The new school year is in full swing.

• Besides those initial back to school physicals and vaccinations at the doctor’s office, local providers say it’s important to keep the lines of communication open throughout the year.

Manisha Kunwar is a Family Nurse Practitioner at Sentara Family Medicine Physicians in Dumfries. She joined the team earlier this year, “I love taking care of our patients and bringing a smile back to their face,” says Ms. Kunwar. “Getting a chance to be involved in their healing process is priceless.”

Many families may not realize their primary care provider is there for more than sick visits.

• These high-skilled, trained professionals can help parents navigate the sometimes tumultuous school year, dealing with everything from bullies to anxiety.

“It’s important parents listen to their children and provide an environment where they can share with you,” says Kunwar. “Ask your child to tell you about their problems, listen to them without interruption and avoid judgment so that your child can express their feelings to you. If you see any changes in your kids’ behavior, take it seriously. If you think your kid is suffering from bullying or anxiety, call your PCP. As a provider, we can help. We will screen for risk factors during a routine health visit and anytime you feel that your kids need to be seen. We’re here for you and your family.”

Looking for a new provider?

• Sentara Family Medicine Physicians at 3600 Pointe Center Court in Dumfries is accepting new patients.
• Visit Sentara.com/Kunwar or call 703-523-1750 to schedule your appointment today.

It is hard to believe that the year is almost over.

• You may be starting to think about some ways to cut your tax bill before the year ends. You wonder, “Are there some things I can do to reduce my tax bill?”
• There are a few tax breaks you can take that will benefit your employees as well as giving you a break on your taxes.

Setting up a retirement program

The majority of people will agree that saving for retirement is something that they should do, but not everyone takes the time to do so.

• If you set up a retirement plan for your employees, you will be eligible for a credit for setting up a retirement plan, as well as helping them plan for their future.
• This credit will be for 50 percent of the amount you spent to set up or maintain a new qualified plan. The maximum amount you can claim in the first three years the plan is in effect is $500.
• You will qualify for this credit if you have 100 or fewer employees, and have not maintained a qualified retirement plan in the three years immediately preceding the first year this plan put into effect.

Paying bonuses early

Do you want to reward your employees? If you give them a bonus, you can.

• Even though you get a deduction for this year, you don’t have to make the payment by December 31.
• As long as you pay the bonus within two and one-half months of the end of your tax year, you can still take a deduction for it.

Making your facilities handicap accessible

Do you have employees who are handicapped?

• You may be able to claim a tax credit of 50% of the costs to make your facility handicapped accessible if you spend more than $250, but not more than $10,250.
• This would be for not only the removal of physical barriers, but also for costs related to interpreters and devices for the deaf and blind.

If you want some more ideas on how to save money on taxes, give Peden Accounting Services a call to set up an appointment to see how to reduce your tax bill.

Chris Peden, CPA, CMA, CFM, is the Chief Advisor at Peden Accounting Services in Manassas. He specializes in helping people and businesses not only meet their tax filing obligations but also develop plans to save money on taxes, as well as helping businesses understand their financial information and take action to grow their business.

Editors note: This post is paid for by Friends of Vanuch.

The west end of Stafford County has been serviced by the Rock Hill Fire Department for decades.

• Today, changing work-life dynamics across the U.S. are making it more difficult to find volunteers to fill fire stations. And, it’s no different in Rock Hill, where some stations have been staffed inconsistently.
• Understaffed stations not only make for spotty fire coverage, but they can also drive up the price you pay for homeowner’s insurance.

Crystal Vanuch, current Chairman of the Stafford County Planning Commission, and candidate for Rock Hill Board of Supervisors, knows this first hand.

