fundraiser

Local Mother Raises Awareness for Pediatric Cancer with Fundraiser

By Sydney Hawkins
1/3

A grieving mother in Arlington turned her pain into a passion of raising awareness for pediatric cancer while contributing to a fundraiser for research.

Michele Fleming lost her son, Nathan, to cancer a week after his 18th birthday last September.

“Nathan was unbelievably strong, never wanting to reveal his pain or be defined by his cancer. He remained positive and a joy to be around throughout his struggle,” Fleming said about her son’s battle with cancer. “Nathan’s resilience, compassion and fierce determination to fight and overcome, motivates me everyday to do what I can to help other kids and their families win their battle with Nathan by my side.”

Since losing Nathan, Fleming has partnered with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and 1,641 other fundraising teams to host the foundation’s “Million Mile” event that raises awareness and provides funds to researchers for pediatric cancer cures.

The collective goal for this month-long event is to log one-million miles from virtual races and raise $1 million for the organization’s childhood cancer research fund.al

“Turn awareness into action, by joining The Million Mile, the largest childhood cancer awareness challenge that funds researchers so they can find better treatments and more cures for kids battling cancer,” the website said.

“Nathan’s Cancer Slayers” is ranked #3 out of 1,641 teams, with a goal of contributing $50,000 to the foundation’s research fund, according to Fleming.

“We’ve recruited 169 members from Arlington to Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Illinois, California, North Dakota, and London to participate in ALSF’s Million Mile event,” said Fleming.

Although they have not quite hit their goal yet, Fleming said she is thrilled with the amount of support the team is receiving.

“So far, we’ve raised an amazing $44,789, which will fund 896 hours of critical research! We’re blown away by all the support and I know that Nathan is cheering us on” said Fleming.

Numerous local businesses have contributed to the fundraiser, despite the pandemic hurting the finances of many.

“Arlington’s Arrowine, Harris Teeter, Pastries by Randolph, Lyon Hall, Massage Envy, Pupatella, Cook Architecture, Andre Chreky Salon Spa, and Taqueria El Poblano,” have all donated gift certificates or directly to the fundraiser, Fleming said. The Starbucks at the Lee Heights Shopping Center and Capital Laser & Skin Care in Bethesda also donated, and Pie-Tanza is donating 10% of its sales every Tuesday during the month, she added.

“We’re overwhelmed by all the support from the community,” said Fleming.

Additional donations can be made all month long by joining Nathan’s team. The donations are being matched by Volvo from Sept. 24-27, according to Fleming.

Photos courtesy Michele Fleming, Michael Fleming and Lyle Kimms

Animal Welfare League of Arlington Takes in Beirut Rescues

By Sydney Hawkins
1/4

Thirty-three pets rescued from the devastation in Beirut, Lebanon are now in Arlington, awaiting adoption.

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington posted a video (below) of the Beirut blast rescues arriving at the airport and at the shelter near Shirlington. AWLA is now seeking new homes for the nearly three dozen dogs and cats.

More from an email sent to AWLA supporters on Thursday:

After a long journey from Beirut, Lebanon, 15 dogs and 18 cats arrived at AWLA last night to start new lives in the USA.

After the explosion in Beirut last month, Animals Lebanon immediately mobilized. For weeks they have worked tirelessly, rescuing animals who were injured or trapped in rubble, and reuniting as many pets as possible with their owners.

But the devastation was unimaginable.

Hundreds died. Thousands were injured. Hundreds of thousands remain homeless. Although Animals Lebanon stepped up to assist families, many could no longer keep their pets after losing family members, losing their homes, or being forced to leave the country.

Humane Society International (HSI) reached out and asked if AWLA would be able to take in some animals from Animals Lebanon. Without hesitation, we said YES and promised to do everything we could to help.

Animals Lebanon saved them from the wreckage. HSI flew them overseas.

All 33 animals will be staying in the shelter or in foster homes while they adjust to their new surroundings and we get to know them a little better. So many are scared and shy, several require urgent medical attention, and they all need a lot of TLC.

