The Girl Scouts are holding an open house for home-schooled girls on Thursday, Nov. 20, from 2-5 p.m., at the Eastern Loudoun Regional Library in Cascades Marketplace, Sterling. Call Mary Jane Mitchell at 703-471-1358.
Applications for the Master Gardener Volunteer Training program will be accepted until Friday, Nov. 14. Volunteers assist in providing research-based horticulture information and plant diagnostic services to the public. Applicants do not need to be experienced gardeners. Activities will take place Jan. 27-April 1, 2004. Application packets are available at the Loudoun County Extension Office, 30-B Catoctin Circle, SE, Leesburg, or call 703-777-0373, to request an application.
The Loudoun Arts Council recently announced the opportunity for performing, visual, and literary arts groups to apply for Artshare funds. An annual regranting program, Artshare contributes to non-profit arts organizations that operate in the Loudoun community. To receive a grant, organizations must demonstrate strong artistic quality and sound management practices. Grant applicants must have completed at least one season of programs, and be members of the Loudoun Arts Council.
The Arts Council is offering a pre-review process to assist organizations with preparing their grant applications. The application is due on Nov. 21. Notification of grant monies will be mailed on Dec. 15.
For more information, or to receive an application, contact the Loudoun Arts Council at 703-777-7838. Visit www.loudounarts.org.
Dulles Town Center, the Community Holiday Coalition and Sterling Chevrolet will hold this season's Winter Warmth Coat Drive, through Nov. 15. A new Suburban parked inside the Center will be packed with new coats, hats and gloves to be distributed to the community. Visit www.shopdullestowncenter.com.
The Coalition is also collecting non-perishable food items for its Thanksgiving Store food baskets. To make contributing easy, the Coalition has arranged to have Boy Scouts drop off plastic bags at residences Nov. 8-9. Donations may be left inside the bags and put on doorsteps by 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15 for the Boy Scouts to pick up.
Volunteers are needed to help with receiving, sorting and distribution of items. Call 703-737-8367 to sign up to help out for both the Thanksgiving and Christmas stores.
Cash donations are needed to purchase needed items and can be made payable to County of Loudoun-Holiday Program, 102 Heritage Way, NE, Suite 200, Leesburg, VA 20176. For more information, call the Holiday Hotline at 703-771-5718 or visit www.loudoun.gov/dss/holiday.
Loudoun Volunteer Services is seeking nominations for Student Volunteer of the Month. Students will be recognized for their volunteer efforts during the 2003-2004 school year. Loudoun Volunteer Services is asking schools and other organizations such as non-profits, to nominate students, or groups of students, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, who volunteer their time in a variety of ways in their schools, churches and towns.
A one-page narrative may be sent to the Loudoun Volunteer Services Board at pivs@loudoun.gov or to 1 Harrison Street, SE, PO Box 7000, Leesburg, Virginia 20177.
The one page narrative should include the student's name, address, telephone number, school, and a description, including length of service of the exemplary volunteer efforts of the student.
Volunteers will be featured in the Loudoun Volunteer Services Newsletter and on the Loudoun County Government Web site.
For more information, contact Loudoun Volunteer Services at 703-777-0113.
The number of subscribers to the Loudoun County Citizen Alert System has topped the 2,000 mark. The Citizen Alert System is a free service, developed by the county's Department of Information Technology, that allows subscribers to receive e-mails or text messages from the county government over their cellular phones or pagers.
During Hurricane Isabel the system was used to alert residents to closings and cancellations due to the storm, measures taken to protect the health and safety of county residents and information about recovery efforts.
Some of the most popular alert categories are violent crime, safety, and wanted subject alerts from the Office of the Sheriff. Also popular are the sports announcements from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services that alert subscribers to cancellations, emergency situations and severe weather warnings that may affect the county's ball fields.
Other alert categories include news releases from the county Public Information Office, new pages on the county government Web site and notices of tax sales from the Office of the Treasurer.
To sign up for the service, go to the Loudoun County Government homepage at www.loudoun.gov and click on Citizen Alert System, under Online Services.
Serving all of Northern Virginia, the English as a Second Language (ESL) and Immigrant Ministries program provides English classes in 21 locations including Loudoun County. There is a $15 processing charge due at registration. Scholarships are available for those unable to pay. Free babysitting is also available at some locations. Registration dates and class times will vary according to location. For more information in English, Spanish, Korean or Vietnamese, call 703-841-0292 or visit www.eslim.org.
Persons interested in helping immigrants improve their quality of life should call 703-271-8341.
The Loudoun County Solid Waste Management Facility accepts and processes used appliances (i.e. refrigerators, stoves, dehumidifiers); tree limbs/branches, bags of grass/lawn clippings; propane cylinders; tires; furniture; and scrap metal (i.e. sheet metal roofing, drained lawn mowers, bicycles, even steel security safes). The landfill is located at 20939 Evergreen Mills Road and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. There is a disposal fee of $55 per ton or roughly 55 cents per 20 pounds.
The landfill has a recycling center where residents can recycle used motor oil, antifreeze, automobile batteries, white office paper, commingled containers, newsprint and cardboard.
Residents may also pick up free mulch at the facility. The mulch is from shredding tree limbs, branches and stumps only; no lumber is mixed into the mulch. Residents have to load their own, so bring a shovel or pitch fork.
For more information, visit www.loudoun.gov/oswm.
Volunteers are needed to deliver home-delivered meals and to assist in the Cafe at the Loudoun County Senior Center, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Anyone interested in volunteering for a couple of hours one day a week or once or twice a month, contact Beth Mills at 703-430-2397.
Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum is seeking interested teens and adults to volunteer by becoming a tour guide. Training is provided. Hours are flexible. The farm is located at Claude Moore Park in Sterling. Call Janis Golden at 703-421-5322.
Loudoun County teens can visit www.loudounteens.org to learn how to get involved in their community and where to go to find information about jobs and other programs and services available to teenagers. Local teen Jon Hughes designed the site with input from teens that serve on the Loudoun County Advisory Commission On Youth (ACOY). For more information, contact the Loudoun County Office on Youth, at 703-777-0358.
The Loudoun Arts Council Web Site offers a page of "Artist Opportunities" designed to inform area artists about programs and events for their participation. Visit the site at www.loudounarts.org.
Loudoun Convention & Visitors Association offers a Fall Seasonal Guide for 2003 outlining county events and activities through November. The guide can be obtained at the Visitors Center at 222 Catoctin Circle, S.E., Suite 100, Leesburg.
The Northern Virginia Family Service seeks foster families for abused and neglected children. African-American families are particularly needed. Help is needed in both full-time and short-term programs. Training, support and financial compensation will be provided. For more information about the Northern Virginia Family Service call 703-533-9727 or smcallister@nvfs.org.
VSA arts of Loudoun County has opened the DaVinci Open Studio Visual Arts Project for individuals with disabilities. The studio, housed in the Round Hill Arts Center, will provide instruction and art supplies. The goal is to offer participants the support they need to express themselves through art. For additional information, contact Hope Hanes at 540-338-5050 or Pam Oliver at 540-338-3353.
Sterling Singles provides a non-dating, social organization with a membership that plans and attends a vast array of activities and functions such as dinner, dancing, bowling, concerts, camping, barbecues and Wolf Trap. Group is for singles over 21. Write to P.O. Box 42, Sterling, VA 20167. Call 703-444-5534, e-mail sterlingsingles@sterlingsingles.org or visit www.sterlingsingles.org.