fundraiser

Cops, Delegate Shave for Childhood Cancer Research

By ARLnow.com

Del. Patrick Hope (D) joined Arlington County Police Chief Doug Scott and about 20 ACPD officers at Pentagon City mall over the weekend for the third-annual Be Brave and Shave fundraiser for childhood cancer research.

Hope, who was scheduled to speak at the Sunday afternoon event, surprised the audience when he revealed that he was going to have his meticulously-maintained coif shaved off to help raise money and awareness.

Be Brave and Shave is the signature event of Heroes Against Childhood Cancer, which raises money for cancer research at Children’s National Medical Center. Since its founding in 2009, Be Brave and Shave events have raised some $1.5 million for the cancer programs at Children’s, making it possible for the hospital to hire its first professor of oncology. The organization is hoping to raise enough money to hire another pediatric cancer researcher in the near future.

“The medical team at Children’s is performing miracles everyday in the lives of children facing this dreaded disease,” Hope said in a statement. “We need to aggressively pursue innovative research and therapies and cure childhood cancers once and for all. I’m so honored to associate myself with Children’s and hope in some small way I can help raise awareness.”

Hope wasn’t the only notable local who went above and beyond the call of duty at the fundraiser, held this year in the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City food court. Chief Scott got his rank-and-file officers fired up when he announced that he would not only shave his head, but he’d also shave his mustache for the first time in 25 years. The mustache alone brought in $400 in donations, according to Det. Matt Owens.

“The response from our department is quite gratifying,” Scott said later, in a statement. “While about 20 officers had their hair shaved or cut off, many more participated in fundraising and donations. I think it is wonderful to be part of an organization that feels so strongly about giving back to the children in our community.”

Learn more about donating to Heroes Against Childhood Cancer here.

Courtesy photos. See more photos from the event on Flickr.

Oyster Feast Marks Final Campaign Opportunity

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 3:35 p.m.) Candidates for public office are getting ready for the Arlington Kiwanis Club’s Oyster Feast and Pig Roast tomorrow night. It’s the final large-scale public event before Tuesday’s election.

The annual fundraiser is traditionally an opportunity for candidates to put forth a last ditch effort to meet and win over voters. Some local officials even suit up and help serve at the all-you-can-eat event.

The event takes place tomorrow from 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at American Service Center (601 N. Randolph St.). Money raised goes toward the club’s sponsored youth program and other community organizations to help children. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door.

Fundraiser at Whitlow’s Will Feature Mechanical Bull

By ARLnow.com

Whitlow’s (2854 Wilson Blvd) is inviting bar-goers to take the bull by the horns, so to speak, to raise money for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

The Clarendon watering hole is holding a fundraiser for IAVA tomorrow from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m., complete with food and drink specials and a mechanical bull. There’s no cover for the event, but bull rides are $10. Proceeds will benefit IAVA.

See the event’s Facebook page for more information.

Photo via Facebook

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Obama to Visit Key Bridge — President Obama will make an appearance on the D.C. side of the Key Bridge tomorrow to “highlight the need for infrastructure investments.” The Key Bridge, the Memorial Bridge and the 14th Street Bridge are all structurally deficient and in need of immediate repair, according to a report released last month. [Washington Post]

CivFed Wary of A-Frame Signs — Arlington County Civic Federation delegates are wary of the county’s plan to allow A-frame — or sandwich board — signs on the sidewalks of commercial districts. The federation will vote tonight on a resolution that asks that the number of A-frame signs be limited, due to the potential for the signs to impede the mobility of the elderly and the disabled. [Sun Gazette]

Al Franken to Visit Four Courts — Updated at 9:30 a.m. — Comedian and U.S. Senator Al Franken is scheduled to appear at a Democratic fundraiser at Ireland’s Four Courts in Courthouse tonight. The fundraiser is reportedly off-limits to media. [Patch]

Fall-Themed Events Planned in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Clarendon seems to be a hotbed of fall-themed events over the next week.

Tomorrow (Oct. 22), from noon to 2:00 p.m., the Whole Food Market in Clarendon (2700 Wilson Blvd) will be hosting AppleFest — a “harvest tasting event” devoted entirely to apples.

