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‘Shooting for the Stars’ in Great FallsNews, Page 11

Great FallsRemembers 9/11

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Andy Wilson, the President of the Friends of the Great Falls Freedom Memorial, speaks at the 9/11 ceremony.

online at www.connectionnewspapers.com September 18-24, 2019

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2 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ September 18-24, 2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Great Falls Connection ❖ September 18-24, 2019 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

NewsGreat Falls Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

By Nadezhda Shulga

The Connection

We are here to remember,”Frank Sesno, former CNNWashington bureau chiefand now director of the

George Washington University’s School ofMedia and Public Affairs, addressed theguests with a keynote speech, “First, we re-member our friends and neighbors, Ameri-cans, and people from around the worldwho lost their lives that terrible day 18 yearsago… We remember the unfinished lives.What they did – and what more they couldhave done. We remember how we grieved,coped, bore down, responded and rebuilt.But remembering is getting harder. So manythings pull at our time and attention. Theyears pass. Many of today’s first-year col-lege students were not born when 9/11happened. We have to work harder to teachwhat happened – and what it meant. Toremember.”

Sesno has been a Great Falls resident for16 years. As bureau chief, he was respon-

most significant days in American historyunfolded.

Wilson remembered the chaos of that day:“It seemed the world was coming to an end.When I came home, I called my wife. Shewas on her way home. Our kids were outof school already. We got together as a fam-ily. Nobody knew what was going to hap-pen.” Wilson shared that there were a lotof rumors floating around at that time. Lo-cal radio stations reported a bomb explodedoutside the State Department which waslater found to be false.

Six residents of Great Falls died on 9/11at the Pentagon. All of them lost their livesas passengers on Flight 77. The names ofthe victims were read out loud and sixcandles were lit to honor their memory. Thereading of the Great Falls 9/11 Honor Rollwas preceded by a rendition of “How GreatThou Art” by Dick Kunz.

Great Falls residents and county officialshave been working together to find ways

to commemorate a tragedy that lives on forthem from days long past. Since 2004, theGreat Falls Freedom Memorial became aplace for healing and to honor the lives loston 9/11.

“We appreciate the tremendous supportfrom our local politicians,” said Wilson.”State Senator Barbara Favola, Chairman ofthe Fairfax County Board of SupervisorsSharon Bulova, State Delegate KathleenMurphy, and Dranesville District Supervi-sor John Foust. We appreciated them verymuch!”

The ceremony featured participation fromthe local Boy Scout Troop 55. The trooppresented the colors in honor of 9/11, raisedthe flag, and led the audience in the Pledgeof Allegiance.

The event concluded with a charge andbenediction from Pastor of Smith ChapelUnited Methodist Church Dave Zuchelli aswell as moving and patriotic “America theBeautiful” led by Dick Kunz.

Frank Sesno, former CNN’s Washington Bureau chief, has been a GreatFalls resident for sixteen years. He was responsible for reporting at CNNon the day of the attacks.

The Boy Scouts of America Troop 55 presents the colors in honor ofthose killed on 9/11.

Great Falls Remembers 9/11 Great Falls residents light candlesto honor those killed in theterrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Pastor Dave Zuchelli from SmithChapel United Methodist Churchprays for those who died on Sept.11, 2001.

From left: State Sen. Barbara Favola; Chairman of the Fairfax CountyBoard of Supervisors Sharon Bulova; Del. Kathleen Murphy; DranesvilleDistrict Supervisor John Foust; and former Great Falls resident and CNNWashington Bureau Chief Frank Sesno lit the candles to honor the livesthat were lost on 9/11.

Great Falls residents lit the candles to honor those who were killed inthe terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

sible for reporting on 9/11 at CNN. Whenone of the hijacked planes was still in theair, Sesno’s team was deploying a camerato the office’s rooftop trained on the Capi-tol dome. Nobody knew what to expect.

At this year’s ceremony, Andy Wilson,President of the Friends of the Great FallsFreedom Memorial, shared how one of the

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SHOP GREAT FALLS!

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4th of July Parade

Concerts on the Green

Halloween Spooktackular

Celebration of Lights

Cars and Coffee

Farmers Market

The HEART Of The Great FallsCommunity & Proud Location

Of The Following Events:

News

The Virginia Department ofTransportation (VDOT)continues repairs and re-

construction on Swinks Mill Roadand Kirby Road in McLean, both

severely damaged by flooding thissummer. The road closures remainin place during repairs but do notprevent resident access.

As many as 20 roads in Fairfax

County were closed due to stormdamage from July 8, and exten-sive repairs were made to twelveMcLean-area roads in the days fol-lowing.

An update on the final two lo-cations needing long-term roadand bridge construction:

Swinks Mill Road at Scotts Run(VA-685):

❖ Crews continue work to re-construct the bridge deck, makeextensive repairs to substructureand the approaching roadway.

❖ In the last month, crews ex-cavated and poured concreteworking surfaces on the down-stream side on which the footerswill be built, Installed rebar andpoured two footers on the down-stream side, installed rebar andsupport for the stem wall, thatjoins the foundation to the verti-cal walls of the bridge, on thedownstream right-side abutment(leg of bridge), and partially in-stalled rebar for stem wall on thedownstream left-side abutment.

❖ Work is on schedule to becomplete by the end of Septem-ber.

Kirby Road at Pimmit Run (VA-695):

❖ In total, hundreds of feet ofthe road and bridge saw extensivedamage.

❖ Martins Construction Corpo-ration has been awarded a $2.1million emergency contract forrepairs, and work is anticipated tobegin the week of Sept. 23. Thework includes:

❖ Relocation of Little PimmitRun to its previous stream align-ment in compliance with federal/state permitting agencies;

❖ Rebuilding the washed-outsection of Kirby Road with con-crete and rip rap;

❖ Replacement of a more than50-year-old 24-inch sanitary sewerline;

❖ Reconstruction of the bridgeover Pimmit Run with work on theabutments, wing walls, parapets,bridge deck, and approaches;

❖ Access to all homes will bemaintained during the work. Theroad is expected to safely reopento through traffic in mid-Decem-ber, and final asphalt and lanestriping will continue through May2020.

For ongoing updates, followVDOT Northern Virginia on Twit-ter: @vadotnova

Crews continue work to reconstruct the bridge deck,make extensive repairs to substructure and the approach-ing roadway at Swinks Mill Road at Scotts Run (VA-685).

Repairs to Kirby andSwinks Mill Roads ContinueSwinks Mill Road expected to reopenend of September; Kirby Road in mid-December.


