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We wish you and your family a Healthy and Happy Thanksgiving!
Ken and Jane Plum |
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Commentary
The Milk Party
Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum
I have not endorsed any political or social movements coming out of the state of Florida in many years, but I have just learned of one that I can enthusiastically support: the Milk Party movement. I first learned about the Milk Party from an article by John Morgan, executive director of Voices for Virginia's Children, in its fall newsletter (www.vakids.org). The Milk Party movement in Florida is being led by David Lawrence, retired publisher of the Miami Herald and nationally recognized leader in child advocacy.
Approaching social problems like the businessperson that he is and like the people who join him in his efforts, David Lawrence is spearheading "The Children's Movement of Florida" which has as its objective "to make the well-being and education of our infants, toddlers and all other children Florida's highest priority, especially when it comes to investing public resources (www.childrensmovementflorida.org)."
Lawrence's pro-children movement got dubbed the "Milk Party" in part because of the techniques he has used to draw attention to the needs. During a four-week period in September he took his advocacy on the road with major "Milk Party" rallies in 17 Florida cities gaining more than 70,000 signatures of supporters and major coverage in all the news outlets. Hopefully his effort will move right up the coast and into Virginia at some point.
While major political party leaders debate budgets and spending, Milk Party advocates propose investments of government resources in our young children as offering the highest rates of return. There are numerous studies that indicate that expenditures for high quality child care, preschool education, and children's health and mental health programs can produce returns of ten to one in future savings. Children who go to school healthy and ready to learn are much more likely to be successful in school and work and much less likely to be in social service, welfare, or prison programs in the future. The Milk Party folks say that a few public dollars spent wisely early in a child's life will save many times over the tax dollars he or she may need in the future without the early investment. Programs like child health care coverage, early childhood/school readiness initiatives, screening and early treatment service for children with special needs, support and education for parents, and mentoring programs for at-risk school age children are what the Milk Party is about. We need a chapter of the Milk Party in Virginia to work with Voices for Virginia's Children.
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| "Virginia Report"
Reston Comcast Channel 28
Tonight - November 24 at 10:30 p.m. - Senator Janet Howell of Reston - "Challenges of the 2011 General Assembly Session"
Tuesday, November 30 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, December 1 at 10:30 p.m. - Mark Hall of ServiceSource - "Empowering People with Disabilities in Northern Virginia"
Online Viewing: |
 | | Grace Wolf, Delegate Plum, and Janie Strauss |
The Enchanted Forest Holiday Extravaganza
Delegate Ken Plum attended the Junior League of Northern Virginia's tenth annual "The Enchanted Forest" holiday extravaganza and fundraiser tree-lighting and ribbon-cutting at the Sheraton Reston last weekend. Pictured with Ken are Grace Wolf of the Herndon Town Council and Janie Strauss, member of the Fairfax County School Board. The Enchanted Forest event helps support the Junior League's educational and charitable efforts including The Children's Science Center, Kids Can and My Life Shelter Programs, Kids in the Kitchen, and School Readiness. |
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Climate Change Citizen Action
You don't always need to preheat the oven when baking or roasting food at holiday time (or at any other time of the year!). Certain breads, pastries, cookies, and other desserts do need to go into a preheated oven. For everything else, like meats and casseroles, just turn the oven on after you put the dish in.
Be creative when wrapping holiday gifts without going out to buy wrapping paper. Use newspaper, the colorful comics section, old maps, or have kids make their own wrapping paper by drawing and coloring seasonal designs on shelf or craft paper. |
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In the Spirit of Giving...Ways You Can Help!
Send your suggestions for Holiday Giving to kenplum@aol.com and they will be included in this column each week between now and the end of the year.
