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· Good morning – Attention Garden Clubs! Rainbow Therapeutic Riding Program in Haymarket has a beautiful new perennial berm at the front of the property that needs care for a while. Come give your love of plants a little exercise until the garden becomes self-sufficient. Please call Debi or Shane at (703) 754-6159 for more info.
· Volunteer Prince William is delighted to sponsor the Volunteer Management Training series again this fall. The course starts Wednesday October 15th 9am-11:30am and continues each Wednesday morning for 5 weeks. This course is free but please register at: volunteerprincewilliam.org. Topics include planning your program, recruiting and placing volunteers, training and orienting volunteers, supervision and evaluation of your program. Many thanks to the Manassas Park Rec Center for use of their class room.
· Volunteer Prince William also invites you to Disaster Planning workshop for community organizations and small business on Friday October 24th in Woodbridge. Come learn strategies to continue serving clients and customers if your employees can’t come to work or if you lose utilities or your facility is damaged. You can register for this program at: volunteerprincewilliam.org and click on the events page or email Bonnie at: [email protected] for more info.
· Birmingham Green is looking for a friendly visitor who speaks Vietnamese for one of their residents. Come offer your smile and conversation to another. Please email Zach at [email protected] for more info.
· Beacon Adult Literacy needs volunteer tutors to teach conversation or computer literacy to ESL students in the Manassas area on Monday mornings. Please call Caroline at (703) 368-7491 to learn more.
· SERVE continues to have an urgent need for volunteers to help in the food pantry on weekdays. Volunteers age 16 and over are welcome. This busy place needs help stocking shelves, packing food for families and especially drivers to travel to local grocery stores in an agency vehicle to pick up food donations. You must be 21yrs old, have a good driving record and sign a driver’s agreement. Some of the boxes may weigh up to 50 pounds. Thousands of families benefit from this program every week. Please email Jan to learn more at: [email protected]
· The Salvation Army needs to volunteers to help register families for their annual Christmas Toy program- yes I said Christmas! Volunteers are needed from September 29th to October 23rd mornings in Lake Ridge. Please email Janus at: [email protected] to learn more. Training is provided and this is a fun short-term project that helps so many families.
· Attention golfers! Mark your calendars for the 7th Annual Colin Wolfe Memorial Golf Tournament on Monday October 6th at Evergreen Country Club. Please call (703) 257-1811 for tickets.
· Mark your calendars for the Taste of the Town event for Project Mend A House on Wednesday October 15th. This event features food from area restaurants and great fun. Tickets are just $30 per person. Please call (703) 792-7663 for more info.
· Mark your calendars for the Annual Empty Bowls event on Friday October 17th to benefit SERVE in Manassas. It’s a wonderful evening with a hearty dinner of soup and bread and take home a beautiful hand-crafted bowl. Please call Pam at (571) 748-2537 to learn more
· ACTS in Dumfries invites you to their Annual 5K IWALK on Saturday October 18th benefit services to the homeless. This year’s event is at Pfitzner Stadium at 10am. Gather your friends and family for the perfect way to spend a beautiful fall day. Please visit their website: iwalkforacts.com for all the particulars.
· Mark your calendar for October 18th to join in the House of Mercy’s Campaign to End Hunger. Volunteers are needed all day at the Manassas Park Community center to pack meals being given to families in Kentucky’s Appalachian region. Volunteers are also asked to sponsor their activity by donation $35 for each 2 hours shift as a way to underwrite this fabulous program. Please call Ann at (703) 659-1636 to learn more about this event.
· If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call my wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William. Coleen can help you with the Retired and Senior Volunteer (RSVP) opportunities at (703) 369-5292 ext. 207, Shelley can help with any individual or group project and send you weekly updates if you’d like. Shelley is at (703) 369-5292 ext. 201, and Bonnie can help you with opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at (703) 369-5292 ext. 202. Please visit our newly re-vamped website at www.volunteerprincewilliam.org. Thanks so much for all you do in our community.
Recent Stories
ARTfactory and Birmingham Green made headlines in Manassas this week. ARTfactory’s Rooftop Productions, now Actors Theatre, won seven awards at the 2024 DC Broadway World Awards, including Best Musical for Kinky Boots and Best Choreography for The Rocky Horror Show. ARTfactory’s Pied Piper Theatre also earned recognition, winning Best Theatre for Young Audiences for its production of The Wizard of Oz.
Meanwhile, Birmingham Green, ranked as Northern Virginia’s top nursing home by Newsweek Magazine, announced Duane Smith as its new Nursing Home Administrator, effective December 30, 2024. Smith brings extensive experience from senior living leadership roles across multiple states and holds several professional qualifications. Birmingham Green continues its 90-year mission of providing quality long-term care to Northern Virginians in need.
Looking for a new best friend? Meet Echo, a 3-4-month-old pup full of love, energy, and curiosity. This little guy, possibly a Boxer mix, is still finding his voice, but…
Should Virginia ditch the longstanding practice of electing the General Assembly and the governor in odd year elections?
The first odd year election in Virginia was in 1851, after a new state Constitution was approved and members of the House were elected to a two-year term. Before that, members of the House had one-year terms, and voters selected members every single year.
Now, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell says modern day voters are sick and tired of voting every year.
A Manassas man was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for providing drugs and alcohol to a child in exchange for sex acts and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting the same victim as well as other children.
According to court documents, Olajide Benjamin Ayilaran, 24, met a 14-year-old girl during the summer of 2023 and began communicating with the victim via iMessage. In the messages, Ayilaran offered to provide the victim drugs, alcohol, and nicotine products in exchange for sex acts. Between at least Nov. 21, 2023, and Feb. 29, 2024, Ayilaran met the victim nine times, usually in the morning before the victim went to school, to exchange the products for sexual acts. Ayilaran would wait for the victim in his car in a nearby park. When the victim arrived, he gave her the drugs and alcohol and then had the victim perform sex acts on him in the car.
Travel to French soil and join us for a night filled with two of the most beloved French traditions—no plane ticket required! ?
On January 25th, we invite you to experience the magic of Galette des Rois, a 700-year-old tradition celebrated across France throughout the entire month of January (and even beyond!). This sweet, almond-filled puff pastry topped with a golden crown isn’t just a treat—it’s a celebration! The lucky person who finds the fève (a porcelain charm hidden in one of the slices) becomes the King or Queen for the Day, and don’t worry—there will be plenty of royalty to go around! ??
But that’s not all! In France, Les Voeux (New Year’s wishes) continue throughout January, often accompanied by Champagne and good cheer. We’re bringing that festive spirit to you, with a lively evening packed with French food, wine, and music.
What’s in store:
Experience the passion and drama of Puccini’s “The Girl from the Golden West”.
Featuring special guest musicians from The Chesapeake Youth Orchestra,
this performance brings Puccini’s masterpiece to life with an extraordinary cast.
