The Democratic Women of Clifton is collecting school and art supplies to support the Freedom Schools run by the Children's Defense Fund in New Orleans. They are asking the community to make these children part of their holiday giving by donating pencils, pens, notebooks, glitter, glue, construction paper, crayons, paints, etc. The owners of The Clifton Coffee Mill at 7144 Main St., Clifton, have agreed to have a collection box. Drop off your donations until Friday, Dec. 8 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Email cliftonwomendems@aol.com.
Small business owners are invited to the first meeting of a small business owners networking and fellowship group, Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m., at Centreville United Methodist Church. This is a forum for small business owners from the Centreville/Clifton/Chantilly area to get together and discuss common issues and share experiences. Contact Joe Migliozzi (jpmigliozzi@m3tc.com) or Peter Hesse (peter@hesse.com) for details, or read about it at http://centreville-umc.org.
The Centreville Rotary Holiday Party will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Little Rocky Run Community Center. The center is located at 6201 Sandstone Way in Clifton. The Centreville Rotary Club has adopted a Centreville family this Christmas.
For the fifth year, G&C Express Auto Service of Chantilly will serve as a drop-off point for the Marine Corps' annual Toys for Tots program at its two locations: Chantilly at 14008 Willard Road; 703-263-2474, and Gainesville at 11701 Pump Station Way; 703-365-9072. Email Gregg Caldwell at Gregg@gandcauto.com for more information.
The Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce is a sponsor of the Marine Corps' Toys for Tots program. From now until Dec. 17, drop off a new, unwrapped toy at the Chamber headquarters, 8230 Old Courthouse Road, Suite 350. Visit the Web site at www.fccc.org or contact Jason Flanary at jflanary@fccc.org.
Beginning now and continuing throughout the holidays, five area Moe’s Southwest Grill locations will serve as drop sites for individuals wishing to send a piece of home overseas through a company called Any Soldier Inc. Individuals can bring items into Moe’s where teams will assemble to create care packages for soldiers. Moe’s will cover the cost of all supplies plus shipping costs for distribution to war zones. The five Moe’s drop sites are: Falls Church (5855 Leesburg Pike — 703-578-6637), Westfields/Chantilly (5005 Westone Plaza — 703-817-9540), Leesburg (667 Potomac Station Drive — 703-777-0004), South Riding (24995 Riding Plaza — 703-542-5670) and Mt. Vernon (7698 Richmond Highway — 703-660-1000).
The Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce (formerly Herndon Dulles Chamber of Commerce) will host the following upcoming events:
* Better Business Luncheon. Tuesday, Dec. 12, 11:45 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. at Sheraton Reston, 11810 Sunrise Valley Drive. Richard Stopa (Bay Business Brokers) and Ellen Lokker (Ellen R. Lokker, PLLC) will give a seminar to business owners. Enjoy a hot buffet lunch after the presentation. Register in advance. Call 571-323-5300 or e-mail info@DullesRegionalChamber.org. Fees $25 member in advance, $30 at the door. Nonmembers $35.
* Holiday Mixer. Thursday, Dec. 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Hilton Washington Dulles Airport, Red Fox Room (3rd Floor), 13869 Park Center Road, Herndon (near the intersection of Route 28 and McLearen Rd.). Food and beverages included. Save time at the door and register online in advance at www.DullesRegionalChamber.org. Fees: $10 for Chamber members; $15 for nonmembers.
AARP Tax-Aide, the nation's largest, free, volunteer-run tax counseling and preparation service, is seeking volunteers to electronically complete and file 2006 federal and state income tax forms. Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are welcome but ability to use a computer is a must. Evening and Saturday shifts are available. Tax counselors receive free tax training and become IRS certified by passing the IRS examination. Call Patty Callahan at 703-207-0056 or via email at pcallahan@cox.net or call toll-free 1-888-AARPNOW (1-888-227-7669) or visit the Web site at www.aarp.org/taxaide.
Construction of the county’s new Public Safety and Transportation Operations Center began recently, with an anticipated completion in the spring/summer of 2008. The center is part of the West Ox complex located at the corner of West Ox Road and the Fairfax County Parkway. The preliminary schedule calls for completion of foundation work this fall with construction of the building beginning in spring 2007.
Manhattan Construction Company of Fairfax has been awarded the construction contract, approved by the county’s Board of Supervisors in June.
A Business Networks International (BNI) Referral Networking meeting takes place every Thursday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Centreville Lonestar Steakhouse off Route 29 in the Centreville Square Shopping Center. Contact Chris Allen at 703-653-8946.
Lydia Jane Failing, senior field human resources manager for HMSHost at Washington Dulles, Reagan National and BWI Airports and Leesburg Premium Factory Outlets, has been selected as the first chairperson of the Dulles Area Transportation Association's Employer Council. The Employer Council, comprised of Human Resources Directors from firms throughout the Dulles Corridor and representatives from the Loudoun County and Fairfax County employer/employee outreach programs, will meet quarterly to discuss regional transportation issues as they affect employee productivity and company profitability.
Chantilly resident Bruce Christman, a partner in the Falls Church office of Reed Smith, was recently selected by other attorneys for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2007, The Best Lawyers in the Washington, D.C. Area, as a Super Lawyer in Virginia and as a Super Lawyer in the Washington, D.C. region. Bruce was recognized for his work in commercial real estate development, acquisition, sale, leasing and finance. He represents developers, lenders, and investors and has significant experience in commercial real estate transactions. Bruce lives in the Franklin Farms neighborhood in Chantilly. He received his undergraduate degree from the College of William & Mary and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Data Systems Analysts Inc. has been awarded a $30 million contract for knowledge management and software system engineering from the U.S. Army's Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T). The scope of the contract is comprehensive, including project management, content management, administrative and technical support as well as operations, maintenance and application development.
Frank D. Spicer Jr. Inc. of Fairfax has been honored as a member of the “Elite” by Erie Insurance. The agency recently received the Homeowner’s Elite Award at the Richmond Branch annual dinner meeting. Erie's Elite awards are agent awards that recognize the efforts of agencies excelling in the area of auto, commercial, home and life insurance sales. Frank D. Spicer Jr. Inc. is one of 10 agencies companywide to win the award.
Bowman Consulting of Chantilly has been named to The Zweig Letter’s Hot Firm 2006 List and is being recognized as one of the fastest-growing design firms nationwide. The Zweig Letter Hot Firm Conference, sponsored by ZweigWhite, recognizes the fastest-growing companies in the areas of architecture, planning, engineering and environmental consulting.