Virginia E-News October 12, 2005

Our kitchen and bath remodeling are finally complete! The contractor put the finishing touches on the new kitchen we designed. Jane and I finished the master bath makeover that we did ourselves.

Hallelujah! And not a moment too soon. Our house is on the Reston house tour this Saturday, October 15, 2005, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You will be able to see the products of our labor by taking part in the “Reston at Home” house tour that raises money for the Reston Historic Trust, a non-profit organization that keeps the historic record of our community. Senator Janet Howell’s home will be open as well as four other homes along with the Embry Rucker Shelter and the Smith-Bowman House. Purchase tickets for $20 in advance at the Reston Museum at Lake Anne Village Center. Ticket orders will also be accepted by phone on the “Reston at Home” hotline until October 14 at 703.860.1000. Purchase tickets for $25 on the day of the tour.

The Reston Historic Trust is one of the fine organizations that makes Reston as our home community a very special place. Read about it at www.restonmuseum.org. Another organization for which our home community can be proud is the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce (www.restonchamber.org). I was pleased to have been a part of the inception of the Reston Board of Commerce, later to be given its current name. The organization grew rapidly to become one of the largest business organizations in the state. But it is far from being just another Chamber of Commerce. Highly effective as a voice for business in our region and as an advocate for business-friendly public policy at all levels of government, the Chamber is special in that it has a heart – a caring for the quality of life in our total community. The Best of Reston event held each spring to raise money for Reston Interfaith is a prime example of that caring attitude on the part of Chamber members. But the caring extends further.

Recently I attended the 2005 Awards for Chamber Excellence program. There individuals as well as businesses were recognized for their demonstrated excellence in the development of the greater Reston area through business expertise, community involvement, and dedicated service. All nominees and winners were successful on the bottom line, but all went beyond their individual and corporate success to help others in business and in the community. It is that heart that I talked about with the Reston Chamber. By recognizing success in business and outreach to the community the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce enhances the quality of life in our home community. Congratulations to all responsible for the Awards program and to the nominees and winners.

We love our home and our home community. Stop by on Saturday if you can. Our home is modest but very comfortable for our lifestyle. Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home!

The eighth edition of Delegate Ken Plum’s Citizens Handbook for the Commonwealth of Virginia has been mailed to voters in the 36th District.

As a way to make voters more aware of Virginia government programs and services I have updated and mailed a directory every two years for the past 14 years,” Plum explained.

“Contact information for all the major agencies of state government is included along with an index of services.”

The first Citizens Handbook was written by Delegate Plum because there was no directory of state programs and services available at the time. Currently at least six other legislators copy Delegate Plum’s Handbook for their districts.

Persons not receiving a copy or needing additional copies may contact Delegate Plum’s office at 703.758.9733 or e-mail kenplum@aol.com.

Wednesday, October 12 at 10:30 p.m. – Bob Jolley, Regional Archaeologist, Virginia Department of Historic Resources – “October is Archaeology Month: Dig It!”

Tuesday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, October 19 at 10:30 p.m. – Betty Connal, SIDS Mid-Atlantic – “SIDS and the Cribs for Kids Project”

Mark your calendars for the 4^th Annual Reston House Tour, “Reston at Home” on Saturday, Ocober 15, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. This year’s “Reston at Home” will showcase seven distinctive private homes – the largest tour yet. Jane and I are so very pleased that our home on Cobblestone Lane will be one of the seven homes. Tickets, $20 in advance, are available now at the Reston Museum at Lake Anne Village Center. Tickets will also be sold at Small Change and at the Reston Regional Library on October 1^st and 8^th from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Telephone ticket orders will be accepted on the “Reston at Home” hotline, open from August 15 until October 14, at 703.860.1000. On tour day, tickets are $25. Price includes the “Reston at Home” booklet with map, history, and illustrations by Pat MacIntyre, plus refreshments during the tour. All proceeds from “Reston at Home” benefit the Reston Museum. You can also volunteer to help host the homes during the tour. Two shifts allow time for volunteers to enjoy the tour with their free tour ticket. To register, please visit the Reston Museum at 1639 Washington Plaza at Lake Anne Village Center or call 703.709.7700 for more information. Volunteer registration forms are also available by contacting kmckee22@comcast.net.

Attend the first-ever Virginia Financial Literacy Summit on Monday, October 17, 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond. The event is free and includes a complimentary continental breakfast and lunch. Recent research shows the United States, including Virginia, is suffering from a decline in the level of financial literacy among its citizens. Last year, 1.6 million Americans filed for bankruptcy, indicating just how financially illiterate the country is quickly becoming. The staggering statistics don’t end there. The average family spends $1.22 for every dollar it makes, credit card debt now averages $8,000 per household, compared with $2,600 in 1989, only 32% of parents talk to their children regularly about personal finance, and only 7% of parents say their child understands financial matters well. Virginia Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy (www.vajumpstart.org) cordially invites you to attend the Virginia Financial Literacy Summit on October 17. The goal of the high-profile Summit is to bring together Virginia’s key decision makers and leading proponents of financial literacy to learn about this growing epidemic and hear about possible solutions. Special speakers include Congressman Eric Cantor (R-Richmond), U.S. Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Education Dan Iannicola, Jr., Virginia Treasurer Jody Wagner, Executive Director of the national Jump$tart Coalition Laura Levine, and Muriel Siebert, founder and president of the brokerage firm Siebert & Co., Inc. Visit www.vscpa.com/summit.aspx to register for the event and to review an agenda with session and speaker details.

