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TextBraddock District Community Corner
Supervisor Cook in the Community
On July 3rd, Supervisor Cook was proud to participate in the Fairfax celebration of America’s Independence. The day began with him riding through the streets of Fairfax in the annual parade. Later that evening, the Supervisor, along with his family, enjoyed a concert by the City of Fairfax Band and fireworks at Fairfax High School.
On July 4th, Supervisor Cook took part in the Kings Park Independence Day Celebration. This event included a parade through the streets of Kings Park as well as a concert by the Kings Park Band. In between these two events, the Supervisor was pleased to help dedicate the wonderful new playground equipment in the park.
On July 7th and 21st, Supervisor Cook took part in two separate “Meet the Management” events at the Burke Centre and Rolling Road VRE stations. These gave riders a chance to talk with the VRE leaders about how their commute was and to ask questions about how it might be made even better. Supervisor Cook is a member of the VRE Operations Board.
On July 22nd, Supervisor Cook was a guest at the “Lunch n’ Life” series at Burke Presbyterian Church. The guest speakers were the VA Task Force team that went to Haiti and assisted with the after effects of the earthquake that occurred earlier this year.
As pictured above, Supervisor Cook joins Senator Dick Saslaw, School Board Representative Tessie Wilson, Park Authority Board Member Winnie Shapiro, KPCA President Kayleen Fitzgerald at the dedication ceremony of the King’s Park Park playground.
Save the Date: Braddock Packing Day, October 23rd
Today, our Military personnel are deployed throughout the world
providing critical support and security to our Nation. They need to know
they have the support of their Families and Community at home. As a small
token of our appreciation, Supervisor Cook is asking that folks from all
over Fairfax County consider joining him in an ongoing project called
Challenge America 2010, supported by America’s Adopt A Soldier.
In conjunction with VolunteerFest, we are asking members of the
community to come together on Saturday, October 23rd at Lake Braddock
Secondary School to help us achieve our goal of packing and shipping 1000
boxes to service members abroad.
We can make this happen if we all dedicate ourselves to raising
awareness for this event and encouraging each other to get involved.
Individually, you can help by:
1.Giving a few hours of
your time on Saturday, October 23rd at Lake Braddock Secondary School to
address and pack “Care Packages” for our service members. If you would
like to volunteer your time and help us out at this event please contact
Lindsey Smith of our office at 703-425-9300.
2.Donating items. A list
of suggested items includes: Socks, DVDs, CDs/CD players, Liquid body
soap, Toiletries (tooth brushes, toothpaste), Snacks (Hard candy,
crackers), Handheld Games, Coffee, Gatorade, Sun Block, Paper, pens,
pencils, envelopes, batteries, foot powder and many others. These items
can be dropped off at a number of locations as of yet to be determined,
but to begin, my office will serve as the first drop-off location and is
ready to accept donated items.
3.Donating funds. The
cost to mail a box is $10.70 and the cost of the contents of one box is
approximately $20.00. You can make your check payable to America’s Adopt
A Soldier and they can be mailed to America’s Adopt A Soldier at P.O. Box
1049, Springfield VA 22151.
Save the Date: Oak Hill Open House, Saturday October 16
This years program runs from Noon until 5 P.M., with the opening
ceremony scheduled for 12:30 P.M. Featured speakers will include Maddy
McCoy, John Browne and Dennis Howard.
Together, McCoy and Browne will present what is known of a now-lost
African American community that developed in the late 1800s on former Oak
Hill land on Braddock Road. Springfield resident and author, Dennis
Howard recounts his family’s passage from slavery in Culpeper, Virginia,
to becoming land owners and proprietors of a blacksmith shop on Little
River Turnpike, to their contributions in developing our community.
Ideas to Help Build A Strong Community
Let’s keep the Braddock District Community Engagement Initiative going strong! Consider implementing one or more of these ideas to help build better connections between neighbors in your community.
•Conduct a membership drive for your Homeowners Association or
Civic
Association to engage those who have not traditionally participated
•Organize an annual social gathering to welcome new neighbors
•Organize a community blood drive to benefit your local hospital
•Coordinate a volunteer drive to benefit a local mentoring organization
•Organize a food drive to benefit a local food bank
•Form a neighborhood watch group
•Volunteer and/or donate at a local homeless shelter
•Create a ‘check on your neighbors’ campaign. Organize a group of people who will periodically check on those who may be vulnerable and need assistance
•Organize a group to volunteer to deliver Meals-on-Wheels in your neighborhood
•Volunteer at your local neighborhood school
•Volunteer/Adopt a local fire station or police station
•Conduct a fundraiser or book drive for your local library
•Volunteer or have the community adopt a Senior Center or a Senior Assisted Living Center
Braddock Neighborhood News: Improving the Quality of Care for Loved Ones with Long-Term Needs
On this month’s edition of BNN, Supervisor Cook invited Donna Goldbranson from Specially Adapted Resource Clubs (SPARC) and Karen Brown from Brain Injury Services, Inc. to discuss how each of us can assist in improving the standards and availability of care for loved ones and neighbors with long-term needs.
On the program, Donna Goldbranson shares with viewers how SPARC provides
independent living skills training and community involvement and
vocational opportunities for people with life-long disabilities. Karen
Brown shares with viewers how Brain Injury Services provides case
management, independent living skills training, care and social skills
training to those living with the challenges of brain injury.
While our government provides some forms of support, many of those in
need of long-term care are served by local non-profit organizations and
neighbors willing to offer a helping hand. Each local resident willing to
assist local non-profits such as Brain Injury Services and SPARC can make
a difference in the lives of our neighbors in need and they are always in
need of more.
If you are interested in learning about the work that these non-profits
do in our community, please tune in to BNN on Fridays and Sundays at 5
p.m. or Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on Channel 16. You can also watch online at
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/cable/channel16/asx/supervisor_cook.asx.
To help our neighbors in need, you can contact SPARC at 703-338-6185 or
at www.sparcontheweb.org or Brain Injury Services at 703-451-8881 or at
www.braininjurysvcs.org.
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