September 2004

"Strategies for Boosting Coverage and Credibility with the Press"
Tuesday, October 26, 8:30 am - 10:30 am
Presenters: Audra Capas, president of 5StarPR, LLC; Mary-Jane Atwater, president of Atwater Communications; and IPRA chair, and Scott Shaw, principal of Creativerge

"Generating Top Business News Coverage"
Tuesday, November 30, 8:30 am - 10:30 am
Presenter: Audra Capas, president of 5StarPR, LLC

"Crisis Communications"
Tuesday, January 11, 2005, 8:30 am - 10:30 am
Presenter: Sean O'Neill, principal, Symmetrix Public Relations & Communications Strategies, LLC

"Media Training: Controlling the Agenda in a Tough Press Interview"
Wednesday, February 16, noon to 2:00 pm
Presenter: Heathere Evans-Keenan, owner and principal, Keenan PR

• One Media Sponsor ($2000) will be recognized throughout all broadcasts of the Parade, will be recognized by the parade emcee, on the parade banner and in publicity materials*, and will receive a certificate. (*except flyers distributed to schools).
• One VTRCC Float Sponsor ($1500) will be recognized on all promotional materials*, the Chamber Float, press releases, and Chamber newsletter. Sponsor can also designate one representative to ride on the float.
• Gold Sponsors ($300) will be recognized by the parade emcee, on the parade banner and in publicity materials*, and will receive a certificate.
• Silver Sponsors ($200) will be recognized by the parade emcee and in publicity materials*, and will receive a certificate.
• Patrons ($100) will be recognized and in some publicity materials* and will receive a certificate.
• Provide a financial contribution or 600 fun items for the goodie bags given out to the Costumed Kids after the parade

• The Post has joined a national program to collect old cell phones and pre-paid calling cards to be given to our troops serving overseas so they can call home without spending a fortune. It is reported that some troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are spending their entire take home pay to keep in touch with loved ones. If you have a phone or pre-paid card you wish to donate, please bring it to Post 180 (330 N. Center Street, Vienna, VA 22180) and give it to an officer (do not leave these items in the collection box). We will serve as a drop-off site and ensure the phones and calling cards get to the right people.
• From Service Officer John Adams: "Got a problem, or know of a Veteran in need? You can reach me almost any time at: 703-795-3246. If I'm not there leave a message and I'll be back to you as quickly as possible. Don't let the system get the best of you, give me a call."
• The Post's meeting and banquet facilities available to members & their friends. Day, evening, and weekend dates are available for the Social Hall/Meeting Room/Grove. Call the Club Manager at 703-938-9535 for information about open dates, prices, catering. Your party, meeting, mixer, training session or whatever, is just a phone call away. Act now before the calendar is completely full!
• The Post will hold a 9-11 remembrance ceremony at 9 am on September 11, 2004. Call the Post at 703-938-9535 for more details.

• Ten minority-owned businesses from around the country will receive the U.S. Small Business Administration's regional Minority Small Business Person of the Year award and Kwame Jackson, first runner up in the "Apprentice" reality show, will receive an entrepreneurship award during National Minority Enterprise Development Week, Sept. 7-10. The regional award winners have businesses that offer services ranging from environmental engineering and telecommunications infrastructure to maintenance of military family housing units. One of the 10 regional award winners will be named the National Minority Small Business Person of the Year. For more information, contact the MED Week 2004 office at 1-877-MEDWEEK or visit the Web site at www.medweek.gov.
• SBA Breaks All-Time Loan Record: Agency Has Already Surpassed 2003 Loan Numbers. With almost two full months still remaining in the fiscal year, the SBA has already backed more loans in its 7(a) and 504 programs than ever before in its 51-year history. As of August 6 - eight weeks before the end of fiscal year 2004 - the SBA's 7(a) loan program had guaranteed 67,493 loans, and 6,974 loans through its 504 program. When compared to the same time period last year, these record-breaking numbers represent dramatic increases: 23 percent for 7(a) and 27 percent for 504. Not only has the SBA broken overall lending records, but it has also already exceeded 2003 numbers for some of the fastest growing segments of the small business community. The SBA has already surpassed the total 2003 number of loans to African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans (30% increase), women (25% increase) and rural entrepreneurs (11% increase).