See Plane Pull, Page 9

News

The Fairfax County Police Unified Team 2 pulls an 82-ton FedEx AirbusA320.

Dulles Day Festival,Plane Pull Attract CrowdsT

he 27th annual Dulles Day Festivaland Plane Pull was held at Wash-ington Dulles International Airport

on Sept. 14. The event, presented by theMetropolitan Washington Airports Author-ity and United Airlines, has raised more than$2 million for the Special Olympics of Vir-ginia since it began in 1992. This year, 59teams competed to see how fast they couldpull a FedEx Airbus A320 or a United Boeing757 airplane 12 feet. The ChesapeakeSheriff’s Office won for the twelfth consecu-tive year. The Chesapeake team completedtheir pull in 4.95 seconds, beating the teamfrom the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office byjust .01 seconds.

Elizabeth Jenkins, 6, along withher brother and dad, pull for

team Freddie Mac of McLean atthe Dulles Day Festival and

Plane Pull on Sept. 14.

Visitors check out a FedEx race car and go inside a FedEx airplane.

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Opinion

By John Lovaas

Reston Impact Producer/Host

It’s hard to believe it’s beenfour years since the Ad HocCommission to Review Po-lice Practices submitted its

final report to Fairfax County’sBoard of Supervisors. The 202unanimously agreed recom-mendations containedtherein, if fully implementedas intended by the 40-mem-ber Commission, would be transformative ofour Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD).While transformation would be an exaggera-tion of what has been accomplished so far, theprogress to date is remarkable, thanks in nosmall measure to the leadership of Police ChiefEdwin Roessler.

The Commission created by the Board ofSupervisors in early 2015, fifteen months af-ter an officer’s fatal shooting of unarmed JohnGeer, divided its report into five areas: Com-munications, Recruitment & Diversity, MentalHealth, Use of Force, and Independent Over-sight & Investigations. In the 75 years sincethe Police Department was created, the menin blue controlled all that went on behind thesteel blue curtain. Transparency and civilianreview were foreign concepts. So, there wastension on a Commission made up of one-thirdpolice, including heavy hitters. Our unanimousdecisions reflect their presence.

What has been accomplished? Nearly allrecommendations to improve Communica-tions, i.e., public information on police opera-tions, have been implemented, including in-stalling a civilian chief of communications. At

times getting out information onpolice shootings still is delayed,but it gets out. Transparency doesnot come easily in a Departmentwith five would-be police unions,but forward movement to date isimpressive. D i -versity, however, is the one areawhere there has been almost zero

progress. The Police Depart-ment is not representative ofthe County it serves — espe-cially in hiring and promot-

ing Latinos and African Americans. The countyis nearly 10 percent black and 16 percentLatino, but the Force is just over 7 percent blackand 4 percent Latino, and worse higher up.It’s hard to believe minorities don’t apply forand cannot qualify for entry level positionsspaying $55,000. The Chief says bad press forcops these days is a main obstacle. That maybe, but institutional resistance also certainlyplays a role.

Mental Health - a success! Persons withmental illness frequently conflict with policeofficers, usually involving minor offenses (e.g.,disorderly conduct), sometimes with tragicconsequences. Half of all fatal shootings by lawenforcement involve people with mental ill-ness. Officers are ill prepared to identify per-sons in crisis much less manage encounterswith them.

Their only option for resolution is arrest andincarceration in the county jail, a lockup filledwith people in crisis.

Crisis Intervention Training for all officersand a Diversion First program providing facili-ties to assess and treat (vs. jail) the mentallyill were adopted and are underway.

Use Of Force. Appropriately, 87 of 202 Com-mission recommendations involve use of force.They include adopting a new philosophy-theSanctity of Life as the guiding principle for newpolice policy and practices.

Policies and practices were reviewed andhave been overhauled to include de-escalationin confrontations, prompt reporting stressingtransparency, emphasis of less lethal tech-niques, and employing new technologies (e.g.,late model tasers and body cameras for all of-ficers). Implementation is nearly complete.

New tasers are now on the way, and long-delayed body cameras are expected to be ap-proved for funding by County Supervisors thismonth. FCPD could be a topnotch, more hu-mane force if these Use of Force reforms fullysink in. Perhaps John Geer did not die in vain!

A final area, Independent Oversight and In-vestigation, has met strong resistance frompolice. Three activities were proposed. A rec-ommendation to build independent investiga-tive capacity with the Commonwealth Attor-ney was killed by the Supervisors.

However, the Independent Police Auditor(IPA) is in place and reviewing all officer in-volved shootings, deaths and serious injuryinvestigations conducted by the Internal AffairsBureau.

Last, the proposed Civilian Review Panel isin place to accept public complaints about po-lice abuse of authority, hear them and reviewpolice investigations of them. CRP’s power wasdiluted in the approval process. Still, the cre-ation of the CRP and the IPA mark truly his-torical turning points in drawing back the steelblue curtain.

More at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/policecivilianreviewpanel/complaint-process

Police Reform in Fairfax—Four Years Later

Independent Progressive

By Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum

State Delegate (D-36)

Last week while Democratsin the North CarolinaHouse of Representatives

were attending a 9/11 remem-brance service, Republicans calleda surprise vote to overturn theDemocratic governor’s veto of thestate budget. While Democratsand media were told that therewould be no voting during the morning ses-sion, Democrats’ attendance at the vigil al-lowed Republicans to get the three-fifths voteneeded to override the veto.

Reaction to the maneuver has been harsh.The Charlotte Observer in an editorial said that“the verdict is now plain. North Carolina’s Re-

publican legislative leaders— not actually leaders, butconnivers — are beyondshame.” The paper de-

scribed what happened as a “stunning displayof contempt for democracy … but this isn’t acase simply of hardball politics and sly legisla-tive maneuvering. This is a case of breakingfaith with the people…” The Senate must con-cur on the override before it becomes effec-tive.

Before Virginians get too smugabout what happened in NorthCarolina we must remember whathappened in the Virginia GeneralAssembly about a month ago.

With the continuing string ofmass murders in the country —beginning about the time of themassacre at Virginia Tech that fora while was the largest ever andcontinuing through a mass shoot-ing at a Virginia Beach municipal

building — Gov. Ralph Northam called a spe-cial session of the General Assembly to con-sider several bills intended to reduce gun vio-lence.

The special session convened on July 9 totake up bills related to gun violence but with-out notice to Democrats or media the Republi-can majority adjourned 90 minutes later with-out taking up any of the bills and with a re-turn date scheduled after the elections.

There were no bills among those introducedto respond to gun violence that would haveconfiscated guns or altered the Second Amend-ment.