OAR (Opportunities, Alternatives & Resources) of Fairfax County, Inc. rebuilds lives and breaks the cycle of crime with opportunities, alternatives, and resources for offenders and their families to create a safer community. OAR of Fairfax County is a local non-profit restorative justice organization providing human services since 1971. Individuals caught up in the criminal justice system are offered rehabilitative and supportive services to help them become productive members of the community. OAR's primary service area is Fairfax County. OAR makes a difference in our entire community. OAR of Fairfax County provides opportunities, resources, and alternatives to rebuild lives and reduce recidivism. OAR is proud to be featured in The Catalog for Philanthropy of Greater Washington. Make a contribution to OAR of Fairfax County at www.oarfairfax.org. Your gift will help OAR assist end-of-year needs for children of the incarcerated and of exoffenders.
Northern Virginia Family Service provides help and hope to struggling families in a variety of ways throughout the year but in some very special ways during the Holiday season. You can help bring joy and hope to families this holiday season through their Gifting for Families program, providing their neediest clients with grocery gift cards as well as toys or gift cards to WalMart or Target to help families celebrate together thsi special time of year. Northern Virginia Family Service will also accept toys in December at their Toy Closet location beginning December 8 at Westmore School, 11000 Berry Street, Fairfax. Toys for children under age 2 are especially needed at this time. If you prefer making a monetary contribution, your gift is just as appreciated in helping NVFS meet its core mission initiatives -- emergency assistance, safe and stable housing, health access, children and youth services, and workforce development. Please consider making a donation this holiday season and also joining NVFS's monthly giving program. Visit www.nvfs.org for more information and opportunities.
Host a Food Drive for Food & Friends! Hosting a food drive benfiting Food & Friends is a great way to bring your workplace, school, regligious group, or neighborhood together to make a positive impact on the community. You can find a full list of the many types of items that are accepted plus a downloadable handout and flyer to promote your food drive at www.foodandfriends.org/FoodDrive. Flexible drop-off hours throughout the week make delivering items convenient. For more information on conducting a Food Drive for Food & Friends, call 202.269.6894 or email pgiller@foodandfriends.org.
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Announcements
Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) provides information, referral, linkage, and advocacy to public and private human services available to Fairfax County residents. Through partnerships with community-based organizations and other Fairfax County agencies, CSP assists callers with the following services:
* Basic Needs
* Financial Assistance
* Health Care Services
*Referrals to Services and Resources
CSP's multilingual staff is available to assis callers in many languages including Arabic, Bangla, Creole, Farsi, French, Hindi, Korean, Punjabi, Somali, spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese. For assistance, call 703.222.0880, TTY 711, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
To find out about becoming a foster or adoptive parent in Fairfax County, call the Fairfax County Department of Family Services - Foster Care and Adoption Program at 703.324.7639, TTY 711. Visit the county website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs. Come to one of the department's monthly informational meetings to learn more about becoming a foster or adoptive parent. The next meeting is on Monday, December 13, 7:00 p.m. in the Pennino Building, 2nd Floor, 12011 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax.
According to the Virginia Department of Health, there is a significant increase in pertussis, also known as whooping cough, in Virginia and throughout the United States. While commonly thought to be a pediatric disease, many teens and adults unknowingly contract and spread pertussis. From January to August of this year there has been a 16% increase in the number of reported cases in Virginia compared to the same time last year. For information on pertussis and its prevention, go to www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/pertussis/default.htm or to www.vdh.virginia.gov/clinicians/index.htm.
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Calendar of Events
A Winter Coat Closet will run now through March 12, 2011, at Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins' office in the North County Government Center in Reston. This closet will provide winter coats, hats, gloves, and scarves to children and adults in our community again this year. Donate new and gently used winter coats, hats, gloves, and scarves. All child and adult sizes are needed, especially XL and XXL. All donations are tax deductible. Drop off your donation beginning November 20 at the Community Room at the Hunter Mill District Supervisor's Office, 12000 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. If you have 20 coats or fewer, leave them in the drop box located outside the door to the Community Room at any time. If you have more than 20 coats, contact Mandy Guernsey at 571.323.9565.
