Calendar, Page 7 Robots, Dogs And Police...

Chantilly Connection ❖ February 3-9, 2016 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.comFebruary 3-9, 2016 online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

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Bite Me CancerGets New HomeNews, Page 2

Marking AmericanHeart MonthWellBeing, Page 9

WellbeingWellbeingPage 9

Robots, DogsAnd Police Officers

News, Page 3

MPO Tom Eggerswith one of the

police bombsquad’s robots.

2 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ February 3-9, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

See New Home, Page 4

By Bonnie HobbsThe Connection

When Nikki Ferrarowas just 17, shewas diagnosedwith a rare form ofthyroid cancer. Since then, she’sfought it hard while also reachingout to help other teen-agers battling the samedisease.

While still a student atChantilly High, she orga-nized a Relay for Lifeteam and raised $20,000for the American CancerSociety. Later, she andher parents formed thenonprofit Bite Me Can-cer Foundation (BMC),www.bitemecancer.org, to supportteens with cancer and raise moneyfor thyroid cancer research grants.

That organization has grown somuch and become so successful

that it’s outgrown her parents’home in Chantilly’s Armfield Farmcommunity. And on Jan. 21, NikkiFerraro and others cut the ribbonon BMC’s new headquarters in theAFCEA building in Fair Lakes. Theceremony was also part of thegroup’s observance of Teen Can-cer Awareness Week in Virginia,

which BMC initiated in2014.

“I’m so happy andproud that we now havean office space of ourown,” said Nikki Ferraro,now 23 and a resident ofArlington. “We’ve beensuccessful since we be-gan in 2010 and havebeen growing quickly,especially with our Teen

Support Bag program. We neededa storeroom, an assembly roomand a more efficient shipping sys-tem. We get all of that here.”

According to the National Insti-tutes of Health, thyroid cancer isthe third most diagnosed canceramong children ages 15-19 in theU.S. So BMC has also raised morethan $160,000 to fund three, thy-roid cancer research grants. It’spartnered with the American Thy-roid Association which directs thegrant program. The first two re-cipients were doctors at the M.D.Anderson Cancer Center in Hous-ton and at Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center in NewYork; the third grant will beawarded this spring.

Throughout her own diagnosis,surgery and ongoing cancer treat-ment, Nikki Ferraro discoveredthere were several programs forchildren and adult cancer patients,but little geared specifically to-ward teenagers. So since Septem-ber 2010, BMC has donated sup-port bags to hospitalized teen can-cer patients. They each contain astress ball, Bite Me Cancer base-ball cap, journal for writing anddrawing, water bottle, iTunes giftcard, USB drive, game book and aBite Me Cancer car magnet.

Since its inception, the support-bag project has served more than2,200 teenagers in 70 hospitals —including Inova Fair Oaks andInova Fairfax — in 29 states andthe District of Columbia. Withabout 50 volunteers total, BMCsends as many bags as each hos-pital requests.

Cutting the ribbon are (from left) Jim Corcoran, Northern Virginia Chamber of Com-merce; Bite Me Cancer board members Ben Ingham, Matt McQueen, Jenny Couch,Michael Ferraro, Sharon Ferraro and Nikki Ferraro; Alicia Liddle, Greater RestonChamber of Commerce; Bite Me Cancer board members Colin Callahan, Meryl Bisagaand Bill Craig; Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity; Bite Me Cancer board mem-ber Mark Searle and Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith.

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C E N T R E V I L L ECOMMUNITIESOF WORSHIP

To highlight your faith community,call Karen at 703-917-6468

The Church of the AscensionTraditional Anglican Catholic Services

1928 Book of Common Prayer, 1940 Hymnal,and the King James Bible with Apocrypha

www.ascension-acc.org (703) 830-3176

Holy Communion 10 a.m. Sundays (with Church School and Nursery)

13941 Braddock RoadCentreville VA 20120

in the “Old Stone Church”of Historic Centreville

Chantilly Connection ❖ February 3-9, 2016 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

See Robots, Dogs, Page 11

State of the StationAt the next meeting of the Sully District Police Station’s Citi-

zens Advisory Committee, Capt. Bob Blakley will give his annual,State of the Station report about crimes in the local communityover the past year.

The meeting is set for Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in theSully District Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd., inChantilly. Refreshments will be served.

Comment on I-66 ProjectThe Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Tier 2 Revised Environ-

mental Assessment (EA) is now available for public review andcomment until Feb. 4. The Revised EA is based upon the Pre-ferred Alternative design concept for the Transform 66 Outsidethe Beltway project. The project consists of two express lanesalongside three regular lanes in each direction, with space in themedian for future transit; dedicated express lanes access points;safety and operational improvements at key interchanges through-out the corridor; new transit services, such as new and expandedpark and ride lots and bus service; and corridor-wide bikeway,trail and sidewalk improvements.

The Revised EA may be viewed on the project website atTransform66.org.

Replenishing Food PantryFairfax County’s annual “Stuff the Bus: Helping Fairfax Fami-

lies” program will arrive on Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Clifton Giant,5740 Union Mill Road to benefit Western Fairfax Christian Minis-tries. All donation hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Garza’s 2016 Listening ToursFairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen K. Garza

will hold five listening tours in 2016, and invites students, par-ents, employees, and community members to participate. Thelocal session will be held at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 29 atCentreville High School.

Garza, accompanied by the regional assistant superintendents,will provide an update on the budget, Strategic Plan, classroominitiatives, and other happenings in FCPS and listen to ideas, com-ments, and questions from the audience. Those planning to at-tend are asked to register in advance online atwww.surveymonkey.com/r/2016ListeningTour6YZ7PCY and in-dicate if an interpreter is needed.

Moving Equipment Is SoughtThe Centreville Labor Resource Center is in need of moving

equipment to add to its tool supplies. Requested items are backbraces, lift belts, sliders and straps that are used for moving jobs.

This equipment can be checked out by workers and broughtback when they complete jobs.

It will ensure that they’re able to complete moving jobs moresafely. In addition, the CLRC is seeking Spanish-speaking peopleto fill a number of volunteer positions. Contact Molly Maddra-Santiago at [email protected].

