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TextBraddock District Community Corner
Braddock Nights at Ossian Hall Wins National Award
The National Association of Counties (NACo) Arts and Culture Commission
recently named Fairfax County as the recipient of its 2010 Arts and
Culture Award for the Braddock Nights series at Ossian Hall. Entitled
“Explore the World in Your Community,” the series at Ossian Hall, which
featured a variety of performances by cultural groups, was awarded as
part of a program to recognize counties that utilize the arts and
cultural activities to address quality of life and societal problems in
their neighborhoods.
Set in Fairfax County’s highly diverse Annandale neighborhoods, the
“Explore the World in Your Community” Braddock Nights series at Ossian
Hall relied on partnerships and community resources to plan, fund and
present summer festivals, each with a different ethnic theme, featuring
music, dance, traditional crafts and native foods. The international
performance series used arts and culture to address two problems facing
the neighborhood: how to turn a potential gang hotspot into a community
asset and how to engender a sense of park ownership in residents from
other countries who are new to Fairfax County.
The success of the “Explore the World in Your Community” series was due
to a partnership between the Park Authority, business leaders who funded
the program, and Superivsors Bulova and Cook, who raised the private
funding, and with the help of volunteers staffed the events.
Supervisor Cook in the Community
On June 4th, Supervisor Cook attended the 40th Anniversary Celebration at Laurel Ridge Elementary School. Also present for this historic event were past principals, faculty and alumni.
Later that evening, Supervisor Cook helped kick-off the 2010 season of Braddock Nights at Lake Accotink and Royal Lake Parks. This is going to be a great season of fantastic music, so please check the schedule and come on out.
On June 7th, Supervisor Cook was honored to attend the 2010 Lord and Lady Fairfax Recognition Ceremony and Reception. This year, the Braddock District Honorees were Shirley and Sam DiBartolo, who have been longtime champions of the Braddock District.
On June 8th, Supervisor Cook attended the monthly Braddock District Council Meeting here at Braddock Hall. Look for an article here in the Beacon about the BDC’s Best of Braddock recipients.
On June 10th, Supervisor Cook took a tour of the new Finance Park
complex on the campus of Frost-Woodson. This center is sponsored by
Junior Achievement of the National Capital Region and is also supported
by Fairfax County Public Schools as well as the local business community.
Every eighth grader in the County will take a six week course in
financial literacy that will culminate in a full day immersion program at
the Park. It’s scheduled to be up and running by the start of school in
the Fall.
Later that evening, Supervisor Cook, along with Supervisor Pat Herrity
of the Springfield District, co-hosted a Town Hall meeting on Internet
Safety. Look for a more in-depth article in this issue of the Beacon.
On June 15th, Supervisor Cook attended the Annual Meeting and Luncheon of the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce. Later that evening he hosted a meeting with citizens concerning the possible development of a 3.4 acre section of land along Burke Lake Road near Bryce Estates. There will be another community meeting forthcoming and if you wish, the application can be viewed in the Braddock District office.
On June 17th, Supervisor Cook was pleased to attend graduation ceremonies for Woodson High School and Robinson Secondary School. On the 22nd he attended the Lake Braddock Secondary School Graduation. It’s always an honor to be present when these fine young men and women move on to the next stage of their lives.
On June 23rd, Supervisor Cook hosted an alumni event for all of the participants from the recent Leadership Institute and Neighborhood College programs. It was a spirited evening as Supervisor Cook charged each individual to go forward and continue to practice what they learned so that our Braddock communities become more engaged in civic engagement.
Board of Supervisors Proclaims June 25, 2010 Korean War Remembrance Day in Fairfax County
June 25, 2010 marked the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean
War. This conflict brought together the efforts of sixteen nations and
featured the first use of United Nations troops and a fully integrated
U.S. armed forces. 54,200 Americans lost their lives and another 100,000
were injured in Korea during the 3 years of bitter warfare that ended on
July 27, 1953.