“From juicy and aromatic apples to those that are fine textured, families and apple-enthusiasts can welcome the new fall season while sampling a variety of tasty apples and enjoying its culinary and crafty delight,” Whole Foods said in a press release. Planned activities include cooking demonstrations, crafts, tastings and an apple scavenger hunt.

Next Saturday (Oct. 29), the Market Common shopping center in Clarendon (2700 Clarendon Blvd) — across from Whole Foods — will be hosting its annual FALLoween event.

The free, family-friendly event will feature a petting zoo, a kids circus, face painting, sidewalk chalking, a comedy show, a DJ and other live entertainment. Plus, there will be trick-or-treating for the kids at a number of stores and each attendee will have the opportunity to take home a free pumpkin.

FALLoween is being held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Costumed people and pets are also invited to join a FALLoween parade, which kicks off at 11:30 a.m.

Also on Saturday, Oct. 29, Doorways for Women and Families will be organizing a Howl-O-Ween Dog Walk for the Homeless.

From 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., dog owners are encouraged to dress up their pooches and bring them to the James Hunter dog park for a mini-walk to support Doorways. The park is located at the corner of N. Herndon and 13th Streets in Clarendon.

“All human participants will help Doorways to reach our walker goal for the Fannie Mae Help the Homeless Walkathon, while our animal participants will get the chance to compete for prizes from local pet store merchants, including Wylie Wagg and Kissable Canine,” Doorways said on its website.

Registration for the walk is $30 for adults and $20 for youth 25 and under. Pets are free.

In Shirlington, A Three Course Meal for Dogs

By ARLnow.com

The inaugural Shirlington Restaurant Week is well underway, but humans aren’t the only ones who can enjoy a delicious fixed-price meal during week-long event.

Dogma Bakery (2772 S. Arlington Mill Drive) is offering a three-course meal for dogs as part of Restaurant Week. The meal consists of a house-made “gar-lick cheese bite” appetizer; a main course of fish, chicken, beef or venison kibble, with a side of vegetables; and a dog ice cream, cookie or muffin dessert.

The meal is available for dine-in or take-out. Owners choosing the sit-down option are invited to order human food from The Bungalow and dine with their dogs.

The meal costs $7.50, and 100 percent of the purchase price is going to benefit a rescue dog named Chief (pictured), who was abused and now needs a prosthetic leg and paw on either side of his body. Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, which is fostering Chief, needs about $800 for the prosthetics.

‘Arlington Fun Ride’ Planned for Saturday

By ARLnow.com

Dozens of bicyclists will hit the trails around Arlington this weekend for the second-annual “Arlington Fun Ride.”

The family-friendly event, which will take place from 8:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday, is a fundraiser for the non-profit, Barcroft Park-based Phoenix Bikes shop. Registration is $5 for individuals and $10 for families. The first 280 registrants will receive a t-shirt, free food from Chick-Fil-A and refreshments.

The ride begins at 8:00 a.m. at Barcroft Park (4200 S. Four Mile Run Drive), and takes riders on a 17-mile loop around Arlington via the W&OD, Custis, Mt. Vernon and Four Mile Run Trails. Children’s activities, including a bike rodeo, kids dance fitness class, cycling safety instructions and a health fair, begin at 10:00 a.m.

“The Fun Ride promotes family fitness and provides support for Phoenix Bikes, a community bike shop empowering at-risk youth,” organizers say. “Our environmentally and fiscally sustainable bike shop helps Arlington teens become successful social entrepreneurs and benefits the entire community.”

The ride’s 25+ sponsors include Arlington County and Arlington Public Schools. County Board member Walter Tejada will serve as the ride’s Grand Marshall.

Virginia Dems to Host DNC Chair at Clarendon Fundraiser

By ARLnow.com

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) will be the featured speaker at a political fundraiser in Clarendon next week.

Schultz will join Democratic Party of Virginia Chairman Brian Moran, as well as local Reps. Jim Moran and Gerry Connolly, at Clarendon Ballroom (3185 Wilson Blvd) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5. Tickets to the event are $50 for individuals. That price is discounted to $35 for Young Democrats. “Sponsorship level” tickets, however, range from $1,000 to $10,000.