Food Donations for WFCMWestern Fairfax Christian Ministries’ food pantry needs dona-

tions of 1-2 pound bags of rice, canned fruit (all types), cannedpastas, canned meats (tuna, ham, chicken), cold and hot cereals,spaghetti and sauces, peanut butter, canned vegetables (includ-ing spinach, collar greens, beets) and cooking oil.

Toiletries needed, which WFCM clients cannot purchase withfood stamps, include facial tissues, toothpaste, shampoo and soliddeodorant.

Bring all items to WFCM’S food pantry, weekdays, 9 a.m.-1:30p.m., at 13888 Metrotech Drive, near Papa John’s Pizza andKumon Learning Center, in Chantilly’s Sully Place Shopping Cen-ter. A volunteer stocker/bagger is needed Wednesdays, 4-6 p.m.Contact Annette Bosley at 703-988-9656, ext. 110, [email protected].

Roundups

By Bonnie HobbsThe Connection

Whenever there’s a bomb threat in FairfaxCounty, police MPO Tom Eggers and hispartner Moose are among those ready torespond. Eggers, a county police officer for 21 years,has been a member of the bomb squad since 2002,and K-9 Moose is his explosives-detecting dog.

“He’s 5 and a half years old and was raised by pris-oners in Connecticut in their Puppies behind Barsprogram,” said Eggers. “He was also trained by theCIA to recognize black powder, fireworks, gunpow-der, etc.”

Eggers was addressing members of the Sully Dis-trict Police Station’s Citizens Advisory Committeeabout the bomb squad and what it does. And at thetime, Moose was recovering from skin cancer, so hewore a cone to prevent him from chewing the spotwhere he was healing.

“There are two people on the bomb squad, whichhas been full time since 1983, and we use a mobilecommand truck,” said Eggers. “We have four dogs,including Moose’s brother, Marco.”

He said the dogs receive food rewards and onlyeat when they work and find something. “They getlots of repetitions and remember odors because theyget so much practice,” said Eggers. “And we keepteaching them new odors. We use Labrador Retriev-ers, as do the CIA and ATF [Bureau of Alcohol, To-bacco, Firearms and Explosives].”

Calling Moose his “take-home” dog, Eggers saidthey’re on call together. “I train him daily and oursquad trains monthly,” he said. “Moose has to certifyevery year; it’s a blind test, and he has to find 100percent of the hidden explosives.”

The bomb squad checks out improvised explosivedevices (IEDs) and suspicious packages and dis-mantles them to make them safe. And since bomb-squad members are also trained, hazardous-materi-als technicians, they do HAZMAT monitoring, too.They send robots with equipment into a HAZMATarea to sniff it out and return with information.

The members are involved, as well, with the SWATteam, hostage negotiations and robot entry andsearch. That way, a robot will be placed in harm’sway, instead of a person. The police have a variety ofrobots for different types of searches and can deployweapons via the robots.

Discussing two, specific robots, Eggers said onenamed Dog is 600 pounds, and one named Pony is800 pounds. He said Pony has many accessorieswhich make it worth $225,000. “In 2003, Dog costus $86,000, stripped,” said Eggers. “To replace it to-day would be $130,000-$140,000, stripped, and aquarter of a million dollars, fully loaded. We namedthem Dog and Pony because we’re always showingthem to people.”

He said both robots have video feeds and counterIED platforms. “Their barrels are ‘disrupters’ and use12-gauge cartridges,” said Eggers. “We shoot high-

Robots, Dogs and Police OfficersLearning how thebomb squad keepsresidents safe.

Police MPO Tom Eggers with his K-9 part-ner Moose and one of the bomb squad’srobots.

With a bomb-squad suit inthe fore-ground andthe mobilecommandtruck behindhim, MPOTom Eggerstalks to CACmembers.

Photos byBonnie Hobbs

The Connection


Turn your Houseinto a Home

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Adoptone of our lovable

cats or dogs.

Volunteeryour time or

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Donatemoney orsuppliesfor theShelter.

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From Page 2

News

“In 2013, we gave out 200 bags,” said NikkiFerraro’s mother, Sharon, a BMC boardmember. “So in 2014, we expected to de-liver 400 — but we did 700. Our goal for2015 was to deliver 1,000, but we did 1,200and outgrew our house. We assemble thebags and then pack 10 per box. With allthose packing boxes, bags and 10-15 vol-unteers at a time putting them all together,the house was just a big assembly line.”

BMC also doubled from serving 35 hos-pitals in 2014 to 70 by the end of 2015.“We call the hospitals or send informationalpostcards to their Child Life departmentsto tell them what we have to offer,” saidSharon Ferraro. Noting how much the sup-port bags mean to the teen recipients, shesaid, “One family told us their daughter wasin the hospital a month and never smileduntil she got our bag.”

Meanwhile, a chance meeting at a GreaterReston Chamber of Commerce event earlylast year led to Sharon Ferraro meetingNancy Temple – who’s in charge of findingtenants for AFCEA’s building. “She men-tioned they were looking for tenants, and Itold her we’d been daydreaming about aroom where we could assemble the bags,”said Sharon Ferraro. “So she suggested my

husband Michael and I come see what theyhad available.”

AFCEA International works with military,government, industry and academia to ad-vance global security, and its local head-quarters is at 4400 Fair Lakes Court. There,Temple showed them Suite 40, which hasan office, kitchenette and small storeroom.

“She also showed us their board rooms,huge mailroom and their community loungewhere we could assemble the bags on week-ends and at night,” said Sharon Ferraro. “Wedidn’t think we could afford it, but Nancyworked with her staff and was able to offerus a discounted rate because AFCEA reallywanted us there.”

“AFCEA is delighted to have Bite Me Can-cer as a tenant in our headquarters build-ing,” said Temple. “We’re impressed withtheir outreach, growth and many volunteerswho participate on their committees, as wellas all those who help create the bags fordistribution. AFCEA appreciates the oppor-tunity to facilitate this wonderful cause.Nikki, Sharon and Michael have an incred-ible passion for what they do, and it’s won-derful to witness the efforts of the team thatsupports them.”

Thrilled with BMC’s new digs, SharonFerraro said, “We have tons of requests forthe support bags, but we have to raise themoney to buy the items for them and thento pay for shipping by UPS. Each bag costsabout $65 to fill and ship, and AFCEA isgiving us its corporate discount on shippingand letting us use its mailroom.”

