“no small deed”

Springfield Connection ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Springfield

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“No Small Deed”News, Page 3

Creating Familieswith AdoptionNews, Page 4

“They Sacrificed”News, Page 8

Members of the Congregation Adat Reyim in Springfieldgather outside Fairfax Presbyterian Church after completingthe 3.7-mile Burke CROP Hunger Walk.

2 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Messiah United Methodist Church6215 Rolling Road, Springfield703-569-9862 • www.messiahumc.org

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• A 100-voice chorus andprofessional orchestra

Join us for this inspirationalstart to the Christmas season!


Why Did You Walk Today?Viewpoints —Tim Peterson

Marnie Miller ofFairfax, member of

Temple B’nai Shalomin Fairfax Station

“I walked to help thetemple support peoplewho are hungry in thearea.”

Taya Miller ofFairfax, member ofTemple B’nai Shalomin Fairfax Station

“I walked to help makesure there’s no morehunger, throughout theworld.”

Jill Fox of Spring-field, member of

Temple B’nai Shalomin Fairfax Station

“People are so affluentin our area, we can losesight that people go tobed hungry here.”

Marie Fofanah-Contah of Lorton,president of FutureChildren Interna-tional

“It’s extremely impor-tant to teach our childrencompassion.”

NewsSpringfield Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

By Tim Peterson

The Connection

Jennifer Weiner’s wristband read11,188 steps. That’s how many ittook the Springfield resident tocomplete the 3.7-mile Burke

CROP Hunger Walk on Nov. 22. Weiner isRabbi Educator for Congregation AdatReyim, which sent more than a dozen vol-unteers to the fundraiser for the 14thstraight year.

The Jewish congregation was one of morethan two dozen faith organizations fromaround Fairfax County supplying roughly250 walkers in total.

The route started at Living SaviorLutheran Church in Fairfax Station. Walk-ers then trekked north along Ox Road withtraffic assistance from Fairfax County Po-lice officers out of the West Springfield pre-cinct station, took a water break at One GodMinistry in Fairfax (where they werehanded off to Fairfax City Police for escorts)and ended at Fairfax Presbyterian Church.

NOW IN ITS 23RD YEAR, the walkraised money for international supportagency Church World Service, as well asdonations for ECHO, the Springfield-basedEcumenical Community Helping Othersoutreach organization. Last year, the walkraised more than $38,000, according to or-ganizer Janet Smith of West Springfield.

Smith has organized the Burke CROPHunger Walk for the last 20 years and is amember of Burke Presbyterian Church,which turned out roughly 40 members.Smith said they were shooting for $40,000in donations this year, 25 percent of whichwill stay local while the rest goes to ChurchWorld Service.

“They do amazing work getting peopleto be self-sustaining,” Smith said.

“All the people walking realize howblessed we are to have so much,” she added.“It’s great to see the community come to-gether like this.” The first year Smithworked on the walk, there were eightchurches involved and they raised just$1,000.

Rev. Scott Sammler-Michael of AccotinkUnitarian Universalist Church in Burkekicked off the walk with reminders that the3.7 miles of the walk is the average distancewomen in parts of Africa must travel to col-

lect water — a four-hour journey that in-cludes about 44 pounds of water on thereturn trip.

He also noted that hunger is not a dis-tant problem, adding that there are 73,000people living in poverty in Fairfax County— food insecure households with limitedaccess to safe water.

“All the numbers have a face attached,”Sammler-Michael said, “people like thosewe love. There has been a reduction in hun-ger since 1990. Your donations and witnessare part of that good news. What we do isno small deed.”

Another objective of the walk is unitingvarious faith organizations in the commu-nity. Jarrett McLaughlin, co-pastor of BurkePresbyterian Church, invited friends andleaders of Ezher Bloom Mosque in Fairfaxto join.

“This is a great interfaith communityevent,” McLaughlin said. “It’s bringing ustogether for a common good, we need moreof that in this world.”

