Know of something missing from our community calendar? E-mail it to arlington@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is 2 p.m. the Thursday before publication. Call Rebecca Halik at 703-917-6407 with any questions. Photos are welcome. For more volunteer opportunities, classes, announcements visit www.arlingtonconnection.com and click on Community.
<lst>Volunteer advocates are needed to promote the quality of life and care for people living in Arlington nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Volunteers are assigned to a specific facility and spend 4 hours per week (2 during the weekday) meeting with residents. Good diplomacy and communication skills are essential. Training is scheduled for Sept. 15, 16 and 26. Following assignment, ongoing training and support are provided. For more information and an application, contact the Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program at 703-324-5422, or TTY: 703-449-1186 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/LTCOmbudsman.
Classes began on June 23 at the new Arlington Head Start Child Development Center. The center will serve 204 children, ages 3-5, in newly renovated classrooms at the center located at 1801 George Mason Drive in Arlington. Parents who are interested in enrolling their children are encouraged to call 703-358-9170 for more information.
Arlington residents over the age of 60 can request free fans if they meet criteria. Call 703-228-1700 to request an application or visit Arlington Agency on Aging, 3033 Wilson Blvd.
Seniors 50 years of age and over are eligible to enter the 2008 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics to be held Sept. 20-Oct. 2. Registration information is available now at local senior centers, community centers, senior residences or by calling 703-228-3600, ext. 9996. They can also be downloaded online at www.novaseniorolympics.com. Registration deadline is Sept. 5.
There will be a summer drama camp through Aug. 1 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Fairlington Community Center, 3308 S. Stafford St. Children ages 7-17 can participate. $150/week. 703-765-3648 to register.
The Arlington County Police Department is now accepting applications for the next session of its Citizen's Police Academy. The fourteen-week program begins August 20, 2008, and space is limited. Classes will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. every Wednesday, and graduation is scheduled for Nov. 19.
Citizens interested in attending the Academy should complete an application and mail it by July 15 to the Training and Career Development Unit, Arlington County Police Department, 1425 N. Courthouse Road, Arlington, VA 22201. The application forms are available online at www.arlingtonva.us/police. Contact Sgt. Michael Quigley at 703-228-4247, or by e-mail at ACPDTraining@arlingtonva.us.
The Arlington Disability Advisory Commission is seeking applicants to interview for several vacant positions. The Arlington Disability Advisory Commission is a 13 member, County Board appointed advisory group comprised of individuals who live and/or work in Arlington, and who are interested in and knowledgeable about issues involving people with physical and sensory disabilities. People with disabilities, community leaders, and business people are urged to apply. Individuals interested in serving on the Commission or any of its committees should contact the Disability Advisory Commission staff at 703-228-7096 or via e-mail at amaynard@arlingtonva.us for more information or to request a copy of the Commission's Application Form. The form may also be found on the Arlington County Web site under “Advisory Groups.”
Kid’s Club will be held on July 9 and Aug. 13 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Washington Street United Methodist Church, 115 S. Washington St. The church playground/courtyard and Children’s Library will be open all morning for kids and parents to come and go as they please. Enjoy Story Time in the Children’s Library at 10:30, a Craft Project at 11 and yummy popsicles at 11:45. Children of all ages are welcome to attend. 703-836-4324 www.wsumc.com.
Now Arlington community members have a new, convenient way to get trained in lifesaving skills such as CPR and first aid – online. The Arlington County Chapter has partnered with the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis to offer Red Cross online training. Some online training courses, like CPR, require students to attend a skill session before a certificate can be issued. Skill sessions normally take about two hours and are regularly scheduled, during the week and the weekends for convenience. Visit www.arlingtonredcross.org or, call 703-527-3010 ext. 736
Volunteer with the Arlington Red Cross, and help families in Arlington, the Greater Washington Area, or even nationally. Choose your level of participation. Red Cross training also helps you to prepare for emergencies in your own life. Since the Red Cross needs many special skills, almost everyone can find a place to make a meaningful contribution to their community. Contact Heather Pritchett, Volunteer Services Coordinator, 703-527-3010 x735, or visit http://www.arlingtonredcross.org.
Volunteer ombudsmen are needed. Volunteer advocates are
assigned to a specific local nursing home or assisted-living facility and make weekly visits, meeting one-on-one with residents. Using the skills of listening, observing and mediating, the ombudsman works with the residents, their families and the staff of the facility, to ensure that the residents’ rights are being protected. The ombudsman empowers residents and their families to speak up on their own behalf, and helps them to address problems within the facility that they cannot resolve alone. Volunteers dedicate four (4) hours per week to this work, for one year. Interviews of applicants will be held this summer in preparation for the next annual training, scheduled for September 15, 15, and 25, 2008 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. Following assignment, ongoing training and support are provided. The Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is funded in part by the Arlington County Area Agency on Aging.