“It makes us more efficient, saves usmoney and keeps our inventory secure be-cause it’s now shipped to the inside of an

office building, instead of to our frontsteps,” she added. “AFCEA even allows usto use its board rooms for meetings, so wecan do everything all in one place. It’s verycommunity-oriented and really wanted tohelp us.”

As for Nikki Ferraro, after graduating fromChantilly High in 2011, she got a degree inmarketing last May from JMU. She nowdoes marketing for Hitt Contracting Inc. inFalls Church. And she’s also attending theLeadership Arlington Young ProfessionalsProgram, which trains young leaders.

Since there’s currently no cure for thy-roid cancer, Nikki Ferraro always has to beon some form of treatment. She’s been onoral chemotherapy for the past 14 monthsand is feeling good. She’s also delightedwith BMC’s continued success.

“It means the world to me that I can helpother teenagers get through such a challeng-ing situation,” she said. “And if I can be aninspiration to any of them, that’s great.”

To learn more about Bite Me Cancer oropportunities to volunteer, seewww.bitemecancer.org or [email protected]. Written correspon-dence, donations and requests for Bite MeCancer Teen Support Bags may be mailedto Bite Me Cancer, 4400 Fair Lakes Court,Suite 40, Fairfax, VA. 22033.

Bite Me Cancer Gets New Home

Photo Courtesy of Sharon FerraroNikki Ferraro’s JMU graduationcap explains her philosophy of life.

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WESTERN FAIRFAX COUNTY

THURSDAY/FEB. 4Nomination Deadline. Volunteer

Fairfax invites organizations tonominate volunteers who haveprovided outstanding service to anorganization. Details are available atwww.volunteerfairfax.org. Nomineeswill be honored at the 2016 FairfaxCounty Volunteer Service Awardsbreakfast on Friday, April 8 at theWaterford at Springfield.

THURSDAY/FEB. 11Sully Democratic Showdown. 8

p.m. at The Bungalow, 13891Metrotech Drive, Chantilly. Watchthe last Democratic debate before theIowa caucuses, conduct a Sully strawpoll of the candidates, meet newDemocratic friends and enjoy freeappetizers. The event is open toanyone who wants to participate.RSVP to sullydems.org/showdown oremail to [email protected].

MONDAY/FEB. 15Garden Club. 7 p.m. at Sully

Government Center, 4900 StonecroftBlvd., Chantilly. Horticulturist andlandscape designer, JoanneShumpert, of Treefrog Nursery,presents “Designing with Eco-friendlyand Native Plants.” Visitors arewelcome. Learn more atcentrevillegardenclub.blogspot.com.Emailcentrevillegardenclub@gmail.com orcall 703-266-9233.

THURSDAY/FEB. 18Scholarship Application Deadline.

The Joyce-Gillespie-HarringtonEducational and CharitableFoundation, Inc., invites applicants

for its 36th Annual Jewel Scholarshipaward. The $1,500 scholarship isawarded to 10 local students aspiringto pursue an undergraduate degreeat an accredited college or university.The scholarship assists with tuitionand other educational expenses. Forover 36 years, JGH has recognizedand awarded certificates ofachievement and scholarships to highachieving, socially and/oreconomically disadvantaged studentsduring its annual awards program inJune. Visit www.JGHFDN.org.

SATURDAY/FEB. 20Mentor Training. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at

10777 Main St., Fairfax. The NaomiProject, a program of Our DailyBread, is seeking volunteers tomentor at-risk pregnant or newlyparenting women who livethroughout Northern Virginia for ayear or longer, as appropriate.Mentors work one-on-one with aclient to achieve a healthy pregnancy,develop parenting skills and planproductively for the future. There is anonrefundable registration fee of $35to cover materials for the trainingsession, background check and lunch.Spanish-speaking volunteers areespecially needed. Application andadditional information available at:www.odbfairfax.org/NaomiProject.Contact: 703-860-2633 [email protected].

MONDAY/FEB. 29Superintendent’s Listening Tour.

6:30 p.m. at Centreville High School,6001 Union Mill Road, Clifton.Fairfax County Public SchoolsSuperintendent Karen K. Garzainvites students, parents, employeesand community members to

participate in these upcomingsessions.Garza will provide an updateon the budget, strategic plan,classroom initiatives, and listen toideas, comments, and questions fromthe audience. Those planning toattend are asked to register inadvance online and indicate if aninterpreter is needed. Visitwww.fcps.edu/news/listening.shtmlfor more.

ELECTRONICS RECYCLINGResidents Can “E-cycle” at the I-66

transfer station. It is free butresidents may be asked to show proofof residency. Personal waste only.The I-66 station is located at 4618West Ox Road, Fairfax and open from8 a.m.-4 p.m. from Monday-Saturdayand from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sundays.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/recycling/electric-sunday.htm formore.

DONATIONSThe student Auto Sales Program

operating from Centreville HighSchool works in conjunction with theCVHS automotive technology classesto bring in donated automobiles,boats and motorcycles for students towork on. Some refurbished vehiclesare sold, with 75 percent of theproceeds going back to the auto techprogram. The program is in need ofcars, trucks or motorcycles, which arefully tax deductible, for studenttraining. Contact Lyman Rose at 703-802-5588 or by [email protected] for more.

Cell Phones for Soldiers is acceptingdonations of old cellphones so thattroops can call home. Patrons maydrop off donations at 14215ECentreville Square, Centreville.

Email announcements to [email protected] date, time, location, description and contact for event:phone, email and/or website. Photos and artwork welcome.Deadline is Thursday at noon, at least two weeks before event.

Bulletin Board

Photo Courtesy of Hannah Warnick

‘Jack and Jill and the Beanstalk’Mix together two popular fairytales, add a couplegigantic puppets, add in lots of jokes and the resultis Chantilly High’s upcoming children’s play, “Jackand Jill and the Beanstalk.” Because of the snow, it’sbeen rescheduled to Friday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m.; Satur-day, Feb. 6, at 2 and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 7, at 2p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door or viawww.chantillyhsdrama.com.

SUPPORT GROUPTelephone Support Group for

Family Caregivers of OlderAdults. 7 p.m. every second Tuesdayof the month. This telephone supportgroup is designed to help caregiversof older adults share experiences,gain support and get importantinformation without having to travel.These are one-hour free sessions.Find out more and register at

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/ and click onCaregiver Telephone Support Group.

