The Sensory Room's bubble tubes offer visual, audible and tactile stimulation through gentle vibrations. Light, color, texture, sound, fragrance, motion… These can all be used to calm or arouse the senses. They are also core elements in the Sensory Room, a unique therapeutic space at Providence Community Center in Fairfax. Opened in 2015, the room is dedicated to Deputy County Executive Patricia D. Harrison, who played a key role in its inception. As a certified Snoezelen® Multi-Sensory Environment, the Sensory Room promotes stress-free engagement and physical and intellectual development, particularly for individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities. Coined in Holland in the 1970s, the term Snoezelen is a contraction of the Dutch verbs “snuffelen” (to seek and explore) and “doezelen” (to relax). According to Bekah Stone, the Inclusion Specialist at Providence Community Center, “Our purpose in sharing this special Snoezelen multi-sensory room with the community is to improve quality of life for people of all ages. By providing a nurturing environment and structured interaction, we can help individuals relax, learn, communicate, focus, improve memory, and develop social skills.” Upon entering the Sensory Room on the second floor of Providence Community Center, visitors are greeted by low lighting and soft music. With colorful images projected on the walls and floor, the trickling sound of water emitted by bubble tubes, and the soft glow of fiber-optic light strands, the room feels like an otherworldly oasis. Its immersive elements are Wi-Fi enabled, allowing themes, images, sounds and colors to be customized for individuals using the space. Some of the room’s state-of-the-art features include: An oversized circular remote that makes it easy for people of all abilities to control colors and sounds. This promotes inclusivity, choice, control and accessible learning. Interactive wall panels and a large floor mat that can be used passively as visual stimuli or to play games teaching cause and effect and color recognition. Bubble tubes offering visual, audible and tactile stimulation through gentle vibrations. Swinging chairs to provide needed vestibular stimulation for individuals with balance and sensory processing issues. The Sensory Room is open by appointment only to all registered members of Providence Community Center (membership is free for Fairfax County residents and open to others for an annual fee). All programs are led and/or supervised by full-time Inclusion Specialist Bekah Stone, who is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, and Kevin Aly, a Therapeutic Recreation student and part-time activity facilitator at Providence. In addition to one-on-one and group sessions, the Sensory Room offers a full slate of weekly programs including a meditation and open relaxation station for adults; an adaptive seated yoga class for people living with mobility concerns; a sensory program for children 3 and under and their parents; and open time for teens to connect and explore. The Sensory Room also partners with Fairfax County Public Schools and the SACC program to offer weekly and monthly field trips, as well as the Infant and Toddler Connection to assist families of young children experiencing developmental delays. For a weekly programming schedule, view the Providence Community Center activity calendar. For more information on the Sensory Room or to schedule a visit, call 703-865-0534.

The buses are fueled and ready to roll as Stuff the Bus – the county’s post-holiday food drive, now in its ninth year – hits the road in the fight against hunger in Fairfax County. Beginning on January 18 and continuing weekly through February 15, 2020, Stuff the Bus will visit local grocery stores to collect donated food and household items. Since launching in 2011, the campaign has collected more than 281,500 pounds of food to benefit local nonprofit food pantries, resulting in 200,000 meals for those in need. Statistics show the need for food is great, and demand only becomes more acute during the winter months. In Fairfax County, more than 75,000 residents live below the federal poverty level and 4.2 percent of residents access the federal SNAP program for food assistance. New this year, nonprofit Helping Hungry Kids is hosting a second donation site at the Fresh World international supermarket in Herndon. This is part of a pilot program to expand access to foods that are more culturally reflective of the communities food provider organizations serve. The program aligns with the objectives of One Fairfax, a joint social and racial equity policy of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and School Board. Fastran buses staffed by MV Transportation will visit Fresh World and several other local grocery stores during the donation period to collect cash and food donations to benefit 11 different nonprofits. Donation hours vary by location. See the full list of dates and locations below, or check the NCS Events page. Select a Date to Donate! Visit the following Stuff the Bus locations to drop off your food or cash donations during the specified donation hours: Saturday, January 18 - POSTPONED Cardinal Forest Giant 8320 Old Keene Mill Rd. Springfield VA, 22152 Donation hours 9:30 am-4 pm Benefitting ECHO (Ecumenical Community Helping Others) Fox Mill Giant 2551 John Milton Drive Herndon, VA 20171 Donation hours 9:30 am-3:30 pm Benefitting Helping Hungry Kids Chantilly Walmart 4368 Chantilly Shopping Center Drive Chantilly, VA 20151 Donation hours: 10:30 am-3 pm Benefitting WFCM (Western Fairfax Christian Ministries) Saturday, February 1 Vienna Giant 359 Maple Avenue East Vienna, VA 22180 Donation hours 10 am-2:30 pm Benefitting CHO (Committee for Helping Others) McLean Giant 1454 Chain Bridge Road Chain Bridge Corner McLean, VA 22101 Donation hours 9 am-3 pm Benefitting Share, Inc. Monday, February 3 Herndon Fresh World 1070 Elden Street Herndon, VA 20170 Donation hours 10 am-2 pm Benefitting Helping Hungry Kids Saturday, February 8 Annandale Giant 7137 Columbia Pike Annandale, VA 22003 Donation hours 9:30 am-4 pm Benefitting ACCA (Annandale Christian Community for Action) Fairfax Walmart 11181 Lee Highway Fairfax, VA 22031 Donation hours 11 am-4 pm Benefitting Britepaths Falls Church Giant 1230 W. Broad Street Falls Plaza Falls Church, VA, 22046 Donation hours 9 am-4 pm Benefitting Falls Church Community Service Council Saturday, February 15 Springfield Giant 6426 Springfield Plaza Springfield, VA 22150 Donation hours 9:30 am-3:30 pm Benefitting Koinonia Foundation Herndon Giant 2425 Centreville Road Village Center at Dulles Herndon, VA 20171 Donation hours 9:30 am-3:30 pm Benefitting LINK Fort Hunt Safeway 7900 Fort Hunt Road Alexandria, VA 22308 Donation hours: 9 am-1 pm Benefitting United Community