Senior Movie Day, "Meet Me at the Movies," will be on Wednesday, November 24, 10:00 a.m. (doors open at 9:30 a.m.) at Rave Cinema at the Reston Town Center. Refreshments and door prizes are provided prior to the movie. Free to those 55+. Call 703.435.6530 for information.
Spend the day after Thanksgiving - Friday, November 26 - at Reston Town Center for a variety of events the whole family will enjoy:
* Begin with the 10th Annual Run with Alan Webb. Races begin at 8:00 a.m. at Fountain Square. toddlers to teens are invited to run with local hero Alan Webb, Olympian and U.S. record-holder for the fastest mile (3:46). Races will be divided by age; $5 donation. Register at www.neediestkids.org.
* Take a spot along Market Street for the 20th Annual Reston Holiday Parade at 11:00 a.m. Watch Macy's-style balloons, marching bands, musical groups, dancers, antique cars, community groups, costume characters, and more welcoming the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus in a horse-drawn carriage.
* Visits & Portraits with Santa will be available from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Any donation for a 5x7 portrait, with all proceeds to benefit GoodDogz.org.
* Those Funny Little People Performances will be held at 1:00, 2:30, 4:00, and 5:30 p.m. in front of the Pavilion. Enjoy performances of songs and surprises by elves Wally and Victor.
* Attend the Holiday Tree Lighting & Sing Along at 6:00 p.m. on Fountain Square. Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive in a horse-drawn carriage to magically light up Reston Town Center and the holiday tree, followed by a chorus of traditional holiday music led by Reston Chorale and a brass quintet.
* Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides will be available from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. with pick-up on Market Street next to Talbots. $5 per person; children 5 and under ride free with an adult. Proceeds will benefit Volunteer Fairfax.
Don't miss Reston: The Opera, on Wednesday, December 1, 8:00 p.m. at Center Stage at Reston Community Center, created and performed by Squonk Opera with the support of many people you know in Reston. This promises to be a great evening! Visit www.squonkopera.com/home.php for information.
The Dulles Corridor Rail Association will hold its Annual Meeting and Reception on Wednesday, December 1, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Courtyard Marriott at Tysons Corner. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available at www.dullescorridorrail.com or call 703.716.5750. A German Christkindlmarket, a traditional outdoor Christmas Market for family and friends with arts and crafts, German food and beverages, puppet shows, and childcare, will be held on Thursday, December 2, 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the offices of German Military in Reston, The Campus at Sunrise, 11150 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston. Proceeds will be donated to Reston Interfaith. Call 703.390.3175 for more information. Attend "A Taste of Virginia's Own," a charity wine tasting in honor of World AIDS Day 2010 and in recognition of Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry's contributions to the community, on Thursday, December 2, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Palomar Arlington, 1121 N. 19th Street, Arlington. Enjoy delicious hors d'ouevres with wines from some of Virginia's most acclaimed winemakers. Enter a drawing at the event for 2 tickets on Jet Blue and a stay at Kimpton's Palomar San Francisco. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door. All proceeds benefit NOVAM. Visit www.novam.org for ticket and reservation information. Tysons Workforce Housing Summit, hosted by Fairfax County in partnership with ULI Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing, will be held Friday, December 3, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at Capital One Financial Corporation, 1680 Capital One Drive, McLean. Networking and check-n begin at 8:00 a.m. Registration deadline is Monday, November 29. To register, go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/survey/tysonssummit_registration.htm. The 2010 Virginia Capitol Tree Lighting and Holiday Open House at the Governor's Mansion in Richmond will be held on Friday, December 3, at 5:00 pm. on the South Portico of the Capitol Building. A Holiday Open House at the Mansion with a meet and greet with the Govenor and First Lady will follow immediately after the tree lighting from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Please bring a canned item to the Mansion Open House to support the food bank. Both events are free and open to the public. Email ExecutiveMansion@governor.virginia.gov with questions. The Reston Chorale has two exciting ways to get your holidays started in grand style. Join them for their Holiday Concerts, "The Wonder of the Season." On Friday, December 3, 7:00 p.m., the Chorale will perform at FLoris