Send community notes to the Connection at mclean@connectionnewspapers.com or call 703-917-6449. Deadline is Friday.
Penelope Barringer will be the featured artist at the Friday, April 25 meeting of the McLean Art Society, 10 a.m.-noon at the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave., 703-790-0123. Barringer has created and shown lithographs for more than 30 years. She is a founder, along with Allen Kaneshiro, of Discover Graphics, Inc., a printmaking workshop at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria. She is also a teacher of lithography, etching and monotype classes at the Art League, Inc. Guests are welcome.
Several area branches of the American Association of University Women invite recent graduates and college students to "Savvy Financial Strategies for Women" on Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m.-3:15 p.m., at Marymount University's Ballston Center, 1000 N. Glebe Rd., Arlington. Janet Bodnar of Kiplinger's Personal Finance is the keynote speaker. Attendees can choose among workshops on managing credit, budgeting, investing, and developing your career. Pre-registration required. $6. Information and registration at www.AAUWofVA.org/savvy0408/savvystrategy.
As Earth Day approaches, the Newton Marasco Foundation is recognizing winners of the nation's premier environmental book awards for literature that inspires young readers to appreciate and care for the environment. The 2008 Green Earth Book Awards highlight the best in environmental reading for children and youth from 2007. Every year, the McLean, Va.,-based environmental foundation partners with Salisbury University in Maryland to honor and promote environmental books.
Seventy-five books were nominated for the 2008 Green Earth Book Awards in three categories: children's fiction, young adult fiction and nonfiction. The winners of the 2008 Green Earth Book Awards in each category are: Children's Fiction, Winston of Churchill: One Bear's Battle Against Global Warming by Jean Davies Okimoto, illustrated by Jeremiah Trammell, Sasquatch Books; Young Adult Fiction, The Light-Bearer's Daughter by O. R. Melling, Harry N. Abrams, Inc./Abrams Books for Young Readers; Nonfiction, The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon, Scholastic, Inc.
Each award includes $2,500 to the winning author and illustrator, as well as $500 to an environmental organization of the winner's choice. Okimoto's contribution will go to Polar Bears International, dedicated to worldwide conservation of the polar bear. Melling has chosen the Golden Eagle Reintroduction Project, which seeks to reintroduce the golden eagle to western Ireland, where the bird became extinct in 1910. David and Gordon's contribution will go to stopglobalwarming.org, an Internet-based grassroots organization founded by David.
Volunteer ombudsman advocates are needed for local nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. They make weekly visits, meeting one-on-one with residents and work with the residents, their families and the staff of the facility, to ensure that the residents’ rights are being protected. Applicants must be available to volunteer four hours per week, primarily during regular business hours. Volunteer ombudsmen must not be employed by a long-term care facility. Interviews of applicants will be held this summer in preparation for the next annual training, scheduled for Sept. 15, 16, and 26, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each day. The Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is a public service, funded in part by the Fairfax County Area Agency on Aging. For information and an application, call 703-324-5422 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/LTCOmbudsman.
Weekly lunch and lead Tip Group meetings with the Vienna Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce to network, share leads and mingle, Tuesday and Thursday, 12:15-1:30 p.m. at Morton’s, The Steakhouse, 8075 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, 703-883-0800. For information, call Harvey Silverman at 703-319-8806. To RSVP for the Tuesday group, call Harvey Silverman at 703-319-8806; to RSVP for the Thursday group call Christa Walker at 703-766-2300.
The McLean Community Center is now offering its patrons online registration for a variety of classes, activities and events through its Web site, www.mcleancenter.org.
The Center has contracted with The Active Network Inc., based in San Diego, Calif. ActiveNnet, the company's hosted Web-based software program, provides users with excellent customer service and an easy-to-use interface. For enhanced security, all registration transactions will be processed on a Verisign secured site. More than 1,300 parks and recreation agencies in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand use the program. For more on ActiveNnet, visit: www.active.com/myevent.
For more information on online registration at MCC, contact the Center at 703-790-0123/TTY: 703-827-8255 (hearing impaired only), or visit: www.mcleancenter.org.
Arc of Northern Virginia offers respite care at their Kidz Clubhouse in Great Falls. They offer after-school, evening or weekend care. Respite care is available for children of all ages with disabilities and their siblings. Rates are $15 per hour from 8 a.m.-11 p.m., $7 per hour from 11 p.m.-8 a.m. and $5 per hour for siblings, with no charge for overnight care. Call 703-438-8370, fax-703-438-8371, or visit www.kidzclubhouse.org.
St. John Catholic Church, 6420 Linway Terrace, McLean, operates a thrift shop for all residents of Northern Virginia. The shop is located on the lower level of Carlin Hall under the parish office and features clothing, a children's room, a kitchen and household room and a limited amount of artwork and "bric-a-brac." Hours are Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Donations are accepted during hours of operation and Mondays from 9:30 a.m.-noon. Call 703-356-7420.
Vinson Hall Treasure Shop. Vinson Hall Military Retirement Community operates its Treasure Shop in the building at 6251 Old Dominion Drive, McLean. Anyone may come to shop Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Look at glassware, dishes, pictures, kitchen items and jewelry. Additional hours are the second Saturday of the month. Call 703-970-3722.