They were common-sense bills that accord-ing to all public opinion polls I have seen aresupported by more than 80 percent and someby more than 90 percent of the public.

The experience in Virginia can be describedby the same terms of that in North Carolina:contempt for democracy, a travesty of the pro-cess, legislative deceit. You may have seen newsreports that the Republican floor leader in theVirginia House received a $200,000 campaigncontribution from the NRA several weeks later.

Partisan control of the Virginia House andSenate are on the line this Nov. 5 as all 140seats are on the ballot.

There are numerous critically important is-sues on the ballot that it would take severalcolumns to enumerate.

I do want to add one that gets too little dis-cussion and that is legislative reform. Suchreform includes independent drawing of leg-islative district lines, or getting rid of gerry-mandering, that allows the abuses of legisla-tive power in North Carolina and Virginia thatare discussed here. As the Charlotte Observersaid of the situation in North Carolina, “It wasan illegitimate majority acting in an unethicalway.”

What happened in both states demonstratesonce again that the speakership be defined notas the head of the majority party but as animpartial and fair leader. In both instances thespeakers of their respective houses should havestopped these episodes of legislating by skul-duggery.

Legislating by Skulduggery

Commentary

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Great Falls


IN GREAT FALLS

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AUTO• HOME • LIFEFINANCIAL SERVICES

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See Bulletin, Page 15

Submit civic/community announcements atConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos andartwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday at noon, atleast two weeks before event.

THROUGH OCT. 23How to Build a Better Budget. At the McLean

Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave.,McLean. The McLean Community Center (MCC)Governing Board invites residents of SmallDistrict 1A-Dranesville to engage with planningCenter’s fiscal year 2021 budget. All meetings ofthe Governing Board are open to the public. Thepreliminary consolidated budget will be postedon the Center’s website and available at theCenter’s reception desk a week prior to thepublic hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 25. Visitwww.mcleancenter.org/news-items/404-board-holds-meetings-on-fy2021-budget-proposal formore.

❖ The Public Hearing on the FY2021 Budget, willbe held at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25.

❖ Residents may submit written comments throughMonday, Oct. 21 - by mail to McLeanCommunity Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave.,McLean VA 22101; fax 703-653-9435; or emailto [email protected].

❖ The Board will approve the FY2021 budget whenit meets at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23.The final budget will be approved by the FairfaxCounty Board of Supervisors in spring 2020.

THURSDAY/SEPT. 19Adventures in Learning. 10 a.m.-noon at

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax,Program Building, 2709 Hunter Mill Road,Oakton. The Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna (SCOV) presents their Adventures inLearning (AIL) Open House/Registration for thefall 2019 semester. During the AIL Open House(11-11:30 a.m.) honor and share memories oflong-time AIL Chair, Kathy Tugendhat. Lightrefreshments provided courtesy of SCOV. Fallclasses run Thursdays, Sept. 26-Nov. 14. $45tuition covers all AIL classes (students mayattend as many as they wish). Students may

sample one class for free. Visit www.scov.org orcall 703-281-0538.

Students and Volunteers Wanted. 7-8:30 p.m.at St. Mark Christian Formation Center, 9972Vale Road, Vienna. Students and VolunteersNeeded! St. Mark’s Catholic Church English as aSecond Language (ESL) Ministry is seekingstudents and new volunteers to participate intheir upcoming fall 2019 term, Sept. 24-Dec. 5.Call Monica at 703-980-9380, [email protected], or visitwww.stmarkesl.org.

FRIDAY/SEPT. 20Fall Equinox Celebration. 6:30-8 p.m. at Unity

of Fairfax (Meditation Garden), 2854 HunterMill Road, Oakton. Join in prayer to balance andheal oneself and Mother Earth. Participantsprepare with smudging, chanting, drumming,singing, and joining with others in celebration ofharvest. Bring a drum, flute, rattle, a chair ifneeded, and an object to represent what you areharvesting. Meet at the Medicine Wheel, in theMeditation Garden. In case of inclementweather, meet inside Unity. Free. Register atuof-2019-fall-equinox.eventbrite.com/.

MONDAY/SEPT. 23Candidate Forum. 7 p.m. at Fairfax County

Government Center, 12000 Government CenterPkwy, Fairfax. Candidates for Countywideoffices: At Large School Board and Chair of theBoard of Supervisors. These candidate forumsare nonpartisan. The League of Women Votersof the Fairfax Area does not support or opposeany party or candidate and invite all certifiedcandidates in their respective districts. After amoderated discussion, meet the candidates.Volunteers, including students, are welcome.Visit www.lwv-fairfax.org/candidateforum formore.

WEDNESDAY/SEPT. 25Community Conversations. 6:30-8:30 p.m. at

Marshall High School in Tysons/Falls Church.Fairfax County is planning for the next 10-20years in the community and they want to hear

Bulletin Board


By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

Stephanie Pironne says her daughter Lila wasalways a child who was well behaved. Frompreschool through elementary school, she was

described by her teachers as having a kind and cheer-ful nature. When her daughter, now 13 years old andin eighth grade, began middleschool, something changed.

“She now goes from goes fromhappy to grumpy to sad all within15 minutes and with nothingaround her having changed,” saidPironne. “I’m always on edge whenshe comes down for breakfast inthe morning because I never knowwhat I’m going to get. She mightbe yelling at me for something Ididn’t know I’d done, giving me thesilent treatment or happy andchatty or combination of all three.

Such emotional roller coastersare often a part of puberty. Hor-monal changes that happen whenpuberty begins can cause not onlybodily physical changes but moodswings that can feel out of control,say mental health professionals.It’s often difficult for parents andthose close to teens learn to dis-tinguish normal changes in moodfrom a more serious mental healthissue.

“It’s really, really hard to do,because they can present in very much the same way,and aren’t always two distinct categories,” said psy-chologist Stacie Isenberg, Psy.D. “Also, sometimes[puberty-driven mood swings], do get treated withmedication. I’ve had patients who were prescribedbirth control and some who were prescribed antide-pressants.”

The severity of the symptoms, says Carol Barnaby,MSW, LCSW-C can help make the distinction,” saidtherapist Carol Barnaby, MSW, LCSW-C. “Cryingspells or deep sadness for no apparent reason is asign. Displaying a loss of energy or isolating them-selves from others and persistent low self-esteem arealso signals.”

“If your child’s mood seems off with regularity orthey are withdrawing or increasingly irritable, Iwould advise parents to get a professional assess-ment,” added Isenberg. “You can start with you pe-diatrician, and based on their recommendation, youmay want to have your child see a psychologist orpsychiatrist.”