Don’t miss the Eight Congressional District Democratic Committee’s Annual Kennedy-King Dinner on Tuesday, October 18, 2005 at the Hilton Crystal City, 2399 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington. Guest speaker will be The Honorable Patrick F. Kennedy. A reception will be at 6:00, followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. Individual tickets are $75; sponsorships are available from $250 for 2 tickets up to table purchases at $2500. Seating is limited, as tickets will go fast. Contact Scott Surovell at ssurovell@smillaw.com for ticket and sponsorship information.

The Women’s Entrepreneurs’ Expo is the signature event of the Women’s Business Center of Northern Virginia. This year’s Expo will be held October 20-21 at George Mason University’s Johnson Center and will feature a terrific line-up of informative and educational workshops and a trade fair. Syndicated columnist and author Michelle Singletary (“The Color of Money”) will be the keynote luncheon speaker on October 21. Visit www.wbcnova.org for information about registration and exhibitor/ sponsorship opportunities

The 54^th Virginia Transportation Conference will be held October 26-28 at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, Roanoke, Virginia. The Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, Virginia Port Authority, Virginia Department of Aviation, and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute will host the conference. This year’s them is “Virginia Transportation at the Crossroads – Investing in Mobility and Accessibility.” The multi-modal theme will offer opportunities to explore a number of solutions to the difficult transportation issues we face in Virginia. Visit www.vatransconf.org for details about speakers, sessions, and registration information.

Virginia’s first trees and utilities conference, “Look Up Virginia” will be held on Wednesday, October 26, at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gadens in Richmond. The conference is seeking to reduce tree/utility conflict by educating, influencing and encouraging people to recognize the conflict, remove problematic tree and utility situations and plant appropriately. Citizens interested in more attractive communities are encouraged to attend. General registration by October 7 is $25 and includes lunch and take-home materials. Seating is limited. For more information, call 434.220.9024.

The League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area and the Fairfax County Public Libraries will present “Building a Safer World: Can America and the UN Work Together on World Water Resources” on Sunday, October 30. The program will be held at the Pohick Regional Library at 2:00 p.m. Guest speaker will be Dr. Gerald Galloway discussing water resources, terrorism, conservation and other topics about the world’s supply, including how we can meet both national and international challenges. In announcing the program, League President Sherry W. Zachry explained that it is not only developing countries that have significant difficulties in providing safe water for their citizens. “The U.S. faces its own water resources issues, including water quality and availability and rehabilitating an aging infrastructure. This has certainly become evident as we try to cope with the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.”

Mark your calendar for the November public forums on Transportation Barriers for People with Disabilities and Senior Citizens. Fairfax County is seeking comments from the public about barriers on public transportation at three forums to be held November 1, 3, and 5. This will provide an opportunity for county residents, particularly people with disabilities and senior citizens, to discuss the factors that prevent them from using publicly funded transportation services, including the Fairfax Connector, Metro, MetroAccess, FASTRAN, Medicaid-funded transportation, and taxi services, including Seniors-on-the-Go! Residents also will be encouraged to offer suggestions about how to improve transportation services for seniors and people with disabilities in the county. The public forums are scheduled as follows:

The forums are sponsored by the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, the Disability Services Board, the Area Agency on Aging, the Department of Systems Management, the Department of Family Services, the Department of Community and Recreation Services, and the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board. To be included on the list of speakers, call Denis Paddeu at 703.324.1439, TTY 711. Written comments can be emailed to denis.paddeu@fairfaxcounty.gov or mailed to Denis Paddeu, Fairfax County Department of Transportation, 12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 1034, Fairfax, VA 22035-5511. Contact Paddeu at 703.324.1439 for more information.

Take a stroll with me and the Epilepsy Foundation of Virginia (EFVA) on Saturday, November 5 at 9:00 a.m. at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston. This local walk is being cosponsored with the Epilepsy Foundation of the Chesapeake Region (EFCR). There will be 1- and 2.5-mile courses with registration beginning at 9:00 a.m. Walkers are welcome to collect donations – those collecting $20 or more get a free t-shirt. Kids are encouraged to make a poster having to do with the importance of wearing a helmet. Since one of the main known causes of epilepsy is head injury, the EFVA promotes the message “Wear a Helmet – Prevent Epilepsy.” Posters will be hung along the walk route. EFVA is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1978 to promote awareness about epilepsy and provide assistance to Virginians with epilepsy and their families, friends, employers, co-workers, and teachers. Over the years, EFVA has developed a wide range of programs and services to promote the understanding of epilepsy and to dispel the many myths still associated with the disorder. For more information contact Deborah Lannen at 703.328.7582 or jwlannen@comcast.net.

The Comprehensive Virtual Center on Alzheimer’s Disease is a center without walls that will establish a much-needed organizational structure for coordinating purposeful activities and initiatives on Alzheimer’s and other dementing illnesses within the Commonwealth. Whenever possible, the objective is to form partnerships among groups or organizations within the Commonwealth, to take advantage of their respective talents and resources, and to advance the public health goals of Virginia. Visit www.alzpossible.org to find out more about what is being discovered to accelerate the process of finding effective interventions and new methods of care aimed at reducing disability and extending independent living for people with Alzheimer’s Disease.

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