• An adult co-ed fall kickball league for ages 18 and up, sponsored by the Vienna Parks and Recreation Department, begins August 29. Doubleheader games will be played at Southside Park on Sundays beginning at 10 a.m. The fee of $250 per team includes umpires, equipment and awards. The league is limited to 12 teams, which will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call Keith Fees at 703-255-6352 or e-mail fees@ci.vienna.va.us.
• "Writing Your Personal History", an informal, group-run class for people interested in documenting their life stories for themselves and future generations to enjoy, will be held each Thursday, September 2-March 24, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E. Class members select topics about which to write, and read their work to each other for supportive feedback. The class is free of charge; a donation of $5 will be used to provide coffee and tea at each class. Advance registration is required. For more information, call the Vienna Parks and Recreation Department at 703-255-6360.
• A walking group for mature adults will meet each Wednesday, September 1-November 3, from 5-6 p.m. in front of the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E. There is no fee for this program and no registration is required. A morning walking group will meet on Mondays, September 13-October 25, from 10-11 a.m. The fee of $5 for Town of Vienna residents and $8 for out-of-town participants includes a guide and written materials. The Friday morning group will meet September 10-October 15 from 10-11 a.m. at different locations around Fairfax County. The cost is $12 for Town of Vienna residents and $15 for out-of-town participants. For more information, call the Vienna Parks and Recreation Department at 703-255-6360.
• Vienna area girls in grades 9 through 12 are invited to join the "Girls Group," which will resume monthly meetings in September at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E. The Girls Group provides a setting where high school girls can discuss issues such as dating, college, health and beauty, and also sponsors trips and classes. Participation is free of charge. For more information, call Brandy Mullen at 703-255-5721.

• Live entertainment, crafts, hayrides, pony rides and a moonbounce are just a portion of the fun to be enjoyed at the Mason District Park Festival scheduled for Saturday, September 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fun seekers can also enjoy numerous children's rides, plus police and fire demonstrations at the festival. This year's theme, 'Our Community, Our World,' will be reflected in the live entertainment featured at the festival. Diverse entertainment includes swing, folk, blues, a cappella, Korean drumming and flamenco dancing performances. The following performances are scheduled: The Bull Run Cloggers, Bob Brown Puppets, Federal Focus Jazz Band, Russikye Musikanti, Duende Camaron, and The Potomac Brass Quintet. Admission to the festival is free and tickets can be purchased for individual rides. In case of inclement weather, a raindate has been set for the following day, Sunday, September 19, 2004, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mason District Park is located at 6621 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA. For more information, please call 703-941-1730.
• The Adapted Aquatics program is seeking volunteers and will conduct its next training in September. This program offers an individualized swimming and water activity program for children and adults with physical and mental disabilities. Under the guidance of trained instructors and one-on-one volunteers, the skills and basic movements of swimming are adapted to fit the capabilities of participants. Adapted Aquatics includes integrated and comprehensive offerings at all of the Park Authority's eight RECenters, ranging from arthritis water exercise for the elderly to swimming lessons for preschoolers with special needs. There are Special Olympics Swimming Training programs as well as classes targeted to specific disabilities, such as fibroyalgia, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. Volunteers are the cornerstone of these efforts. Recruitment goes on all year, and volunteer training is conducted quarterly. Volunteers are asked to sign on for an eight or ten week class series; that commitment is integral to building the trust between student and volunteer, who work together as a team. Volunteer training includes classroom and pool work. The next session is Saturday, September 11, 2004 from 1-6 p.m. at Providence RECenter. For more information on joining this award-winning and life enhancing volunteer team, call Jean Skinner, Adapted Aquatic coordinator at 703-324-8565.
• FCPA will hold a public hearing on Monday, September 13 at 7 p.m. to present a proposal for the General Management and Conceptual Development Plan for Ox Hill Battlefield Park and the General Management Plan for Union Mills/Confederate Fortifications Historic Site. Both sites represent important local historic and cultural resources relating to the Civil War which warrant protection and interpretation. The combined hearing will take place in Room 106/107 located on the first floor of the Herrity Building at 12055 Government Center Parkway in Fairfax. Staff proposals will outline plans for Ox Hill Battlefield Park located at the southwest corner of West Ox Road and Monument Drive in Fairfax. The recommendations for the 4.7 acre park include the placement of an information kiosk, interpretive signage, landscape treatments, two new monuments, trails, and parking. Suggestions for the plan were developed over the past year by Park Authority staff working closely with a citizen task force. The public is invited to speak on these proposals which can be viewed online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks. If you would like to speak at the hearing, need more information about the plan or seek to provide written or electronic comments, please contact the Park Authority Public Information Office at 703-324-8662 or e-mail us at Parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov.
• FCPA and the County's Springfield Community Resources Team will host a community celebration at Lake Accotink Park on Saturday, September 4, from 2-9 p.m. The celebration promises something for everyone with fireworks, entertainment, children's activities and an information fair. The impromptu festival allows for the presentation of fireworks previously cancelled due to inclement weather. Several County agencies, including the Fairfax County Police Department, Teen Services, the Department of Community and Recreation Services and other community nonprofit groups are also invited to participate. Informational booths will be featured, along with music, food, face painting, games for kids, a rock climbing wall, carousel rides, miniature golf, and boat rides. The Park Authority will conduct the fireworks show at dark. A $2 per vehicle parking fee will be in effect throughout the day. Lake Accotink Park is located at 7500 Accotink Park Road in Springfield. For more information, call the park at 703-569-0285 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks.
• The Virginia Indian Festival is held at Riverbend Park in Great Falls, VA. This year's event examines the traditions of Virginia's fallen warriors, a thematic connection to the festival's occurrence on September 11th from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Cost is $5 per person. Children two and under are free. No reservations are required and the festival is being held rain or shine! Four Virginia tribes - the Mattaponi, Pamunkey, Rappahannock, and Chickahominy will join in the celebration. Enjoy a wide variety of demonstrations including tool making, flint knapping, dancing and drumming, and brain tanning. Children's activities include Native American storytelling, bow shooting, spear throwing and dugout canoe construction. The festival will feature crafts for sale including jewelry, pottery, native artifacts and dream catchers. Archaeological and historic objects will be on display. For more information, please contact Riverbend Park at (703) 759-9018 or go online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks.