• She reached out to Stafford County Fire and Rescue Chief Joseph Cardello, where they discussed a lot of the challenges in Rock Hill. She signed up to go on a fire and rescue ride-along for a day and helped to put out a mulch fire.
• This allowed her to get the first-hand experience of the job, to see the fire coverage needs of the Rock Hill District.
• Afterward, Vanuch signed up to work with the current recruit class of 21 new hires for the county’s fire and rescue department. Crystal also conducted the annual Firefighter Physical Performance assessment to truly grasp the physical requirements of the job.

All of this shows the commitment Vanuch has to the public safety divisions of the county.

“To me, it is plain and simple: Rock Hill pays the same taxes and we deserve the same level of service. If Rock Hill is having difficulty, like the rest of the country, getting enough volunteers to be operational 24/7, we need to work harder to see that they get the full-time staffing they need,” said Vanuch.

• Properly-staffed fire stations also help to increase Rock Hill’s Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating, which determines how well fire departments are equipped to extinguish fires in the community.

“We need to make sure its staffed full time so poor ISO ratings on the west end don’t skyrocket homeowners insurance,” added Vanuch.

• A new ISO assessment should take place very soon within the county.

“This is why I have made it a priority to work with Fire and Rescue and share the importance of coverage in Rock Hill and will ensure, when I win the election, Rock Hill will be fully operable with an engine unit, where there will be three staff there instead of the two currently staffing the medic and tanker only,” she adds.

In addition to our firefighters, Crystal has been in our neighborhood meeting with thousands of residents and getting input from them on the issues that matter most to them.

• Growth has been a big topic of conversation of which Vanuch has had a very strong record ensuring development must pay for itself and not fall on the taxpayer.

Don’t forget to Vote Vanuch on November 5.

For more than 30 years, Yolanda Elliott was the woman you came to when you wanted to look your best.

The irony that a woman who “did hair” lost her hair doesn’t escape the longtime cosmetologist, but Elliott knows there’s more to life than good hair. 

For the last year and a half, Elliott has been battling breast cancer.

She discovered a lump in her right breast through self-examination nearly two years ago. At the time, she was in the middle of a transition, preparing to move. 

“I think, sometimes as women, we take on so much and set ourselves on the backburner. Even at 60, I’m still learning how to make myself a priority,” explains Elliott. 

It wasn’t until several months after she had settled into her new home in Woodbridge, she was able to make a doctor’s appointment. At that point, her breast was red and inflamed.

The then 58-year-old mom of three was diagnosed with stage 3/HER2+ breast cancer in Summer 2018. She was referred to Sentara Surgery Specialist Dr. Steven Nakao. Dr. Nakao introduced her to Deana Henry, Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center’s Cancer Nurse Navigator. 

Deana helped her work through the sometimes overwhelming business of a cancer diagnosis. 

“Deana was really instrumental for me, not stressing. She was just so full of information, and she’d always tell me, ‘Well, that’s my job!'” said Elliott. “She went that extra mile and cleared the path for me to go through this.”

Soon after her diagnosis, Elliott started chemotherapy with hematologist/oncologist Dr. Farn Chan. The chemo shrunk her tumor and allowed Dr. Nakao to perform her mastectomy and remove several lymph nodes where cancer had spread. 

After surgery, radiation with Dr. Susan Boylan was prescribed in addition to more chemotherapy. 

Finally, on August 22nd, Elliott had her last treatment. 

“A part of me was relieved to be through with the treatment, but another side of me was anxious- am I really through? Is this really it?” she asked. 

Many cancer patients have mixed emotions at the end of their treatment. 

Elliott is now at a crossroads. 

While chemo is over, she’s not sure how much of her old life will fit into her new circumstances. She’s dealing with neuropathy in her arm, which is keeping her from using it as quickly as she once did. 

Though Elliott is dealing with a lot, she’s resilient. 

Her faith and the support team she’s discovered at the Sentara Cancer Network Resource Center are keeping her going. 

“I have such a faith that no matter what I walkthrough, I don’t walk through it alone,” she said. “My tribe has changed. I’ve done the support group under Deana and yoga, and I visit the resource center. I’m trying to take full advantage of all these great resources.” 

