Author: Vernon Miles

Local Cancer Survivor Pays It Forward With Hospital Gown Donations

By Vernon Miles

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow,  Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. Monday Properties remains firmly committed to the health, safety and well-being of its employees, tenants and community. This week, Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1000 and 1100 Wilson (The Rosslyn Towers).

Elise Yanker Hasenei used to jog to her radiation treatment at the Virginia Hospital Center and back home. It became something of a community event, with friends and supporters taking to the street with her to encourage her. Now, Hasenei is making the trip to the Virginia Hospital Center to encourage others.

With the Virginia Hospital Center (VHC) seeing an increasing uptick in coronavirus patients, Hasenei’s startup GoLisey recently donated over a hundred brightly colored hospital gowns with brightly colored masks to help out.

Hasenei runs GoLisey, a “glam gown” company she started in 2015 after surviving breast cancer. The hospital gowns are brightly colored and aim to boost spirits, but are no less medically functional than the usual drab coverings.

The gowns can be worn in either direction, with access to the front or the back depending on the specific medical needs.

“Elise wanted to do something to help during this trying time in the healthcare industry, so she reached out to VHC to donate all of the gowns she currently had in stock, for men and women alike,” Hansenei’s niece, Megan Wrobel, said in an email. “She dropped four boxes of Glam Gowns to the donation center on Tuesday afternoon, which serendipitously ended up being located in the Oncology wing; an area she was, of course, familiar with.”

Hasenei said when she was going through cancer treatment, she always hated the gowns.

“I never felt depressed about cancer until radiation and I just had to put those ugly things on,” Hasenei said. “I can sow a little bit, so I started playing with the pattern and people started saying ‘that’s fabulous.’

After making a few, Hasenei started to get serious about the idea of making them on a larger scale. Hasenei put together a design with a pattern maker and started working with a factory in Brooklyn to produce the designs while she handled the business from her Arlington home. Since then, Hasenei has moved production to a facility in Fairfax County.

The gown business is a second job — her main career is coaching and consulting businesses — and Hasenei said the gown line was never intended to make her rich.

“Didn’t start the business to be a big moneymaker,” Hasenei said.”It’s really been about — one gown at a time — making a difference.”

When COVID-19 hit, Hasenei said her brother-in-law sent her a message about people in New York seeking gowns and masks. When it became apparent that hospitals nationwide were starting to run low on supplies, Hasenei decided to donate to the hospital where she’d received treatments.

Other local organizations, like Marymount Nursing School, have also donated items like gowns and masks to VHC.

“I reached out to contacts who put me in touch with the hospital,” Hasenei said. “I gave them everything I had. I was able to deliver those, and we’re waiting to see how they’re distributed.”

Now, Hasenei said the factory is “full tilt” making masks, which will be included in the next round of donations to VHC.

Photo courtesy GoLisey

Virtual Forum Tomorrow for Contested School Board Election

By Vernon Miles

While they can’t meet in person, the five candidates vying for the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s School Board endorsement will meet virtually tomorrow (Tuesday) for a debate.

There are two spots opening on the School Board, with incumbents Tannia Talento and Nancy Van Doren not running for reelection. The candidates seeking the Democratic endorsement are Steven Krieger, Cristina Diaz-Torres, David Priddy, Sandy Munnell, and Terron Sims. A sixth candidate, Symone Walker, is no longer seeking the Democratic endorsement and is instead running as an independent.

The debate will be streamed on Facebook Live on the Arlington Young Democrats page starting at 7 p.m., according to the event listing.

Questions for the forum should be sent in advance online.

“We are excited to be hosting a forum along with Arlington Dems before the deadline to request a School Board caucus ballot,” Arlington Young Democrats said on the event page. “Arlington registered voters may request a ballot by (a) completing and submitting an online ballot request form or (b) downloading and mailing a PDF version of the ballot request form. (We also are happy to provide a hard copy printout of the ballot request form to anyone who needs one.)”

To vote in the caucus, ballots must be received by May 7.

