Friends of the Occoquan press release: On a windy Saturday morning, 292 FOTO volunteers worked to intercept debris from the shores and water of the Occoquan River/Reservoir before it entered the Chesapeake Bay and ocean.

The Occoquan River is the source of drinking water for one million people in Northern Virginia. Equipped with gloves and trash grabbers, the volunteers collectively pulled out 2.8 tons of trash. Items collected were 272 bags of trash and five large 50 gals. drums, three gasoline cans, 15 pieces of wood with nails, 4 Styrofoam pieces, a lawn chair, two coolers, two gasoline cans, two hubcaps, and one large metal piece.

The River Heroes included the Boy Scout Troops 501B&G, BS Troop 1396, BS Pack 1365, Girl Scout Troop 54063, Woodbridge High School Crew, Lake Ridge Middle School, Alan Starks with American Water and Nikki Bellezza with Fairfax Water employees, the Bull Run Rotary Club and Osbourn Park High School of Manassas, Trail Keepers Coalition, Sandy Run Scullers, Fame Church.

The sites cleaned up in Fairfax County were Bull Run Park/Marina, including the Occoquan Forest area, Fountainhead Park/Marina, the Occoquan Regional Park, Lake Ridge Marina, the Town of Occoquan,
Northshore, and Harbour Brethren in Prince William County.

FOTO expresses gratitude to all the dedicated volunteers who braved the cold and windy weather, including the Park Managers and staff from both Fairfax and Prince William County. We also extend our thanks to our sponsors, site captains, helpers, and our own FOTO Team.

Raising Cane’s press release:  Once a site where historic battles were fought, Manassas will soon claim a victory of its own with Raising Cane’s bringing its ONE LOVE ® – craveable Chicken Finger meals – to the city, opening doors to its first Restaurant in Manassas on Tuesday, April 9.

Located at 9501 Liberia Avenue, Raising Cane’s continues to expand in Northern Virginia. The friendly Crew will be serving up Cane’s Chicken Fingers, freshly squeezed lemonade, buttery Texas toast and, of course, its signature Cane’s Sauce in a spacious dining room featuring graphics that reflect the history of Manassas.

In addition to dine-in and carryout options, Customers in a rush can order online or via the Cane’s mobile app for order ahead and quick and easy pick-up.

The Restaurant’s hours of operation are 9 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. – 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

The Federal Election Commission sent a letter to Eugene Vindman’s campaign last month asking for clarifications on his finance report about many unitemized donations, reports Virginia Scope Political Newsletter.

Vindman is a Dale City resident and has raised more cash than any other Democrat seeking the party nomination to run in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District to replace Abigail Spanberger, who is running for governor. A Primary Election will be held on June 18, 2024.

Stafford County Public Schools press release: Dr. Lisa Coons, Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction, visited with students and staff at Grafton Village Elementary School (GVES) this morning.

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The Prince William County Arts Council announces that Arts Grants for Fiscal Year 2025 will open on April 11 at 9 a.m. and close on May 8 at 4 p.m.

Read more in a Prince William County Arts Council press release:

Prince William County Arts Grants is one of the ways the County invests in sustaining and advancing our diverse and inclusive network of arts organizations and artists. One hundred percent of funds flow directly to arts organizations and artists across the Greater Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park areas.

All potential applicants must attend the Grant Workshop on Wednesday, April 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the George Hellwig Administrative Building, 14420 Bristow Road, Manassas.

Grant applications will open April 11 online at pwcartscouncil.org. Grants will be awarded to support arts organizations across the Greater Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park areas beginning July 1, 2024. All grants are subject to funds available from Prince William County. Grant funds are not guaranteed to any organization. Grant usage covers July 1, 2024 through June 30 2025.

Please contact Janet LaFleur at [email protected] with questions.

ARTfactory will host its inaugural fandom convention, ARTfactory’s SuperCon featuring Super Art Fight on Saturday, April 27 at the ARTfactory.

Read more in the ARTfactory’s press release:

SuperCon is geared to be an extraordinary all-day celebration for all ages interested in pop culture, fandoms, comics, graphic novels, cosplay, and gaming.