The amount of time the symptoms last could alsobe a clue that professional help isneeded. “Teen depression is nor-mally indicated by a persistentchange in mood that lasts twoweeks or more,” said Barnaby.“The change in mood seems tocause significant distress and prob-lems that show up at home,school, during extra-curricular ac-tivities, and in social areas of life.”

A desire to hurt oneself is an in-dicator of a mental health issuethat is more serious than normalteen mood swings, said Barnaby.

“If your child ever talks aboutself-harm like cutting themselves,refusing to attend school or otheractivities they previously enjoyedthose are sign that you should seekhelp immediately.

If your child talks …or hasthoughts about suicide or notwanting to be around, seek pro-fessional help immediately,” addedIsenberg.

Changing Lives. Saving Lives.“PRS is a non profit providing mental health, cri-

sis intervention and suicide prevention services inNorthern Virginia and Washington, D.C. We seek tochange and save lives in our community by empow-ering hope, safety, recovery, wellness, independenceand community integration.”

PRS CrisisLinkWhen crisis calls, we answer 24/7Call: 800-273-TALK [8255]Text: “CONNECT” to 855-11Lifeline Chat: SuicidePreventionLifeline.org/chat

Normal Adolescent MoodsSwings or Depression?Making a distinction between the two can be difficult.

“She goes from goesfrom happy togrumpy to sad allwithin 15 minutesand with nothingaround her havingchanged. I’m alwayson edge when shecomes down forbreakfast in themorning because Inever know whatI’m going to get.”

— Stephanie Pironne

A leading education journal ranked Virginia’spublic schools as third

in the nation in student achieve-ment based on the performanceof students on national assess-ments in reading and math-ematics, graduation rates andachievement on AdvancedPlacement examinations.

Education Week’s QualityCounts 2019 report awardedthe commonwealth a letter

grade of B- for K-12 achievement.Only Massachusetts, with a B+,and New Jersey, with a B, earnedhigher grades. Superintendent ofPublic Instruction James Lanesaid: “I look forward to visiting asmany schools as I can during thecoming weeks and months andpersonally congratulating teach-ers, principals, administrators andsupport professionals for all theydo as we strive to make thecommonwealth’s schools the best

in the nation.”K-12 achievement comprises

one third of Education Week’sthree-part Quality Counts rat-ing system. Earlier this year, thepublication awarded Virginia aB on its “Chance for SuccessIndex” and a C for school fi-nance. Today’s grade for K-12achievement resulted in Vir-ginia earning an overall gradeof B- from Education Week for2019.

Virginia Schools Rank Third in Nation with B-minus


PlanePull

Children take pleasure in trying to “Dunk a Cop!”

From Page 5

It’s all smiles forthe lead pullers

of team Diplo-matic SecuritySpecial Agents

Association.

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News

Local Langley ninth graders in Girl Scout Troop5420 Grayton Simanson, Amelia Lee,Samantha Brunjes, and Charlotte Carbaugh

established Little Library for Environmental Aware-ness earning their silver award in Girl Scouts.

They chose to create an environmentally themedLittle Library and placed it at 9409 Fair Pine Lane.This location was chosen for easy accessibility to thepublic. Their Little Library was created with recycledplastic milk jugs and contains many environmentthemed books which include handmade bookmarksthat give tips about caring for the environment bothlocally and globally.

The inspiration for this project took an environ-mental turn when this group visited the Difficult RunNature Reserve. There they saw the impact of hu-mans on our nearby environment realizing that withmore awareness, they could have both a positiveimpact on nearby nature and promote awarenesswithin their own community on the little things thatcould be done to help our environment such as:

Ditch plastic bags for canvas totes; REFUSE andturn down what you don’t need; Buy in bulk andskip the packaging; Wrap food in beeswax paper;BYO reusable bottle; Say no to disposable utensils;borrow books from the library or our little library;REPAIR. If it’s broken, fix it;

REUSE. Join swap groups in you area; RECYCLEANYTHING ON: EARTH911.COM

This troop’s Little Library is not complete without

books. This team of girls has donated/collectedbooks, but the motto of the Little Library is ‘Take ABook. Share A Book.’ Feel free to share your booksas well and take some time to learn about saving ourenvironment.

Protecting Environment,One Book at a Time

Troop 5420 earns Silver Award by creatingEnvironmental themed lending library:Langley High ninth graders SamanthaBrunjes, Amelia Lee, Grayton Simansonand Charlotte Carbaugh.

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News

By Mercia Hobson

The Connection

Northern Vir-ginia Com-munity Col-lege student,

Ellah Momand of Alexandriacame to the United Statestwo and a half years ago fromAfghanistan. While currentlypursuing a degree in bio-chemistry with plans to be-come a heart specialist orcardiac surgeon, she is alsotaking care of her family.During a celebratory lun-cheon held Friday, Sept. 13at River Bend Golf and Coun-try Club, Great Falls,Momand and eleven otherwomen had the opportunityto meet and thank membersof Great Falls Friends &Neighbors Scholarship Fundfor 2019 scholarshipsawarded to them totaling$17,500.

“As a student, taking careof family and also pursuingacademic goals, this scholar-ship is really important. Itlessens the financial stressand burden to achieve myeducational goals while liv-ing in this high-cost area,”said Momand.

According to member Erin Labato, GreatFalls Friends & Neighbors Scholarship Fundbenefits women 25 years of age and older,attending higher levels of education at anyphase in their lives and who meet guide-lines.

“For many of these women, they are thefirst in their families to attend college, orthey are working full-time to support a fam-ily [while going to school],” she said.

Formed in 1983 under the umbrella of theGreat Falls Friends and Neighbors club forwomen and supported by its membership,

certain criteria and have 3.0GPA or better. “Each submit-ted an essay, and the boarddetermined the recipientsbased on their essays and(financial) scores providedto us from FAFSA.”

Diana Parkinson ofOakton is Assistant Directorof Donor Relations andStewardship at GMU. Shesaid that her job is to pro-vide reports and scholarshiprecipient information. “I amthe liaison between Office ofStudent Financial Aid, theUniversity Foundation, andGFFNSF,” Parkinson said.“I’ve heard many stories thatregardless of the awardamount, it makes a life-changing difference. Stu-dents tell what a stress re-liever it is and that enablesthem to focus on their stud-ies.”

To donate or for more in-formation about the GreatFalls Friends and NeighborsScholarship Fund, Inc. visit,www.gffnsf.org.

