children over the ageof 18 (and under 21). Favola wanted to main-tain support for youths who otherwise couldbecome victims of sex trafficking or homeless.Legislation prohibiting the possession of aweapon by people who had committed two-time misdemeanor sexual assaults was also abill sponsored by Favola, and which ran intomajor GOP headwinds.

Favola said she hopes the trend in Virginia,to elect a governor who is not of the the U.S.president’s party (this has been the trend for40 years with one exception), will hold. Thatsaid, she said Ed Gillespie, the presumedfrontrunner on the GOP side, has a well-fundedcampaign and is the architect of the strategythat gave 38 districts to the GOP: he is some-one Democrats and moderates will have to pulltogether to defeat in November.

Favola told the group to hold elected repre-sentatives accountable, and to educate them-selves on who the candidates are, referringthem to the website: www.vahousedems.org.

Favola calls on first-time voters to vote.Voting Matters

State Sen. Barbara Favola addresses the We of Action Virginia meeting atShirlington Library on May 1.

Pho

to

by Eden

Bro

wn

/T

he C

on

nectio

n

By Mike Doan

Though opera audiences seem to begrowing older, new hope for youngpeople’s love of this art form emerged

at Opera NOVA’s Spring Fling on April 29.Mina Swaminathan, 15, of Gaithersburg,

made her Opera NoVA debut, singing GiovanniPaisiello’s “Se Tu M’ami.” Mina, who attendsDuke Ellington School for the Performing Artsin Washington, is launching a Girl Scoutsproject to “Open up to Opera” on a nationwidescale.

And one spectator, Jenna FrancescaGoldberg, 8, said she was impressed by thelovely voices of the singers, “especially whenthey sang high, high high.” An aspiring actress,she often takes the lead role in her school pro-

ductions. These girlsseemed to be carrying outOpera NOVA’s mission ofspreading this high artform from the costly operahouses frequented byolder, rich people tonewer, more diverse audi-ences at low cost. PeterFallon, a candidate forCounty Board, noted Op-era NOVA’s long contribu-tion in introducing youngstudents to a theater pro-duction by professionalvocalists of an opera de-

signed for them. “It has democratized accessto its performances by building new audiences

Opening Up Opera to the Youngof seniors and those who are marginalized inthe county,” he said.

Fallon was joined by such speakers as TomWeiner of the Arlingtones and Kelvin Manursfrom Nauck, who stressed the importance ofkeeping Opera NOVA as it fills a social needthat affects the overall culture of Arlington.

The audience at the National Rural ElectricCoopertive Building also heard music fromArtistic Director Jose Sacin, and soloistsJocelyn Hunt, Alex Albuquerque, Grace Gilday,Sissel Bakken, Eduardo Castro, JenniMcGinnis, and Annie Gill. Opera NOVA recentlycompleted a production of Scott Joplin’s“Treemonisha” in April and plans a condensedversion of Rossini’s classic “Cenerentola(Cinderella)” next year, along with concertsbenefiting seniors and young people.

MinaSwaminathan,15, sings atOpera NOVA“SpringFling.”

By Paul Scho

mburg

Arlington Connection ❖ May 17-23, 2017 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

People

Helping To Stamp OutHungerThe postal carrier on Route 8 inArlington had just started his Satur-day route on May 13. He is doingdouble duty as he tucks bags ofCheerios, pasta and other non-perishables into his truck alreadyfull of mail and boxes to be deliv-ered during his regular rounds.During the second Saturday of Mayeach year the Letter Carriers StampOut Hunger Food Drive is held tocollect food for distribution to theneedy in communities across thecountry. This initiative began as a

national effort in 1991 with a pilot drive in 10 cities. By 1993 morethan 220 union branches collected more than 11 million pounds offood and by 2010 the food drive surpassed the 1 billion pound markin total food collected over its history. The food collected in Arling-ton will be delivered to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC).AFAC distributes groceries to nearly 2,200 families every week withover 35 percent of the recipients being children.

Pho

to

by Sh

irley R

uh

e/T

he C

on

nectio

n

Paulette Ellison operates CCCA out of an office in Greenbrier BaptistChurch in South Arlington.

Pho

to

by M

ary D

em

psey/T

he C

on

nectio

n

Matching Families and NanniesFrom Page 5

determine which nanny will fit a given fam-ily.”

Ellison added that during the interviewprocess she really tries to understand thenanny holistically in order to determinetheir abilities and values. Similarly, she willspend just as much time to get to know thefamily.

