As a result of a joint effort between the Vienna-based Community Coalition for Haiti (CCH) and the Inova Health System, Edrinise "Eden" Derisseaux, a 17-month-old Haitian orphan stricken with life-threatening heart defects, emerged from more than seven hours of surgery at Inova Fairfax Hospital early Monday evening. A medical team conducted a procedure to repair multiple defects on Eden's enlarged heart.
CCH volunteers Dr. Greg Bennett, Dr. Dan Hebert, and hospital director Dr. Guy Theodore detected possible heart abnormalities in the child at L'Hopital Bienfaisance in Pignon, Haiti. CCH contacted Childspring International and the office of U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf to begin the process of bringing Eden to the United States for treatment. Accompanied by Jennifer Campbell, Eden arrived in Fairfax County in early July, and after surgery she will return to Haiti.
Rodney Lusk will lead the Vienna-based Leadership Fairfax (LFI) as its new 2006-2007 board chair. Lusk has served on the LFI board since 1989, as vice chair and secretary and by chairing the alumni and outreach committee and the Kate Hanley Award subcommittee. The LFI board of directors honored Lusk with the Torchbearer of the Year Award in 2003 for his contributions to furthering the organization’s role and mission in the community. He is a 1998 graduate of the Leadership Fairfax Signature program and is the capital attraction program manager at the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.
LFI is a nonprofit community leadership organization that identifies current and emerging leaders and brings them together to study community issues and effect change in the community.
The organization also announced its 2006-2007 board of directors: Kevin N. Monroe of Deloitte as vice chair, Catherine L. Fulkerson of Reston Association as secretary, Renee Mathews of Reznick Group PC as treasurer, Randall T. Greehan of Walton & Adams as immediate past chair, Douglas B. McDonald of Venable LLP as general counsel, Ellice Y. Amanna of the staff of Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly, Doug Brammer of Verizon, Angela T. Butler of SRA International, Harold Butler of Citigroup, Colin W. Callahan of Booz Allen Hamilton, Jeanine M. Callahan of Eagle Ray Consulting, Fran Carnevale of Web Farers LLC, Traci Claar of George Mason University, Cheri Combs of Deloitte Tax, Ian Cook of Fulcrum Associates, Kay Curling of SRA International, Sharon Ferraro of Training Solutions, Eileen Filler-Corn of the Office of Gov. Tim Kaine, Donna Fleming of College Summit National Capital Region, Linda E. Gentry of the Center for Innovative Technology, Colleen Gillis Snow of Cooley Godward LLP, Lynn Gilmore of Northrop Grumman, Carl N. Grant of Cooley Godward LLP, Brian Hajost of SteelCloud, Tania B. Hindert of Cox Communications, Christa Hyland of Aetna, Daniel P. Jackson of LMI, Suzanne Jones of KPMG, Brenda Law of Technical & Management Resources Inc., Matt Lawlor of Online Resources Corporation, William D. Lecos of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, Paul Maltagliati of the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, Lisa G. Martin of LeapFrog Solutions, Alison M. McIntire of the Arlington County Public Defender’s Office, Mark Moore of M&T Bank, Keri Koss Morehart of Fannie Mae, Jaleh Moslehi of Fairfax County Government DAHS, Jennifer O’Daniel of the Center for Innovative Technology, Amy Owen of Cochran & Owen LLC, Karen Smaw of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, T.C. Smith of Commercial Carpets of America, Lee J. Stebbins of American Red Cross of the National Capital Area, Gerald R. Volloy and Patricia A. Weaver of Alion Science and Technology.
Vienna resident Susan Monaco, author of the novel "Full Circle," a story of domestic violence and empowerment, will be a sponsor of the dramatic musical production "Infinitas," which is being performed at the Rachel Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center on the Alexandria campus of Northern Virginia Community College. The show, which opens Friday, July 21, is about domestic violence, prevention and redemption. To learn more, visit www.magnifique.us.