• Fairfax County's Meals on Wheels program is facing a critical shortage of volunteers. Currently the agency is in need of volunteers throughout the county, especially in the eastern section. Drivers can volunteer to deliver prepared meals to the homebound elderly weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. Meals are picked up from a designated site in the community between 10:30 and 11 a.m. It takes two hours on average to complete a delivery route. During the past 12 months, 1,400 Meals on Wheels volunteers delivered 194,000 meals to approximately 750 older adults in Fairfax County. Demand for the program has grown dramatically as the county's elderly population continues to increase. To volunteer, please call the Meals on Wheels Volunteer Intake Hotline at 703-324-5406, TTY 703-449-1186, or send an e-mail to beverly.mullis@fairfaxcounty.gov. For reasonable ADA accommodations, contact Pam Graff at 703-324-5410, TTY 703-449-1186. Additional information and volunteer job descriptions can be found online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/service/aaa.
• The "Road Dawgs Summer Camp", a summer camp to teach pre-teens gang-refusal strategies, is a coordinated effort launched by the Fairfax County Police Department, Fairfax County Department of Community and Recreation Services, the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board and Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. The four county agencies recruited 35 pre-teens from the Annandale area who are exposed to gangs. While this year's camp focuses on Annandale youth, "Road Dawgs" will be rolled out to other parts of the county in coming years. The week-long day camp will run through Friday, August 20, at a different county facility every day. "Road Dawgs" will focus on three main goals: 1) Increase pre-teens' skills to resist joining gangs and experimentation with tobacco, alcohol and drugs. 2) Provide pre-teens with alternatives to "hanging out" - the unsupervised time when they typically might engage in violence or substance abuse. 3) Introduce pre-teens to the numerous programs and services offered by the police and county human services agencies. At the camp's end, participants will be connected with other county programs and facilities, like the Police Department's "Explorer" program or the RECenters. For more information about the "Road Dawgs Summer Camp," please contact Captain Jack Hurlock with the West Springfield District Police Station at 703-451-5066, TTY 711, or Evan Braff with the Fairfax County Department Community and Recreation Services at 703-324-5650, TTY 711.
• Every Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Fairfax County Government Cable Channel 16 broadcasts "The Planning Commission Roundtable," a 30-minute program for citizens, land owners, civic associations and developers who wish to gain a better understanding of the Fairfax County Planning Commission's role in land use planning and development in the county. For the month of August, the program featured is the Geographic Information System. Imagine being able to go to an Internet site, type in a county property address and get a list of zoning hearings pending within a certain area of that address; or being able to view a color-coded map of the county showing the planning districts, voting districts, locations of police and fire stations, or school boundaries; or being able to download and print a map of any parcel in the county. For a summary description of previous "Planning Commission Roundtable" programs, go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/gov/planning/roundtable.pdf.
• A multimedia CD-ROM titled "Smart Growth Begins at the Local Level" and an accompanying Web site are now available to inform and educate elected officials, civic groups, the development community and residents about the land use and transportation challenges currently facing the region. To view "Smart Growth Begins at the Local Level" online or to order a copy of the video on CD-ROM, visit the COG (Council of Governments) Web site at www.mwcog.org/planning/planning/smartgrowth/. For more information, call Paul DesJardin, COG chief of Housing and Planning at 202-962-3293, TTY 202-962-3213 or e-mail pdesjardin@mwcog.org.