“Nannies become a part of the family oncethey are in the home,” Ellison said. “Whena family reaches out to me, I take the timeto understand their needs. If necessary, Iwill do an in-home visit and meet with thechildren.”

Ellison added that she will be there tofollow-up with families and nannies when-ever they need support. She also believesthat through her leadership, young and in-experienced nannies can develop into highlycapable caretakers.

Despite it’s name, CCCA is not just forChristian nannies and Christian families.

“CCCA is all-inclusive,” Ellison said. “Ourlogo is the rainbow. Our nannies could beChristian or Muslim [or any faith], as long

as they love children sincerely and are hon-est.”

Ultimately, Ellison wants young or inex-perienced nannies to find as much successand joy in the work as she did in her nearly20 years as a nanny. She also wants hernannies to feel empowered to be positiveinfluences in the lives of those young peoplethey care for. “The reason I was a success-ful nanny was a combination of honesty andtough love,” Ellison said. “You can be goofyand have fun, but you also have to estab-lish the line that can never be crossed. Thatconsistency creates trust.”

Ellison believes that a nanny should bemore than just a placeholder for an absentparent, but a valued member of a house-hold who has the ability to be a positiveinfluence.

“[My mom] always found a way to helpthe children grow as a person,” JaneilEllison said. “Even after they grow up andbecome successful adults, they always re-member ‘Ms. P.’”

For more information, visitchristianchildcareagency.com

8 ❖ Arlington Connection ❖ May 17-23, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Select yourproducts from

our MobileShowroomand Design

CenterFully Insured &

Class A LicensedSince 1999

Free Estimates703-999-2928

From Now to WOW in 5 Days Guarantee

Visit our website: www.twopoorteachers.com

Home of the $6,850 Bathroom Remodel

TWO POOR TEACHERSKitchen and Bathroom Remodeling

10% downnothing until the jobis complete for the

past 17 years

10% downnothing until the jobis complete for the

past 17 years

To highlight your Faith Community, call Karen at 703-778-9422

DAILY EUCHARIST:WeekdaysMonday-Friday, 8:30 AMSaturday, 8:30 AM

SUNDAY LITURGY SCHEDULE:Saturday Vigil: 5:30 PMSunday: 7:30, 9:00, and 11:00 AM1:30 PM Spanish Liturgy

5312 North 10th Street,Arlington, Virginia 22205Parish Office: 703-528-6276

PARISH WEBSITE:www.stannchurch.org

All AreWelcome!

See Calendar, Page 9

By Steve Hibbard

The Connection

Signature Theatre in Arlington ispresenting the musical, “JesusChrist Superstar,” now throughJuly 2. This version of Andrew

Lloyd Webber’s and Tim Rice’s award-win-ning rock opera is done in a sleek, modernproduction.

Based on the 1970 rock opera, the all-musical production features the songs“What’s the Buzz,” “I Don’t Know How toLove Him,” “Everything’s Alright,” and thetitle song. Joe Calarco (“Gypsy”) directs thisepic of celebrity, passion, guilt, and salva-tion. The story is based on the Gospels’ writ-ten accounts of the last week of Jesus’s life.It made its original Broadway debut in 1971with all songs and no spoken dialogue.

Director Joe Calarco said it’s a show he’salways wanted to direct. “It has one of themost thrilling scores ever written for thetheater,” he said. “And it was revolutionary— not just in its music but also in how itasks the audience to look at Jesus as a manwith the vulnerabilities of any human be-ing.”

He added: “It was quite controversialwhen it premiered and I’ve always beeninterested in unearthing that initial provoca-tive energy.”

Calarco said the play was originally writ-ten as a concept album, so taking that mu-sic and have it work as pure theater hasbeen a thrilling challenge. “And peopleknow the pieces so well that we wanted todo honor to the show but also allow peopleto see it with fresh eyes,” he said.

As for audience takeaways, he said: “I

hope they leave talking about the complexi-ties of faith and how fanaticism can warpwho and what we worship. And it’s a greatscore and I hope the audience leaves beingreminded of how thrilling the piece is.”

Nicholas Edwards is playing the lead roleof Jesus of Nazareth. “I’m sure you knowwho Jesus is, but in our production we’retrying to uncover the struggles that Jesuswent through as ‘just a man,’ not the Di-vine Christ he is today,” he said. “He comesinto the story trying to spread his new ideas

but slowly discovers that the burden of hav-ing to be a savior may be too much for himto handle.” Besides the difficult musicalscore, he said the piece is an emotionalrollercoaster. “Right from the beginning, Ihad to sit down and plot all of mycharacter’s ‘shifts,’” he said. “Jesus is incred-ibly complex; on one hand he is full of love,but on the other he is full of doubt and con-fusion, and throughout a lot of the story heis angry. It’s hard to balance it all in a waythat makes his journey clear to the audi-ence.” He added: “And with a spare set, wereally have to use our bodies to the fullestin order to tell the story.”