The Sentara Cancer Network Resource Center is located in the Century Building at 2280 Opitz Boulevard, Suite 225, Woodbridge, VA 22191. You can contact the nurse navigator, Deana Henry, at 703-523-1599.

To schedule your mammogram, call 703-523-1560 today.  

The Prince William County Landfill will host its annual Prince William Recycles Day event on Saturday, October 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Prince William County Landfill will host this free, annual event that will feature “edutainment” by the Chesapeake Mermaid, tours of the County’s amazing landfill, lots of fun games and activities, prizes, face painting, free food, music, recycled art display, equipment and truck displays.

• The landfill is located at 14811 Dumfries Road near Manassas.
• Landfill tours, will take place throughout the day.

The Chesapeake Mermaid will tell her tales from the bay and introduce her wildlife friends.

• There will be interactive storytime, meet and greet and photo opportunities.
• Mermaid showtimes 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• Her audience will explore through activities, songs, movement and imagery.
• They will also learn about our local environment and what they can do in daily life to create less waste and help our world.

Prince William residents are encouraged to attend this family-friendly event to learn about the changes to recycling in Prince William County and the importance of recycling, reuse and waste reduction to the environment and the economy.

• With the support of sponsors, community organizations and volunteers. The Prince William County Solid Waste Division has hosted an annual community recycling education event since 1995.
• Prince William Recycles Day is the local celebration of America Recycles Day, which is officially November 15 each year.

This event and the County’s commitment to recycling will be commemorated with a proclamation from the Prince William Board of County Supervisors during its regular meeting on October 1.

This year, the event is sponsored by numerous solid waste partners: Fortistar, Solid Waste Services, NOVEC, Broad Run Recycling, American Disposal Services, Republic Services, Davis Industries, AshBritt, Burke & Herbert Bank, Freestate Farms, GBB, Golder Associates, Keep Prince William Beautiful, Madera Farm, Mom’s Organic Market, Mike Garcia Construction, Patriot Disposal, Prince William Marina, 1-800-Got-Junk?, Safety Tank of Maryland, SAVERS, SCS Engineers, Wetland Studies and Solutions, WSP and Aegis Environmental.

Visit Prince William Recycles Day website for more info about activities visit, check out the video and get ready for the fun!

Photo courtesy of The Chesapeake Mermaid.

It’s time to show how much you love Occoquan.

The town of Occoquan is celebrating 50 years. In commemoration of this milestone, Events and Community Development Director Julie Little asked vendors at the town’s annual craft show to make special items with the town’s name on them, so people could show their love.

“I asked them to come up with a special or limited edition item for the show. They came up with some really beautiful things and I’ve been able to designate them in the program with an ‘I Heart OCQ’ symbol and ‘I heart OCQ’ emblem on their tents so that patrons can see they had a special or limited edition item,” said Little.

The I Heart OCQ items will appear at this year’s annual Fall Craft Show, September 28 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., respectively.

Photos of the I Heart OCQ items have appeared on the town website in advance of the craft show. “It was a really neat way to see how our vendors could relate to our history,” she said.

Little said their Spring show was well received and the vendors really “went to town” showing off their creativity.

“We had a quilling artist come up with a beautiful quilling art (the art of folding paper), a beautiful design with a five and a zero, all floral details. We had a metal maker create a compass rose that said Occoquan, VA on it,” Little said, “We had hand-painted watercolors that showed the river. We had some really beautiful things.”

One of the vendors, Jordyn DeCroes of Z & J Custom Creations said she likes how the show caters to the local residents of Occoquan. Z & J Custom Creations specializes in creating signage and home decor. DeCroes said for the Spring craft show, they made a compass of reclaimed steel with the coordinates of Occoquan.

DeCroes said they chose a nautical theme since the town is on the water. She said they received positive feedback their creation in the Spring show so they plan to bring it back for the fall.

