teens

Tomorrow: Teen’s Charity to Collect Bikes for Africa

By ARLnow.com

If you have an old bike that you don’t use any more, there’s a more satisfying way to get rid of it than selling it for $5 at a garage sale.

Wheels to Africa, a group founded by Arlington teen Winston Duncan five years ago, will be collecting bikes Saturday to send to people in need in Africa.

Duncan, now 16, held his first collection drive in 2005 when he was just 11.  It was a success far beyond his expectations, and soon local and national media outlets were profiling him and simple yet powerful idea of improving the mobility of needy Africans by sending them old bikes.

Now in its sixth year, Wheels to Africa will be collecting bikes at nine different drop-off locations in Northern Virginia tomorrow from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. There will be three Arlington locations: Swanson Middle School, Washington-Lee High School and Yorktown High School. See a list of all drop-off locations here.

The group is also seeking a $10 donation with each bike, to cover the cost of shipping.

Screenshot via WUSA9

Volunteer Opp: More Teen Tutors Needed

By ARLnow.com

An Arlington-based affordable housing organization urgently needs more tutors for its educational programs this fall.

As we said in a post last month, AHC Inc. (formerly Arlington Housing Corporation) has been running its teen tutoring program for more than 15 years. Tutors act as a teacher, mentor and role model for ask-risk middle school and high school students who live in AHC communities. They work one-on-one with the teens, devoting at least an hour and a half per week.

But AHC hasn’t been able to find the 60 tutors needed for its growing program.

“We’re getting worried,” said AHC Communications Manager Celia Slater. “Although school – and homework – have already started, we still need about 20 more tutors for teens.”

The 90-minute tutoring sessions take place on weeknights at six locations in Arlington, two of which are Metro accessible.

For more information on becoming a tutor, contact Jennifer Cavaliere at cavaliere [at] ahcinc.org or 703-486-0626.

Volunteer Opp: Teen Tutors Needed

By ARLnow.com

Want to make a real positive difference in a teen’s life? An Arlington-based affordable housing organization is in “serious need” of tutors for its educational programs this fall.

AHC Inc. (formerly Arlington Housing Corporation) has been running its teen tutoring program for more than 15 years. Tutors act as a teacher, mentor and role model for ask-risk middle school and high school students who live in AHC communities. They work one-on-one with the teens, devoting at least an hour and a half per week.

The program has been a great success so far. Last year, all of the program’s seniors graduated high school and 80 percent went on to college. Many of the students who went to college were the first in their family to do, according to AHC spokesperson Celia Slater.

This year, the non-profit is searching for up to 60 mentors to meet the needs of its growing programs. The 90-minute tutoring sessions take place on weeknights at six locations in Arlington, two of which are Metro accessible.

Tutoring will start on September 13.

For more information on becoming a tutor, contact Jennifer Cavaliere at cavaliere [at] ahcinc.org or 703-486-0626.

Arlington Youth Baseball Team Claims District Title

By ARLnow.com

The 13-year-old Arlington Babe Ruth All-Star Baseball Team won their league’s district tournament Monday night. They will now advance to the Babe Ruth League state championship, to be held later this month in Victoria, Va.

The Arlington team bounced back from a 1-11 loss against Vienna, beating the same Vienna team 10-4 to capture the district title.

“We were able to re-focus and win the game with strong pitching, great defense, and some timely hits and bunts,” coach Greg Wigton said. “We scored 8 runs in the 4th inning, and added 2 more in the 7th.”

The team’s first game in the state tournament will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, July 23.

The team roster, after the jump.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

“Looks Like a Supercell” — Yesterday’s storms produced some very interesting cloud formations, which Flickr pooler Philliefan99 captured beautifully. See our coverage of the extensive power outages caused by the storms here.

Ten Cars Damaged on North Rhodes Street — A driver who police believe was drunk smashed into as many as ten cars early this morning on North Rhodes Street. Around 12:30 a.m., residents reported hearing the sound of a car crash. When police arrived, they found as many as 10 cars with collision damage between Key Boulevard and Wilson Boulevard. Police located a man suspected of being the driver of the striking vehicle a short time later.

Arlington Population Grows In Latest Census Data — Arlington’s population grew by 7,300 people last year, a 3.5 percent increase, according to the latest census data. The rapid growth put Arlington on the list of the top 10 fastest-growing large metro areas in the country. More from the Washington Post.

Students Say Parents Allow Booze-Filled Parties — A panel of Arlington high school students says that some parents are regularly allowing their kids to throw illegal drinking parties. The rationale: hosting parties is better than seeing their kids “sneak off to parties where there is no adult supervision.” More from the Sun Gazette.

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99.

HuffPo Blogger Offers Kudos to Va.’s Teen Licensing Law

By ARLnow.com

It’s not every day you hear someone complementing the way things are done at the Department of Motor Vehicles. It’s also fairly rare these days to hear a progressive Huffington Post blogger saying nice things about the Commonwealth of Virginia, land of the Confederate History Month and the anti-anti-discrimination directive.

But blogger Tamar Abrams was so delighted with her teen daughter’s experience with Virginia’s unique “juvenile licensing ceremony” that she felt compelled to tell the world.

There is one shining beacon of brilliance that I witnessed yesterday in the Arlington County Courthouse and which makes me want, for a moment, to brag about the state in which I’ve resided for 18 years.

Instead of just being handed a shiny new driver’s license at the DMV counter, new drivers under the age of 18 are summoned to appear in family court with a parent. There they watch a driving safety video (narrated by Arlington-born newswoman Katie Couric), hear a talk about teen driving laws, and are finally handed their license by a stern-looking judge.

Abrams wrote that the ceremony left a lasting impression.

It feels good to be proud of my home state, even for a moment. I can’t find any statistics proving that the juvenile licensing ceremony has reduced teen accidents in Virginia, but I know for one teen and her mom it reminded us of the gravity of earning a right to drive.