Image via Arlington Young Democrats/Facebook

Ramadan Dining Options in Arlington Limited During Coronavirus

By Vernon Miles

With many local restaurants closed, finding halal food for iftar during this Ramadan season may be more difficult for some Arlingtonians.

Ramadan started last night (Thursday) and runs through Saturday, May 23.

Dine After Dark, a nonprofit organization encouraging local restaurants to extend their hours for Ramadan, said on its website that the current season of activities is cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but listed few local options for ordering food.

Busboys and Poets in Shirlington (4251 Campbell Avenue) is offering options like halal chicken, from fried chicken to chicken soup. Busboys and Poets is open from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Dine After Dark also recommended City Kabob & Curry House (3205 Columbia Pike), which is open from 12:30-8:30 p.m.

ARLnow also reached out to few other local restaurants, including those from last year’s roundup:

A employee at Fettoosh (5100 Wilson Blvd) said the restaurant was open for take-out, but encouraged local Muslims to also consider getting a hot meal from Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church (3159 Row Street) instead of driving around looking for open restaurants.

Ravi Chatkhara (303 N. Glebe Road) doesn’t have any specials but says the regular menu (which includes halal options) is available for takeout and the restaurant will remain open until 4 a.m.

Namaste Everest in Pentagon City (1201 S. Joyce Street) has dumplings and halal chicken available from 3-8 p.m.

Our restaurant guide has ordering options for a number of other eateries with halal options.

Photo via City Kabob/Facebook

Crystal City BID to Launch a Series of Musical Fridays Tomorrow

By Vernon Miles

People singing and playing music from their balconies has been something of a trend during the quarantine, and the Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID) wants to get it started in Arlington.

The Crystal City BID is starting Front Porch Fridays tomorrow (Friday) afternoon.

“We may not all have a front porch — we may not all even have a balcony — but what we do have is our community,” the Crystal City BID said on the event page. “Music has always brought people together and now is no different. We can still gather together to listen (virtually)!”

The BID is encouraging residents to open their windows or bring a radio to their porch or balcony, tune to the same station and crank up the volume.

This week, the station is Hot 99.5 at 4:20 p.m. Next week it’s DC 101.1 at noon.

“The station will change each week, but the party atmosphere stays the same,” the BID said. “And best of all — we want you to select the playlist! Visit our Facebook page each week Monday-Wednesday to vote on the songs you want to hear. Then listen in on Friday to see if your pick made the cut!”

The music will be commercial-free, courtesy of the BID.

Videos of people singing in the streets went viral early on in the pandemic, though results to replicate that have sometimes been mixed.

Separately, the BID announced Thursday that it would be donating $100,000 to Arlington’s small business grant fund.

“Small businesses throughout National Landing have adjusted their operations to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Just as they have supported us, we are focusing our efforts on ways to assist and enhance the long-term viability of these businesses,” Crystal City BID President Tracy Sayegh Gabriel said in a statement. “We are pleased to contribute to Arlington County’s GRANT Program, which will enable countless small businesses to stay afloat, retain their staff and continue to serve the community.”

File photo

Washington-Liberty HS Staff Undertake Secret Overnight Mission to Surprise Seniors

By Vernon Miles

Hundreds of Washington-Liberty High School students woke up Tuesday morning in Arlington to find their front lawns adorned with congratulatory messages.

Principal Gregg Robertson said administrators and faculty at the school missed their students and were heartbroken that seniors didn’t get to experience their full senior year due to the coronavirus closure.

Robertson and other administrators at Washington-Liberty divvied up 500 addresses provided by Arlington Public Schools administrators to travel around the county and post signs.

“Congratulations seniors on your upcoming graduation,” the signs said on the side facing the student’s home. “From your W-L family.”

On the street-facing side it said: “Washington-Liberty High School Class of 2020. Home of a General!”

“One police officer did stop to see what we were doing,” Robertson said, “but once we told him what we were he stopped to take a selfie.”

After waking up Tuesday morning, students and parents shared photos of the signs on social media and with Robertson.

A senior picnic was delayed until August, which Robertson said should give seniors at W-L a chance to reconnect before they go off to college.

Robertson said the school is also trying to figure out how to host the graduating students at the school one last time, but in the meantime school staff wanted students to know they weren’t forgotten and were valued.