AWLA spokeswoman Chelsea Jones said the organization doesn’t usually take in pets from overseas, but the Beirut explosion is a special case, in part because of the work of the Humane Society.

“Since HSI did all the work getting them to Dulles Airport — we just had to pick them up!” she said. “I do know that getting that many dogs and cats on international flights takes a lot of organization and paperwork, so I’m sure they worked very hard to get it done. We don’t take international transfers very often, as we are mostly focused on helping local organizations, but we had the space to help in this situation.”

“It feels great to finally have the dogs and cats in their care,” Jones added. “The cats are all very friendly and social, and while the dogs are a little shy, we are excited to help them adjust to their new surroundings. We are so happy that we’ve been able to help these animals that have been through so much.”

Some of the cats are already up for adoption and ready to go home, according to Jones.

“We expect the rest of the cats will be available for adoption very soon,” she said. “Some of the dogs need to be spayed/neutered or medical issues, so we have to address that first. And then of course some of the dogs are very scared and unsure of this new step in their journey, so we will give them whatever time they need to adjust.”

AWLA is hoping to raise money for the care of these and other pets through its 2020 “Walk for the Animals” event.

The annual fundraiser, set for tomorrow (Saturday), has raised more than $77,000 of its $100,000 goal.

Fundraiser To Buy Headphones For APS Students Reaches $25,000

By Joseph Ramos

Project Headphones, a private fundraiser to buy Arlington Public School students in need headphones for upcoming distance learning, has raised over $25,000.

The project launched August 3, after founder Cortney Weber started preparing for her kids to go back to school.

Weber has two children in APS, one in elementary and one in middle school. As an online-only start to the school year neared, she wrote a list of what her kids would need to do their work from home.

Pencils, paper, desks, chairs, internet, a quiet space to work. As the list grew and grew, Weber began to worry about the challenge buying necessary supplies could pose to families already in need.

She wanted to help. APS is already providing PreK-8 students with “distance learning toolkits,” but these do not include some technology-related accessories. Weber started crowdsourcing APS teachers and parents on the Arlington Education Matters Facebook group to see what supplies were still needed.

Headphones, she said, were by far the most common response.

“If you have multiple learners in a small space, paying attention would be very difficult if the child didn’t have headphones,” Weber said. “Communicating with the teacher could be very difficult because if there’s a lot of background noise, then the teacher might not call on a student… Also, these kids are just starving for interaction at this point. Peer-to-peer interaction [through microphones in headphones] is going to be essential.”

Of the donations so far, more than $15,000 has come from a GoFundMe page, while corporate donations total $10,000.

Weber began promoting her GoFundMe everywhere from Facebook to Nextdoor to people she met on the street. At the time of publication, it had attracted around 270 different donors.

APS started working with Weber in mid-August. It recently established a Project Headphones fund for corporations that want to donate. The school system is not itself providing funds to the project.

APS spokesman Frank Bellavia said the grant fund lets corporations make tax-free donations directly to APS for the Project Headphones initiative. ArdentMC, a cloud solutions company with an office in Rosslyn, donated $10,000 through the grant, and Weber stressed that more donations are needed for the project to buy enough headphones.

Weber initially gauged the amount of need by how many APS students receive free and reduced-price meals. According to Bellavia, 8,083 students received these meals in 2019. Next week, though, Weber is emailing all APS school principals and social workers to ask for the actual amount of need at their school.

“I’ve received two types of calls. One has been ‘how can I donate and how can I help?'” Weber said. “The second call has actually been from schools calling me and PTA presidents [of schools] where over 50% of their population is on free and reduced meals. They are like ‘how many are we going to be able to have?'”

She placed the first order of headphones with the $25,025 already raised. This bought nearly 2,500 headphones from a vendor selling at cost.

When the headphones are delivered, Weber will distribute them based on the stated need of each school. She will prioritize elementary school students, since she said older students are more likely to have headphones that came with a personal device and also tend to be better able to concentrate.