Additionally, there will be a series of panels with topics that include group cosplay, tabletop gaming strategy, and a focus on reuse and recycling in cosplay, with additional topics coming soon. Guests are encouraged to attend in costume and participate in the cosplay contest.

The day will end with a live art competition by Super Art Fight, a performance where two or more artists battle against each other with the help of quipping hosts and a “wheel of death.” SuperCon will also include an artist alley and exhibitor gallery on the ARTfactory’s third floor in the Wind River Theater.

For gamers, the Caton Merchant Family Gallery on the main floor will be transformed into a large game room, where several one-shot Dungeons and Dragons games and mini-sessions will be held. Other games include Magic the Gathering and Pokémon. There will also be a selection of board games.

Additionally, food trucks and food vendors will be on site including, The Bone, Happy Family Ranch (farm to table tacos and burgers), as well as Cupcake Mafia, Punkin Butts, and Floss King.

ARTfactory’s SuperCon will be held on Saturday, April 27, from 10:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. at the ARTfactory 9419 Battle Street, Manassas. Convention hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., with Super Art Fight taking the stage at 6:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased for the convention only, Super Art Fight only, or a combination of both.

For more on the event, visit the SuperCon webpage at virginiaartfactory.org/afsupercon/. Tickets may be purchased online at virginiaartfactory.org/tickets, or by calling the ARTfactory at 703-330-2787. For more information on Super Art Fight, visit their website at superartfight.com.

Town of Dumfries press release: Dumfries Town Manager Tangela Innis is pleased to announce the hiring of Mr. James M. Nichols. Mr. Nichols will join us as the Director of Public Works with the Town of Dumfries.

His first day with us will be Monday, April 15, 2024. Mr. Nichols, a respected member of our local community, brings 22 years of operations management experience to the town, with 12 of those years in public works.

Mr. Nichols has developed annual budgets and overseen individual and major projects ranging from as little as $2 million up to $39 million throughout his career. Mr. Nichols’ past experiences include Assistant Maintenance Superintendent, Interim Maintenance Superintendent, Division Chief / Operations and Maintenance, and Superintendent of Landscaping and grounds.

He also has experience in stormwater management and street operations, where he led various projects to improve infrastructure resilience and mitigate environmental impacts.

Additionally, he has directly and indirectly supervised over 100 team members, fostering an environment where staff feel valued, motivated, and empowered to contribute their best work to the organization. In his most recent position, Mr. Nichols was the Residency Administrator Assistant for the Virginia Department of Transportation, where he was responsible for assisting with the leadership, coordination, integration, and management of resources allocated to the Fairfax residency maintenance program.

Mr. Nichols holds a Master of Public Administration and Policy degree from Walden University, a Bachelor of Science in Ornamental Horticulture Design from Auburn University, and an Associate of Science in Horticulture Science from Trenholm State College in Montgomery, Alabama.

He is also a Certified Public Manager, Certified Program Planner, and Certified Park and Recreation Professional, and he holds many other certifications and professional accolades. Mr. Nichols will report directly to
the Town Manager, Tangela Innis.

We are thrilled to welcome Mr. James Nichols to our team and look forward to the positive impact he will make in our community! Please visit the Town website.

Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue (Press Release): Last evening, units were dispatched to the 14200 Block of Wilderness Lane  (Dale Forest Apartments) for a fire report in an apartment.

Crews arrived with light smoke in the building. All occupants had safely evacuated the building. A fire was discovered in an apartment and was quickly extinguished. There were no reported injuries.

One apartment unit was declared unsafe to occupy by the building official. The Red Cross assisted the two adults and one child displaced from the impacted unit. The Fire Marshal’s Office determined the cause of the fire was a battery-operated scrubber igniting nearby combustibles.

Greetings, Prince William – You can make a difference in the life of a child! CASA Children’s Intervention Services needs volunteers age 21+ who care about children growing up in a safe, permanent and loving home. The staff will hold their next Virtual Information Session on April 10, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. Learn how you can help protect abused and neglected children in your community by becoming a volunteer advocate. Please email [email protected] or call 703.330.8145 to receive the link to the meeting or to inquire about alternate dates.