He thinks audiences will never see a pro-duction of “Jesus Christ Superstar” quite likeSignature’s. “I really hope they leave think-ing about how powerful faith and religionreally is. And how even today, our world isconstantly in a power struggle between re-ligion and politics,” he said. “Finally, I hopethey see not the Biblical figures they readabout in their Scriptures but real peoplestruggling with real human emotions.”

Signature Theatre in Arlington is present-ing “Jesus Christ Superstar” now throughJuly 2. Show times are Wednesdays throughSaturdays at 8 p.m.; and Saturday and Sun-day matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $40 to$99. Specialty Nights are Discussion Nightson June 7 and 13; Pride Night on June 23;and Open Captioned Performances June 4,at 2 p.m., and June 6, at 7:30 p.m. Thevenue is located at 4200 Campbell Ave.,Arlington. Visit www.sigtheatre.org or callthe box office at 703-820-9771.

Signature Stages ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’The iconic musicalby Andrew LloydWebber andTim Rice.

Nicholas Edwards (Jesus) and the cast of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” whichplays at Signature Theatre from May 9 to July 2.

Pho

to

by M

argo

t Sch

ulm

an

Submit entertainment announcementsat ConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar.Photos and artwork welcome. Deadline isThursday at noon, at least two weeks be-fore event.

ONGOINGArtists Exhibit. Various times through

June 10 at Metro Micro Gallery, 3409Wilson Blvd. Artist Austin Shullpresents “Reflections on Ardor,”curated by Cara Rose Leepson. Visitwww.metromicrogallery.com formore.

“Hunchback of Notre Dame.”Various times through June 11 atSynetic Theater, 1800 S. Bell St. $35

and up. Student tickets start at $15.Senior citizens and military receive$5 off. Group discounts are available.Visit synetictheater.org/ for more.

Arlington Farmer’s Market. EverySaturday, 8 a.m.-noon at the cornerof N. 14th Street and N. CourthouseRoad. A weekly celebration of localfood including fresh produce, meats,dairy, cheese, baked goods, freerange eggs, specialty items, cutflowers, plants and herbs. Emailcsingiser@cfwdc.org or call 917-733-6402.

Cycling Volunteers Needed. The20th annual Armed Forces CyclingClassic needs volunteers for the June10-11 race. Email

info@arlingtonsports.org for more.Outdoor Zumba. 6-7 p.m. on

Wednesdays through May 24 atFreedom Park, Entrance on Lynn St.at Wilson Blvd. $20 for all fiveclasses. Visit www.rosslynva.org formore.

FRESHFARM Market. 3-7 p.m. onTuesdays at 1900 Crystal Drive. Shopfrom local farmers and producerswith seasonal fruits and vegetables,fresh-cut flowers, container plantsand herbs, farm-raised eggs, all-natural meats, artisan baked goods,and specialty foods. Visitwww.crystalcity.org for more.

Mobile Bike Repair. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. onThursdays at 1900 Crystal Drive.

Drop off your bike on Thursdaymorning and have it tuned up andready to ride before heading home.Email DC@velofix.com, or phone855-VELO-FIX for more.

Food Truck Thursdays. 11 a.m.-2p.m. at 1900 Crystal Drive & 20112th St. Actual truck schedules aresubject to change so be sure to followyour favorites. Visitwww.crystalcity.org for more.

Crystal Ball: Street Hockey. 6:30p.m. Thursdays at 1900 CrystalDrive. A co-ed social league, Inpartnership with the DC Fray, hockeyenthusiasts compete competitivelyand recreationally in Crystal City.Games are played weekly and

champions are crowned at the end ofeach season. Visitwww.crystalcity.org for more.

Healthy Lifestyle Runs. Saturdays, 9a.m. at Roosevelt Island, GeorgeWashington Memorial Parkway.American Cancer Society partnerswith parkrun USA to promote fitnessin the fight against cancer. Free. Visitwww.parkrun.us/rooseveltislanddc/for more.

Friday Night Live. 8 p.m. Fridays atthe Church at Clarendon, 1210 N.Highland St., Suite A. Localmusicians perform. Free. Visit1bc.org for more.