• Fairfax County's Noman M. Cole Jr. Pollution Control Plant recently received the Gold Peak Performance Award from the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies to recognize the facility's outstanding accomplishments in wastewater treatment and environmental protection of water quality in the county, as well as improvement of the Chesapeake Bay water quality. The Gold Award pays special tribute to those municipal wastewater treatment facilities that achieve 100 percent compliance with all National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit limits during a calendar year. In 2003, the Noman Cole Plant received the prestigious Platinum Peak Performance Award which pays special tribute to those municipal wastewater treatment facilities that, for five consecutive years, have received gold awards. The Noman Cole Plant, located at 9399 Richmond Highway, Lorton, is the largest advanced wastewater treatment plant in the commonwealth of Virginia with design capacity of 54 million gallons per day. Nearly half of the 100 million gallons per day of wastewater generated in the county is currently treated at the Noman Cole Plant. For more information, call the director of the Fairfax County Wastewater Treatment Division at 703-550-9740 ext. 255, TTY 711
• Nominations are currently being accepted for Fairfax County's inaugural Barbara Varon Volunteer Award. This award will be given annually to a county resident whose dedication to improving the community through volunteer service honors the memory of Barbara Varon, former chairman of the Fairfax County Electoral Board. Nominations must be received no later than Sept. 15, 2004. To qualify for the award, nominees must: 1.) Live in Fairfax County. 2.) Demonstrate an appreciation for the diversity of our community's population. 3.) Exhibit patriotism. 4.) Show evidence of having a positive effect on the community. 5.) Be known for encouraging others to do the same. To nominate someone for this honor an application must be filled out and sent to: The Barbara Varon Volunteer Award, Office of Equity Programs, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 339, Fairfax VA 22035-0041. Applications are available at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/gov/oep/bvaronapp.pdf, or applicants can call the Office of Equity Programs at 703-324-2207, TTY 703-222-5494 to request an application. Nominations must be received no later than Sept. 15, and the award will be presented in October.
• Vienna Adventist Academy Launches New School Bus Service - The Transportation Division of Success in Life Ministries Inc (SiLM), a provider of safe, reliable and affordable transportation in Northern Virginia, announced today that is has been chosen by Vienna Adventist Academy and Fairmont Preparatory School to provide their school bus service. Elaine Pugh, the Principal of Vienna Adventist Academy comments, "the school bus service is something we have been praying about and planning for a while, we are excited that we can now offer this service to our parents." SiLM's Transportation Division also provides transportation services to churches, private and public organizations and has a combined total of over twelve (12) years experience in driving and maintaining commercial vehicle fleets. "Safety is our priority," states Philip Hunte, Executive Vice President of Operations.

• One BDC initiative is the Business Showcase at the Patriot Center. This year the showcase will be in the spring. It is a great opportunity to be involved in the showcase and have fun with other chamber members.
• The BDC is also planning a small-business incubator for the Vienna-Tysons area. Planning is at an advanced stage now, but the committee can still use volunteers with good ideas about organizing an incubator for new businesses. The committee expects to be able to launch the incubator in the next few months. Co-chairs of the incubator effort are Bill Daly of the law firm Rees, Broome and Diaz, and Mark Chernisky of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. The incubator has the potential to be one of the most important and most visible projects the Chamber has ever undertaken.
• Two other BDC projects with high impact and high-visibility are the annual Chair’s Breakfast and the Past Chair’s Breakfast. The Chair’s breakfast introduces each new team of VTRCC officers and board members to the membership and helps mold the leadership into a smooth-functioning team. The Past Chair’s Breakfast enables the new leadership team to learn from the experience and community perspective of the Chamber’s past chairs. Both events are organized by members of the Business Development Committee.