2019 Great Falls Friends and NeighborsScholarship Fund, Inc.Awards:

George Mason University - ($1,500Scholarship; $1,000 to Endowment Recipient)– total = $5,500

Ana Vasquez Veliz, Fairfax County –Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing, sheplans to continue onto a master’s degree pro-gram. As a Latina, Veliz seeks to focus on theLatin community educating them on health-related topics.

Bindu Bista Dhami, Fairfax County -Immigrated from Nepal 3 years ago, she isworking hard to obtain her bachelor’s degree innursing while supporting her family in Nepal.Dhami’s goal is to become a critical care NursePractitioner and provide healthcare to low-in-come people.

Award RecipientsSilvana Perez, Fairfax County - A graduate

student pursuing a master’s degree in education,she is a single mother who plans to work as an El-ementary School teacher in the Fairfax CountySchool system in diverse and low-income areas.

Endowment Recipient – To be decided bythe university.

Northern Virginia Community College –$1,500 Scholarship, 2 from Endowment, Total-$12,000

Ligia Decaro, Fairfax County – From Ven-ezuela and a mom of 2 boys, she has a bachelor’sdegree in computer science and is currently pursu-ing an associate’s degree in accounting.

Rebekah Reaves, Fairfax County – Singlemother of 3 special needs children; she is pursu-ing a degree in interior design.

Melissa Carbajal, Fairfax County - A vet-eran of the United States Marine Corps, she is

currently completing her associate’s degree in busi-ness administration with plans to pursue abachelor’s degree in kinesiology from GMU.

Sothearinh Thach, Fairfax County – Work-ing since she was 14, Thach realized education wasthe key to improving herself and advancing. She ispursuing a degree in information technology.

Dimple Jamine Oliva, Fairfax County –Born and raised in the Philippines, while hermother was hospitalized for cancer, Oliva wasstruck by how compassionate and professional thenurses were, and decided she wanted to be a nurseso she could bring empathy, support, and unpar-alleled health care to the sick. Once she obtains herdegree, she hopes to work as a hospital nurse fulltime.

Ellaha Momand, Alexandria - She came tothis country two and a half years ago from Afghani-stan and is currently pursuing a degree in

biochemistry with plans to become either aheart specialist or cardiac surgeon. Momand re-alizes the huge responsibility doctors have fortheir patients and desires to be someone whocan help others and also someone in whom herpatients can put their trust.

Rebecca Wichmann, Fairfax County –Pursuing a degree in computer science,Wichmann works full time and attends schoolfull time.

Cariza Anna Opana, Fairfax County –Pursuing a degree in liberal arts with the dreamto finish her bachelor’s degree in the UnitedStates, Opana seeks to return to the Philippinesto obtain her master’s degree. After strugglingwith anxiety and depression herself, Opanahopes to raise awareness of mental health inher home country and fight the stigma it hasthere.

Women Helping NOVA Women SucceedGreat Falls Friends and Neighbors Scholarship Fund presents annual scholarships.

From left, Candace Bovee, Lissa Carter, Ellah Momand, Mary Lou Christy, Kathryn Rutkowskiand Christie Lavin at the Great Falls Friends & Neighbors Scholarship Fund’s 2019celebratory luncheon, The group awarded a scholarship to Momand.

Lissa Carter andKathryn Rutkowski

join Mary Lou Christy,President of the Great

Falls Friends andNeighbors Scholarship

Fund, Inc. as shecongratulates 2019

scholarship recipient,Ellah Momand during

a celebratory luncheonheld Friday, Sept. 13.

the scholarship fund became a 501 (c)(3)organization with a separate approvedboard. In 2016, the board established two$25,000 endowments, one at George Ma-son University (GMU) and one at NorthernVirginia Community College to ensure theperpetuity of donated monies. In memoryof former club member Betty Carter, a schol-arship is also awarded each year to a GeorgeMason dance student.

Mary Lou Christy, President of the GreatFalls Friends and Neighbors ScholarshipFund, explained that recipients had to meet

Photos By

Mercia Hobson

The Connection


News

Students of Artstars Studio in GreatFalls recently held piano recitals,where music and space travel werecombined. The theme was “Shoot

for the Stars,” honoring the accomplish-ments of the Apollo 11 astronauts.

The young pianists played pieces withcelestial titles, such as “Lunar Eclipse,”“Hopscotch on Mars,” and “Milky Way.”

Classical selections included Beethoven’s“Moonlight Sonata” and “To the EveningStar” by Wagner.

The musicians also created artwork tocoordinate with the theme. Their art wasdisplayed during their performances.

Throughout the program, students sharedinteresting facts about the Apollo project.For example, Neil Armstrong took frag-ments of the Wright brothers’ plane on thejourney to the moon.

Artstars Studio is located in Great Falls.The instructor is Mary Jane Cogan, whoworked at Buzz Aldrin Elementary School,where she was fortunate to meet the astro-naut. She is the author of “There Once Wasa Cat.” For information about piano classes,contact her at [email protected].

Ainsley W. displayed her moon and played ‘Rockets.’ Lauren L. played ‘To the Evening Star.’

Jenna W.performed‘LunarEclipse.’

Leila H.presented

‘MoonlightWaltz.’

Thiago G. played ‘Stars On aSummer Night.’

‘Shooting for theStars’ in Great Falls

Syrus W. performed ‘Moonlight Sonata.’ Steven W. played ‘Hopscotch On Mars.’Anastasia M. shared the theme from‘Stars Wars.’

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contributed


Submit entertainment announcements atwww.connectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/. Thedeadline is noon on Friday. Photos/artwork encour-aged.

ONGOINGSenior Olympics. The Northern Virginia Senior

Olympics features more than 60 events thatchallenge the mind as well as the body. Newgames this year: jigsaw puzzle and line-dancing.The public is invited, free of charge, to all NVSOevents. The games run through Sept. 28. Visitwww.nvso.us.

Countless Shades of Black. Through Oct. 12,Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at The FrameFactory Gallery, 212 Dominion Road N.E.,Vienna. Countless Shades of Black features localartist Alfredo Milian and Discovery Graphics.Free. Visit www.theframefactory1.com for aslideshow.

Pop-Up Scream Selfie Museum. Through Nov.3, on select dates and times at Tysons CornerCenter, Lower Level near Lord & Taylor. TheAmerican Scream Selfie Museum will featureinteractive exhibits that will make visitors laughand scream and the star of eye-popping selfies.The museum will feature an array of custom-built Halloween themed sets individuals caninteract with: sit on the Iron Throne and rule theSeven Kingdoms, stand in an ancient Egyptiantomb and face the Mummy; visit a gruesomemorgue; and more.$15-$18. Visitwww.american-scream.com for timed tickets

Oak Marr Farmers’ Market. 8 a.m.-noon atOak Marr RECenter, 3200 Jermantown Road,Oakton. Every Wednesday through Nov. 13, rainor shine. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/farmersmarkets/oak-marr for more.