Bilal Ankaya is the Imam at Ezher Bloomand a leader with the Institute of Islamicand Turkish Studies. “It’s our first time walk-ing,” Ankaya said. “It feels great and it’s agood cause, ending hunger. This is the leastwe could do.”

Rev. Patrick Walker, Senior CommunityEngagement specialist with Church WorldService, said there are 1,300 such walkstaking place nationwide. CROP walks arethe oldest national walk for hunger in theUnited States, beginning in 1969.

“Thank you for all you do,” he told thewalkers as they warmed themselves and atesnacks at the finish line, Fairfax Presbyte-rian Church. “You are saving lives.”

DR. MARY SAMBA of Springfield, repre-senting Lorton-based Future Children Inter-national, completed the walk with hergrandchildren Amirah and AmareAcheampong. With their members hailingfrom Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea,they’ve seen chronic hunger firsthand inAfrica. “We just want to help out,” she said.

Samba said four-year-old grandson fullycomprehended the mission of the event andrefused to ride in his stroller. “‘I want towalk for hunger,’” she said the boy told her.“He wanted to reach the finish line.”

For more information, visitwww.burkecropwalk.org.

250 brave cold in 23rd BurkeCROP Hunger Walk fundraiser.“No Small Deed”

Rev. Scott Sammler-Michael ofAccotink Unitarian UniversalistChurch in Burke acknowledges thewalkers about to participate in the23rd annual Burke CROP HungerWalk on Nov. 22.

Patrick Walker, Senior CommunityEngagement specialist for ChurchWorld Service, speaks to partici-pants after they completed the23rd annual Burke CROP HungerWalk.

Photos by Tim Peterson/The Connection

Walkers begin their 3.7-mile journey from Living Savior Lutheran Churchin Fairfax Station by crossing Ox Road with help from Fairfax CountyPolice from the West Springfield station.

From left, Imam Bilal Ankaya of Ezher Bloom Mosque, Ezher BloomMosque member Ali Eren, Burke Presbyterian Church co-pastor JarrettMcLaughlin and Imam Mehmet Ayaz of Ezher Bloom Mosque pause forwater during the 23rd annual Burke CROP Hunger Walk.


By Joan Brady

The Connection

November is National AdoptionAwareness Month. With thatin mind, meet two familiesexpanded through adoption;

two families whose kids describe their fam-ily as “awesome.”

The Hagens of Vienna are a family of twoparents, Kelly and Scott; three boys, twoadopted and one biological; and two fam-ily dogs. Appreciative is the word that comesto mind listening to the Hagens talk abouttheir family.

Lewis, 17, describes family priorities.“Somehow we find time to do stuff together.Like eating dinner. I’ve heard some fami-lies don’t do that. That’s very sad to me.”

Spencer, 16, talks of how his brother,James, influences his life. “I know there area lot of experiences that I get to have be-cause James is so outgoing.”

James, 11, appreciates time spent withhis dad. “I like working outside with mydad. And, I like that he pays me for it.”

Lewis loves having brothers. “You havepeople who are always there. I play XBoxwith them. We talk. We listen to music. It’slike having friends that are always thereAND they are family.” Would be differentwith sisters? Spencer says,“Well, they wouldprobably make it all about them.”

For parents Kelly and Scott Hagen, ap-preciation extends outside of their imme-diate family. “We have a lot of special is-sues in our family and that has made usmore open minded about people,” saysKelly. “We make fewer assumptions and welisten more.”

Meet the Connelly FamilyThe Connellys have an immediate family

that includes two parents, five sons — two

biological, two adopted from Fairfax Countyfoster care, and one foster son — and twocats. They hope to add a therapy dog in thenext few months.

Jackson, 8, likes the commotion that alarge family brings. “I like having brothers.It’s interesting living with a lot of people.It’s very loud, which means I’m never boredand I learn a lot about how to be nice.”

Anthony, 17, has a deep appreciation forhis parents, “Not every family would takein so many kids and do so much for them.My parents make sure to keep things fairand show us a lot of love.”