Culinaire’s Winter Lunch. Tuesdays

Calendar

Entertainment

Arlington Connection ❖ May 17-23, 2017 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Entertainment

Bikers show their skills on Bike To Work Day, Friday, May 19. Pit stop inRoslyn. Go to www.bikearlington.com/bike-to-work-day/ to register.

Pho

to

by BikeA

rlin

gto

n

From Page 8

through Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at The ArtInstitute of Washington, 1820 N. Fort MyerDrive, 12th floor. Culinaire, the student-runrestaurant of the Art Institute of Washington, isnow serving lunch from their winter menu onTuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Visitwww.artinstitutes.edu/arlington for more.

Arlington’s Historical Museum Open onFirst Wednesdays. The Arlington HistoricalMuseum is open to the public on the firstWednesday of every month from 12:30-3:30p.m. The museum consists of exhibitschronicling Arlington County’s history fromNative American settlements up to the presentday. The museum will continue to be open onSaturdays and Sundays from 1-4 p.m. Admissionis free. The museum is located in the former1891 Hume School building at 1805 S. ArlingtonRidge Road. Contact Garrett Peck at 571-243-1113 or atgarrett.peck@arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org.

LGBT & Straight Friends Social. Tuesdays.Happy Hour, 3-7 p.m.; Mikey’s “Bar A” VideoWall, 7 p.m.; start time at 8 p.m. IOTA Club &Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd. For 21 years and older.Free. Visit www.iotaclubandcafe.com for more.

Open Mic Comedy. Wednesdays 8-10 p.m. at RiRa Irish Pub, 2915 Wilson Blvd. Doors open at 7p.m. Age 21 and up only. Free show, $25 cashprize for best joke. Call 703-248-9888 or Visitwww.RiRa.com/Arlington for more.

Food Truck Thursdays. 5:30-8:30 p.m. at thecorner of North Irving St. and Washington Blvd.Find a round-up of regional food trucks. Free toattend. Visit www.dmvfta.org.

Invasive Plants Removal. Work parties are heldevery month to keep the parks free ofdestructive invasive plants. Teens, adults andfamilies welcome. Every second Sunday of themonth 2-4:30 p.m. at Gulf Branch NatureCenter, 3608 Military Road; call 703-228-3403.Every third Sunday of the month 2-5 p.m. atLong Branch Nature Center, 625 S. CarlinSprings Road; call 703-228-6535 or Visitregistration.arlingtonva.us. Free, no registrationrequired.

Poetry Series. 6-8 p.m. second Sunday of themonth at IOTA Club & Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd.Hosted by poet Miles David Moore. Featuredartists share their poetry followed by openreadings. Free. Visit www.iotaclubandcafe.comor call 703-522-8340.

Open Mic Nite. 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. everyWednesday at IOTA Club & Cafe, 2832 WilsonBlvd. Sign-up times are 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.Bring instruments, fans and friends. Visitwww.iotaclubandcafe.com or call 703-522-8340.

Karaoke. 8 p.m. on the first Sunday every monthat Galaxy Hut, 2711 Wilson Blvd. Visitwww.galaxyhut.com or call 703-525-8646.

Pub Quiz. 8 p.m. every Sunday at Whitlow’s onWilson, 2854 Wilson Blvd. Prizes for first place.Free. Visit www.whitlows.com or call 703-276-9693.

Storytime. Wednesdays and Fridays, 10:30-11a.m. at Kinder Haus Toys, 1220 N. Fillmore St.Storytime with Ms. Laura. Call 703-527-5929.

Lego Club. Monthly on the first Wednesday. 4-5p.m. Glencarlyn Branch Library, 300 S.Kensington St. The library provides tubs of legosand a special challenge and after the programthe creations are displayed for everyone to see.No registration required. Call 703-228-6548 formore.

Crystal City Sparket. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. onWednesdays at 1900 Crystal Drive. Sparket — ACreative Market is an extension of DC’s EasternMarket with arts, crafts, and handmade goods.Free to attend. Visit www.crystalcity.org.

Open Mic Night. Wednesdays, at 8 p.m., sign upsare at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., at Iota Club &Café, 2832 Wilson Blvd. Free. Visitwww.iotaclubandcafe.com/.

Art for Life. Third Thursday of each month. TheHyatt Regency Crystal City’s “Art for Life”Partnership with National Kidney Foundationbrings a new artist each month to The Hyatt fora reception. Free. Visit www.torpedofactory.org.

Brunch at Freddie’s. Third Saturday of everymonth, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar,555 23rd St. The Arlington Gay and LesbianAlliance gathers for an all-you-can-eat breakfastbuffet ($9.99). All are welcome. No reservationis required. Visit www.facebook.com/events/700174390103305.