Fair Oaks Parkinson’s SupportGroup for people living withParkinson’s disease, caregivers andfamily, meets on the fourth Saturdaymonthly, 10 a.m.-noon at Sunrise atFair Oaks, 3750 Joseph SiewickDrive, Fairfax. Call 703-378-7221 orvisit www.fairoaksparkinsons.com formore.


Opinion

Hundreds of bills before this year’sGeneral Assembly session focuson “business climate,” providingincentives for businesses to lo-cate and expand here, extending tax exemp-tions and tax credits, encouraging internationaltrade, reducing regulation and many otherapproaches perceived as pro-business.

Previous years of robust economic growthhave been fueled by federal spending in North-ern Virginia, but now that growth has sloweddue to reduced spending on defense, home-land security and other programs.

But ideology and partisan politics have ledthis otherwise pro-business state to ignorepleas from virtually every business group inthe Commonwealth to adopt a policy thatwould result in more than $3 billion in eco-nomic activity, add more than 30,000 jobs,make the overall population healthier, save thelives of many poor residents and pave the wayfor solving Virginia’s mental health crisis.

Implementing Medicaid expansion in Vir-

ginia would provide a $3.9 billion boost to theVirginia economy annually, according to anindependent study commissioned by VirginiaHospital and Healthcare Association, and couldsupport more than 30,000 additional jobs. (Themultiplier effect results in economic benefitsseveral times greater than the initial injectionof funds.)

In no way should the decision on expandingMedicaid be left up to the General Assemblythat is gerrymandered to favor ideologicallydriven members who oppose the AffordableCare Act for inconsistent reasons without re-gard to the wellbeing of the Commonwealthand its residents.

To quote the VHHA study: “Strengtheningthe existing Medicaid program and potentiallyextending coverage to an estimated 400,000low-income adults has far reaching conse-quences that go well beyond what can be quan-tified in purely economic terms.”

— Mary Kimm

The General Assembly prides itself in providinga pro-business climate, but refuses infusion ofmore than $3 billion annually.

Economic Development in VirginiaAnother OpportunityTo Talk About It

Super Bowl Sunday is Sunday, Feb. 7, andoften more about the parties than the game.The parties have resulted in a measurable in-crease in impaired driving on that day.

During Super Bowl Sunday 2012, more thana third of traffic fatalities involved alcohol-impaired drivers according to the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administration.

“It’s important to have a game-plan prior tokick-off and to beat this too often deadly op-ponent,” said Kurt Gregory Erickson, presidentof the nonprofit Washington Regional AlcoholProgram (WRAP), a local 34-year-old public-private partnership.

Plan to bring a designated driver. Plan toparty where you can take public transporta-tion. Plan to celebrate at home or someplacewhere you can spend the night. Plan to ab-stain. Plan to call a cab or Uber or Lyft andretrieve your car the next day if need be.

But don’t miss the chance to talk to the mem-bers of your household and members of yoursocial circle about the importance of keepingimpaired drivers off the road.

— Mary [email protected]

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CIRCULATION: [email protected]

Chantilly

By Jim LeMunyonState Delegate (R-67)

It’s been a long week diggingout from the #2 record snowstorm in our area. While manystreets and roads were plowedwithin 24 hours, others took sev-eral days.

My staff and I have been innearly constant contact withVDOT to call attention to streets and roads inneed of plowing. Thank you to the many peoplewho contacted my office to report unplowedstreets, and for your patience this week.

The Town Hall Meeting set for Jan. 23 waspostponed due to the snow, and we are work-ing to reschedule the meeting. I’ll send out aseparate message when we have a new datefirmed up.

While Northern Virginia and other parts ofthe state have been digging out, the GeneralAssembly has been in session this week. Evenwith the snow, several residents of the 67thdistrict were able to come to Richmond to ad-vocate for particular issues. Others have let meknow their views on specific bills via email.Please feel free to contact me regarding anylegislative matter before the General Assem-bly.

Six of my transportation bills have passedthe House of Delegates unanimously. H.B. 719and H.B. 727 provide opportunities for greaterpublic involvement in the work of the state’sCommonwealth Transportation Board and re-gional Northern Virginia Transportation Au-thority, respectively.

H.B. 724, H.B. 725, and H.B. 731 are related

to decision making and member-ship at the Northern Virginia Trans-portation Commission. H.B. 213prevents the police from ticketingautomobiles that are waiting to beinspected at an inspection stationif the inspection sticker has ex-pired. Fairfax County police wereticketing such cars at three inspec-

tion stations in Chantilly last year.A number of bills related to limiting the toll-

ing of roads in Northern Virginia and through-out the state have been introduced, includingtwo bills I authored, H.B. 1 and H.B. 722. Iexpect a Transportation Subcommittee will acton these bills this coming Thursday.

A number of other bills I have introducedrelated to transportation, education, open gov-ernment and other issues are advancingthrough committees. One such bill, H.B. 821,extends the protections of the VirginiaWhistleblower Act to local government em-ployees, including teachers and school employ-ees. The bill would protect such an employeefrom losing his or her job by reporting fraudor an abuse of public funds. Another bill, H.B.817, strengthens Virginia’s Freedom of Infor-mation Act to ensure that any governmentrecord sought by the public, including the newsmedia, that contains information exempt fromrelease must be redacted, meaning the rest ofthe document must be produced.

All of the bills I introduced may be found onthe General Assembly’s website here, and Iwelcome your comments and questions aboutthese bills.

The most significant piece of legislation ex-pected to be considered by the House of Del-egates this coming week is H.J. 1, which wouldamend the Virginia Constitution to provide arole for the state in establishing charterschools. I support this measure, mindful thatimplementation should be aimed at improv-ing failing schools in certain urban areas. Weneed to make sure that H.J. 1 is not an invita-tion for the state to assume the role of the lo-cal school board in Fairfax, Loudoun, and otherparts of Virginia where schools are generallyoperating well. I am confident this will nothappen. If H.J. 1 passes the General Assembly,it would need to be approved by voters beforeit would take effect.

Please feel free to contact me any time re-garding state public policy issues at 703-264-1432 or [email protected]. Phone callswill transfer to my Richmond office while theGeneral Assembly is in session.