Photo contributed

Food Trucks Branch Out into Arlington Neighborhoods

By Vernon Miles

As the pandemic forces brick and mortar restaurants to close or switch to takeout and delivery, food trucks are filling the void by bringing the restaurant experience to residential neighborhoods.

Patrick Rathbone, the owner of the popular Big Cheese food truck, spent this morning (Tuesday) at Virginia Hospital Center making 50 sandwiches for medical workers there — 35 for those in ER and 15 for those working in the ICU.

On the Big Cheese website, people can make $10 donations to buy lunch for a hospital worker. So far, he said he’s made about 120 lunches for hospital workers and plans to keep it up through the pandemic.

Rathbone has a busy week planned, because after VHC he’s headed to the Westover neighborhood.  The usual roundup of Metro-accessible Arlington locations this week includes something different: a few stops in residential neighborhoods, like Fairlington on Saturday.

“I had been focused on vending at Courthouse, Clarendon, Ballston, Pentagon City,” Rathbone said. “They’re all the places where there’s high-density residential. It’s more business than sitting at home but hasn’t been exemplary.”

Rathbone said business is down 80-90 percent of what it usually is this time of year, when workers flood out of office buildings at lunchtime looking for a meal and some time outdoors.

While Rathbone said he usually has a staff of between six to eight employees, right now it’s just him. With business down in the high-density areas, he wanted to take a chance and bring Big Cheese to some of the less dense areas of the county.

“I live in Barcroft area, put a post on the Arlington Neighbors Facebook page just to see if people in neighborhoods would want a visit,” Rathbone said.

The post got a large response, with over 130 comments, many of them asking Big Cheese to come by their communities. Rathbone said Shirlington, in particular, seemed excited about the prospect of a food truck visit.

“It’s something different,” Rathbone said. “They’ve been cooped up. Their kids have been cooped up. I think a lot of people are interested in supporting small businesses. With a food truck, it’s something coming to their neighborhood. I want to mix it up a bit.”

For Rathbone, it’s also a small part of offsetting the lost majority of his business.

“Basically, the business has gone from lunches and events catering to residential,” Rathbone said. “A big part of my business is event catering — all the weddings, PTA events, music festivals have all canceled. I don’t see how any of those are coming back this year at all. I am concerned, but I’m less concerned than if I had brick and mortar because that’s a lot more overhead.”

Rathbone said he’s also happy to be working, as it makes him less stressed than just sitting at home.

The Big Cheese isn’t alone in serving more residential areas. Food truck DC Slices has been offering pick up and delivery 951 S. Monroe Street, just off Columbia Pike. Astro Doughnuts also drew a crowd when its truck made a stop in a North Arlington cul-de-sac.

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Group Holding Webinar With County Leaders to Discuss Coronavirus Response

By Vernon Miles

Arlington’s Committee of 100 is planning a public webinar with county leaders to discuss the latest on COVID-19.

“Arlington has been one of the hardest-hit communities in the commonwealth for COVID-19,” the organization said in an event description. “Join us to learn more about how Arlington is responding and what you can do to stay safe and help others.”

The lineup is a who’s who of leadership handling the response on a local level, including:

  • Libby Garvey — Chair, Arlington County Board
  • Zachary Pope — Emergency Manager, Arlington Public Schools
  • Dr. Reuben Varghese — Public Health Director, Arlington County
  • Karen Coltrane — CEO of local nonprofit Leadership Center for Excellence

Varghese has been at the forefront of the coronavirus response in Arlington and has already participated in previous online discussions about the virus’ impact on how Arlingtonians should handle the crisis.

The Committee of 100, which normally holds in-person discussions and debates about community issues, said participants will be able to ask questions during a Q&A portion of the meeting.

The group will be hosting the webinar via Zoom on Wednesday, April 22, from 7-8:30 p.m. A link is sent after registering, along with an email address to which one can submit questions.

The event is scheduled to be moderated by Lynn Juhl, chair of the Committee of 100.