Weber said the distribution process, and operating Project Headphones as a whole, has further exposed her to the economic disparities that exist in Arlington.

“The equity issue within Arlington has been enormous for a long time,” she said. “I think this pandemic is only going to, unfortunately, highlight how different some of these schools are, as far as their needs, than other schools in the county.”

Photo by Malte Wingen on Unsplash. Logo courtesy Cortney Weber.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Virtual County Fair Starts Today at Noon — “August 14-16, the Arlington County Fair will be hosting a variety of LIVE events on our Facebook page (via Facebook Live) to share the magic of the Fair even during unsure times. Check out our exciting schedule that includes fan favorites and some brand-new fun.” [Facebook]

County Considering More Early Voting Locations — “Arlington County Board members will hold a special session Aug. 25 to act on a request from county election officials doubling the number of ‘satellite’ early-voting centers across the county this fall. In addition to Madison and Walter Reed community centers, which had been used for early voting in recent presidential elections, the Electoral Board aims to add the Aurora Hills Community Center and Langston-Brown Community Center.” [InsideNova]

Local Movie Theaters to Open Soon — “Arlington’s two AMC Theatres are set to reopen on Aug. 27: AMC Courthouse Plaza 8 [and] AMC Shirlington 7… the movie theater chain said guests will pay just 15 cents per movie on that day.” [Patch]

Inside PBS NewsHour HQ in Arlington — Updated at 9:40 a.m. — From a magazine feature written pre-pandemic: “This is how PBS NewsHour happens every weekday: with a 9:45 a.m. meeting that feels, already, like midday. Each morning, some 30 people fit into a tight conference room in a low-slung brick building on the outskirts of Shirlington to discuss what the longtime public television fixture will air that evening at 6 p.m.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Fundraiser for Local Fitness Instructor — “Chris Green is one of the DMV’s finest fitness instructors. A Lululemon and South Block ambassador, he is a coach and mentor to so many… He recently ruptured his Achilles and has an incredibly long and tough journey ahead. As if COVID hadn’t impacted fitness professionals enough, throw this in the mix and it’s a double, even triple whammy.” [Community Post]

Marymount Ditches SAT/ACT Requirement — “Beginning with applicants for the Fall 2021 semester, Marymount University will adopt a complete test-optional policy for submission of SAT and ACT scores. This decision builds off of the University’s longstanding commitment to a holistic review of applications, as Marymount has been test-optional for select students for a number of years already.” [Press Release]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Dems Reject Bipartisan Redistricting — “Despite criticism from within the party that the move would be seen as blatantly partisan as well as bad policy, the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s membership on Aug. 6 voted to oppose the state constitutional amendment that, if enacted, would set up an independent redistricting commission.” [InsideNova]

Marymount Announces Reorganization — “In its latest strategic initiative, Transform MU, Marymount University is restructuring its existing academic programs into three highly focused Colleges, each combining disciplines to create broader educational and research opportunities.” [Press Release]

Diocese Announces New Virtual School — “The Catholic Diocese of Arlington announced it will offer a fully virtual school for grades K-8 in the 2020-2021 academic year, which begins in early September. The school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, provides a new option to parents interested in enrolling their children in local Catholic schools. All 41 brick-and-mortar Catholic schools in the Diocese, which serve 17,000 students, have announced they will reopen in the fall for either safe-distance full-time in-person instruction or a combination of in-person instruction and e-Learning. St. Isidore offers families an option for full-time virtual learning.” [Catholic Diocese of Arlington]

Local Teen Raises Money for Yemen — “Since July 1, an Arlington teenager has raised $300 for Saba Relief. The organization helps people affected by the crisis in Yemen. Emily Tesone started hand sewing plushies for her friends when the pandemic began. Her hobby grew more meaningful after she learned about what was happening in Yemen.” [WDVM]

Flickr pool photo by Eric

Lebanese Taverna Spearheads Fundraising Drive to Support Relief Efforts in Beirut

By Vernon Miles

On Tuesday, Grace Abi-Najm Shea — a co-owner of Lebanese Taverna — was one of those watching in horror as an explosion tore through Beirut. She said they took the day to cry and grieve at the loss that happened in the country her family left years ago. The next morning, they got to work.