McLean Farmers Market. Fridays, through Nov.15, 8 a.m.-noon at Lewinsville Park, 1659 ChainBridge Road, McLean. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/farmersmarkets/mclean.

Great Falls Farmers Market. Year-round,Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 778 Walker Road,Great Falls. [email protected]

Oakton Farmers Market. Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1p.m. at Unity of Fairfax Church, 2854 HunterMill Road, Oakton. Year-round weekly farmersmarket in Oakton. community-foodworks.org.

Mah Jongg Cards. Order cards through Jan. 15,2020, from Temple Rodef Shalom, 2100Westmoreland St. 2020 Mah Jongg cards are $8for small cards and $9 for large cards. Officialcards and will be sent directly from the NationalMah Jongg League in late March/early April2020. Go to bit.ly/mahjonggcards2020 or [email protected] to order.

FRIDAY/SEPT. 20Application Deadline: Vienna Halloween

Parade. The 2019 Vienna Halloween Paradetheme is “Famous Children’s Books and FairyTales Brought to Life.” To apply as a paradeentrant, submit a completed registration form,narrative, waiver, and float policy form with adetailed sketch and description. Forms atviennava.gov/halloween.

Batty Myth-Busting. 7-8:30 p.m. at Lake FairfaxPark, 1400 Lake Fairfax Drive, Reston. Separatefact from fiction with the “Let’s Get Batty”program at Lake Fairfax Park. Park staff willdebunk some common myths about our friendlybat neighbors and provide information about adeadly fungus that is threatening theirpopulation. The program also includes a shortnaturalist-led hike. Designed for participants age7-adult. $7 per person. Call 703-471-5414 orvisit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/lake-fairfax.

Young Adult Game Night. 7:30-9:30 p.m. atLewinsville Presbyterian Church, 1724 ChainBridge Road, McLean. The Young Adult Ministrywill be hosting its first Game Night of theprogram year. All young adults are invited togather in the chapel for some games, snacks,and fellowship. Bring friends and games you areinterested in playing. Newcomers welcome.Free. Visit www.lewinsville.org/events/young-adult-game-night/ or call 703-356-7200.

SATURDAY/SEPT. 21Annual Walk for Mental Health. 9 a.m. check

in; walk starts at 10 a.m. Tysons Corner Centeron the Plaza 1961 Chain Bridge Road, Tysons. Inaddition to live music, face painting, interactivemusic and art stations and information booths,participants will be celebrating hope and raisingmental health awareness. Visit www.nami-northernvirginia.org/ to register.

Global Hunger Banquet. 6 p.m. at Church ofthe Holy Comforter, 543 Beulah Road NE,

Vienna. An intergenerational education eventand meal, illustrating the global division of foodportions and supplementing the Vienna CROPWalk. Free tickets at www.eventbrite.com –enter “hunger banquet” in the events button.Free, but there will be an opportunity to donateto the CROP Walk at the event.

SUNDAY/SEPT. 22Nature Nook-Turtles. 10-11 a.m. at Clemyjontri

Park, 6317 Georgetown Pike, McLean. Join anaturalist to learn about the region’s nativeturtles. In this program for children ages 3-5,participants will take a short park hike, meet alive turtle and make a turtle craft. $9 per child.Call 703-388-2807 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/clemyjontri.

Gyotaku at Lake Fairfax. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at LakeFairfax Park, 1400 Lake Fairfax Drive, Reston.Get in the swim about “Gyotaku,” the ancientJapanese custom of fish printing, with aprogram at Lake Fairfax Park. Learn about thefish living in Lake Fairfax and give Gyotaku a tryby on a T-shirt or fabric bag that you can takehome. Designed for participants age 5-adult. $9per person. Call 703-471-5414 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/lake-fairfax.

Cider Fresh from the Press. Noon-3 p.m. at

Colvin Run Mill, 10017 Colvin Run Road, GreatFalls. Learn about the distilling process, howciders are made, and why these activities aremill-related. Watch the cider press in action andsee how a still operates. This will be a water-only operation, no alcohol is involved. visitorscan enjoy samples of non-alcoholic apple cider.$5 per person. Designed for participants age 3-adult. Call 703-759-2771 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/colvin-run-mill.

“Broadway Princess Party.” 3 p.m. at TheAlden, McLean Community Center, 1234Ingleside Ave., McLean. Brush off that tiara forthis concert direct from NYC, featuring Tony-nominee Susan Egan (Broadway’s original Bellein “Beauty and the Beast,” voice of Meg in themovie “Hercules”), Grammy-nominee CourtneyReed (original Jasmine in Disney’s “Aladdin” onBroadway) and Christy Altomare (Anastasia in“Anastasia” on Broadway) singing every princesssong in the book, sharing hilarious and heartfeltstories of their royal antics backstage, on stageand beyond. $50; $45 students and seniors; $35MCC tax district residents. Visitwww.mcleancenter.org or call 703-790-9223.

Performance: Amadeus Orchestra. 4 p.m. atSaint Luke Catholic Church, 7001 GeorgetownPike, McLean. Mendelssohn’s powerful and

rarely-heard Overture in C (“Trumpet”), op.101, raises the curtain on a new season. FourAmadeus veterans (oboist Wesley Nichols,clarinetist Anne Ament, bassoonist EricDircksen, and hornist Karin Berkley) step to thefront with Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante. Andhear a foreshadowing of Beethoven’s 250thanniversary year with his Eroica Symphony. Apre-concert lecture by Music Director A. ScottWood will begin at 3:15 p.m. and a receptionwill follow the concert. $40 at the door orwww.amadeusconcerts.com. Students 17 andunder and active military are admitted freecharge.

Deeper than Skin. 7-9 p.m. at Unity of Fairfax,2854 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton. A musicalexploration of race: “Deeper Than the Skin” isan experience of singing and listening, ofexperiencing a connection so deep that it makesyou laugh, smile, cry, and reconsider what youknow about our history. $25. [email protected] or visitdeeperthantheskin.eventbrite.com/.

MONDAY/SEPT. 23The Ayr Hill Garden Club Monthly

Gathering. 12:45 p.m. at the EmmanuelLutheran Church, 2589 Chain Bridge Road,Vienna.