DeCroes said the compass will be available for purchase in multiple finishes. “It was very popular and we had a lot of interest,” she said.

DeCroes said that they are also adding another piece to their collection for the fall show. “We are creating the state of Virginia cut out with a heart near Occoquan. This is a piece of wall decor about 20 inches wide,” she said.
Alexandra O’Leary of Art by Alexandra showcases her original glass jewelry at the Occoquan Craft Show. “I use a process called flamework,” says O’Leary,” I melt over a torch, mixing propane and oxygen, shaping the glass.”

O’Leary created a special feather to celebrate Occoquan’s 50 years.

“The name Occoquan means end of water,” says O’Leary, “In commemoration of Indian settlers, I did a feather and made it blue for the water.”

O’Leary said this particular limited-edition piece was difficult to make because you have to create the lines for the feather but she is very pleased with it.

“The town is a very friendly group,” she says, “The event is well organized. Everything runs really smooth. I’ve fallen in love with the town.”

Inspiration is a social disease. It’s amazing how when one person shares inspiration and motivation, others catch it, like a good virus.

It’s not really the kind of virus you want to cure, either. In fact, most people would appreciate a sneeze in their general direction if what you are spreading is inspiration and motivation.

Here’s why it works.

As we know, people are social creatures, even those who seem to prefer the hermitage. Humans have a fundamental longing to be with others. It’s part of the survival drive. Statistically, we tend to live longer when we live harmoniously with fellow humans. And what happens when we live with others? We tend to influence one another’s behavior and thinking. Now, that can be a bad thing, in the case of groupthink, where you lose your identity and ability to independently analyze. But it can be a good thing if you’re spreading something positive, like creative inspiration and motivation.  

Have you ever been in an audience and listened to a story so compelling that the audience gave a standing ovation? Did it give you chills? Did you cry? That was inspiration speaking.

Have you ever played in a band and intensified your performance because of what you saw and heard your band members doing? That was inspiration acting out.

How about teaching? Ever get that teaching high when speaking passionately about what you love and the class nods in understanding? That was inspiration listening.

What you want to do is get into situations where you catch that inspiration. To do that, you need to watch who you hang out with. Debbie Downer doesn’t do it when it comes to giving you what you’re seeking.

But let’s talk about Debbie, shall we? Maybe what Debbie needs is for someone else to be inspired, someone else to spread that germ and lift her up. Once you have what you need, you might be in a position to do that. But first, make sure you’ve stocked up on your own inspiration. You don’t want Debbie to bring you down.

Here are some ways you can find people to help inspire and motivate you:

1. Join a book club or start one that only reads inspirational books. Read the books. Discuss them. Let the discussion infuse you with inspiration and motivation to continue. Build off each other’s inspirational high.
2. Attend a conference where you know motivational speakers will be addressing the crowd. Listen – really listen – to the experiences the speaker shares and see how you might apply their approach to your life. And if they’re good, nod and give them that standing ovation.
3. Take in short, inspirational and motivational videos online, but do it with a friend or two. Avoid trite videos that don’t build on your current understanding of inspiration and motivation. Observe the audience. TED talks, for example, tend to be meatier and provide inspiration from some surprising people, ranging from artists to scientists.
4. Make lists of groups that inspire you. Or make a storyboard with photos of victorious people and quotes that have the same effect. Pin these to visible places. Look at them and read them every day. Share them with others. When you get bored with them, replace them with something new.
5. Sit in the park or another public place and people watch. Observe the people who seem like they are most enjoying themselves together. What are they doing? How are they interacting? Make a story in your mind about what motivated them to be there. What do you think inspires them? Can you relate?

Now, what do you do with all this inspiration and motivation? You could:

•         Start a new project.
•         Finish an old project.
•         Set new goals.
•         Meet current goals.
•         Share your inspiration and motivation with Debbie Downer.
•         Let yourself fall in love with life.