The regional Lebanese restaurant chain that started in Arlington in 1979 has since raised nearly $30,000 for the Lebanese Red Cross on GoFundMe.

This weekend, the company is planning to start a deal where $1 from every hummus order at Lebanese Taverna and LebTav locations will be going to the World Central Kitchen. Dany Abi-Najm, Grace’s brother and another co-owner, will be traveling to Beirut with D.C. celebrity chef Jose Andres as part of the World Central Kitchen team to deliver supplies and offer food to those who have been displaced by the explosion.

“It feels good to be doing something,” Shea said. “We mobilized pretty quickly on Wednesday morning. We just needed to do something. It was heartbreaking. My father lives there, he moved back 12 years ago, and the scenes on TV were just too much. I know so many people wanted to help.”

Shea said Lebanon has a history of corruption leading to mistrust of organizations and the government, so she said Lebanese Taverna wanted to be sure the money got to the right places.

“There was the immediate need with the Red Cross and [we’re] addressing the ongoing need starting this weekend with World Central Kitchen,” Shea said.

Shea said while there’s global empathy for Lebanon as it goes through this crisis, many people locally have felt connected to it indirectly via the restaurant that has served Arlington for 41 years.

“We all grew up here and have so much support from so many people,” Shea said. “For them to want to do something for the country we left is very touching.”

Shea said she and her family have concerns about their brother traveling internationally during the pandemic, but that it’s a risk they have to take.

“There’s a thing called COVID going on,” Shea said. “You can’t help other people without taking a risk, really in anything that you do. I think it’s something much bigger than us. There are 300 people displaced from their homes in a minute. One of them being my cousin, but thankfully he has a support system. His home was completely demolished.”

For many Lebanese, Shea said growing up during the civil war left them prepared for the risks.

For those who have donated, Shea had one message to share.

“Thank you,” Shea said. “The number of people who donated and the number of shares is incredible.”

File photo 

Volunteer Arlington Asks Community To “Buy A Neighbor School Supplies”

By Joseph Ramos

As a new school year nears, Volunteer Arlington is launching a new fundraiser for students in need.

The “Buy a Neighbor School Supplies” drive follows the group’s previous “Buy A Neighbor Lunch” and “Buy A Neighbor Groceries” programs, which raised a combined $59,000 to help Arlingtonians amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the new effort, community members are encouraged to donate at least $10, which will go to foster care families and vulnerable families in the form of gift cards for school supplies.

Seven other local and regional organizations partnered with Volunteer Arlington for the fundraiser, including Arlington Foster Care/Adoption Program, Arlington Partnership For Affordable Housing and Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR).

The fundraiser is accepting money through August 23. Those interested in donating to “Buy a Neighbor School Supplies” can donate via the Volunteer Arlington website.

“We are asking people of all ages to come together to support this very tangible need, said Lisa Fikes, Executive Director of Volunteer Arlington, which is run by the Ballston-based Leadership Center for Excellence. “The Arlington community continually illustrates its heart and ability to support a worthy cause, and we are now calling on that generosity to support the growing educational and opportunity gaps in our community.”

In its earlier “Buy A Neighbor Lunch” program, Volunteer Arlington raised $50,000 by partnering with area restaurants. With each $10 donation, one of the restaurants would make and deliver a meal to a local resident in need.

“The beauty of this program was that it not only helped people who had become food insecure as a result of the pandemic, it also kept local restaurant employees working,” said Karen Coltrane, President and CEO of the Leadership Center for Excellence. “It allowed those of us still able to give to double our impact.”

Image via Volunteer Arlington

Local Veteran Organizes Fundraiser For Dry Cleaner Impacted By Pandemic

By Madeline Taylor

When Air Force veteran Michael Emery went to pick up his dry cleaning from First Virginia Cleaners for the first time since the outset of the pandemic, he knew the economic fallout of the shutdown hit close to home.