Doing the People’s Business in RichmondCommentary

WriteThe Connection welcomes views on any

public issue. The deadline for all material isnoon Friday. Letters must be signed. Include

home address and home and businessnumbers. Letters are routinely edited for

libel, grammar, good taste and factual errors.Send to:

Letters to the EditorThe Connection1606 King St.

Alexandria VA 22314Call: 703-917-6444.

By e-mail:[email protected]


21800 Towncenter PlazaSterling, VA 20164703-450-5453

1051 Edwards Ferry RoadLeesburg, VA 20176703-771-4688

www.sterlingappliance.com

Email announcements to [email protected]. Include date,time, location, description and contact forevent: phone, email and/or website. Pho-tos and artwork welcome. Deadline isThursday at noon, at least two weeks be-fore event.

SATURDAY/FEB. 6Family Discovery Day. 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

at Centreville Virginia Stake Center,14150 Upperridge Drive, Centreville.Discovery Day is a family history fairproviding activities for every agegroup seeking to know more abouttheir ancestors. Free. Call 703-307-1365.

Heritage Family Day: AfricanAmerican Pioneers in Aviationand Space. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. atSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, 14390Air & Space Museum Parkway,Chantilly. Learn more about theaccomplishment of African Americansin the fields of aviation and spaceexploration. Free. Call 703-572-4118or visit airandspace.si.edu/udvarhazy.

Recipes from the Hearth. 1 p.m.and 2 p.m. at Sully Historic Site,3650 Historic Sully Way, Chantilly.In the 1794 kitchen, learn aboutThornton, the enslaved cook of theLee family. Make beaten biscuits likethe ones that were served in thedining room, and corn pone, a stapleof the enslaved community’s diet.Compare the recipes and taste thedifference. Tickets are $8. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully-historic-site.

Superbowl of Wines. 3 p.m. atParadise Springs Winery, 13219Yates Ford Road, Clifton. Compete ina blind tasting of Paradis Springswine. Tickets are $25 per person, $20

for wine club members. Call 703-830-9463 for more.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/FEB. 6-7Lunar New Year Festival. 1-5 p.m.

at Fair Oaks Mall – Grand Court,11750 Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax. FairOaks Mall will host its 13th annualLunar New Year Festival to usher inthe Year of the Monkey. Presented bythe Washington Hai Hua CommunityCenter, the event will showcasetraditional Chinese dragon dances,music, Chinese knotting, calligraphy,painting, martial arts, arts and craftsfor children and a special lanternfestival. Free. 8,000 easily accessedfree parking spaces. Call 703-359-8300 or visitwww.shopfairoaksmall.com.

SUNDAY/FEB. 7Sipping and Painting. 11 a.m. at The

Winery at Bull Run, 15950 LeeHighway, Centreville. Instructors willgive you step by step instructions onpainting the wisteria plant. Ticketsare $40 for members, $45 fornonmembers. Visitwww.wineryatbullrun.com for more.

THURSDAY/FEB. 11Civil War Lecture. 7-9 p.m. at

Centreville Regional Library, 14200St. Germain Drive, Centreville. KevinKnapp will give a presentation titled,“The Use of Balloons by Union andConfederate Armies During the CivilWar.” Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/ce or call 703-830-2223.

FRIDAY/FEB. 12Friday Night Flights: Chocolate. 7

p.m. at The Winery at Bull Run,15950 Lee Highway, Centreville. FindBull Run wines paired. with AbbyRose Chocolates. Tickets are $20-30.Visit www.wineryatbullrun.com/events.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/FEB. 13-14Presidential Trivia. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at

Sully Historic Site, 3650 HistoricSully Way, Chantilly. Brush up onyour knowledge of the Declaration ofIndependence, discover what kinds ofanimals the presidents had for pets,and test knowledge with earlyAmerican presidential and politicaltrivia games, such as the PreambleScramble. Tickets are $7 for adults,$6 for students, and $5 for seniorsand children. Call 703-437-1794 orvisit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully-historic-site/.

SUNDAY/FEB. 14Valentine’s Day Tea. 2:30 p.m. at

Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, 5040Walney Road, Chantilly. Listen topoetry and drink tea at the MachenFarm with your favorite sweetheart.A costumed interpreter will share aWalney mystery love poem, theninvite participants to write and shareverses with the group. Leave with apoem framed in Valentine-card style.Tickets are $10. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/eclawrence.

Valentine Wine Pairing Dinner.6:30 p.m. at The Winery at Bull Run,15950 Lee Highway, Centreville. Finda four-course wine pairing dinnerwith Bull Run wines. Tickets are$115 for members, $130 fornonmembers. Visitwww.wineryatbullrun.com for more.

Valentine’s Day Wine Dinner. 8

p.m. at Paradise Springs Winery,13219 Yates Ford Road, Clifton. Finda four-course dinner paired withParadise Springs wine. VIP tickets are$149, $129 for wine club members.General admission tickets are $129,$119 for wine club members. Call703-830-9463 for reservations.

SATURDAY/FEB. 20Heritage Family Day: African

American Pioneers in Aviationand Space. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. atSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, 14390Air & Space Museum Parkway,Chantilly. Learn more about theaccomplishment of African Americansin the fields of aviation and spaceexploration. Free. Call 703-572-4118or visit airandspace.si.edu/udvarhazy.

“The Work of Their Hands.” 1-4p.m. at Sully Historic Site, 3650Historic Sully Way, Chantilly. Manyof the technologies that help predictthe weather, cook, process materialand thread into clothing, and helpcure ills, were founded in earliercenturies. Learn what new andinteresting 18th century itemsRichard Bland Lee had in his housethat reflected the current scientifictechnologies. Learn how they wereused and make some of them to takehome and use. Tickets are $6. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully-historic-site.

Secret Forest. 5 p.m. at Ellanor C.Lawrence Park, 5040 Walney Road,Chantilly. Learn the winter secrets ofevergreen cedar and hardwoodforest. Discover how helping the landto heal may help the community.Tickets are $5. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/eclawrence.

SUNDAY/FEB. 21Train Display. 1-4 p.m. at Fairfax

Station Railroad Museum, 11200Fairfax Station Road, Fairfax Station.The Northern Virginia NTRAK groupwill have running N Gauge modeltrains. Tickets are $4 for those 16and older, $2 for youth, and free forchildren 4 and younger. Visitwww.fairfax-station.org for more.