Sandwiched between the national unity of World War II and the national
discord of the Vietnam War, however, Korea has largely faded from the
public consciousness, rendering it the “Forgotten War.”
But neither the sacrifices made nor the hardships faced by those who
served should ever be forgotten. To recognize Fairfax County’s Korean War
Veterans and to honor their service, at Supervisor Cook’s motion, the
Board proclaimed June 25, 2010 Korean War Remembrance Day in Fairfax
County.
During a ceremony marking this occasion at the Board’s formal meeting on
Tuesday June 22, Veterans of the Korean War were invited to appear before
the Board and were recognized for their tremendous service to our
country.
A special thank you goes out to Korean War Veteran and Kings Park
resident Jim Starrs for bringing this fantastic idea to Supervisor Cook’s
attention.
Celebrating Laurel Ridge Elementary School’s 40 years in the Community
To be recognized for their ceaseless dedication to our children,
Supervisor Cook asked his colleagues to invite representatvies from
Laurel Ridge Elementary School to come before the Board of Supervisors on
June 22, 2010.
For 40 years now, Laurel Ridge has been serving the Kings Park West
community, preparing youth for future success in life and acting as a
model for excellence in the Fairfax County Public School system.It truly
is one of Braddock’s great treasures.
Help Us Recognize the Best of Braddock Award Winners - Come on Out to the Annual Braddock Picnic
It’s time again for the Annual Braddock Picnic and the awarding of the
one and only BOB Awards! Sponsored by the Braddock District Council (BDC)
and Supervisor Cook, the picnic will be held Tuesday, July 13th from 6-8
p.m. at Braddock Hall in the Kings Park Library, 9002 Burke Lake
Road.
Please come join us to celebrate those in our community who work so hard
to make the Braddock District a better place to live. As a community
service, the BDC will be collecting non-perishable food items for the
Annandale Neighborhood Food Site. Please bring along an item to share
with those in need.
The Best of Braddock Awards for 2010 go to:
Citizen of the Year - Duane Murphy
Club or Organization Making a Difference - Burke/West Springfield Senior Center Without Walls
Most Can-Do Public Employees - Local: Neighborhood College Team for the 2010 Sessions, Federal: Mike McMahon, National Park Service
Young Person of the Year - Kelsey Rose, West Springfield High School and Melissa Sbrocco, Robinson Secondary School
Special Achievement Award - Tommy Salvi, Canterbury Woods Elementary School
Outstanding Business Persons - Jules and Nicky Verster, previous owners Great Harvest Bread
Neighborhood Enhancement or Beutification, Homeowner - Fernando Restropo, Wakefield Chapel Road
Neighborhood Enhancement or Beutifcation, Civic Association - Mike Walsh, Woodwalk HOA Landscaping Committee Chair
Congratulations to you all!
Braddock Neighborhood News: How to Prepare Yourself and Your Community for an Emergency
On this month’s edition of BNN, Supervisor Cook invited Dave McKernan,
Director of the Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management, and Jeanne
Sanders, Executive Director of Volunteer Fairfax, to discuss emergency
management planning in Fairfax County and how we can each plan to protect
ourselves as well as our families and neighbors in the event of a
potential emergency.
Events from the past decade, the 9/11 attacks, hurricanes and the impact
of heavy snowfalls, have heightened awareness by Fairfax County residents
to the importance of planning ahead for potential emergencies. While our
government can play a vital role in preparing the community for
emergencies and assisting those in need, many emergencies can overwhelm
the capabilities of our government.
When an unforeseen emergency strikes, our own preparation is vitally
important. We are better able to protect ourselves, our families and our
neighbors when we know what to do, where to go and how to help.
To learn more, please tune in to BNN on Fridays and Sundays at 5 p.m.
and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on Channel 16. You can also watch a streaming
video of the show by visiting
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/cable/channel16/asx/supervisor_cook.asx.
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