File photo

New Columbia Pike Park to be Named After Slave Who Saved Historic Artifacts

By Vernon Miles

One year after Robert E. Lee’s name was stripped from what is now Washington-Liberty High School, Arlington County is preparing to name a new park after an enslaved person Lee’s household.

Selina Gray Square is a park planned for the north end of a residential development called The Trove, an addition to Wellington Apartments at 1850 Columbia Pike that was approved in 2016.

More about the park from a county staff report (emphasis added):

The park will be located at the north end of one of the new residential buildings and adjacent to a new segment of 12th Street South the developer will construct (See Attachment I, Figure 2). It is within the Columbia Heights Civic Association and adjacent to the Arlington View Civic Association boundary. The 8,700 SF (.2-acre park) will be a publicly accessible, privately owned park and will have a bocce court, plaza, benches, walkways and landscaping. Per the recommendation of the HALRB, the Developer will create and place a plaque in the park to commemorate Ms. Selina Norris Gray.

Selina Norris Gray was a second-generation slave in Arlington and was owned by Mary Anna Custis Lee, the great-granddaughter of Martha Custis Washington and wife of Robert E. Lee. Gray worked as a maid and was the eventual head housekeeper of Lee’s Arlington House.

At the outbreak of the war, when Lee’s family fled south, Gray was left the keys to the house and its care entrusted to her. She is credited with saving George Washington artifacts from looters.

According to A Guide to the African American Heritage of Arlington County, Virginia:

Unable to remove all the Washington artifacts from the house prior to fleeing to the South, Mary Custis Lee entrusted the household keys to Selina Gray. For six months she actively protected the items from pilfering soldiers. In December 1861, she requested that General McDowell safeguard the collection. McDowell subsequently removed the items to the patent office.

The staff report on the project noted that some of the items from the Washington collection had disappeared, despite Gray’s efforts, but General McDowell was able to secure them.

“The continued existence of family heirlooms that had once belonged to Martha Custis Washington, and President George Washington can be attributed to Selina Gray’s courageous actions,” the staff report said.

After the war, Gray and her husband purchased a 10-acre property in Green Valley and remained there for the rest of their lives. Their descendants provided first-hand accounts of Arlington House during the 20th century restoration and some still live in Arlington.

The new park is located near The Harry W. Gray House, a historic home built by Selina Gray’s son, Harry Gray.

The naming of the park is docketed for consideration at next weekend’s County Board meeting.

Images via Arlington County

Local Churches Unite to Offer Rental Assistance to Arlington Families in Need

By Vernon Miles

Several local churches have banded together to help support local residents struggling with rent.

Eight churches are pooling their resources for a joint effort called The Church At Work in Arlington. The group has raised over $105,000 that organizers say is paid directly to landlords for rent assistance.

While several local nonprofits have been coordinating with Arlington County to get resources to families in need, local churches have operated their own programs. The Church at Work in Arlington is one such program.

“In one week, we’ve raised over $105,000 to help 105 needy families with $500 rent assistance, for both April and May,” Scott Seaton, the pastor at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church said. “Tese families… have lost work due to the pandemic and can’t pay their rent. Initially, some 100 families were identified, and already we have more sponsors who are ready to help if and when more families are referred to us.”

Seaton told ARLnow that these families are vetted by social workers with Arlington Public Schools, though The Church at Work in Arlington has no ties with APS in any official capacity.

“We put word out to our church members,” Seaton said. “Some folks directly wrote a check to the landlord for efficiency’s sake. We need to get checks in the hands of landlords as soon as possible.”

The organization’s website says the group provides $500 for rent in April and another matching amount for May.

Seaton said the landlords confirm the receipt of the check and identify the residents whose rent is being covered. It’s a system that’s reliant on the integrity of local landlords, but so far Seaton said the results have been positive, like a landlord who didn’t deposit the check until he was sure which tenant was being covered, after the name had been initially misspelled.

Seaton said the churches have been long-standing partners, but that it was only with coronavirus that they put a name on their joint charity efforts.

“It was the most efficient way that churches could respond directly,” Seaton said. “It was an informal group of churches that are already in relations with each other.”