• Brain Injury Services (BIS) needs volunteers to be PALS (Providing a Link for Survivors) for survivors of brain injury. This is a one-to-one friendship program for brain injury survivors; the program connects BIS clients with volunteers who can help them socialize in the community and rebuild social skills through friendship. Once a month outings for coffee, walks, lunch, etc. can help a client get their life back on track following such a traumatic occurrence! Please visit braininjurysvcs.org/volunteer/ for more information, email [email protected] to learn how you can help.
• CRi (Choice. Respect. independence) is a community-based nonprofit organization with a focus on providing personalized resources to people with developmental disabilities and mental health needs. They are currently in need of an American Sign Language (ASL) volunteer age 18+ to service the public at CRi events. This volunteer will communicate with individuals who are hearing impaired and in need of socialization with those who speak ASL. Strong skills in ASL are necessary and you’ll feel great as you share your specialized talent to help someone communicate with the public! Please email [email protected] to learn more.
• The year is speeding by, and Girls on the Run of NOVA is already preparing for their 5K Celebration being held May 18 (Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax) and May 19 (Pentagon City, Arlington)! Over 100 volunteers age 13+ are needed for all sorts of jobs like Greeters, Water Stations, Cheerleaders and more. It sounds like it will be a fantastic event and you’ll feel great as you support and encourage these youth who have been working hard to build up their fitness and confidence! Please visit https://bit.ly/3TCr3lN to sign up or visit gotrnova.org. Hurry, volunteer slots will fill up quickly!
• You can celebrate Earth Day with Leopold’s Preserve! They need volunteers to help plant 200 donated trees on their facility at 16290 Thoroughfare Road in Broad Run on Saturday, April 20. Two shifts are available, 8:30 a.m.- 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.. This sounds like a wonderful activity for the whole family! Please visit leopoldspreserve.com/calendar to sign up. Please email [email protected] or call 571.358.2098 to learn more.
• Use your skills and knowledge of English to make a difference in the lives of immigrants and refugees in our community! Literacy Council of Northern Virginia’s English Empowerment Center (EEC) needs volunteers age 18+ to teach English to beginning-level learners at various locations in Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Falls Church, Herndon, Lorton, Reston, and also online. They have a particular need for volunteers for classes in Lorton, Alexandria, and Annandale. Prior teaching experience is preferred but is not required – training, curriculum, and support will be provided. EEC also seeks committed office volunteers to assist with administrative tasks, special events, and data entry. Please come to an information session/volunteer orientation on Thursday, April 4, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. over Zoom. For more information or to RSVP for the orientation, email [email protected].
• If you love working with special needs youth and horses and you’re at least 14 years old, Rainbow Therapeutic Riding Center, 16198 Silver Lake Road in Haymarket, wants to meet you! They’re in need of volunteers age 14+ to spend a couple of hours a week supporting students with physical, cognitive, and mental health disabilities through therapeutic riding. No horse experience necessary, training provided, and you’ll feel great as you help this organization achieve their mission of “Changing Lives One Hoofbeat at a Time!” Please visit rainbowriding.org to fill out an online volunteer application, email [email protected] or call 703.794.5308 for more information.
• If your office, group or club is looking for a meaningful volunteer experience, the SERVE Family Shelter in Manassas needs groups of 5-7 people to provide, prepare and deliver nutritious meals for about 60 guests on weekends/holidays. Volunteers have the option to prepare the meal offsite and do a drive-by drop-off delivery of the meal to the shelter or to prepare and serve onsite in the shelter kitchen (must be at least 18 to serve meals onsite). You’ll feel great knowing you’re providing a home-cooked nutritious meal for those coping with homelessness! Dates are available Memorial Day weekend through the end of June! Please email [email protected] for more information and a list of other open dates in 2024.
• Mark your calendar! Walk MS: Manassas 2024 will be held May 4 at Harris Pavilion in Manassas, and LOTS of volunteers age 15+ are needed to make this successful! Jobs include Event Set-Up, Volunteer Check-in, Route Marshals, Hydration Stations, and much more! You’ll feel great as you get involved with this community walk whose goal is to end Multiple Sclerosis (MS) forever! Please visit https://bit.ly/4cHgvut and to sign up, email [email protected] for more information.