The store at 2929 S. Glebe Road was dark, the air conditioning was off and owner Chantra Chet had tears in her eyes as she explained to him how poorly business was going. That’s when Emery, the longtime customer of Chet’s, knew he had to act.

Emery, an Arlington resident, created a GoFundMe campaign to support the store, which is located in the Arlington Ridge Shopping Center. Revenue at the dry cleaning business has plummeted as much at 80%, according to Chet, as office workers stay at home and formal wear stays in closets.

“It’s really helped me a lot,” Chet said of the fundraiser. I don’t know how I can thank him for what he did for me.”

The GoFundMe’s goal is currently $20,000, but Emery said that number was ambitious. He feels that even raising enough to pay for a month of her rent would be a success.

So far, Emery has posted to different community Facebook groups around the neighborhood to garner support. His fundraiser has reached a wide audience, and he’s even received donations from other states. Since the fundraiser was launched on July 9 it has collected more than $3,000, with contributions still growing.

This is not the first time Chet has faced adversity. She moved to the United States from Cambodia as a refugee from the Khmer Rouge in 1982, despite not speaking a word of English, and has been working in the community for more than 35 years. She was able to buy her dry cleaning business after working there for 14 years and has been running it ever since.

Right before the pandemic, Chet had spent her entire life savings on purchasing a second location to house all the dry cleaning equipment, according to Emery, adding that when the coronavirus pandemic hit, her business was “decimated.” He noted that because business was struggling, Chet could no longer afford air conditioning or electricity. To make matters worse, her landlord increased her rent to $9,000 per month.

Dry cleaners around the country are suffering a similar fate. What had been considered a safe, steady business is not among the industries hardest hit by the pandemic.

“There were no proms this year. No bridesmaids. No men in tuxedos. All that, gone,” one owner told CBS News. “We’ve been through every economic downturn. But this?”

A software provider to the industry said that dry cleaning revenue is still down about 50% on average, and was down even more earlier in the pandemic, according to the article.

Emery described Chet as very warm and friendly, especially to her customers.

“Once you peel back the layers you see that she is incredibly hardworking and patriotic, and just very caring,” he said. “She is the embodiment of the American Dream.”

Emery hopes Chet can gain support either through donations or more business.

“At a time when people are so politically divided… I feel like she represented everything that is good about this country,” said Emery. “This felt like something very small that I could do.”

Photo via GoFundMe

Columbia Pike Pie Shop Hopes to Rake in Dough at Benefit for Struggling Neighbor

By Vernon Miles

This Friday, a Columbia Pike pie shop is planning to turn its back parking lot into a one-night benefit event not for themselves, but for one of their neighbors.

Acme Pie Co. (2803 Columbia Pike) is hosting the socially-distanced event for Papillon Cycles (2805 Columbia Pike), Arlington’s oldest bicycle shop.

“COVID-19 has been hard on small business and although there is a demand for bikes, Papillon can’t get stock or parts, putting them in a tight spot,” Acme Pie Co. said on the page. “So let’s help them out while having a great time with music, friends and neighbors — and plenty of space between you.”

Many bike stores are struggling to keep up with the demand as coronavirus has thrown a wrench into the supply chain.

The event is scheduled for this Friday, July 31, from 6:30-11 p.m. Live music is planned, along with pizza from nearby Sicilian Pizza and pie from Acme Pie Co. Entry is $10 at the entrance or paid in advance via Venmo to @sol-schott. All proceeds will go towards supporting Papillon Cycles.

“In order to keep everyone safe, strict social distancing guidelines will be followed and masks are a must!” Acme Pie Co. said on the event page. “[Bring your own] lawn or camping chair.”

