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TextPresentations to Residents
Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
Contact: Merni Fitzgerald, Director of Public Affairs
703-324-3187, TTY 711, Fax 703-324-2010
Media Pager: 703-324-NEWS (6397)
publicaffairs@fairfaxcounty.gov
April 6, 2007
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to Recognize Residents and Staff, Issue Proclamations, and Adopt Resolutions
Note to editor: A downloadable photo and synopsis of each presentation will be posted on the county’s Web site at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/opa/presentations.htm on Monday, April 9. These photos will remain on the Web site until the next board meeting with presentations on Monday, April 23.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, at its meeting on Monday, April 9, scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., will recognize residents and staff, and issue the following proclamations. For more information, call 703-324-3187, TTY 711.
Fairfax Pets On Wheels Celebrates 20 Years
The Board of Supervisors will designate April as Fairfax Pets On
Wheels Month in Fairfax County. Fairfax Pets on Wheels, under sponsorship
of the Department of Family Services Fairfax Area Agency on Aging, in
cooperation with the Northern Virginia Veterinary Medical Association,
nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Fairfax County, provides
pet therapy services to older adults. Begun 20 years ago, the
all-volunteer program has grown from 20 volunteers and their pets to more
than 300 volunteers and their pets. Volunteers donate more than 8,000
hours of pet visitation annually.
The 1st of the First Responders
The Board of Supervisors will designate April 8-14 as Public Safety
Telecommunications Week in Fairfax County. The Fairfax County Department
of Public Safety Communications — the “1st of the First Responders” — is
the critical link that provides the county and neighboring jurisdictions
with technical and operation excellence in processing and dispatching
public safety resources. The Fairfax County 9-1-1 Center is one of the
few centers of its kind in Virginia that is accredited by the
Commonwealth of Virginia to provide Emergency Medical Dispatch and
Pre-Arrival Instruction to assist in medical emergencies prior to the
arrival of public safety personnel. Department of Public Safety
Communications personnel were recently recognized by the E9-1-1 Institute
with the national 2007 Call Taker/Dispatcher of the Year Award.
Mike Kane to Be Recognized for 30 Years of Service
The Board of Supervisors will recognize Mike Kane for 30 years of
service to Fairfax County. Kane retires as the director of the Fairfax
County Park Authority after three decades of initiatives and
accomplishments. When asked in a recent interview with The Washington
Post what he would like to do over again, he responded, “I’d like to do
all of it over again because it has been so much fun and so rewarding!”
One Donor Can Save Several Lives
The Board of Supervisors will designate April as Donate Life Month
in Fairfax County. More than 94,000 people in the United States are
currently on a waiting list to receive an organ transplant. Of these, 470
are transplant candidates in the Fairfax County service area. The online
organ donor registry for Virginia is www.save7lives.org. County residents
are urged to consider giving a gift of life by becoming an organ and
tissue donor.
Fair Housing Month Promotes Equal Housing Opportunity
The Board of Supervisors will designate April as Fair Housing Month
in Fairfax County. Members of the Board of Supervisors, the Human Rights
Commission, Fairfax County agencies, housing industry members, cultural
groups, community associations and nonprofit service organizations have
worked to expand equal housing opportunities in Fairfax County. Equal
housing opportunity enhances the quality of life for the entire Fairfax
community and espouses the highest ideals of diversity, community and
freedom.
Affordable Housing Week Is April 21-28
The Board of Supervisors will designate April 21-28 as Affordable
Housing Week in Fairfax County. Affordable housing is an essential
element of healthy communities and strengthens economic development and
the social fabric.
Community Development Week Proclaimed
The Board of Supervisors will designate April 9-15 as Community
Development Week in Fairfax County to celebrate the federal Community
Development Block Grant program, now in its 32nd year. The primary
objective of the program is the development of viable urban communities
by providing decent, safe and affordable housing and by expanding
economic opportunities, principally for people of low and moderate
income. During the last three decades Fairfax County has received $166.6
million to support a wide variety of community development activities
that have benefited low- and moderate-income people, including older
adults and children.
Middleridge Women’s Club
The Board of Supervisors will adopt a resolution to congratulate the
Middleridge Women’s Club on the occasion of its 30th anniversary of
commitment and service to the community. Throughout the years the club
has supported the community by welcoming new residents,
purchasing supplies for students, collecting stuffed animals and shoes
to be sent overseas, and gathering books to restock libraries following
Hurricane Katrina. In addition, the club has sponsored children for
summer camps and contributed to the All Night graduation parties, Avon
Breast Cancer Walk, the American Red Cross, Hospice of Northern Virginia
and the Pentagon Memorial Fund.
FSO Celebrates the First 50 Years
The Board of Supervisors will adopt a resolution to congratulate the
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, also known as the FSO, for 50 years of music
making, education and service in the community. The FSO was founded in
1957 to provide high quality orchestra performances, music appreciation
and education programs to enhance the quality of life in the metropolitan
Washington area. Each year the symphony presents seven concerts a year at
the George Mason University Center for the Arts, a Valentine’s Pops Gala
concert and an extensive series of outreach programs in area schools.
More than 35 performances are presented in Fairfax County parks each year
free of charge by ensembles of FSO members.
Protecting the Environment Is the Theme for National County
Government Week
The Board of Supervisors will designate April 22-28 as County
Government Week in Fairfax County. The national theme for this year,
Protecting the Environment, gives counties the opportunity to raise
public awareness and understanding about the many ways they work to
protect and enhance the health, welfare and safety of residents. Fairfax
County is partnering with the Sierra Club in the “Cool Counties”
initiative to create a template for local governments to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions in favor of environmentally friendly practices.
The Board of Supervisors has implemented more than $6 million worth of
projects and programs to address air quality and global climate since
2003. Many “Cool County” strategies have been implemented in Fairfax
County, including the purchase of 90 hybrid vehicles; the promotion of
green buildings for public and private facilities; the purchase of wind
power; and the utilization of telework by 20 percent of its eligible
workforce on average one day a week — the first jurisdiction in the
metropolitan region to reach that goal. Since the inception of a pilot
program in 1988, Fairfax County has recycled more than 5 million tons of
recyclables.
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For more news and information, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news.
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