For further information and an application, please call (703) 324-5422, TTY: 703-449-1186 or visit our web site: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/LTCOmbudsman. To request reasonable accommodations or this information in an alternate format, call the number listed above.
The Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) is asking local gardeners to grow fruits and vegetables to help feed families in need in Arlington. AFAC – Arlington’s food pantry – will again provide free seeds to those gardeners willing to donate all or a portion of what they grow. To obtain free seeds for an individual or community Plant A Row plot or help in other ways, call Puwen Lee at 703-845-8486 or send an e-mail to afacpuwen@aol.com.
Northern Virginia Epilepsy Group meets every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. at Falls Church High School, Entrance 1, Room 100, 7521 Jaguar Trail, Falls Church. Free. For adults diagnosed with seizure disorders and caregivers. Call Dana at 703-425-6669.
Soroptimist International of Arlington started a community-wide campaign to collect used, unwanted cell phones. Proceeds from the collection efforts will be applied to the Women’s Opportunity Award and the Violet Richardson Award, as well as to fund various advocacy and educational programs throughout the community. Contact Sharon Williams, 703-203-3691 or e-mail swilliams@siarlington.org on where to find the drop offs.
If you enjoy talking about books, become a book discussion leader at The Carlin, a senior independent living facility. Work with an interested group of people to select the books to be read, and lead the monthly discussion. The books will be supplied by Arlington Public Library. Need someone who is dependable, enjoys discussion books and is able to lead a discussion making sure everyone gets a chance to share their views. The group meets for two hours on the second Thursday of each month at Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St. A six-month commitment is required. Contact Barbara Dean, Volunteer Coordinator, at 703-228-7688.
The Parkinson’s Disease Support Groups (Patient Discussion, Carepartners and Wilber McBay Exercise Program) meet weekday mornings at the Cherrydale Baptist Church, 3910 Lorcom Lane, Arlington. The Parkinson Foundation (PFNCA) invites persons with PD and their carepartners. Interested participants must call ahead. For schedules and more information, contact Leon Paparella at 202-966-4450.
Connections Café for retirees and soon-to-be retirees looking for opportunities for volunteer service, employment, learning, recreation and social interaction, open Tuesdays, 10 a.m.- noon, Thursdays, 1 p.m. 3 p.m., Walter Reed Community Center, 2909 S. 16th St. and Mondays and Wednesdays, noon to 2:30 p.m., Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington. For more information, call 703-228-4745.
Plan and organize fundraisers for Northern Virginia’s Most Vulnerable Children. The Development Committee assists with donor cultivation (corporate and individual) as well as special event organization and planning. Looking for some fresh ideas for upcoming events and people willing to roll up their sleeves to raise additional funding to provide programs to children in Alexandria and Arlington who otherwise would not be able to attend a high quality preschool program. Contact Kate Lyng, CFNC’s Manager of Development, (klyng@cfnc-online.org or 703-836-0214 x235) for more information on CFNC’s Development Committee.
Girls’ Outreach Program is an after school program dedicated to working with adolescent females who have been adjudicated delinquent or in need of supervision. No training requirements, however, all volunteers must have a Child Protective Services and criminal background check. Contact Tara Magee, Program Coordinator, 703-228-0425.
Work with elderly and disabled people, providing recreational activities such as crafts, music, games, visiting one to one, and assisting in setting up the recreational programs. All volunteers who will be working with residents for an unlimited duration must have a TB test or chest X-ray. The TB test will be provided by the center. Contact Leea Lynch, Program Director, 703-920-5700 ext. 384.
Volunteer movers are needed to assist families in the HomeStart (transitional housing) program. The families that Doorways serves often in need of assistance moving into their new homes or picking up and delivering donated furniture items. Looking for volunteers who have access to trucks and/or could lend a hand in assisting families transitioning out of homelessness. Movers would help families moving in or out of Doorways HomeStart Program (formerly the transitional housing program) on an as-needed basis. All volunteers must be at least 18 years of age and able to lift small and/or large pieces of furniture. Contact Candice Lopez, Community Resources Manager, 703-522-8858 x13 or visit http://www.doorwaysva.org
Capital Hospice, is looking for daytime volunteers with diverse backgrounds who want to aid their community through Patient/Family Care, Translating Languages (especially Spanish, Korean and Vietnamese) and more. Call Capital Hospice at 703-538-2065 and ask to speak with a Volunteer Services Coordinator or visit www.capitalhospice.org. Eighteen hours of training, provided. Patient Care volunteers must take a TB skin test and complete a criminal background check, provided at no cost.