Ben, 15, recognizes all that it means tobe a family, “If you are looking for a family,you will find everything and more from thefamily right here. We are everything youwould expect; the good and the bad. Weare a real family.”

Hunter, also 15, might complain about thenoise, and apparently does, all of the time,but he wouldn’t change a thing, “When weare at home and I’m trying to get work doneand everyone’s doing their thing around myarea, it drives me crazy. But I wouldn’t trade

Thankful for Adoption

Creating Families with Adoption

Hagen Family: Scott, Spencer, James, Lewis and Kelly of Vienna

Adoptive parentsdescribed: ‘Grateful.Generous. Awesome.’

Scott and Megan Connelly.

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them in for peace and quiet.”Scott and Megan Connelly have been fos-

ter parents to many kids over the years.According to Scott, the “spectacular” suc-cess of the foster children they have hadover the years, many now grown, as wellas the success of their biological andadopted boys is simple. “We make sure theyknow that we love them, unconditionally,and that we are going to hold them account-able. It takes a few weeks, but then theysettle right in.”

Megan adds: “One of the things that helpsmakes our household work is that the kidsare flexible and giving. Each time we haveadded someone new into the mix, they fol-low the example set and pretty quickly, it’slike they were always there.”

Nicholas, the Connelly’s 10-year-old fos-ter son describes his foster parents this way:“They are grateful. They are generous. Theyare awesome.”

Megan Connelly is one of 12 kids, 10 ofwhom were adopted. Megan says thatwith their current four, they are only justgetting started.

Connelly Family: Hunter, Jackson, Ben and Anthony(Foster son, Nicholas, not pictured).

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Consider adopting a child from foster care. In Virginia, there are more than 860 children waiting andhoping to be adopted. Many of those children are listed on the Adopt US Kids website which you can findat: adoptuskids.org/states/va/index.aspx

Photos and bios provided by Fairfax CountyDepartment of Family Services

Adame, an energetic 6-year-old boy has a big smileand big heart to match. Keep-ing Adame engaged will helphim remain on task and mini-mize anxiety for him. Atwo-parent household, withone parent primarily in thehome available to attend to Adame’s needswould be ideal, Adame is resilient and wouldthrive in an adoptive family of his own.

Tim, an active 16-year-old,loves to keep busy. His favoritething to do is go fishing. Hewould like a family who is ac-tive and loving. He gets alongwell with young children andhas a good sense of humor. Hehopes to one day attend a tradeschool to become a plumber because he feelsthis would be a great way to become finan-cially stable.

Damon, a kind and thought-ful 14-year-old young manenjoys eating out, watchingmovies and going to the park.He has discovered rock-collect-ing and can identify manydifferent kinds of rocks. Damonlikes school; he is energetic andloves sports, especially basketball,rollerblading and riding his bike.

Summer, a 15-year-oldyoung lady enjoys hiking andbiking outdoors, and loves mu-sic and reading. She isself-taught on piano and guitarand can play songs by ear. Shewould like a family that has alove for music and enjoys beingactive in the community.

By Joan Brady

Parental rights terminated.Available for adoption. Floun-dering in an imperfect system.

These words describe many childrenwho are currently living in foster carein Virginia. In Fairfax County, thesefour children are hoping that this willbe the last Thanksgiving spent in fos-ter homes.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe wants thosechildren who are currently availablefor adoption, adopted into lovinghomes, and he isn’t messing around.

“Let’s make it a goal – all of us inthis room – that one year from todayall 860 of these children will beadopted,” McAuliffe recently chargeda room full of adoption and foster careprofessionals at the Connecting HeartsSummit.

Focusing on Virginia is a good start.More than 26,000 young peopleacross the United States age out offoster care each year to futures morelikely to include homelessness andhunger than jobs and careers that willpay the bills. All of those young peoplewere once children like the 108,000currently languishing in foster care.Children who hoped, in vain, thatsomeone would come forward and

See Adoption, Page 5

All 860


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SP SP SPchoose them for adoption.In 2014, McAuliffe elevated the

priority of foster care adoption byappointing Debbie Johnson asVirginia’s Adoption Champion. Anadoptee herself, one of herachievements to-date has been tocreate Connection Hearts.www.connectingheartsva.org.With Ericca Facetti at the helm,Connecting Hearts works with theVirginia Department of Social Ser-vices, local departments of socialservices as well as local businessesto engage and educate the publicabout children in foster care whoare waiting for adoptive families.