Technology Tour. 2 p.m. at Ellanor C.Lawrence Park, 5040 Walney Road,Chantilly. Join park historians andlearn about the types of technologythe Machen family used to improvetheir lives in the 1800s. Tickets are$5. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/eclawrence.

SUNDAY/MARCH 6Jane Austen Tea. 1 p.m. at Sully

Historic Site, 3650 Historic SullyWay, Chantilly. Discuss the leadingmen in Jane Austen’s novels, “Emma”and “Persuasion.” Tickets are $28.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully-historic-site.

SATURDAY/MARCH 12Family Day: Women in Aviation

and Space. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. atSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, 14390Air & Space Museum Parkway,Chantilly. At this family day, learnabout the significant contributionswomen have made despite the manychallenges they faced. The day willfeature presentations by women inthe field, hands-on activities, andstories. Free. Call 703-572-4118 orvisit airandspace.si.edu/udvarhazy.

Entertainment


Sports

Westfield’s Tyler Scanlonscored a game high 30points and teammateHank Johnson scored 22 asWestfield improved to 12-2 over-all and 4-0 in Conference 5 with a74-65 victory over visitingHerndon on Jan. 19.

The Bulldogs outscored the Hor-nets 20-18 in the first quarter.Westfield’s Johnson and Scanloncombined for 14 points.

In the second quarter, Westfieldsenior Joe Katchmark would con-nect on the first of his two 3-pointattempts, and Cole Huling cameoff the bench to add five second-quarter points, including a 3-

pointer. Westfield was led byJohnson’s 14 and Scanlon’s 11points at half. Westfield took a 39-32 advantage into the half.

In the third quarter, Scanlonadded 12 more points as Westfieldincrease the lead to 57-47.

Herndon would outscore theBulldogs 18-17 in the fourth, butWestfield would win 74-65.

Herndon fell to 9-5 overall and3-1 in the conference. James Leesled the team with 23 points. LiamHarrington had 21.

Westfield will face Robinson athome on Feb. 3 and will travel toOakton on Feb. 5.

— Will Palenscar

Westfield Beats Herndon

Blake Francis and theWestfield boys’ basket-ball team beat Herndonon Jan. 19.

Westfield senior Tyler Scanlon scored 30 points againstHerndon on Jan. 19.

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By Jon RoetmanThe Connection

Centreville girls’ basketball coachTom Watson was angry. He lethis displeasure with officials beknown during Monday’s Con-ference 5 contest at Oakton, and after thegame he initially declined an interview re-quest.

Watson eventually shared what was onhis mind following a 47-34 loss to the de-fending 6A North region champion Cougars,who improved to 17-0.

Centreville led 20-13 at halftime, butOakton outscored the Wildcats 17-7 in thethird quarter and took a 30-27 lead into thefourth. The Cougars led for the remainder

of the contest and the Wildcats’ recorddropped to 8-7.

“We had a good game plan,” Watson said.“We spent time, I came and scouted them,we had a game plan that shut down theirbest players, we did, until the second half,until the refs — you can write this down —the refs made [Oakton forward] MaddieRoyle an all-star. Anything we did, any timewe got near her, we get a call. It’s frustrat-ing.”

Royle, a 6-foot-1 junior, had two pointsat halftime and did not attempt a free throwin the first half. The Oakton forward scored14 points in the second half and went 10-for-10 at the foul line, finishing with agame-high 16 points.

Oakton attempted two free throws in thefirst half, making them both. The Cougarsshot 17-for-19 at the line in the second half,finishing 19-for-21.

Both head coaches were vocal with offi-cials during the game.

“You saw a dramatic shift when [Oaktonhead coach] Fred [Priester] complained,”

Watson said. “Just call it even. … [The offi-cials] just bailed [Oakton] out. There’s noth-ing else to say. Our kids are here participat-ing just as hard as they are. The refereesshould be equal.”

While Oakton saw a significant increasein free-throw attempts in the second half,Centreville still attempted more foul shotsduring the game. The Wildcats shot 10-for-22 from the foul line and held an 11-2 ad-vantage in free-throw attempts in the firsthalf.

While Centreville fell short, the Wildcatswere within one point of Oakton early inthe fourth quarter thanks in part to the per-formance of freshmen Ashley Martin andAleigh Gambone. The ninth-grade duoshowed no fear attacking the basket againstOakton’s older, taller players.

Martin finished with a team-high 12points, but shot 2-for-6 from the foul line.Gambone had nine points and went 1-for-2from the line.

Martin and Gambone both started forCentreville, along with juniors Camryn

Conklin and Anna Yee, and sophomore postCallie Doyle.

Yee finished with six points and Conklinhad four.

Doyle scored three points and grabbed sixrebounds, but fouled out with 5 minutesremaining and Centreville trailing 34-29.

“We’re scrappy and most teams aren’t asscrappy as we are,” Watson said. “We don’thave the big post. If I had one more big postwe would be that undefeated team, too.Counting on Doyle having to do all thework, it’s hard. … I think that Doyle did agreat job. I think she’s … underappreciated.She runs our team. She’s our heart and souland for her to foul out off of the last twofouls, that was a tragedy for us.”

Centreville faced Westfield on Tuesday,after The Connection’s deadline. The Wild-cats will host Robinson at 6 p.m. on Friday,Feb. 5.

“We worked for two weeks for this Oaktongame because I really wanted to beat them,”Watson said. “I thought we’d have a chanceto beat them.”

Centreville freshman Ashley Martinscored 12 points against Oaktonon Monday.

Centreville freshman Aleigh Gambone finished with nine points duringMonday’s loss to Oakton.

Centreville sophomore Callie Doyleshoots from the perimeter againstOakton on Monday.

‘Scrappy’ Wildcats Fall to Undefeated CougarsCentreville coachWatson upset aboutofficiating.

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Chantilly Connection Sports Editor Jon Roetman703-752-4031 or [email protected]


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Wellbeing

By Marilyn CampbellThe Connection

Music is thumping, sweat is dripping andhearts are pounding. In a packed aerobicdance studio, students move in the nameof health.