United Methodist Church, 13600 Frying Pan Road, Herndon. The concert will be repeated on Saturday, December 4, 7:00 p.m. at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods. These concerts are guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit with Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols and many other old and new favorites. Go to www.restonchorale.org for ticket information. Join Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia at their annual Reindeer Romp 5K Run on Saturday, December 4, 7:30 a.m. at the Reston Town Center. They are expecting over 7,000 people at this event, so don't miss the fun of being a part of the second-largest 5K run in the metropolitan area. Visit www.gotrnova.org for more information. Purchase gifts that can save or change a life at the Alternative Gift Market on December 4, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 1625 Wiehle Avenue, Reston. Visit over 30 booths of socially conscious gift ideas from local and international charitable organizations. Check out the "Shopping List" at www.uureston.org to see the many gift options available. This is an opportunity for one-stop shopping for your holiday needs or to save for birthdays, thank you gifts, and numerous other occasions throughout the year. Purchasers of gifts receive a beautiful card that can be given to the person honored with this alternative gift, explaining how the donation will be used. Donations are tax deductible. Fair trade crafts from Ten Thousand Villages and other international communities will also be available for purchase. The Fairfax County Park Authority's Cultural Resources Management and Protection Section has begun archaeological studies on the Old Colchester Park and Preserve. Join them for an open house on Saturday, December 4, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at 10709 Old Colchester Road, Lorton, for information about the history of the area and to see artifacts already recovered. This is also a chance to volunteer with the project. Go to the field lab located in the back, lower level. Kick off the holiday season with family and friends at Wolf Trap's annual Holiday Sing-A-Long on Sunday, December 5, 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. This annual musical celebration hosts a performance by the United States Marine Band and a Sing-A-Long of carols and Hanukkah songs with choir and vocal groups from the Washington metropolitan area. Bring a new, unwrapped toy and drop it off at the entrance to the Filene Center as a voluntary donation. Admission is free; no tickets required. Parking is free but limited, so arrive early. Bring a candle and join the tradition of exiting the Filene Center with a candlelight processional during the last verse of "Silent Night." There will also be a Jing-A-Long during the singing of "Jingle Bells," so bring a candle, a bell, and an unwrapped toy!
Join the Reston Chorale for a sing-along of The Messiah with the Reston Community Orchestra and soloists on Tuesday, December 7, 7:30 p.m. at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods. There is a $10 participation fee; $3 music rental fee or bring your own score. Buy tickets at www.restonchorale.org or at the door. For more information, call 703.834.0079 or email info@restonchorale.org.
The Governor's Transportation Conference will be held December 8-10, 2010, at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center in Roanoke, VA. Visit www.vatransconf.org for more details and to register.
The Privileges and Elections Redistricting Subcommittee of the Virginia House of Delegates will hold a public hearing on legislative redistricting on Friday, December 17, 10:00 a.m. in the 9th floor Appropriations room of the General Assembly Building in Richmond. Questions regarding the meeting should be directed to Mary Spain in the Division of Legislative Services at 804.786.3591.
Join Delegate Ken Plum at one or both of his annual Pre-Session Public Hearings:
Wednesday, January 5, 2011, 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. with Senator Mark Herring at Fox Mill Elementary School, 2601 Viking Drive, Herndon.
Thursday, January 6, 2011, 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. with Senator Janet Howell at Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston.
All citizens are welcome; pre-registration is not required.
Let's Help Kids! will celebrate its first annual "Dual" Gala (adults in one room, kids in another!) on Saturday, January 29, 2011, at the Springfield Golf & Country Club. Black tie optional. Visit www.letshelpkids.org to learn more about this wonderful organization. |
| Go Green |
 Go Green - consider the environment! Please print this newsletter only if necessary. | |
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| Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia e-News.
Authorized by Kenneth R. Plum. Paid for by Friends of Delegate Ken Plum. |
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