Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia E-News – November 30, 2005

COMMENTARY

Help Yourself While Helping Others

Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum

        Help your tax status for 2005 by increasing your contributions to charitable organizations that are approved by the IRS as tax deductible organizations. Contributions must be made by the end of the year. You will help yourself, but you will also gain the satisfaction that comes with helping others. For that someone who has everything, make a contribution in his or her name to a charity as a gift. And many people, tax considerations aside, give to charitable causes from a sense of social purpose in helping others.

        There are numerous worthwhile causes. I will suggest a few, some familiar and others not as well known. My list is not exhaustive. Let me know if your favorite charity is not included.

        Reston Interfaith (www.restoninterfaith.org; 571.323.9555) should be at the top of everyone’s list; they house the homeless, feed the hungry, and rescue those in distress. Herndon-Reston FISH (Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help) also provides food and other necessities to meet emergencies and short-term needs. Call FISH at 703.391.0195. Help others by helping Reston Interfaith and FISH.

        Margrit Kenny and I are co-captains of the “Top of the Town” team in the Reston Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. Give us your check payable to the American Cancer Society. You will help with important cancer research and support services, and our team will get credit toward its goal.

        I chair the board of Celebrating Special Children that includes other Reston members Jane Anthony, Nancy Larson, and Bill Nicoson. We provide resource directories and referral information to families with children with special needs and to the professionals who serve them. We depend on grants and contributions to perform our services. Call Laura Nelson for more information at 703.442.0360.

        Rosemary Tran Lauer founded Devotion to Children (www.devotiontochildren.org) to assist needy and deserving families with children under the age of six to find preschool and childcare services. Kids R First provides school supplies for children of families who cannot afford them. Read about Kids R First at 222.restonweb.com/community/kidsrfirst.html or call 703.860.2255.

        The Giving Circle of Hope (www.givingcircleofhope.org) organized by four Reston women, Joan Kasprowicz, Diana Katz, Mary Narayan, and Linda Strup, provides direct voluntary services to charitable projects as well as cash contributions to charitable organizations. Restonian Rev. Debra Peevy chairs the Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry (NOVAM) that needs community support and contributions (www.novam.org or call 703.533.5505). The Whitman Walker Clinic (www.wwc.org) provides direct services and support to persons living with HIV/AIDS.      A friend of mine, Keith Turner, has established a foundation to help families with children who have kidney disease (www.kidneywdc.org). He became aware of the need from his daughter, who has a kidney disease.

        The holiday spirit is one of giving and caring. My list is but a beginning of a larger list of deserving causes. Help out. In the end you may find that you are the person helped the most.

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Delegate Ken Plum’s Weekly “Virginia Report”

 on Comcast Channel 28

Wednesday, November 30 at 10:30 p.m. – George Barker, Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia – “New Medicare Prescription Drug Plans – Choosing the Right One for You”

Tuesday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, December 7 at 10:30 p.m. – Jane Anthony, Reston citizen and activist for the retarded – “Community and Institutional Residential Settings for Retarded Citizens”

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

CHILDREN DOING TIME – Children of Incarcerated Parents and the Juvenile Justice System – is the theme of Virginia CURE’s annual meeting on Saturday, December 10, 2005, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Alfred Street Baptist Church, 301 South Alfred Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. For more information visit www.vacure.org or phone/fax 703.765.6549.

Governor Mark Warner invites you to the Forward Together website, www.ForwardTogetherPAC.com, a new federal leadership PAC for which he is the honorary chair. Check out the information about what he has been working on in Virginia and join the discussion of where the country needs to head in the coming months and years.

Fairfax County has organized a Hunter Mill Special Study Task Force to determine the public’s vision for the Hunter Mill Road area. Remaining meetings of the Special Study Task Force are scheduled for November 30 and December 14, both at 7:00 p.m., at Lake Anne Elementary School, 11510 North Shore Drive. These meetings are open to the public, and all are encouraged to attend.

Volunteers are needed to help low-income families file income taxes. The Fairfax County CASH (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) program is now recruiting volunteers to help meet the goal of getting $2 million back into the hands of low-income residents by helping them claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (worth up to $4,000 a family). To volunteer or for more information, contact Tom Meagher at 703.324.5139 or tom.meagher@fairfaxcounty.gov or contact Mredith Eisenberg at 703.324.5194. Visit the Office of Partnerships web page at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/partnerships.

The Dulles Corridor Rail Association (DCRA) will hold its Annual Meeting and Reception on Tuesday, December 6, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Oracle Corporation, 1910 Oracle Way in Reston. DCRA will honor Senator John W. Warner for his leadership in support of the Dulles Metrorail Project andin particular his successful efforts to include the project in the recently signed surface transportation reauthorization legislation, as well as the previous reauthorization act. DCRA will also honor Katherine K. Hanley, former Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Member of the Commonwealth Transportation Board and Chairman of the Tysons Corner Special Study Coordinating Committee for her leadership in advancing the Dulles rail project at the state and local levels. Please join in honoring these two important leaders. Email dcra@dullescorridorrail.com or call 703.716.5750 for event and sponsorship information.

Learn more about the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project by attending a Public Information Session on Thursday, December 8, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., at Spring Hill Elementary School, 8201 Lewinsville Road, McLean. The session is hosted by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and will feature a project overview, latest engineering plans, station locations, a timeline, and a funding update. Call 703.288.7000 with questions or visit www.dullesmetro.com for additional information.

The Reston Transportation Implementation Committee wants your input. Do you have an idea that might improve traffic flow or pedestrian safety or otherwise make things work better in our intersections or on the roadways in Reston? If you do, the Reston Transportation Implementation Committee (RTIC) would like to hear from you. RTIC was created at the urging of joint resolutions of the Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia Senate and consists of state legislators and transportation officials, the Hunter Mill Supervisor and Fairfax County transportation staff, and representatives of community organizations. The Committee identifies priority transportation needs in the Reston area with the help of residents and seeks to focus state and county agencies on addressing the priorities. If you have a suggestion for a low-cost improvement, please send the following information: (1) brief description of the problem; (2) exact location of the improvement you propose; (3) precise and concise description of the proposed improvement; (4) the benefit you would expect if proposal is implemented; and (5) your contact information (telephone number, email address) so you can be reached for further information if needed. Send the suggestion to: RTIC, 11437 Washington Plaza West, Reston, VA 20190.

I will be speaking at the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce’s Regional Policy Update held prior to the General Assembly session. This year’s pre-session Update will be held on December 9 at the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce offices, 1763 Fountain Drive, Reston. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.; continental breakfast is available. If you are a Chamber member, attend this information packed event to find out how election results will change the dynamics of the session and the future of the Commonwealth.

Super Sunday is a special day each year in which the Jewish community comes together for one day to raise funds that support and enrich the quality of life for Jews locally, in Israel, and around the world. This year Super Sunday is on December 11, 2005, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia, 8900 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax, VA. Volunteer to make calls or answer the phone. Learn more at www.supersunday2005.org.

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Authorized and paid for by Kenneth R. Plum.

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