Virginia e-News
 
 
 
January 25, 2012

 
RestonInterfaithGroup  

Ken met with constituents and friends advocating for the work and programs of Reston Interfaith and FACETS during their day visiting the General Assembly last week.
 
 
LindenResources 
Ashley Bray (left) and constituent Michelle Lange, both of Linden Resources, met with Ken to discuss special needs of the disability community during their advocacy day at the Capitol.
 

Commentary

  

Soulless Ant Colony

Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum

 

That is what a reporter for Norfolk's Virginian Pilot called Reston in a column recently.  She was reacting to a bill in the legislature that would create a Reston license plate.  "Is there a more soulless spot in the Commonwealth than this bland ant colony near Dulles?" she wrote.

 

I was aghast reading it.  How could someone be so unaware?  How could an otherwise reputable and progressive newspaper print such a misdirected statement?  Are there others who are so misinformed about our community?

 

Unfortunately, her column is an example of the misunderstandings that are too common across the regions of Virginia and that make the state legislative process challenging.  I know the city where her newspaper is located; I lived there for almost four years while I completed a degree at Old Dominion University.  It is a struggling city with too much poverty, perpetual redevelopment projects, and a continuing struggle to keep its downtown alive.  Derogatory comments could be made about the city, but they would serve no good purpose.

 

I often hear comments from Northern Virginians that we do not get our fair share and that downstate gets all the state benefits.  Riding through communities on a federal interstate highway, it is easy to assume that all the surrounding communities may have excellent roads when some actually have some unpaved roads.  When all our Northern Virginia graduates do not get into Virginia colleges, the assumption may be that the students in southern Virginia fill all the openings.  Many of these and other generalizations about communities we do not know are sometimes partially or totally false.

 

As a native Virginian who grew up in the Shenandoah Valley, lived in the Tidewater Region when I was at Old Dominion University, and in the Piedmont when I did graduate work at the University of Virginia, and who has been in Northern Virginia for more than four decades, I am advantaged by knowing the state and traveling about it frequently.  It helps me in the legislative process.  A part of my responsibility is helping persons in other areas of the state get to know Reston and Northern Virginia better.  I often introduce commending resolutions for the General Assembly to pass including ones for Best of Reston awardees as a way to help my colleagues get to know my district.  My conversations with other legislators often involve my talking about our needs but also about the marvelous nature of Reston and its residents.

 

Back to Kerry Dougherty, who wrote the misdirected comments about Reston:  I have written her a long, introductory letter about the place I call home with the biggest soul I know of and that is anything but bland.  You can help me educate her.  Send her an e-mail telling her your views of Reston at kerry.dougherty@cox.net.  Be nice.  Let's all invite her to visit our community.  We can turn her into a downstate advocate for us.  I cannot wait to read the column she writes when she really gets to know us!  

"Wrap-Up from Richmond - Week 2"  
KenFloorSpeech  

 

Click on the link below for a brief update  from Ken on last week's highlights from the General Assembly session.
 

 

 

 

Come Talk with Ken at a "Community Hour"
 PublicHearingJan10 

 
Delegate Ken Plum will host "Community Hour" conversations around the 36th District on Saturday, February 18.  Select the time and location below that suits you best and come visit with Ken about issues of interest to our community.
  Students are welcome!
 
9:00 to 10:00 a.m. - Jo Anne Rose Gallery, Reston Community Center at Lake Anne, 1609-A Washington Plaza, Reston
 
10:30 to 11:30 a.m. - Dominion Headquarters, 3072 Centreville Road, Herndon
 
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. - Flint Hill Elementary School Cafeteria, 2444 Flint Hill Road, Vienna
"Virginia Report" and "Report from Richmond" on Comcast Channel 28
 
Tonight - Wednesday, January 25, at 10:30 p.m.
and next week - Tuesday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, February 1 at 10:30 - "Report from Richmond" - an interview with Delegate Ken Plum from the General Assembly Buildilng in Richmond.
 