Wheat's Landscape in Vienna has established a scholarship for outstanding community service among high school seniors, and Julia Lanzara, a graduating senior at Langley High School, was selected to receive this year's "Student Volunteer of the Year" scholarship. Lanzara was awarded $1,000 for her active participation and leadership with numerous volunteer activities throughout the community. In addition to her service record, she has also shown extensive interest in and dedication to numerous school-related and extracurricular activities.
Arline Liu, a Vienna artist, has recently completed Phase I of the "Wonders of Creation" mural project at the McLean Bible Church. The mural is open to public viewing on the second floor of the church building, 8925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna. The six-by-eight-foot mural depicts oceans, planets, skies and whales, reflecting the artist's view of the early times of creation. Phase II will be a 57-foot mural project adjacent to the first mural, and work is to begin sometime in the summer when the final design is approved.
Liu is the featured artist of the Vienna Arts Society Gallery at Village Green, with a show titled "Creator's Eye." The show will run through Aug. 26. The gallery is located at 513 Maple Ave., W., Vienna.
Rosita Najmi was voted as an International Emerging Leader Finalist by the eWomanNetwork. A local businesswoman, Najmi was recognized for her extensive domestic and overseas volunteer work, leadership abilities, accomplishments and commitment to serving others.
Lovey L. Hammel of Oakton has been appointed by Gov. Tim Kaine to the Virginia Workforce Council. Hammel sits on the excutive committee of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and is the co-founder and president of Employment Enterprises Inc.
Northern Virginia Family Services (NVFS) honored the following individuals and companies at the Training Futures 10th anniversary celebration for their commitment to the Training Futures program, which brings together low-income Northern Virginia adults who yearn for a better life and area business that need technology-savvy adminstrative staff.
*Inova Health System received the Employer Partner Award in the Large Company category for their commitment over the past six years to hiring gradutes in both permanent and long-term temporary positions.
*Oblion, Spivak, McClelland, Maier and Neustadt, P.C. received the Employer Partner Award in the Small/Medium Company category for hiring double the amount of graduates of any other employer and making a $1,000 scholarship donation to Training Futures for each hire.
*Express Personnel received the Staffing Agency Partner award for consistently providing long-term and temporary-to-permanent employment opportunities for graduates over the past six years.
*Booz Allen Hamilton received the Overall Employer Champion award for their extensive contributions to Training Futures including equipment and furniture, scholorships, workshops, “field trips” to their offices and access for graduates to their online learning system of 500 courses.
*Greg Albright of Production Solutions received the Individual Employer Champion award for his contributions to the program through Production Solutions by hiring graduates and providing numerous in-kind resources, sponsorships and scholarship donations, as well as serving on the advisory council for nine years and being one of the most generous individual donors.
*Fairfax County Consolidated Community Funding Pool received the Funding Partner award for granting consistent, high levels of scholarship funding support from Fairfax Country.
*Ellen Burton and Lisa Pryor received the Individual Donor Parter award for their generous contribtions. Burton, recently deceased, made an extraordinary gift from her husband’s estate, and Pryor has contributed a $4,000 scholarship donation annually for four years.
*Grace Yang received the Graduate Service award for service to the program after graduation, including speaking on panels, forwarding job openings and making scholarship donations for future trainees.
*Vince Sescoe and Bob Mechier received the Volunteer award for their dedication to Training Futures and the gift of their time, effort and talents to trainees.
Susan Baker of Vienna was appointed by Gov. Timothy Kaine to serve as a member of the state's Advisory Council on Career and Technical Education. Baker is currently a consultant serving as project manager for the Northern Virginia Workforce Investment Board's Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program. She previously served as vice president of workforce development for the Northern Virginia Technology Council.
Lovey L. Hammel of Oakton was appointed by Gov. Timothy Kaine to serve as a member of the Virginia Workforce Council. Hammel is the co-founder and current president of Employment Enterprises Inc. She sits on the executive committee of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and is a past chair of the George Mason University Foundation Board.