The meeting features Erica Carter, Fairfax CountyRecycling Coordinator. There is a lot of talkabout recycling these days – what can berecycled? Where does it go? Is China stillbuying? What can one do to minimize theamount of waste created? Free and open to thepublic. Email [email protected].

WEDNESDAY/SEPT. 25Foreign-Language Film. 1 p.m. At The Alden,

1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean. Free admission.Come enjoy foreign films selected by The Aldenstaff. All movies are shown in the originallanguage with English subtitles. Foreign-language films will be shown at 1 p.m. on the4th Wednesday of the month through May.These movies are chosen for adult audiencesand may contain mature content, language andthemes. Free admission. Visitwww.mcleancenter.org.

NOVA ScratchEd Meetup. 4:45-7:45 p.m. atThinkabit Lab, 7054 Haycock Road, FallsChurch. In the first NOVA ScratchEd Meetupever, educators will have the opportunity tomake, learn, share, and connect with othersaround the topic of creative computing. Free.Refreshments will be served. [email protected] or visitwww.meetup.com/ScratchEd-NorthernVA/events/263667456/.

Holy Happy Hour. 6:15-7:15 p.m. at LewinsvillePresbyterian Church, 1724 Chain Bridge Road,McLean. An “Autumn Leaves” Jazz themedprogram will feature Christopher Ziemba andLena Seikaly, performing a piano and voiceduet. The short concert begins at 6:15, followedby wine and cheese in Fellowship Hall. Free andopen to the public. Visit www.lewinsville.org/events/holy-happy-hour/

FRIDAY/SEPT. 2720th Anniversary Celebration. 4-8 p.m. at

Club Phoenix Teen Center, 120 Cherry St. SE,Vienna. Vienna’s rallying point for afterschoolgames, food, and good company will celebrateits 20th year with music, games, inflatables,food trucks, and special guest appearances. Freeand open to the public. Club Phoenix is openMonday-Thursday, 2:30-6:30 p.m. and Fridays,2:30-10 p.m. Visit www.viennava.gov/index.aspx?NID=80 or call 703-255-5736.

All That Jazz Dinner. 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Sunriseof McLean, 8315 Turning Leaf Lane, McLean.Food, fun, raffle ticket and All That Jazz.Proceeds of the dinner will be donated to theAlzheimer’s Association. Dinner: $25, adults;$15, children 12 and under. RSVP byWednesday, Sept. 24 [email protected] or703-734-1600.

After 7 Dance Party. 7-10 p.m. at The OldFirehouse, 1440 Chain Bridge Road, McLean.For 7th-10th Graders. The Old Firehousepresents After 7, a can’t-miss party that includesraffles, tournaments, catered food and drinks.With hip-hop, Top 40 and dance hall tracks plusrequests. $5 admission. Preregistration isrecommended. Visit www.mcleancenter.org orcall 703-448-8336.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/SEPT. 27-29ValeArts “Colorful Journeys.” Friday, 10 a.m.-

9 p.m. (reception, 7-9 p.m.); Saturday-Sunday,10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Historic Vale Schoolhouse,3124 Fox Mill Road, Oakton. 27th ValeArts FallShow will feature more than 150 original worksby nine local artists in various media, styles, andsizes. Free admission. Visit www.valearts.com orcall 703-860-1888.

Calendar

Opening day of ValeArts Fall Show

ValeArts “Colorful JourneysThe 27th ValeArts Fall Show will feature more than 150 original works by nine local artists in vari-

ous media, styles, and sizes. Three days fine art exhibition, a family friendly neighborhood event. Friday,Sept. 27, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (reception, 7-9 p.m.); Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 28-29, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at His-toric Vale Schoolhouse, 3124 Fox Mill Road, Oakton. Free admission. Visit www.valearts.com or call703-860-1888.

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Northern VirginiaSenior Olympics

The Northern Virginia SeniorOlympics features more than 60events that challenge the mind aswell as the body. New games thisyear: jigsaw puzzle and line-dancing.The games run through Sept. 28. Thegames will be hosted at more than 25venues, many of which are located inand around Fairfax and Arlingtoncounties and the City of Alexandria.There will be no on-site registrationfor competitors. Spectators are wel-come at all events and admission isfree. For event details, go towww.nvso.us, call 703-228-4721 oremail [email protected].

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News

On Tuesday, Oct.1, at

6:30 p.m., best-sell-ing author andlong-time GreatFalls resident L.M.Elliott will visit Sun-rise Senior Living inReston to discussher work and cel-ebrate her newestbook, “Hamiltonand Peggy: A Revo-lutionary Friend-ship,” a biographi-cal novel on theyoungest of thefamed Schuyler Sister trio that’s already receivingnational awards and favorable reviews from readersand fans of the smash Broadway musical sensation“Hamilton.”

Elliott, a Washington-based journalist for almost20 years before becoming a New York Times best-selling novelist of historical fiction,has written nine novels, five picturebooks, and an adult nonfictionbook, all published byHarperCollins or Hyperion, includ-ing her recent novels “Suspect Red,”a McCarthy-era story of two teen-age boys swept up in the Red Scare’snational paranoia, and “DaVinci’sTiger,” a bio-pic style novel aboutGinevra de’Benci, the muse ofLeonardo da Vinci whose portraithangs in the National Gallery of Art.

“This forum is perfect for me because it allows meto not just talk about my work but to engage in ac-

tive, thoughtful dis-cussion with thecommunity aboutthe messages andthemes my booksare trying to convey— and about myoverall writing pro-cess,” says Elliott.

Part of an ongoingcommunity forumcalled “CreativeC o n v e r s a t i o n s ”hosted by SunriseLiving in Reston fea-turing authors, jour-nalists and highlyvisible members ofthe artistic commu-nity, Elliott’s appear-ance will be one ofmany to occurthrough the remain-

der of the year and into 2020 at the Reston facility.“We want to open our embrace

and invite people from all agegroups in,” says Kristin Clark Tay-lor, who designed and facilitates theprogram. “By creating and sustain-ing this kind of healthy, creative dia-logue, everyone wins,” she says.

Elliott will discuss, read from, andautograph her books, which will beavailable for sale. A dessert recep-tion with the author will follow.

A maximum capacity crowd is ex-pected, so early arrival (6:15 p.m.)

is recommended. The event is free and open to thepublic. For more information, contact 703-956-8930.

Best-selling Author L.M. ElliottTo Visit Sunrise Senior Living

L.M. Elliott L.M. Elliott willcelebrate her newestbook, “Hamilton andPeggy: A Revolution-ary Friendship.”

