Send announcements to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, e-mail to loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is two weeks before the event. Photos/artwork encouraged. For more information, call Jennifer Lesinski at 703-917-6454.
This free listing is reserved for activities and events that are open to the public at no or minimal cost.
Loudoun County Community Corrections is looking for volunteers to serve as court assistants. Volunteers must be 18 years of age and pass a criminal background check. A commitment of one year at four hours a week requested. Duties include providing court coverage, performing financial interviews on indigent defendants, data entry, case compliance, case intakes and basic administrative duties. Training is provided but a knowledge of the court system is helpful. Contact Karen McQuaid, deputy director at 703-737-8519 or kmcquaid@loudoun.gov.
The Adult Foster Care Program enables people with mental disabilities to grow and become more independent through the interaction and routines of family life. To help meet the growing housing needs of people with mental disabilities, Loudoun County Mental Retardation Services is seeking to recruit new families to the program and increase the number of placements. Foster families receive a monthly stipend and are provided with ongoing training and in-home support. Contact the Loudoun County Community Services Board at 703-777-0377 or visit www.loudoun.gov/mhmr/afc/.
Odyssey Health Care, a national hospice in the Northern Virginia area, is looking for people with an interest in serving the terminally ill hospice patients and their families. Volunteers offer companionship, friendly visits, running errands, household duties, and/or bereavement services. Other duties include answering phones, translators, or hospice community awareness. Training is provided. Contact Jerri Hays at 703-821-9200.
The International Center for Language Studies (ICLS), which has been selected to run an ESL (English as Second Language) program for 25 high-school students from France this summer, needs families to house them during each of their two three-week sessions, July 10-30 and July 31-Aug. 20. Families will be expected to provide room and board, to help facilitate the studentÕs use of public transportation to travel to and from ICLS and to include them in weekend activities that will enhance their American experience. The students will have paid for the various incidental costs; a stipend will be paid to each host family. Contact 202-639-8800.
Loudoun County's Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is seeking volunteers to join its program. RSVP provides a wide range of opportunities for individuals, age 55 and over, to utilize their experience and skills in the community. To request an information packet and enrollment form, contact the RSVP office at 703-777-0505.
The Aspect Foundation is looking for host families in the west Fairfax County and Loudoun County areas for the coming school year. Host families offer room, board, and friendship and show the visiting students around. Students from South America and Asia are still available for placement. If you are interested in hosting an exchange student please call Kathleen or Robert Rawls at 703-433-0362.
The Therapeutic Foster Care Program at For Children's Sake of Virginia is recruiting caring families interested in providing foster care in Loudoun, Fairfax, Arlington and Prince William counties, and is seeking individuals or families to provide stability and support within a safe, nurturing home to foster children. Call 703-817-9890.
Loudoun Volunteer Services (LVS) announces its volunteer-match Web site, a service of the Points of Light Foundation, corporately sponsored by Dominion Power. The Web site is aimed at both volunteers, who are seeking to find opportunities best suited for their particular interest or skill, and organizations seeking a way to publicly advertise their volunteer opportunities. To register for this free service, visit www.loudoun.gov/pio/volunteer.htm and click on "register your organization's volunteer opportunities," or to volunteer click on "looking for volunteer opportunities." Contact Lisa Rose at 703-777-0113.
The Loudoun County MADD Chapter is seeking additional court monitors for Loudoun Traffic court program in which trained volunteers observe and gather data on DUI court proceedings, including arraignments, pretrial hearing, trials and sentencing. The data collected focuses on three prongs: to evaluate the courts, to track the offenders and to plot trends in punishment and case outcomes. Training is provided. Volunteer one day a week or one morning or afternoon a week. Leave a voice mail message on 703-771-8127 or send an e-mail to maddloudoun@aol.com.
Loudoun Interfaith Relief Inc., is seeking volunteers that can pick up food from local grocery stores in the Leesburg area. Drivers are needed Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the morning. Loudoun Interfaith Relief Inc. is a nonprofit food pantry that provides emergency food supplies to residents in need living in Loudoun County. Call 703-777-5911.
Opportunities, Alternatives & Resources (OAR) of Fairfax County Inc. is a nonprofit organization that helps offenders and ex-offenders break the cycle of crime. OAR of Fairfax provides services to Loudoun and Fairfax counties and is seeking volunteers to teach classes in the Loudoun County Work Release Center. Volunteer instructors will teach courses such as parenting, life skills, employability skills, work place skills, financial planning and conflict resolution. Call to enroll in spring training. Contact the volunteer department at 703-246-3033.
LINK, an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization, is seeking volunteers for its food-bank, assisting needy families in selecting five-day allotments of food items, to restock shelves and load food into family vehicles. Call Roberta at 703-450-4643.