People are complex. They can be catalysts for the negative or the positive. Surround yourself with inspiration and motivation and see how your own will bloom.

Watching wings

point to the sky,

I wonder how I ever

remained grounded

with swallows nearby.

If I touch their feathers,

will I, too, fly?

Until next time, 

Katherine

This article is part of a series from my forthcoming book, Get Happy, Dammit. Copyright 2019, All Rights Reserved. Learn more at KatherineGotthardt.com.

It may not be a topic you want to discuss, but it should be.

Colorectal health is something which both men and women should be aware of, oftentimes women think of colon and rectal cancers as men’s diseases, something doctors say is absolutely not true.

“Colon cancer affects both men and women,” explains Caroline Sanchez, MD, FACS, FASCRS, a colon and rectal board-certified surgeon with Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center. “The lifetime risk of developing colon cancer is 1 in 24 (4.15%) in women compared to 1 in 22 (4.49%) for men.”

The American Cancer Society recommends that people at average risk of colorectal cancer start regular screening at age 45. Dr. Sanchez says colon issues in both men and women are very similar.
“I take care of colon and rectal diseases. These conditions can range in severity. These diseases can be mildly irritating to life-threatening. They can be benign or cancerous,” explains Dr. Sanchez.

“Early colon cancer rarely causes any obvious symptoms. Warning signs include a change in bowel habits, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, unexpected weight loss, or anemia.”
Dr. Sanchez says many women will dismiss their symptoms and attribute them to their menstrual cycle, that’s why she says it’s so important to discuss colorectal diseases.

“Issues of the colon and rectum are often difficult to discuss, but you should not be afraid to talk about new symptoms you may be able experiencing.  Often times there is a simple explanation which can easily be treated and you don’t have to suffer in silence. If there is something more serious, it is best to find out earlier.”

To find a gastroenterologist or colorectal surgeon, call 1-800-Sentara or visit sentara.com/digestive.

Republican Crystal Vanuch is drawing on her record of experience and touting results in her run for Stafford’s Rock Hill District Supervisor seat.

The past four years, she has served as the Rock Hill Planning Commissioner, being unanimously nominated Chair the past two years with a seat on some of Stafford’s most impactful committees.

“When it comes to managing residential growth, easing traffic congestion on our roads, and advocating on behalf of our community, I have a proven record of results,” said Vanuch.

Vanuch has led the charge on getting the community involved, educated, and improving transparency on the impacts of large-scale subdivisions. She is committed to ensuring development “pays for itself” by offering proffers to mitigate impacts on schools, roads, and other county infrastructure. In her four-year term, she has notably voted no to more than 2500 new homes that didn’t offset their impacts to the community.

She chaired the Cluster Ordinance Committee – fighting hard to block the expansion of cluster homes in Rock Hill. Clusters are smaller lot sizes with homes close together. In 2015, Crystal was also a committee member updating the county’s comprehensive plan ensuring that the rural areas of the county stay rural.

Protecting the environment and rural aspects of Stafford County are also central to Vanuch’s service over the past four years. She has been a fierce advocate of ensuring the county takes active measures to protect the county drinking water supply and personal wells.

Many Rock Hill residents are on public wells and are very susceptible to contamination. She is most widely known for proactive measures to require private wells have the same setback requirements as the state law requires for public wells from contamination sources such as cemeteries and commercial feed lots. She also has a strong voting record on advocating for residents in the County for uses that could have led to dangerous contamination flowing into the Counties drinking water supply at Smith Lake and ensuring the County follows the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act requirements.

In the last four years, Crystal has dedicated much of her personal time to ensure that Rock Hill stays a great place to live. She has been met with opposition from special interest groups to try to make her back down on her strong stances of protecting Rock Hill and has been rather impressive in her ability to stand strong making sure that Rock Hill has strong leadership and protection.

Please vote November 5.