Great Falls CitizensAssociation to HostSchool BoardCandidates Debate

Great Falls Citizens Association (GFCA) is host-ing a Town Hall Debate with Fairfax County Pub-lic Schools Board candidates on Wednesday, Sept.25 to provide an open forum for residents andcandidates. It will be held at Forestville Elemen-tary School, 1085 Utterback Store Road in GreatFalls, from 7:30 until 10 p.m. Participants will bethe three candidates for Dranesville District rep-resentative on the FCSP Board and candidates forthe three At-Large seats. Candidates will delivershort opening and closing statements and will thentake questions collected from the audience by themoderator. The public is invited, but seating is lim-ited so residents should come early to ensure theyget a seat. For more information, visit http://www.gfca.org.

Special Great FallsCommunity Concerton Sept. 28

On Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. a communityconcert will be held with local musicians as afundraising event for the Shepherd’s Center ofGreat Falls, a nonprofit, all-volunteer organiza-tion addressing the transportation needs of oursenior citizens aging in their own homes. Theconcert is free, but donations to the Shepherd’sCenter will be welcomed.

It will be held at the Smith Chapel Green andoutdoor Gazebo (yes, Great Falls has two beauti-ful gazebos) at 11321 Beach Mill Road in GreatFalls.

Families and children welcome; bring a lawnchair or blanket to sit outdoors and enjoy themusic and beauty of an ancient oak grove. Formore information, visit http://www.smithchapelumc.com and http://www.theSCGF.org.

Week in Great Falls

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“By creating andsustaining thiskind of healthy,creative dialogue,everyone wins.”

– Kristin Clark Taylor


News

Runners pass a United 787 Dreamliner parked on the runway.

RunningOn RunwayT

he 7th annual Dulles Day5k/10k on the Runwaytook place on Sept. 14.

The races were held on a closedrunway at Dulles Airport, givingrunners a flat course which madefor fast races. All proceeds raisedfrom the races benefit SpecialOlympics Virginia, the Committeefor Dulles Community Outreach,and the Washington Airports TaskForce.

Jack Potter, CEO of theMetropolitan Washington

Airports Authority, and10k finisher, Rajesh

Reddy from Chantilly.

Solomon Haile from McLean finishedseventh among male 10k runners with atime of 36:03.

From left, Mahshid Alizadeh #3384 fromOakton, Jessica Paul #3740 from Vienna,and Beverly Marsters #3839 from Fairfaxrun the Dulles 10k together on Sept. 14.

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Bulletin

from everyone. Share thoughts, insights, opinionsand experiences that will be used to help furthershape a countywide strategic plan. Register viawww.fairfaxcounty.gov/strategic-plan-community-conversations. Arrangements forchild care, transportation assistance,interpretation services and reasonable ADAaccommodations can be made by calling 703-324-5302, TTY 711, or by [email protected].

SATURDAY/SEPT. 28Community Shredding Day. 9 a.m.-noon in the

Parking lot between Patrick Henry Library andWhole Foods, 133 Maple Ave East, Vienna. Gainpeace of mind by bringing outdated documentsto an on-site shredding service provided byTrueShred. Enjoy snacks and visit withAmeriprise advisors and staff who will also becollecting non-perishable items for donation toFood for Others. Free and open to the public.Email [email protected] or visitwww.ameripriseadvisors.com/matthew.t.felber/events for more.

SUNDAY/SEPT. 29Parish Picnic, Blessing of the Backpacks,

and Ministry Fair. After the 10 a.m. serviceat Church of the Holy Comforter, 543 BeulahRoad, NE, Vienna. Enjoy grilled hot dogs andhamburgers, old-fashioned games, music, abounce house, and fun activities for all ages.Bring backpacks, bags, briefcases, or whatever isused to carry school or work items (or no bagneeded). All are welcome. More atwww.holycomforter.com.

MONDAY & WEDNESDAY/SEPT. 30-OCT. 23Community Emergency Response Team

Training. 7-11 p.m. at at the Fire and RescueAcademy, 4600 West Ox Road, Fairfax. TheCommunity Emergency Response Team (CERT)Program trains county residents in basic disasterresponse skills, such as fire safety, light searchand rescue, team organization, and disastermedical operations. Using the training learnedin the classroom and during exercises, CERTmembers can assist others in their neighborhoodor workplace following an event whenprofessional responders are not immediatelyavailable to help. Emphasis on hands-on skilldevelopment and Fairfax County protocols andprocedures. Instructor will provide syllabus withclass schedule at first session. This training doesnot require any special physical strength oragility. Visit volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/custom/1380/#/opp_details/184991 to register.

TUESDAY/OCT. 1Entrepreneurship 101. 8-10:30 a.m. in the First

Floor Conference Center at 8300 BooneBoulevard, Tysons. Starting a Business in FairfaxCounty – the workshop provides an overview ofstart-up basics (licenses and permits), workforceservices and training programs, and SBAresources including financing and certificationprograms. Free. Registration required atwww.vahcc.com/events.

SATURDAY/OCT. 5Mental Health and Wellness Conference. 8

a.m.-4 p.m. at Fairfax High School. The morningwill focus on social and emotional learning, witha keynote address given by Dr. Marc Brackett,founding director of the Yale Center forEmotional Intelligence. A special session forhigh school students, the Our Minds MatterTeen Summit, will take place in the morning aswell. Attendees are encouraged to stay forInova’s Act on Addiction Summit, which will beheld from 12:30-4 p.m. Breakout sessions,exhibit tables, and resources will be available toall attendees throughout the day. Lunch will beprovided. Visit www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/mental-health-and-resiliency/mental-health-and-wellness toregister.

Fall Festival. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at The Church of theGood Shepherd (United Methodist), 2351Hunter Mill Road, Vienna. The second “FallFestival: Where Fun and Kindness Connect!”includes a food packing event, as well as a blooddrive, children’s program, moon bounce, first-ever animal blessing (noon) and food andrefreshments. Free, though canned fooddonations accepted. A Pet Blessing, a first-timeevent for the church, will take place at noon tocelebrate the feast day of St. Francis.Visitwww.GoodShepherdVA.com or call 703-281-3987.

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

More like in my wallet. After worrying for the past 18 months about possibly losing my health insurance, I

-

sure about, but at present, I can live with the coverage that I know I have now because the worst case scenari-

protecting against worst case scenarios was always my main concern.

-ing, I am effervescent nonetheless at my arrival.

-

never having seen Joni Mitchell in concert (although I

her songs have spoken to me.-

-

range.

I have stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer, an incur-

No more will I have to worry about who, what

feeling.

into remission. Moreover, my not worrying about having health

The biggest effect will be on me, emotionally.

Medicare Is

In The House

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