Episodes of Ken's weekly television program, "Virginia Report," are available online at www.rctv28.com/VirginiaReport.html for viewing on your computer or iPad.  Programs from Richmond will be available periodically during the General Assembly session, so check this box each week to see if a program will be aired from Richmond.
 
Ken looks forward to resuming "Virginia Report" after the session ends on March 10.
In This Issue
Commentary - "Soulless Ant Colony"
"Wrap-Up from Richmond - Week 2"
Visit with Ken at an Upcoming "Community Hour"
"Virginia Report"
Announcements
Calendar of Events - Don't Miss Out!



  
 
Announcements

 

Spring 2012 Lacrosse Registration Now Open

Registration for the Spring 2012 season of the Herndon-Reston Youth Lacrosse (HRYL) league is now open at www.hryl.org.  HRYL is the feeder program for the South Lakes and Herndon High School lacrosse teams.  Please invite your friends to join HRYL.  No experience is needed.  HRYL will have teams for all experience and skill levels for boys in age divisions U-15, U-13, U-11, and U-9 and for girls in grade divisions K-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-9.  Ninth graders who are not playing for their high school teams are eligible to play with HRYL.  The teams compete in the Northern Virginia Youth Lacrosse League (www.nvyll.org) against opponents from throughout Northern Virginia.  Boys equipment rental and financial assistance is available.  The season begins in March and runs through the second week of June.  

 

Fairfax County Citizen of the Year Nominations

Nominations for Fairfax County Citizen of the Year will be accepted until January 31, 2012.  This is an excellent opportunity for your community or neighborhood to nominate an outstanding volunteer.  Contact Jeff Parnes with questions about your nomination at fedcoy2012@fairfaxfederation.org.  More information about the Citizen of the Year selection is at www.fairfaxfederation.org. 

 

Call VACCRRN for Quality Child Care Guidance

Parents throughout Virginia can call the Virginia Child Care Resource and Referral Network (VACCRRN) at 1-866-KIDS-TLC to talk to a Child Care Specialist and get help finding care that meets their family's needs.  Once parents learn where to go to find care, they need to learn how to recognize quality care.  Quality is just as important as cost.  Parents can have a significant impact on quality by becoming partners with their providers, encouraging them to boost quality standards in their child's child care setting.

 

 

 

                                   

 

 

   

 

Calendar of Events

 

  

 

 

 

 

Safety Seat Saturday is on January 28, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., sponsored by Fairfax County Sheriff's Depaertment at the Public Safety Center Public Parking Garage, 10550 Page Avenue, Fairfax, VA.  Specially trained and certified sheriff's deputies will help parents and caregivers ensure that a child fits securely in the safety seat and that the safety seat fits securely in the vehicle seat.  Bring your vehicle and safety seats(s).  Bring your child, too, if he or she is available.  Virginia law requires that ALL children up to age 8 must be in a child restraint device (which includes a booster seat).

 

The Mothers Milk Bank of Virginia will celebrate the move to its new offices at 209 Elden Street, Suite #200, Herndon, with a ribbon cutting on Saturday, January 28, 11:00 a.m. and an open house following until 3:00 p.m.  The Mothers Milk Bank provides donor milk to premature babies whose mothers are not able to make enough milk for various reasons.  Delegate Ken Plum and Senator Janet Howell will be on hand for the ribbon cutting.  For more information about MMBVA and how you can help, visit www.mothersmilkbankofvirginia.org. 

 

Join REACT - Reston Environmental Action - and meet fellow members on Saturday, January 28, 2:00 p.m. at Greenberry's Coffee and Tea Company (located in the Home Depot shopping center).  Learn all about how Reston is making a commitment to environmentally-friendly practices. 

 

The next Electric Sunday TV and Computer Recycling Event is on Sunday, January 29, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Road, Fairfax.  For updates, cancellations, and notifications of events, call 703.324.5052. 

 

Join Delegate Ken Plum, Senator Janet Howell, and Fairfax County Board Chairman Sharon Bulova at the V.O.I.C.E. Dental Campaign Rally on Sunday, January 29, 2:45 to 3:45 p.m., at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston.  This campaign will raise matching funds and enable the Sterling Northern Virginia Dental Clinic to hire a dentist to provide affordable dental services for families in our community who would otherwise go without needed dental care.

