September 28, 2016
 
 
Delegate Ken Plum's 
Virginia E-News

Delegate Plum with Governor McAuliffe, Lt. Governor Northam, and Remote Area Medical founder Stan Brock (star of Wild Kingdom) at the annual health care event in Southwest Virginia.



Commentary
 
Virginia's Extremes
Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum

Native Virginian and long-time advocate August Wallmeyer is providing a real service to the people of the Commonwealth and its public policy with his forthcoming book The Extremes of Virginia. Recently the Richmond Times-Dispatch included a four-part series from it available at www.richmond.com. The extremes to which he refers are the Southwest, Southside and the Eastern Shore parts of Virginia that are geographically on the outer bounds of the state but more importantly are largely unknown to many including policy makers. They are "separated by distance, culture and economics, and unequal in opportunity and education."

The evidence of the extremes of these regions is overwhelming. As he explains, the people in these extreme regions earn about two-thirds of what Virginians statewide do and are poorer with an average poverty rate 67 percent higher than the rest of the state. Fewer of the people in these areas have graduated from high school and fewer go to college. The people there are older with the young people fleeing the regions; Virginia's population grew 4.1 percent while in the extremes population declined by 2.3 percent in the last decade.

While the economic decline in these parts of the state has become increasingly well known, the proud history of the regions is often overlooked. Southwest Virginia was wealthy when coal was king, and Southside was thriving before furniture making and textiles moved out. The Eastern Shore still raises tomatoes, potatoes and green beans by the acre in season, but mechanization has replaced many jobs even on the farms.

Unfortunately, economic challenges are not the only ones faced in the extremes. Wallmeyer found that since at least 2007 prescription opioids have been responsible for more than half of all fatal drug overdoses in Virginia, mostly in the far western and eastern reaches of the state. In these areas, the rate of fatal drug overdoses is among the highest in the state particularly among males aged 25-55. Beyond the problem of drugs, people living in the extreme regions of the state are poorer in health than the rest of the state with a premature death rate more than double the statewide average as is the infant mortality rate and the percentage of children born with low birth weight. Interestingly, Auggie Wallmeyer shared a copy of his forthcoming book with me when we were both volunteering at the Remote Area Medical Clinic in Wise County in Southwest Virginia where thousands of local residents get their health care at the fairgrounds once a year.

Ironically Virginia was dubbed as a "commonwealth" in its earliest history, but that word does not seem appropriate for the range of haves and have-nots that exist in the state today. Wallmeyer recommended in the newspaper series that an outside consulting firm be employed to recommend ways that the ninth wealthiest state in the Union could ensure that all regions benefit from its largess. The challenge is for the extremes to keep their unique cultures but benefit from the advantages of modern society. The Extremes of Virginia does an excellent job of presenting that challenge. 
 
Virginia Report on Comcast Channel 28
Tune in to Ken's weekly television program, Virginia Report, on Reston Comcast Channel 28 for public service programming (Verizon Channel 1981). Ken interviews state and local leaders who are making news by making a difference. 

TONIGHT- Wednesday, September 28 at 10:30 p.m., Delegate Plum talks with David Poole of the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP)
  
Tuesday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, October 5 at 10:30 p.m., Delegate Plum talks with Piper Phillips of Phillips Programs for Children and Families 

Virginia Report is also available for viewing online at
www.youtube.com/watch. Previous shows can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/album/1650266. 
 
Bulletin Board

Express Lanes Community Grant Program 
Application Deadline Sept. 30

The Express Lanes Community Grant Program supports organizations that sustain, enhance or protect the local environment and communities. See if your local organization is eligible by learning more in the complete Express Lanes Community Grant Program Overview and Guidelines found here. To apply for a grant, complete the online application.

____________________

Partnering for Powerful Citizenship:  
Voter Re-enfranchisement, Registration, 
Photo IDs and Workshops

"Partnering for Powerful Citizenship" is a series of afternoon workshops designed to stem the "back to prison pipeline" both getting ex-offenders or returning citizens together with congregations and justice advocates who want to help them succeed. Get voter IDs and absentee ballots and learn about felon-re-enfranchisement and issues that impact what's now called "mass incarceration." Sponsored by Interfaith Partners for Justice and supported by state leaders in the field, including OAR of Fairfax, NAACP, Bridging the Gap and VACURE. Saturday, October 8, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Lake Anne Community Center, 1609 A Washington Plaza in Reston. For more information, call 703-860-1203.
____________________

Generosity Feeds Event in Reston October 23
Help Us Make & Package 10,000 meals in 2 hours!

Generosity Feeds is a catalyst for mobilizing hundreds of people to package and feed children in your community who go hungry outside school hours. Local event is on
Sunday, October 23, 9:30 a.m.
at Langston Hughes Middle School,
11401 Ridge Heights Road, Reston.
This is a family event. Children as young as 3 can participate! This event will fill up quickly. Register today. For More Information, contact erinn@generosityfeeds.org.
Register for this event if you want to help children in Fairfax County. Unable to attend the event?  You can still make an impact by donating--$30 will provide meals for 30 children. Learn more at www.generosityfeeds.org. Donate here.