The fundraising was paused last week, Seaton said, as the APS social workers were on spring break. He expects it to pick back up this week with 77 donors ready to go.

“These are social workers with the schools [and they] have relationships with the families and know their circumstances, [we’re] going on their word,” Seaton said. “There’s no official relationship or partnership, just churches through personal relationships wanting to help as soon as possible.”

Seaton said the organization hasn’t been putting out a plea for more money and isn’t focused on fundraising at the moment, but is providing an outlet for charity through the churches.

According to the fundraising website, the eight churches participating in the effort are:

  • Restoration Anglican Church
  • Washington Community Fellowship
  • Emmanuel Presbyterian Church
  • Incarnation Anglican Church
  • St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
  • Redeemer Church of Arlington
  • McLean Bible Church: Arlington
  • Grace Community Church

Redeemer Church released a video (below) that talks a bit about the church’s work during the coronavirus crisis.

Photo via Redeemer Church of Arlington/Facebook

As Unemployment Rises, Arlingtonians Turn to Gig Economy

By Vernon Miles

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com,  Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. Monday Properties is proudly featuring Shirlington Gateway. Say hello to the new 2800 Shirlington, which recently delivered a brand-new lobby and upgraded fitness center. Experience a prime location and enjoy being steps from Shirlington Village, a large retail hub with a variety of unique restaurants and shopping options. Spec suites with bright open plans and modern finishes are under construction and will deliver soon!

As unemployment figures skyrocket in Virginia, lawn care provider Lawn Love says that has translated to a dramatic uptick in Arlingtonians applying to work gigs to maintain an income.

Over the last three weeks, initial filing claims totaled 306,143 which is equal to all of the claims from that period in 2018, 2019, and 2020 combined.

Lawn Love is a California-based on-demand lawn care service — forgive the cliche, but essentially Uber for lawn care. The company connects locals seeking lawn care with independent contractors in the area. The company said applications to work for the service had a dramatic increase in March as the pandemic, and related unemployment, set in.

“Lawn Love has reported a huge increase in applications,” the company said, “with 725% more Arlington residents applying to work with them in March compared to February.”

Lawn Love noted that lawn care services are classified as essential and the service operating entirely over smartphone or computer makes it social distancing friendly.

The average lawn care price listed for Arlington is $61, with the average lawn size being 5,367 square feet.

“If you have lawn care experience, there’s lots of high-paying work available on our platform,” CEO Jeremy Yamaguchi told ARLnow in an email. “We’re focused on helping our lawn care partners stay safe and continue providing for their families by providing a critical service in our communities.”

Photo via Lawn Love/Instagram

ABC Store Off Lee Highway to Temporarily Close During Pandemic

By Vernon Miles

(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) If you’re a regular at the ABC store in the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center just off Lee Highway, you might want to stop by to stock up this weekend because the store is temporarily closing.

Virginia ABC announced yesterday (Thursday) that several liquor stores in Northern Virginia would be consolidated starting this coming Monday, April 13.

“ABC supports its employees’ decisions to self-quarantine when necessary, which has impacted staffing levels in this region,” Virginia ABC said in a press release. “In order to maintain appropriate staffing and allow time to train additional personnel, ABC made the decision to temporarily close select stores in this area.”

The store is one of a dozen closing throughout the region. Virginia ABC said employees of the temporarily closed stores will have the option to work at other nearby locations to sustain operations.

The next closest ABC store is further east along Lee Highway at 4709 Lee Highway.

“ABC plans to reopen these stores on April 30, however the final decision will depend on the authority’s ability to properly and safely staff the stores,” Virginia ABC said. “All ABC stores currently operating across the commonwealth are open from noon to 7 p.m., seven days a week. The reduced operating hours allow staffing flexibility as well as more time for employees to clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and stock shelves.”

Virginia ABC also said some store operations have changed, including limiting the number of customers in the store at one time to no more than 10. Stores have also installed social distancing markers to ensure customers stand at least six feet apart from one another. The stores are also offering online ordering.

In addition to the temporary store closures, all Virginia ABC stores will be closed this Sunday in observance of Easter.

Photo via Google Maps

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