One of Ericca’s immediate goalsis to get as many of those childrenas appropriate included in theAdoptuskids/Virginia listings. Cur-rently, of the 860, just 180 arelisted. www.adoptuskids.org/states/va/index.aspx

According to the MetropolitanCouncil of Governments (COG),there are 259 children in the DCmetro area waiting for adoptivehomes. Child Welfare ProgramManager, Kamilah Bunn, workstirelessly to bring visibility to fos-ter care adoption in our region.COG’s adoption efforts includeWednesday’s Child, The PicMeProject, Regional Adoption Eventsand the Regional Adoption Ex-change.

Many children have no problemadvocating for themselves. Per-haps one of the more memorableself-advocates was a 10-year oldtwin, who grabbed his brother,hopped on a stage in downtownDC, grabbed a mic and belted outto the cheering crowd, “WE NEEDA FAMILY.” Other children are notso forthcoming; They are embar-rassed by circumstances that areno fault of their own. They havebeen disappointed by adults whohave said they loved them, butwho then turned away. They fearfurther rejection.

Social workers and other profes-sionals like Kamilah Bunn andEricca Facetti all work together toprotect each child, as they worktirelessly to match children suc-cessfully with a small pool of po-tential adoptive families.

From Page 4

Thankful

Adoption

Adoption ExpoWhat: 2015 Adoption Expo will

educate, inspire and celebratefamilies formed through adoption.Prospective adoptive parents canmeet adoption professionals as wellas current adoptive and fosterparents to learn about foster careadoption and foster parenting.

Cost: FreeWhen: Dec. 5, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.Where: 801 K Street NW,

Washington, DC 20001More: adoptionfosterexpo.org

Award-WinningAward-

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E-mail [email protected] for more information.

Newspapers & Online703-778-9431

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com/Advertising

SPECIAL CONNECTIONS CALENDARAdvertising Deadlines are the previous Thursday unless noted.

DECEMBER12/2/2015...................................................................Wellbeing12/9/2015.................Holiday Entertainment & Gift Guide II12/9/2015................HomeLifeStyle; Home for the Holidays12/16/2015..A+ Camps & Schools; Holiday Entertainment

& Gifts Pages12/23/2015....................Special Issue – Safe for the Holidays12/30/2015...........................................Children’s Connection


SUNDAY/DEC. 6Warm Coat Outreach. Set up, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Distribution, 3-5 p.m. Moose Family Center, 9612Fernedge Lane, Lorton. Clean, used coats (new onesare great too!) can be on Sunday,Dec. 6 from 11:30a.m. to 2 p.m. http://www.lortonaction.org/.

MONDAY/DEC. 7State Sen. David Marsden. 10-11:30 a.m. Church

of the Good Shepherd, 9350 Braddock Road, Burke.The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Mason issponsoring State Senator David Marsden for adiscussion on current transportation issues affectingthe state, particularly Northern Virginia, includingmass transit, high occupancy toll lanes, and roadconstruction. He represents the 37th district. RSVPto 703-503-3384. olli.gmu.edu.

Bulletin Board Send notes to the Connection at [email protected] call 703-778-9416. The deadline for submissions is the Friday

prior to publication. Dated announcements should be submitted atleast two weeks prior to the event.

By Margi Preston

Executive Director

FACETS

Sometimes it takes a challenge to makeprogress. That’s what happened here inFairfax when leaders of six nonprofits

serving those who are homeless decided topush themselves to do more.