The event will benefit the Democratic Party of Virginia.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Pinkberry Opens in Clarendon — The new Pinkberry frozen yogurt store in Clarendon officially opens its doors at 11:00 this morning. Yesterday evening, people queued up around the block as the store gave away free frozen yogurt to anyone willing to wait in line. The giveaway didn’t seem to be hurting Red Mango, Pinkberry’s froyo rival. One block away, Red Mango was still doing brisk business as the Pinkberry line grew.

Dems Plan Dunk Tank at Chili Cookoff — Arlington County Democrats have a new weapon in their fundraising arsenal — a dunk tank. County Dems plan to roll out the dunk tank during their annual Labor Day Chili Cookoff, with the goal of collecting cash from those who want to dunk elected officials. [Sun Gazette]

Residents Raise Money for Nat’l Park — Dominion Hills/Bon Air residents Jason Andelman and Kelly Holland are “regular city folks with a hankering to get back to nature,” according to the Shenandoah National Park Trust. That’s why the pair — friends whose kids go to school together at Ashlawn Elementary — is planning to hike 100 miles through the park in September to help raise $5,000 for the Trust. In addition to being an avid hiker, Andelman is also the owner of Clarendon chocolate shop Artisan Confections (1025 N. Fillmore Street). [Shenandoah National Park Trust, Crooked Trail 100 Blog]

Rustico Plans ‘Family Table’ Sunday Suppers — Rustico restaurant in Ballston (4075 Wilson Blvd) is planning a weekly family-style supper, inspired by Executive Chef Steve Mannino’s Italian-American upbringing. The ‘Family Table’ meals will start this Sunday and continue every Sunday from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Each week will feature a different Italian main course from Mannino’s collection of family recipes. The meal is $20 for adults and $10 for kids, including bruschetta and salad to start and biscotti for dessert.

Large Donation Helps Save Planetarium

By ARLnow.com

A flood of last minute donations has helped to save Arlington’s David M. Brown Planetarium. A large donation from an anonymous donor pushed the campaign past its goal as the fundraiser came to a close on Thursday.

The anonymous donation of $50,000 bumped the total to $435,000. That surpassed the goal of $402,800 set in April 2010 by Dr. Patrick Murphy, Superintendent of Arlington Public Schools.

More than 3,500 businesses, individuals and foundations contributed to the cause, 200 of them taking part during the 10-day online fundraising challenge. The money will go toward purchasing a state-of-the-art planetarium projector, replacing the seats, updating the lighting system and repairing the inside of the dome. Had the goal not been met, the 40 year old facility would have been closed and used for classroom space.

Friends of the Arlington Planetarium, the non-profit group formed to raise money for the project, says it will continue to make sure the planetarium stays up to date and will provide support as necessary.

Planetarium Nears Fundraising Deadline

By ARLnow.com

The group that has been raising money for upgrades to Arlington’s David M. Brown Planetarium has just 34 hours to gather nearly $30,000 in donations.

Last year, Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy set June 30, 2011 as the date by which planetarium supporters had to raise $402,800 to pay for necessary upgrades to the 40-year-old facility. If the deadline was not met, the school system would close the planetarium and use it as classroom space — as Dr. Murphy originally proposed before supporters successfully lobbied the School Board to find a way to save the planetarium.

A non-profit entity called the Friends of Arlington’s Planetarium was formed to raise the money for the upgrades. As of last night, they had collected some $371,000 in donations. ‘Friends’ President Alice Monet says she expects donors big and small to come through over the next day and a half.

“The community really wants to see this planetarium stick around,” she said. “We anticipate donations continuing to flow in… At the end of the day we will have full amount in hand.”

Monet admitted, however, that it’s unlikely the school system would shutter the planetarium at this point, even if the group misses its fundraising goal.

“Honestly, the point has been made already that Arlington supports the planetarium,” she said. “If we don’t make it, we’ll keep working until we do.”

Once the capital campaign is complete, Monet said, the Friends organization will shift from a fundraising role to an advisory role regarding the planetarium’s upgrades and on-going operations.

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