“There’s a push by the community to have aerobicand cardio programs, especially ones that start after5 p.m.,” said Peter Selikowitz, di-rector of the Potomac (Md.) Com-munity Recreation Center, wherethe aerobic dance classes are held.“That has been a big shift in re-cent years, and it’s a shift we’relooking to make.”

Throughout the month of Feb-ruary, in honor of American HeartMonth, health and fitness profes-sionals are raising awarenessabout cardiovascular disease andthe role of aerobic exercise in pre-venting it. While recent studies,including one by the Mid AmericaHeart Institute, found that ex-treme exercise training and com-peting in endurance events can actually damage theheart, exercise is still the best prescription for ahealthy heart.

“All aerobic activity has the potential to bring posi-tive health benefits if the correct intensity [or] levelof difficulty and duration are used,” said MichelleWalters-Edwards, chair and associate professorofºHealth and Human Performance at MarymountUniversity in Arlington.

Some warning signs that an exercise programmight be too intense include “constantly soremuscles, changes in mood, trouble sleeping, a de-crease in appetite or feeling weak,” said Joel Martin,Ph.D., assistant professor of kinesiology at GeorgeMason University. “Those are signs that you mightbe over-training.”

“Too much aerobic exercise can also cause soft tis-sue issues such as tendinitis and muscle strains. Theseare signs that the volume of exercise is too great forthe muscles and tendons to deal with, and this shouldbe modified,” said Walters-Edwards.

To hit the right target for intensity and duration,both Martin and Walters-Edwards advise checkingthe guidelines offered by the American Heart Asso-ciation and the American College of Sports Medi-cine (ACSM) on how to achieve

an optimum level of aerobic intensity. The formulacalls for subtracting one’s age from 220 and multi-plying that number by 0.5 for a beginner, by 0.69 for

someone who exercises frequentlyfor moderate intensity, and by 0.8to 0.85 for vigorous intensity forthose with significant experiencewith aerobic exercise.

ACSM recommends 30 minutesof aerobic exercise three to fivedays each week at a moderate in-tensity. “If you can hold a conver-sation while exercising that is asafe intensity for beginners,” saidWalters-Edwards.

The standards are based on“how fit you already are, your ageand how accustomed your body isto the demands of cardio work-outs,” said Walters-Edwards. “The

more accustomed you are to working out aerobicallythe greater your endurance capacity will be.”

A beginner, says Walters-Edwards, might aim for acombination of walking and jogging to reach the 30-minute recommended daily minimum.

This time can be broken down into two 15-minutesessions.ºº“It is always a good idea to have at leastone rest day per week with no exercise to supportrecovery, she said.

Marking American Heart MonthMonth-long observanceraises awareness aboutcardiovascular diseaseand the role of aerobicexercise in preventing it.

It’s time to wage a war on sugar. That’s the mes-sage that dental professionals are spreading thisFebruary, National Children’s Dental HealthMonth. The theme of this year’s observance, whichis sponsored by the American Dental Association, is“Sugar Wars.” Dental professionals are using themonth to educate children and families about therole that eating healthy snacks, regular dental visitsand proper brushing, flossing and rinsing play ingood oral health.

The Northern Virginia Dental Society and localdental professionals will offer free screenings, treat-ments and education to local, underserved childrenas part of Give Kids A Smile Day on Friday, Feb. 5,from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Northern Virginia Commu-

Focusing on Children’s Dental HealthDental ServicePrograms for Children

Fairfax CountyThe Fairfax County Health Department has three Dental

clinics in the County that provide services to children.Locations:❖ Joseph Willard Health Center 3750 Old Lee Highway,

Fairfax, VA, 22030 703-246-7100❖ Herndon/Reston Office: 1850 Cameron Glen Drive, Suite

100, Reston, VA 22090 703-481-4242❖ Mount Vernon Office: 8350 Richmond highway, Suite

233, Alexandria, VA 22309 703-704-6181.

Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/pcs/hddental.htm

Proper proper brushing,flossing and rinsinghighlighted in February.

nity College Medical Education Campus. The annualevent happens on the first Friday in February. Formore information, visit http://www.vdaf.org/Give-Kids-A-Smile/give-kids-a-smile.html.

— Marilyn Campbell

Wear Red DayFriday, Feb. 5The American Heart Association

is encouraging residents to showsupport for the fight against heartdisease in women by wearing redon Friday, Feb. 5 — National WearRed Day. Part of the AmericanHeart Association’s Go Red forWomen movement, Wear Red Dayfocuses the attention on heart dis-ease, the number one killer ofwomen in America.

Award-WinningAward-

Winning

E-mail [email protected] for more information.

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worst mistakesthat can bemade in his

subject and howto avoid them.

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Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

“Snowforgotten”

At least, I hope so. And the inferencemight not be what you think. I am not refer-ring to the feet of snow, the days of waste, thetraffic of congestion, the disappearing oflanes, the “unplowing” of neighborhoods/sidestreets/sidewalks/driveways/parking lots/gasstations, and on and on and on; you name it,you remember it, I want to forget it. Not thatI hadn’t provisioned properly in anticipationof “Jonass” and was housebound eating RitzCrackers all weekend. Hardly. I had Oreosand Ben & Jerry’s, among other staples. Andso as long as we didn’t lose power, whichmost of us didn’t, we were able to survive thestorm without much adieu – albeit aboutsomething. Fortunately, we didn’t need toleave the house – before we were advised todo so, and risk getting stuck going or comingfrom stores themselves not open or whosedriveways were still impassable. It wasn’t untilMonday that the need arose, but by then thesafety issues had subsided a bit.

No, what I am finally referring to is thenon-stop loop of identical snow informationfrom the same radio and television anchors(anchored to their desks, presumably; I know,“double shifts because of the storm;” yada,yada, yada) from the same stations (local andnational) all day and all night. If the serious-ness and urgency of the miscellaneousinstructions and directives could have struckmore fear – and loathing, in my household,anyway – not only would Hunter S. Thompsonhave been stirred from his grave (especiallysince we’re in a political season), so toowould Orson Welles have been tossed aboutremembering the hysteria that ensued withhis famous radio broadcast of H. G. Wells’“War of the Worlds” on “Mercury Theatre onthe Air” on October 30, 1938. Listenersthought then we were under attack from ali-ens. As the snow continued to fall here lateSaturday evening, January 23rd, and eveninto Sunday morning, January 24th, onewould have thought, listening to the daytime– and nighttime – broadcasts, that we alsowere all under attack. But we weren’t underattack – from aliens. We were under attackfrom the media; and its tendency to bunker-down its mentality and hyper-act in the faceof/the midst of, out-of-the-ordinary, poten-tially life-changing/property-damaging sets ofuncharacteristic/atypical circumstances for theWashington, D.C. metropolitan area, nearlypopped my cork. I’m not sure if it was theredundancy of the message or the forcedspontaneity and extemporaneous words anddeeds many of us listeners were forced toendure but it wasn’t too long before I hadreached my limit.