Staff photo by Jay Westcott

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Hotel-to-Apartment Project on Hold — “A proposal to convert the Arlington Courts Suites extended-stay hotel in the Courthouse area to apartments is on hold, at least for now. The project had been slated for County Board consideration on July 18, but has been deferred until at least October at the request of the applicant, citing ‘economic concerns about the project due to the COVID-19 emergency.'” [InsideNova]

Controversy Sparks Idea for Fundraiser — A local man has raised more than $140,000 “after starting a GoFundMe page to buy Goya Foods products and donate them to local food pantries after critics called for a boycott over pro-Trump comments from Goya’s CEO. ‘People are seeing in the news a double standard for one political view,’ 27-year-old Casey Harper of Arlington, Va., told FOX Business.” [Fox Business, GoFundMe]

Jury Questionnaire Going Out Soon — “The Arlington Circuit Court, which includes the City of Falls Church, will soon begin its annual juror qualification process.  Juror questionnaires will be mailed in early August to randomly selected residents of Arlington County and Falls Church City.  These questionnaires are used to qualify residents for jury duty which begins Jan. 1, 2021, and ends Dec. 31, 2021.” [Arlington County]

Job Losses Possible at DCA — Among the 36,000 United Airlines workers who may be furloughed starting in October, according to WARN Act notices, are 116 employees at Reagan National Airport. [Virginia Employment Commission]

Swearing In for New County Board Member — “Takis P. Karantonis, elected to the Arlington County Board in a special election on July 7, 2020, will be sworn in at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14 in a virtual ceremony. Clerk of the Circuit Court of Arlington Paul Ferguson will officiate.” [Arlington County]

Red Hook Lobster Pound Shuts Down — Long-time local food truck operator and concessionaire Red Hook Lobster Pound is selling its trucks and assets as the pandemic forces it out of business. This presumably means that there will be no Red Hook lobster restaurant near Clarendon, either. [Washingtonian]

ACPD Investigating Airbag Theft Along Lee Highway — “At approximately 7:30 a.m. on July 12, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny. Upon arrival, it was determined that between 7:00 p.m. on July 11 and 7:30 a.m. on July 12, an unknown suspect(s) smashed the windows of approximately three vehicles and stole the airbags. There are no suspect(s) descriptions. The investigation is ongoing.” [Arlington County]

Photo courtesy Mike Cantwell

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Special Election Voting Today — Voting is underway in the three-way special election to fill the late Erik Gutshall’s County Board seat. Polls are open from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. The candidates are Takis Karantonis, Susan Cunningham and Bob Cambridge. “Don’t forget your photo ID, ballpoint pen, and face mask,” Arlington’s election office said this morning in a tweet. [Twitter]

No Incentive Payments for Amazon This Year — “Amazon.com Inc. won’t receive any direct cash payments from Arlington County, this year at least, for its HQ2 office leases… because Amazon’s incentive payments are tied to Arlington’s tourism industry. And many rooms remain empty to this day.” [Washington Business Journal]

APS Working to Offer Free Internet Service — “In May, the Arlington County Board allocated $500,000 of funding for a joint County/School Internet Essentials Grant Program to provide broadband internet access to APS students in need. The grant, allocated as part of the federal [CARES] Act, will provide free, high-speed internet access to low-income families who qualify for Internet Essentials from Comcast. Arlington is the first community in Virginia to partner with Comcast to offer free broadband services to students and their families.” [Arlington Public Schools]

Flying Squirrel Rescued from Chimney — From the Animal Welfare League of Arlington: “This little flying squirrel had been stuck in a local resident’s chimney since Saturday, but thankfully, Sgt Ballena was able to remove him and release him safely nearby!” [Twitter]

Synetic Organizing Joint Fundraiser — “Synetic Theater has partnered with the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) to raise $20,000 during the month of July to be split evenly between the organizations. This partnership was initiated by Synetic Theater to help fulfil the company’s desire to invest in their local community while they are unable to host live performances at their Crystal City/National Landing theater space.” [Press Release]

Interview With New Poet Laureate — “When Hollynd Karapetkova learned that she had been selected as Arlington County’s poet laureate, she saw it as a wonderful piece of good news and positive recognition at a time when everything in the world seemed so chaotic. ‘I’m really grateful that Arlington has gone ahead with this program in spite of all the chaos that’s unfolding,’ she said.” [Patch]

Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman

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