 

Artists, curators, and educators will guide you through an in-depth viewing of the current exhibition at Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE), "Appetite for Art:  Contemporary Art," on Monday, February 6, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 Noon at GRACE, 12001 Market Street, Suite 103.  This event is for ages 55 and older.  Fee is $10 Reston residents, $20 non-residents.  Enjoy related documentary films and provocative discussions of trends and influences in current cultural life.  Mid-morning treats will fuel the artful dialog.  Contact Karen Brutsche at 703.476.4500 for more information.

 

On Tuesday, February 7, at 1:00 p.m. the Reston Garden Club "goes to the Oscars!"  The meeting will be held at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods where members will create floral interpretations of Oscar-nominated films.  See www.therestongardenclub.org.
 

Join Delegate Ken Plum at a Community Hour discussion on Saturday, February 18, at the time and location of your choice:  9:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the Jo Anne Rose Gallery, Reston Community Center at Lake Anne, 1609-A Washington Plaza, Reston; 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Dominion Headquarters, 3072 Centreville Road, Herndon; or 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Flint Hill Elementary School Cafeteria, 2444 Flint Hill Road, Vienna.  Students are welcome.  Bring your questions, comments, or concerns about state government issues for a relaxed conversation with Ken.

 

Attend "Accessible Living:  Universal Design and Technology (55 Years and Older)" on Tuesday, February 21, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods, 2310 Colts Neck Road.  Learn more about universal housing design and adaptive technology in this informative seminar led by Matt Barkley, Director of Disability Services Planning and Development (DSPD) for the Fairfax County Department of Family Services.  devices that help older adults and people with disabilities maintain independence, people often picture wheelchairs, walkers, canes, commodes, and shower chairs.  Assistive devices such as wheelchairs, walkers, canes, commodes, shower chairs, and other products specifically designed for people with age-related or developmental-related needs can make a huge difference in the independence of an older adult or person with a disability.  Something as simple as adaptive silverware and plates can allow a person to eat independently instead of needing assistance from an attendant or caregiver.  Housing design can also help people remain independent.  By using universal design or "visitable" building design concepts when refurbishing rooms, many aging adults can remain in their homes for as long as they like.  This seminar is free and is recommended for adults 55 years of age and older.

 

Teens, parents, people who work with youth, and anyone who wants to know more about youth mental wellness are invited to a unique event designed to showcase mental health resources for youth ages 21 and under at the Youth Mental Wellness Fair, Saturday, February 25, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at West Springfield High School Auditorium, 6100 Rolling Road, Springfield.  This is a free, drop-in event.  Register online at www.FairfaxYouth.org or at the door.  For more information, contact Mary Beth Waite, Community Education Coordinator, at Mary.Waite@FairfaxCounty.gov, 703.324.5535.

 

Enjoy a weekend matinee performance of "Two Gentlemen of Verona" at the Shakespeare Lansburgh Theatre in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, February 26, Noon to 6:00 p.m.  This romantic comedy embraces the classic love triangle in which two best friends, Valentine and Proteus, are turned enemies as they vie for the hand of the enchanting Duke's daughter, Silvia.  Leave from and return to Reston Community Center Hunters Woods, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston, and Lake Anne, 1609-A Washington Plaza, Reston.  This outing is for persons ages 55 and older.  Cost is $55 Reston residents/$110 non-residents.  Contact Karen Brutsche at 703.476.4500 or go to www.restoncommunitycenter.com.

 

The Washington Vocal Arts Ensemble will be performing at South Lakes High School in the Little Theater on Sunday, February 26.  Refreshments will be served at 5:00 p.m., and the show starts at 6:00 p.m.  The Washington Vocal Arts Ensemble, under the leadership of Director Russell Penny, is comprised of a rotating pool of professional artists who have sung all over the world.  The performance will be a fundraiser for the SLHS choral department. 

 

 

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