THURSDAY/MAY 18Special Screening. 7:45 p.m. at Arlington

Cinema & Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia Pike.Based on Salem’s infamous witch trials, “The

Crucible,” takes place in a small tight-knitcommunity, where personal grievances collidewith lust and superstition. $15. VisitArlingtonDrafthouse.com for more.

MAY 18-21Art Open House. noon-5 p.m. at 3200 N. George

Mason Drive. Clifton artists. Emailartguildofclifton@gmail.com for more.

FRIDAY/MAY 19Bike to Work Day 2017. Registration is free and

open to anyone who commutes in the region,from first timers to daily cyclists. All registrantswill be entered in a regional bicycle raffle, andthe first 16,000 to register and attend willreceive a free t-shirt at one of more than 85 pit-stops throughout Northern Virginia. VisitBikeArlington’s Bike to Work Day pit stoplocations and information atwww.bikearlington.com/bike-to-work-day/

SATURDAY/MAY 20Truck and Bus Day. 9-11 a.m. at the Central

Library, 1015 N Quincy St. Children of all agesare invited to see and touch all sorts of vehicles,including construction trucks, fire trucks, arecycling truck, and ART bus. Visitarlingtonva.libcal.com/event/3103134 for more.

Civil War Camp Day. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at WalterReed Community Center, 2909 16th St S. Learnhow these soldiers lived by walking throughencampment displays, practicing military drills,and trying on Civil War uniforms. Free. Visitparks.arlingtonva.us for more.

MAY 19-21Summertime and the Viewing is Easy. 6:30-

8:30 p.m. at the David M. Brown Planetarium,1426 N Quincy St. Premiere of the full-dome artvideo created by video artist, Kelley Bell. $3 forchildren under 12 and Seniors and $5 for adults.Call 703-228-6070 for more.

Coppelia and Other Works. Friday at 7:30 p.m.Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. at the ThomasJefferson Theatre, 125 S Old Glebe Road. JoinBalletNova Center for Dance for their SpringShow Repertory Performance. Call 703-778-3008 for more.

SUNDAY/MAY 2130th Annual Taste of Arlington. 12 p.m. – 6

p.m. in between N Randolph St. and N MonroeSt. on Wilson Blvd. Showcasing Arlington’s foodscene and benefiting the Arlington FoodAssistance Center. For more information, visithttp://www.ballstonbid.com/taste/.

County Wandering. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. atLangston Brown Community Center, 2121 N.Culpepper St. Walking tour with artist GrahamCoreil-Allen to explore, question and re-imaginethe urban and suburban spaces of Lee Highway.Free. Visit www.walkarlington.com/engage/ formore.

Freedom Rider. 12:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal

Church, 2217 Columbia Pike. Hear the story of aCivil Rights legend Joan Trumpauer Mulholland.Free. Call 703-920-7077 for more.

MONDAY/MAY 22The Arts Meet!. 5-7 p.m. at Copperwood Tavern,

4021 Campbell Ave. Arlington Cultural Affairspresents a time for the arts and culturecommunity to come together. Visit http://www.arlingtonarts.org/ or call 703-228-1850for more.

SATURDAY/MAY 27Marymount Farmers Market. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at

Marymount University, 2807 N. Glebe Road.Market will run each Saturday throughThanksgiving. To participate in the market,vendors must grow, bake, roast, cook andprepare all of their products within 125 miles ofArlington County. Produce is usually pickedwithin a day or two of the market so it’s as freshas possible. Visitwww.marymountfarmersmarket.org/ for more.

THURSDAYS, JUNE 1-29Rosslyn Rocks Concerts. 8 p.m. at Central

Place, N. Moore Street at Rosslyn Metro Station.Free live music every Thursday evening in Juneat Central Place Plaza. Each week will feature adifferent cover band. Beer and wine will beavailable for purchase. June 1 features localband White Ford Bronco. Visit Rosslynva.org formore.

JUNE 2-11The Jungle Book. various times at Thomas

Jefferson Community Theatre, 125 S Old GlebeRoad. Mowgli is taught the ways of the jungle bya bear named Baloo and Bagheera, a panther,and Kaa the snake. He’s got those bearnecessities. Visit www.encorestage.org or call703-548-1154 for more.

FRIDAYS, JUNE 2-AUG. 25Rosslyn Cinema and Pub in the Park. 6 p.m.

at Gateway Park, 1300 Lee Highway. RosslynCinema brings you games, drinks, dinner andfree outdoor movies every Friday this summer.Visit Rosslynva.org for more.