____________________

National Geographic Launched Free Website for Printing Detailed Topographical Maps


National Geographic has built an easy-to-use web interface that allows anyone to quickly find any 7.5 minute topo in the continental U.S.A. for downloading and printing. Each topo has been pre-processed to print on a standard home, letter size printer. These are the same topos that were printed by USGS for decades on giant bus-sized presses but are now available in multi-page PDFs that can be printed just about anywhere. They are pre-packaged using the standard 7.5 minute, 1:24,000 base but with some twists:
  • Page 1 is an overview map showing the topo in context
  • Pages 2 through 5 are the standard USGS topo cut in quarters to fit on standard printers
  • Hillshading has been added to each page of the PDF to help visualize the topography



Calendar of Events

Through October 2, State Fair of Virginia at The Meadow. Full details are at www.statefairva.org.

Thursday, September 29, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., Meals Tax Forum, at Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Rd, Falls Church. Hosted by the Fairfax County Council of PTAs Advocacy. Learn more at Meals Tax Forum. 

Saturday, October 1, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Southgate Community Day, at Southgate Community Center, 12125 Pinecrest Road, Reston. Music, game, food vendors...download a flyer here.

Saturday, October 1, noon to 8:00 p.m., Northern Virginia Pride Festival, at Bull Run Park Special Events Center, 7700 Bull Run Drive, Centreville. Details are at NOVA Pride Fest. 

Saturday, October 1, 5:00 p.m., Light the Night Walk, at Reston Town Center. The Light The Night Walk is a fundraising campaign benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and their funding of research to find blood cancer cures. Register or donate at Light the Night Walk. 

Monday, October 3, Rescue Reston Golf Tournament & Nature Hike. More information, registration, and sponsor opportunities can be found at Reston Rescue Golf Tournament. Now through October 3: Rescue Reston Raffle Tickets for sale, $5 each or 5/$20. Grand Prize is a 5-night stay at a deluxe 6 BR home in Bethany Beach, DE. List of other prizes and where to purchase are here.  Drawings held evening of October 3. Help Rescue Reston preserve open space. Each ticket includes 20% off at Red's Table restaurant.

Tuesday, October 4, 12:15 p.m., Reston Garden Club monthly meeting. This month's speaker is Restonian Molly O'Boyle, Master Gardener, RA Garden Plot Coordinator, with real tips on upgrading your garden soil. Meet at Nature House, Walker Nature Center, 11450 Glade Drive in Reston. Free. Call 703-476-9689 for more 
information. 

Wednesday, October 5, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., A Path Toward Tomorrow meeting, hosted by Fairfax County Human Services and the Giving Circle of HOPE, with Delegate Ken Plum, at Lake Anne Rose Gallery, RCC, 1609 Washington Plaza N., Reston. 

Saturday, October 8, noon to 11:00 p.m., Oktoberfest Reston, at Reston Town Center. Details are at Oktoberfest Reston.

Saturday, October 8, 6:30 p.m., Washington Plaza Baptist Church (WPBC) Cabaret Night, in the downstairs Plaza Room.  Hor d' oeuvres will be served before the show. WPBC welcomes a $5.00 donation to benefit WPBC's annual Christmas Concert. Contact WPBC's Church Office at 703-471-5225 with any questions.

Friday, October 14, 10:00 a.m., Gun Violence Awareness Vigil at National Rifle Association headquarters, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax. The monthly vigil commemorates the anniversary of the day 26 children and educators were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Please DO NOT park in the NRA's parking lot. There is plenty of free parking in the office building lot on Fairfax Ridge Drive across Waples Mill Road. Signs and flags will be provided.

Saturday, October 15, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m., Social Action Linking Together (SALT) Advocacy Training Conference, at Virginia International University, 4401 Village Drive, Fairfax. Topic is "Justice for All: Working to set things aright in Virginia so all may flourish." Download a flyer here.

Saturday, October 15, 10:00 a.m. to noon, Fall Stream Cleanup, at various sites. For more information contact Ha Brock at 703-435-7986 or habrock@reston.org. Sign up here to volunteer: http://bit.ly/2016FallCleanup. Gloves and supplies are provided.

Thursday, October 20, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Reston Association's 2016 Open House for New Members and Longtime Residents. At Reston Association, 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive. RSVP to member_services@reston.org or call 703-435-6530. 

Sunday, October 23, 3:00 p.m., CAPITOL STEPS - "What to Expect When You're Electing," A Benefit for the Shepherd's Center of Oakton-Vienna, at Oakton High School, Vienna. For tickets visit http://www.scov.org/fundraiser-tickets or call SCOV at 703-281-0538. Tickets are $30 in advance; $35 at the door. 

Thursday, October 27, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., Annual Harvest for Hope Leadership Breakfast, hosted by Volunteers of America Chesapeake, Inc. and NovaSalud, Inc., at the Sheraton Hotel Pentagon City, 900 S. Orme Street, Arlington. Volunteers of America Chesapeake, Inc. is one of the largest nonprofit organizations providing housing services, homeless prevention and diversion resources in Northern Virginia. RSVP or donate here. 

Thursday, October 27, 7:00 p.m., "Under the Gun" Screening and Expert Panel, in the large theatre inside McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Drive, McLean. "Under the Gun" is a thought provoking documentary narrated by Katie Couric about how America has failed to respond with meaningful action on gun violence prevention. What is keeping the two sides of this debate from finding common ground? This Forum will shed light on the answers to this critical question. If you have questions, contact 

36th District 

Reston, Virginia
 
Learn more here.
In This Issue
Commentary..."Virginia's Extremes"
Virginia Report
Bulletin Board
Check Your Calendar

Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum
Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia E-News


Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia E-News is authorized by Kenneth R. Plum
 and paid for by Friends of Delegate Ken Plum.