Travelers Aid is seeking volunteers to serve as mobile guides and information desk staff at Washington Dulles International Airport. Volunteers provide access to agency social workers, airport information, directional services, transportation options, tourist information and more. Trained to be information experts, our volunteers welcome people to the Washington capital region and add a personal touch. We have a need for weekday evening, 6-9 p.m., information desk volunteers. Mobile guide scheduling is flexible. For more information about volunteer opportunities and upcoming training sessions contact Travelers Aid at 703-572-7350 or volunteer@mwaa.com.
Girl Scout Council of the NationÕs Capital is looking for
volunteers for a troop in Sterling Park. Contact the Girl Scout Council of the NationÕs Capital Field Director Lorrie Caudle at 703-777-5644 for more information.
Loudoun County is seeking volunteers to serve as parent representatives on the Family Assessment and Planning Team, which meets twice a month for about four hours to develop service plans for at-risk youth and their families who are served through the Comprehensive Services Act for At-Risk Youth and Families (CSA). The CSA is a Virginia law designed to provide high quality, cost effective, community-based services to at-risk youth and their families. Apply by sending a letter by e-mail to jgillesp@loudoun.gov or to CPMT Chair, c/o Loudoun County Department of Social Services, 102 Heritage Way, N.E., Suite 200, Leesburg, VA 20176-4544, Attn: Jim Gillespie. Applicants should state their interest in serving on the FAPT and relate any experience that may be relevant to the parent representative role.
Prison FellowshipÕs National Office, located in Lansdowne, supports the work of thousands of churches in their hands-on ministry to prisoners and their families. Volunteer opportunities are primarily during business hours, which are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. The fellowship is looking for people who have skills or interests in any of the following areas: office administration, marketing, hospitality, data entry, library administration, prayer support and Web research. There are also opportunities for high-school students during the summer months. Contact Dawn, volunteer services, 703-554-8440 or at volunteers@pfm.org.
May is National Foster Care Month, and Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) asks residents to remember this month by considering becoming a foster-care or respite-care provider to neglected children with special needs. Most children in foster and respite care have special needs that require extra attention to help them learn healthy coping strategies. Foster and respite children range from birth to age 21, with a growing need for families for teens; need more time and attention than a typical child; need on-going counseling; often need special-education services; may have difficulty sleeping and problems such as bed wetting, nightmares or night terrors; may have medical problems. NVFS offers intensive training, certification and continuing education; careful child/parent matching; on-going assistance and 24-hour support from professional social workers; financial reimbursement; help locating support services for your special foster/respite child; foster/respite parent support groups; and family activities. To register for summertime training, call Ginny at 703-219-2184.
ÒHelping Others First,Ó a new support organization for senior citizens is launching its Senior Meals Express at the William Watters House in Sterling with a pancake breakfast in honor of FatherÕs Day. The group is looking for anyone interested in donating food or time; as well as help set up a program to work with the residents doing arts and crafts and an exercise program. Contact Pat Wimmer, 703-669-8626 or 703-989-4830.
"Tennis Dan" has started the Loudoun County Special Olympics Tennis Program. The athletes practice on Tuesdays, from 6:30-8 p.m. and Fridays, 5-6:30 p.m., at the Windmill Courts in Ashburn Farm and is looking for volunteers to toss and pick up balls and help encourage the athletes during practices. Visit www.tennisdan.com.
The Youth Music Preservation And Promotion Association is looking for local families to host a musician for a week during the Second International Gathering of Youth Orchestras in Leesburg this summer. These host families provide the musician food, transportation and accommodations during their stay. Call 703-728-2589 or write info@ymppa.org.
Good Shepherd Alliance Inc. (GSA), an organization providing shelter to the homeless, is in need of lawyers with nonprofit experience and mentors for single men, women and families. The services of local electricians, painters, plumbers, carpenters, roofers, car mechanics and landscapers are needed to restore living spaces, vehicles and outdoor shelter areas. Software engineers and technicians are also needed to establish and maintain computer workstations at all shelter facilities. Physicians, dentists and counselors support residents living in crisis situations and many volunteers are needed to help at the Good Shepherd Alliance Thrift Store. To learn more about the Good Shepherd Alliance, contact executive director John Brothers at 703-433-2631 or visit www.loudounhomeless.org.
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 Erik Onate at 703-430-2397, Ext. 109.
Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum is seeking interested teens and adults to volunteer by becoming a tour guide or visitor services representative. Training is provided. Hours are flexible. The farm is located at Claude Moore Park in Sterling. Call Kara Koonce at 703-421-5322.
Save the Trail Inc., is looking for volunteers who would like to help preserve and protect the last 11 miles of the W&OD Trail. Call Barbara Notar at 703-779-1865.