SUNDAY/JUNE 4Parade of Favorites Concert. 3 p.m. at

Wakefield High School, 1325 South DinwiddieStreet. Washington Balalaika Society orchestrawill present a medley of Russian songs anddances. $25.; Seniors: $20.; Students: $15.;children under 12 free. Visit www.balalaka.orgfor more.

10 ❖ Arlington Connection ❖ May 17-23, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Computers

JENNIFER SMITH

➣ Speed Up SlowComputers

➣ Virus Removal

➣ Computer Setup➣ Help with Windows 8

571-265-2038

HDICOMPUTER SOLUTIONS

Jennifer@HDIComputerSolutions.com

Serving the Area Since 1995

Announcements

We pay top $ for STERLING, MEN’S WATCHES,

JEWELRY, COSTUME JEWELRY,

FURNITURE, PAINTINGS AND CLOCKS.

Schefer Antiques703-241-0790

theschefers@cox.net

Announcements Announcements

Announcements Announcements

ClassifiedTo Advertise in This Paper, Call by Monday 11:00 am 703-778-9411

WWW.CONNECTIONNEWSPAPERS.COM

News

It’s a Group Run Not a RaceFrom Page 2

Each parkrun event begins with a shortmotivational speech by the volunteer racedirector, as well as a show of hands andapplause for first-time participants andvisitors from abroad.

Pho

to

by M

ary D

em

psey

See Parkrun, Page 11

Stanaford first discovered parkrun while living inMoscow, Russia, working in commercial real estate.Stanaford ran cross country in high school and hasalways tried to stay active as an adult, but the some-what forbidding weather in his new home city oftenkept him indoors.

“Moscow has winter five to six months out of theyear. I didn’t do much running outdoors at the time.I was steadily running on a treadmill indoors, justdoing it for general fitness, not long distances.”

Eventually, Stanaford decided that he wanted tostart running outdoors whenever he could andsearched for a nearby 5k to get him motivated. That’swhen he discovered the parkrun in Gorky Park,Moscow.

Stanaford was instantly a fan of the spirit of funand camaraderie which he found at the Gorky Parkparkrun, but circumstances would soon be takinghim back to the United States.

Stanaford and his wife Svetlana left Moscow torendezvous with their son who was studying in En-gland. While there, they had the chance to run inthe 10th anniversary run of the first parkrun loca-tion of Bushy Park along with 1,900 other parkrunenthusiasts.

“That was my wife’s first 5k in her entire life,”said Stanaford. “She was never a runner. Now she’sa person who is addicted to running because ofparkrun.”

Their final transition across the Atlantic wouldleave them disappointed in terms of their love forparkrun.

“We arrived in D.C. in the summer of 2015 andfound that there were no parkruns in the area,”Stanaford said.

Despite its popularity in the U.K. and other areasabroad, parkrun has only gained a cult following inthe United States. For instance, while the UnitedStates currently has less than a dozen parkrun events,there are over 50 events in the London area alone.

“Over 1.4 million different people in the UnitedKingdom have participated in a parkrun,” Stanafordsaid.

Rather than sit idly by, Stanaford decided to actand contacted parkrun about setting up a D.C. loca-tion. Three other parkrun enthusiasts were simulta-neously reaching out to the headquarters: HenryWigglesworth, an American who discovered parkrunwhile traveling in England; Dee Coughlan, who hadmoved from Ireland to be a cancer research fellowat NIH; and Andres Falconer, who had moved fromBrazil.

“[Parkrun founder] Paul Sinton-Hewitt had beencontacted by all four of us separately,” Stanaford said.“We all met in September 2015. Henry lives nearFletcher’s Cove and he suggested that area. The Pali-sades community helped fund it. By January, 2016,we held the inaugural Fletcher’s Cove parkrun, thefirst one in D.C. area and fifth in the United States.”

In just over half a year, Darrell and SvetlanaStanaford had their inaugural run at Roosevelt Is-land in August 2016. Another run in College Park,Md., followed just a few months later in October2016.

Stanaford hopes that the event locations in theUnited States will continue to exhibit the exponen-tial possibility that has been demonstrated abroad.The main challenge is that every parkrun needs anevent director.

“A person that wants to start a parkrun is some-thing you can’t replace,” Stanaford said.

The second biggest challenge is finding a location

for the run. According to Stanaford, permit require-ments for park and trail use can vary widely amongcounties and states. Nonetheless, he encourages po-tential event directors to do some research and con-tact parkrun for support.

