People

Great Falls: Woman of the Year

Raising more than a quarter of a million dollars for cancer research with 17 local events.

Katie Simmons Hickey’s daughter Rylie, 3, delivered the knockout punch in Hickey’s fundraising film for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Backyard Vegetable Gardens Feed Multicultural Cuisines

In Fairfax County, tomatoes are a staple of local gardens along with peppers, cucumbers, potatoes, beans and herbs like mint, oregano and cilantro.

There’s nothing like a juicy red tomato fresh out of the backyard garden to brighten up a summertime salad or a sandwich — or a bittermelon, aronia berries or “paradise apple,” as persimmons are known in Bulgaria. The multi-cultural population in Fairfax County has grown roots in the backyard vegetable garden.

Arlington: A Panhandler’s Story

After a year of trading on “vet” status, panhandler goes to jail

Everyone noticed the young man who limped along the median running down the center of Glebe Road.

Arlington: A-SPAN says, 'Don't Give Money to Panhandlers'

Most are not homeless: the money is not housing them but hurting them

"Most panhandlers are not homeless, and most homeless are not panhandlers," said Kathy Sibert, CEO of A-span, Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network, located in South Arlington off Four-Mile Run.

A Gathering of Woodcarvers Happens Weekly in Arlington

It’s more about the company than the product.

Wilda Garrison will be 93-years-old in two weeks.

Arlington: Outrage Avoided

Arlington School Board prohibits gender identity discrimination.

Two months ago, the Fairfax County School Board added “gender identity” to its nondiscrimination policy amid a hail storm of outrage from its community.

A Homeless Mother Finds a Home in Arlington

“Your past is not your future.”

Nellie Jane Downing welcomes her guest into a neat, light filled apartment in South Arlington. Behind her on the wall is a photograph of New York City’s George Washington Bridge. “That bridge,” she said, “is my story. Walking from one side to the other, making that journey. And those lights on the bridge are the people who inspired me to get across.”

Arlington: Family Homelessness: Still a Major Problem

Decrease in numbers of homeless on the streets does not mean families are all housed.

Caroline Jones, of Doorways, an organization which is part of Continuum of Care and specializes in family homelessness, notes the Point in Time Count can be misleading. It’s a snapshot of what is happening on the street on a cold night in January.

Muslims at the Fairfax Islamic Center Break Fasts Together

One voice carries a melody in Arabic through the two-story hall of the Islamic Center Northern Virginia Trust, as over a hundred men bow their heads to the carpeted ground.

Clifton Film Festival Returns to Workhouse Arts Center

Fairfax resident Dani Weinberg thought she wanted to be a journalist. That was until she joined the crew of her high school’s television program “Good Morning Robinson.” Combined with her photography for the Robinson Secondary School newspaper, Weinberg started getting “really into film.”

Mount Vernon: Care and Share Initiative Grows

This year Fort Hunt Elementary School started a Backpack Friday program as part of its new Care and Share initiative.

Mount Vernon: Chamber Awards Scholarships to Local Students

The Mount Vernon Lee Chamber of Commerce honored the recipients of its 2015 Education Partnership Scholarships on June 2 at a reception hosted by The Hilton in Springfield.

Alexandria: Community Lodgings Opens Doors for Those Facing Homelessness

Tours offered at Fifer Family Learning Center.

Community Lodgings seeks to promote self-sufficiency and break the cycle of poverty in the city. In operation since 1987, the nonprofit founded by a collective of Episcopal churches works with families to create stability.

Service and Brotherhood

Mentor of The Month

“The most rewarding thing about Space of His Own was the interaction with the kids and seeing them transform from the beginning of the program where everyone’s nervous and there’s a sense of formality, and seeing it evolve to where there’s a level of comfort between the mentor and the mentee.”

Alexandria: Walking Aboard History

Lycee Rochambeau students, French expatriates, and many Americans visit L'Hermione

Students from the Lycee Rochambeau looked up at L'Hermione and called it “a ship with feelings.”

The Connection