Mary Dolson, Langley High School English teacher, was selected to participate in the annual Reading and Scoring of the College Board's Advanced Placement examinations this June in AP English language and composition. Approximately 2.3 million examinations in 20 disciplines were evaluated by over 8,000 readers from universities and high schools in the United States, Canada and abroad. The AP Reading is a unique forum in which academic dialogue between secondary school and college educators is fostered and strongly encouraged.
The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) Board recently renamed Fox Mill District Park, choosing to honor longtime athletic booster and former Park Authority Board member Frederick M. Crabtree by changing the park’s name to Fred Crabtree Park. Crabtree is affectionately known as "Mr. Baseball" for his role as a founding father of boys and girls Little League in Vienna.
A brief dedication ceremony at the park, located in Herndon, will be scheduled later this summer, and new signage will be unveiled at that time. This unanimous Board action, taken on June 28, represents an exception to park policy, which generally only allows for the naming of parks in honor of individuals posthumously.
The 90-year-old Crabtree served with distinction on the Park Authority Board from 1969 to 1992, including service as the chairman from 1977 to 1978. During his tenure, he also served as vice chairman and secretary/treasurer. He was instrumental in acquiring, expanding and developing numerous parks and facilities including Fox Mill District Park, Peterson Lane Park, Nottoway Park, Frying Pan Park, Clarks Crossing Park, Floris School Site, Baron Cameron Park, Lahey Lost Valley Park, Lake Fairfax Park and many others across Fairfax County.
He worked to protect parkland with historical and cultural significance and continues to serve on the Founders, Benefactors, Supervisors and Friends of Frying Pan Park Inc., as he as done for the past 40 years. In 1988, he created the Elly Doyle Park Service award, which recognizes a citizen’s or group's contributions of service to the Park Authority, and in 1993 he was honored by the National Association of County Park and recreation for his work as an outstanding public official.
At the 17th American Legion District Conference on June 3, Vienna's American Legion Post 180 was presented with four 2005-06 awards: Post of the Year, Best Americanism Program, Award for Americanism, and Award for Best Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Program.
Fairfax4Horses (F4H), a local nonprofit equestrian organization based in the Vienna area has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Fairfax County Park Authority and the Fairfax County Park Foundation. The memorandum, signed on June 14, established a formal working relationship between F4H and the County Park organizations to coordinate efforts in bringing a public riding and boarding facility to Laurel Hill Park.
The Fairfax County Park Authority donated the land on which the equestrian center will be built. Fairfax4Horses will work closely with the Park Authority and the Park Foundation to assist as requested with the planning, design, construction and operations of the equestrian center, which is shown on the approved Master Plan and the Conceptual Development Plan for Laurel Hill Park.
As part of the agreement, the Park Foundation will provide fundraising guidance to Fairax4Horses, and work with the group to identify and obtain gifts that directly support the equestrian center.
Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS), based in Oakton, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Training Futures program, which brings together low-income Northern Virginia adults who yearn for a better life and area businesses that need technology-savvy administrative staff. This month, Training Futures also enrolled its 1,000th trainee. To mark these two milestones, the program is releasing survey results that show the impact of this program. With a grant from Capital One, Training Futures conducted a survey of graduates in partnership with a third-party evaluation service, the Innovation Network. Results of the survey were to be announced at the 10th anniversary celebration on Tuesday, June 27.
Among the findings of the survey: Eighty-nine percent of Training Futures graduates are currently employed in new careers, which ranks Training Futures as one of the top-performing workforce development programs serving low-income adults in America. Average annual earnings of Training Futures graduates increased by 91 percent over their earnings from before Training Futures. More children benefit than adults — of 1,000 trainees enrolled, 1,500 children directly benefit from Training Futures when parents acquire health insurance, earn paid vacations, gain access to employer child care subsidies, improve housing situations and increase savings. Also, the rate of home ownership increased by 82 percent.