“Permits are the biggest challenge,” Stanaford said.“They are one thing that’s beyond our control. Wecan’t influence the process, but we can provide sup-port and advice.

Recently, the American Cancer Society (ACS) hasrecognized the potential of parkrun to promotehealthy habits and has decided to partner withparkrun.

“After meeting [Parkrun founder] Paul and Darrellas well as some of the other parkrun enthusiasts, Iknew there was something there,” said Cathryn Burby,senior director of Community Engagement for theSouth Atlantic Division of the American Cancer Soci-ety. “It was just one of those special conversationswith a few really involved and dedicated people.”

Burby’s role with the ACS is to help the organiza-tion connect with people and build relationships inorder to reduce rates of cancer.

According to the ACS website, “[t]he latest recom-mendations for adults call for at least 150 minutes ofmoderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous inten-sity activity each week, or an equivalent combina-tion, preferably spread throughout the week.”

Burby and the ACS view parkrun as a way to en-courage Americans to stay active in a setting that isaccessible and fun.

“We can avoid a lot of adverse outcomes by healthyeating and an active lifestyle,” Burby said. “I hopethat parkrun spreads in the U.S. as it has in the U.K.and elsewhere, and that we can get millions of peopleparticipating in these 5k events.”

In the meantime, Roosevelt Island participants con-tinue to enjoy what their event location has to offer.

“Spending time outdoors helps us recharge for theweek,” Svetlana Stanaford said. “Being around treesand nature is so important for us psychologically andphysiologically.”

Participants aren’t the only ones who can benefitfrom what parkrun has to offer. Volunteers enjoyspending a few hours each week on Roosevelt Islandhelping out with the events.

“Being a retiree, I love volunteering,” said PeterVandevanter, who regularly helps out with the runs.“I come to Roosevelt Island even during the week. Isee the deer and the raccoons. I love being aroundnature.”

Roosevelt Island participants also appreciate thatparkrun provides them with a reliable route whileabroad.

Arlington Connection ❖ May 17-23, 2017 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

From Page 10

Parkrun“Parkrun provides a known safety route,

especially in an unfamiliar country,” saidElisa Coyne, who also leads a local chapterof Moms RUN This Town. “Many people,especially women, want someone to runwith in a new place.”

Participants can also track their perfor-mance and progress in every parkrun, re-gardless of whether they are in their home-town or abroad. Upon registering for aparkrun event, participants receive abarcode which is scanned when they crossthe finish line of their local event or anyevent across the world. Results are sent outvia email with a link to view more detailedstatistics on the parkrun website.

Despite the fact that all parkruns aretimed 5k events, participants are encour-aged to move at the pace they are most com-fortable with.

“Parkrun is a friendly, low-stress environ-ment,” Stanaford said. “It’s a group run, nota race. Parkrun is for walkers, joggers, andrunners. Parkrun is for everyone in the com-munity. We hope everyone will come andspend some time with us.”

The Roosevelt Island parkrun meets ev-ery Saturday at 9 a.m., rain or shine, justacross the bridge from the Mt. Vernon Trail.The parking lot for Roosevelt Island oftenfills up, but there is plentiful street and ga-rage parking in Rosslyn, although mostplaces do require payment on Saturdaymornings. At the Island entrance are bicycleracks for those who wish to cycle toRoosevelt Island.

Founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt will be at theCollege Park parkrun on Sat., May 27 for aspecial festive event. He will also be at theinaugural Richmond parkrun event on Sat-urday, June 3.

For more information about parkrun, visitparkrun.com and parkrun.us. To learn more aboutthe Roosevelt Island event, go to parkrun.us/rooseveltislanddc or find it on Facebook@rooseveltislandparkrun.

HomelessFrom Page 3

barrier to entry, but many of our homelesswere already living here and paying mar-ket rate rent. We saw with the foreclosuresin the financial crisis that a number ofpeople lost their homes and it had a dra-matic impact. It wasn’t an immediate tran-sition into homelessness, but it filtersdown.”

Like Sibert, Chapman said the more im-portant lesson of the study was the long-term progress. Chapman said Arlington, andseveral other localities, has shifted its strat-egy on homelessness to a “housing first”policy.

“There used to be an idea that you wouldget people to a place where they were readyfor housing,” said Sibert. “Now, we getpeople into housing first, then we deal withthe other issues. If they have housing, theydon’t have to worry about showers … sleep… or drying clothes. They are not exposedto the elements. It’s been the biggest shiftin providing homelessness services and itreally works.”