If the technology existed that allowed theaudience to verbally interact – in real time,not simply by texting and then watching one’scomments scroll across the bottom of thescreen, I would have been yelling: “I GET IT.Now can we get back to regular program-ming, please?” (I realize I can switch chan-nels. I am a sentient being. I’m not Data from“Star Trek: The Next Generation.”) However,the frequency and the frequencies withwhich we were being subjected and in mymind, inundated and overwhelmed by thisdoom and gloom and over-the-moon report-ing was cause for concern: my concern. Wewere not under attack. We were simplyunder snow. Get a grip. I realize there arerisks and precautions and preparations to beconsidered, but really, sometimes, as mymother was fond of saying so many years ago:“It’s enough already.”

News

Robots, Dogs and Police OfficersFrom Page 3

MPO Tom Eggers shows an X-ray photo of the contents of asuspicious box.

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velocity water out of them to open up anddestroy a target at close range. They’re alsogood for opening doors and car windowsfor the SWAT team. We used a robot recentlyfor a barricaded suspect.”

The robots can use lasers, as well as vari-ous styles of cameras. “We can attach a polecamera with a zoom lens to Pony for search-ing rooms,” said Eggers. “And we can putpower tools on it to cut things open andchop them up, plus sensors for HAZMAT/chemical situations.”

Pony is remote-controlled and can be op-erated three, different ways. It can run ona command cable from the command truck.“Or it can run on fiber optics for greaterrange,” said Eggers. “But it then has a long,cable tail. Or it runs on antennas so we canspeak to it through the radio. Generally, Ican get 200-300 yards away [from the tar-get] without any issues.”

Eggers said most of the calls the squadreceives deal with “What’s in the box?” Hesaid police now use digital systems to findout. “We use an X-ray machine with filmfor training purposes,” said Eggers. “An in-tensifying screen glows and imparts an im-age of the inside of the box onto the film.”

Bomb-squad members wear EOD-9 bombsuits, also used by the military. The entireensemble costs about $30,000 — some$15,000 each for the helmet and suit. “Thehelmet has power sound inside to hear oth-ers better, plus sound-deadening to protectmy hearing if something blows up,” saidEggers. “The ballistic face shield is aboutthree-fourths of an inch thick for protectionagainst fragments.”

The helmet also has its own power sup-ply, as does the suit. And the helmet haslights on it, too. “The suit and helmet weighalmost 80 pounds together and are verywarm,” said Eggers. “The suit’s primarilymade of Kevlar and has a blast shield todirect fragmentation away from my body.”

He said nearly 95-98 percent of thesquad’s calls are false alarms. “About 5 per-cent are live [legitimate] calls, mostly aboutfireworks or gunpowder-based explosives,”said Eggers. “Examples are kids makingexplosives in soda cans or guys making fire-works. We also get calls about unexplodedordnance, such as live hand grenades, clay-more mines, mortar rounds, etc. We’re prob-ably running between 80-100 calls a year,right now.”

With 467 bomb squads throughout the

U.S., he said, “There are only 300 peoplewho do what I do.” He was also pleasedabout the police department’s new, equip-ment truck. “We can put out video from thetruck, via the robot, to talk to our guys intheir vehicles [during an incident inprogress],” said Eggers. “It cost over$600,000 — and we’ve been saving for itsince 2002.”

Western Fairfax Christian Minis-tries will be a recipient of the“Stuff the Bus for Fairfax” fooddrive which will be held Saturday, Feb 6,9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Clifton Giant,5740 Union Mill Road.

Hunger is not just a problem during theholidays — one in five children strugglewith hunger in Fairfax County every day.During the fall and holiday season, West-ern Fairfax Christian Ministries’ food pan-try is overflowing with donations from thecommunity. By February, its supplies areoften running low, even though the needfor food is still great.

Stuff the Bus will help WFCM keep itsshelves stocked for those who need helpfeeding their families.

Last year, shoppers donated many itemsof food and personal care items most ur-gently needed food for WFCM clients. “Wereceived many items that are staples on ourshelves year round including oil, sugar,canned meats, canned fruit, rice and drybeans, peanut butter and jelly,” said TerriKelly, WFCM’s Food Pantry manager. Addi-tionally, the Clifton Giant store managersand employees pre-bagged some items forsale during the event to make it easier forshoppers to donate food.

“We are very thankful for ourcommunity’s support of WFCM. We couldnot do this work without the generosity ofour community and the support of so manywho partner with us to serve families need-ing assistance,” said Jennie Bush, WFCM’scommunity outreach manager.

Fairfax County’s Neighborhood and Com-munity Services and Office of Public PrivatePartnerships (OP3) and MV Transportation,

Inc. helped to create the Stuff the Bus Foodfor Fairfax food drives to address this greatneed in the community. Chantilly HighSchool SGA and Centreville Baptist ChurchRelevance Community Group have re-cruited volunteers to help with the drive.

Suggested items to donate at the Stuff theBus food drive include: canned fruit, cannedmeats (tuna, chicken, beef stew, salmon),rice (1-2 lb), dry or can beans (kidney, black,

pinto, etc.), oatmeal or cereal, bakingneeds: cooking oil (24-48 oz), sugar (2-5lb), and flour (2-5 lb), juice (64 oz or less),canned tomatoes, peanut butter and jelly/jam, and canned vegetables (potatoes,beets, spinach, mixed vegetables).

For a full list of food and personal careitems needed for the food pantry, visitwww.WFCMVA.org and click on the Stuffthe Bus link.

Stuff the Bus Food Drive for WFCM

The “Stuff the Bus for Fairfax” food drive arrives at the Clifton Gianton Saturday, Feb 6, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

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