The “Live And Let Live” Alanon Family Group (www.alanonva.com/) provides a safe and dependable space where GLBT people gather to disciss the 12 Steps and Traditions of Al-Anon Every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Unitarian Church, 4444 Arlington Blvd. Arlington.
Starting now, those who live, work in and visit Arlington County can register for Arlington Alert by texting “1776” to 411911. Arlington County uses Arlington Alert, to contact citizens when an emergency occurs via cell phone, e-mail, pager, BlackBerry, wireless PDA and XM Satellite Radio. In addition to enrollment via text message, Arlington Alert is available on the internet at www.arlingtonalert.com.
Volunteer Nurses are needed to work in the Communicable Diseases Clinic of the Arlington County Department of Human Services. Nurses must have Virginia license, current CPR card, and liability insurance. Orientation and training will be provided. Volunteers must be able to work two clinics (Thursdays) per month. Contact Tracey Hess at 703-228-5664. Located at 800 S. Walter Reed Drive.
Arlington’s Youth Team is for young volunteers ages 12 - 18 and provides a way for young people to volunteer for the Red Cross in a fun, social setting, while providing necessary services to the Arlington community. During the school year, the Youth Team has meetings once every other week in the evening, along with weekend and evening projects. During the summer, the Youth Team is much more active, with volunteer projects occurring 3-4 times per week during the day. All volunteers (youth and adult) must first attend a New Volunteer Orientation. Orientations are held approximately twice per month. You can find specific dates on www.arlingtonredcross.org. Volunteers age 18 and older must complete a background check. Contact Heather Pritchett, Volunteer Services Coordinator, 703-527-3010 x735.
Library Volunteer. Help make the Central Library's, 1015 N. Quincy St., programs go more smoothly by ushering, handing out programs, preparing children's crafts ahead of time, and then helping children complete their projects during the program. We need reliable, dependable, friendly people. Experience working with children is a plus. Contact Barbara Dean, Volunteer Coordinator, 703-228-7688.
The Arlington Disability Advisory Commission is seeking applicants to interview for several vacant positions. The Arlington Disability Advisory Commission is a 13 member, County Board appointed advisory group comprised of individuals who live and/or work in Arlington, and who are interested in and knowledgeable about issues involving people with physical and sensory disabilities. The Commission is seeking expressions of interest from people who would like to serve on the Commission and/or one or more of its committees. Time commitment is approximately 6 - 8 hours per month. Individuals interested in serving on the Commission or any of its committees should contact the Disability Advisory Commission staff at 703-228-7096 or e-mail at amaynard@arlingtonva.us.
The Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross is seeking volunteers to assist its blood collections staff at blood drives and blood donor centers. Volunteers will assist with providing a high level of customer service to donors, and with caring for donors in the refreshment area after the donation process. This position is offered to people who are 14 years of age or older. Training is scheduled at volunteer’s convenience at Red Cross offices in Arlington. To register for training, call the American Red Cross Volunteer Office at 1-800-272-0094, ext 1, or e-mail karlofft@usa.redcross.org.
Are you interested in curriculum issues in the Arlington Public Schools? If so, the Advisory Council on Instruction (ACI) may be the place for you to explore. ACI has 14 Advisory Committees representing all of the academic subjects taught in Arlington County Schools. If you're interested in learning more about them, visit www.apsva.us/advisory_groups/aci/. To apply to be on a committee, fill out the Advisory Council application form at www.apsva.us/schoolboard/adv_committee_app.shtml.
The Arlington Early Head Start Program is seeking volunteers to assist teachers in the pre-school classroom. May involve setting up play and learning activities, reading to students, decorating the classroom, or helping with breakfast and lunch. Volunteers must be comfortable with groups of children ages 0-3 years and have experience with children this age or a desire to gain such experience. Contact Ann Granger, Volunteer Coordinator, 703-219-2193. Located at 601 Vermont St.
The Arlington County Medical Reserve Corps recruits and trains active and retired physicians, dentists, veterinarians, pharmacists, nurses, and other citizens to volunteer during public health emergencies. MRC volunteers may assist in mass dispensing clinics, help with epidemiologic investigations, respond to telephone inquiries, or participate in public outreach and education. Volunteers also distribute public health education materials and recruit for the MRC during community fairs and other local events. Other trained and licensed volunteers support ongoing activities in public health bureaus and clinics. Call 703-228-4986 or e-mail bpritchard@arlingtonva.us.