Business DirectoryTo Advertise Your Business, Call Karen at 703-778-9422

WWW.CONNECTIONNEWSPAPERS.COM

ELECTRICAL ELECTRICAL

GUTTER GUTTER

IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS

LANDSCAPING

Alfredo’s Construction Company, Inc.

www.alfredosconstructioncompany.com

Phone:

VA: (703) 698-0060 • MD: (301) 316-1603

•Concrete Driveways•Patios •Sidewalks

•Stone •Brick

LANDSCAPING LANDSCAPING

LANDSCAPING LANDSCAPING

TILE / MARBLE TILE / MARBLE

TILE / MARBLE TILE / MARBLE

Good is not good, where

better is expected.

-Thomas Fuller

An expert is someone who knows some of the worst mis-

takes that can be made in his subject and how to avoid them.-Werner Heisenberg Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative for

The Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIEFor those of you unfamiliar with my column:

in Burke, Springfield, Fairfax, FairfaxStation/Clifton/Lorton, Mount Vernon andAlexandria, welcome aboard the Kenny train. Ihave been writing a weekly column forConnection Newspapers since December 1997appearing primarily in our “Tuesday papers,” aswe call them: Vienna/Oakton, McLean, GreatFalls, Reston, Oak Hill/Herndon, Arlington,Chantilly, Centre View and Potomac. The ques-tion has persisted among friends and family: Kenhe continue to, as my older brother Richardjokes, “churn out this dribble?” Apparently so, ifthe last 19 and half years are any indication.

Back in the day when I first had to character-ize my column for various local yearly PressAssociation editorial contests (of which I havewon nearly a dozen awards), I would write “Ever-ything in general about nothing in particular.” Agreat friend of mine, Edward Faine, himself anaccomplished author — of children’s and jazzbooks, and a small press publisher as well, hasdescribed my columns as “Thoughtful humor andinsightful commentary.” Perhaps between thesetwo quotes you’ll get a sense of what you’re likelyto get from my weekly wondering.

And so it continued until June 2009. That’swhen I published my first column about a diag-nostic process which had been ongoing sinceNew Years Day which ultimately lead to a lungcancer diagnosis delivered to “Team Lourie” onFeb. 27, 2009 (you bet you remember the date).That column, entitled “Dying to Find Out, SortOf,” chronicled the process, excruciating as itwas/is that one often endures attempting to deter-mine the cause of a medical problem; in mycase, a pain in my left-side rib cage which a dayor so later, migrated to my right-side and eventu-ally took my breath away — almost literally, espe-cially when inhaling and/or bending over. Thisdifficulty forced me off the couch and into my carfor a drive over to the Emergency Room. Oncethe diagnosis was confirmed, I wrote another col-umn entitled “Dying to Tell You, Sort Of” whichdetailed the findings of the nearly eight weeks theprocess took to specify my diagnosis: stage IV,non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Out of theblue, I had become “terminal,” as my oncologistdescribed me, and given a “13 month to two-year” prognosis to boot. Surreal, which is a com-mon description offered by many in similar situa-tions, is how one feels after receiving news of thiskind, and only begins to tell the tale of thechange and evolution in the individual’s life livingforward into treatment and subsequently beyondinto the great unknown.

This ‘great unknown’ is mostly what I havewritten about and published ever since; “cancercolumns” (original I know) is what I call them.Occasionally, I will write a non-cancer column,one a month or so, depending on my experi-ences. These columns will address non-cancerissues of the day, ranging from the sublime to theridiculous. Most recently topics have included themovie “The Exorcist:’ “Exercising a Demon,” pay-ing for things with a credit card: “Credit theCard,” reacting to advertising for grass seed andriding mowers: “And So It Begins,” and buying inbulk: “Bulky Boy,” but never/well, almost neverdo I write about my wife, Dina; I have beenwarned.

Though the recurring theme of these columnsis cancer, the content is rarely morbid or dare Isay, self-indulgent, believe it or not. I try to makefun a very “unfun” set of circumstances. I’m stillwriting about life; now however, it’s life in thecancer lane, a road unlike any I had ever traveledbefore. Nevertheless, I’ve gotten through eightyears and nearly three months of it relatively inci-dent free, save for a week in the hospital threeand a half years ago. And yes, I am still undergo-ing treatment.

I hope you readers will be semi amused at theslings and arrows of outrageous misfortune uponwhich my columns are based. Please know: thesignificance of their content is not that it is mewriting them, it is that cancer is being writtenabout.

New To Some,Old NewsTo Others

12 ❖ Arlington Connection ❖ May 17-23, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Special VIP Offerfor your Toyota

20175

ALEXANDRIA TOYOTA