With the second largest homeless populationin the region, homelessness is a real problemin the Fairfax County-Falls Church community.A majority of the people who are homeless arein working families with children. Throughoutthe year, FACETS works in partnership withFairfax’s Office to Prevent and EndHomelessness and other nonprofits to bring ourcommunity closer to a day when no one ishomeless through a variety of effective pro-grams. And in the summer of 2014, we decidedto do even more by teaming up with five otherlocal nonprofits to motivate ourselves to reachnew records in moving people fromhomelessness to housing.

Our power team — FACETS, New Hope

Housing, Cornerstones, Shelter House, NVFSand Volunteers of America-Chesapeake —kicked off a year-long Fairfax County HousingChallenge. The challenge was modeled afterthe successful Rapid Rehousing Challenge,which was organized by the National Allianceto End Homelessness to motivate nonprofitsstatewide to rapidly re-house as many fami-lies as possible within 100 days.

Rapid re-housing is a proven and cost-effec-tive strategy used by communities across thecountry to reduce homelessness. It involveshelping households move into housing asquickly as possible after they enter the sheltersystem. Families and individuals are housedin market-rate apartments or houses in thecommunity, and receive rental subsidies and/or services that are tailored to their specificneeds, including a caseworker to help ease thetransition.

Our housing challenge showed the real ben-efits of collaboration. Together we set and metquarterly ambitious goals to find homes for

even more people who were unstably housedand homeless. We brainstormed and found newways to get people out of homelessness andinto safe and secure housing. And it worked.At the end of the challenge, nearly 500 singleadults and more than 220 families now have ahome of their own and services to help themremain housed.

As important as it is to get people into hous-ing right away so they can start the transitionback to a stable life, we all recognize that pre-venting homelessness is the top priority. Likeour nonprofit partners, FACETS relies on helpfrom volunteers and partnerships with the faithand business communities to preventhomelessness throughout Fairfax County byoffering a full spectrum of services, such asbasic needs and financial assistance, careercounseling and outreach, educational enrich-ment programs, and permanent housing.

With the cold temperatures approaching, wehave begun to gear up for our HypothermiaPrevention and Response Program. Through apartnership with over 40 faith communities,this program enables FACETS to offer refugefrom the bitter cold to over 200 individuals inour community who are homeless each year.The success of the Fairfax Housing Challengehas inspired us to remain motivated in help-ing even more people come in from the coldthis winter and ideally keep more from everhaving to experience the cold at all. We are upfor the challenge … and I know our commu-nity partners are too. That’s a win for the wholecommunity. To learn more, visit us atwww.FacetsCares.org.

The Challenge of Ending HomelessnessCommentary

Opinion

There is a joy to participating in com-munity traditions and celebrationsduring the holidays, from walkingalong a sidewalk with the streets

decked out for the holidays, to shopping inlocal stores, to being greeted by someone likelyto be the owner of the store, to finding giftsthat are not mass-produced.

One way to be sure holiday shopping comeswith some holiday spirit is to do a portion ofyour shopping in some of the area’s locallyowned stores. There is special holidayambiance available by shopping in theheart of a town that is decked out forthe season. Small retail shops are partof defining any community. Their livelihooddepends on the livability and quality of theneighborhoods around them. A small businessowner pays attention to every detail in his orher business in a way that is otherwise un-matched.

We all benefit when local stores thrive, whenlocal business districts beckon. An effort tosupport locally owned businesses has resultedin the recognition of Small Business Saturday,the Saturday after Thanksgiving, also called

Shop Small. This year that day is Nov. 28.Locally owned retail shops, services, restau-

rants depend on vibrant local communities tothrive, and communities depend on those busi-nesses as well. Most small, locally owned busi-nesses invest in community, helping to trans-form our towns and communities with a senseof place.

Frequently, it is the small retail person whois active in fundraising for local charities, ad-vocating for improvements, for fire and res-cue service, for local schools and in organiz-ing holiday events.

Local retail stores, mom-and-pop stores, facetough challenges right now. Competition frombig box stores and online sellers makes the

holiday shopping season all the moreimportant to locally owned retailers.But local families will literally spendmillions of dollars to shop and ex-

change gifts during the next month in a vari-ety of places.

Everyone will do some of their shopping atthe mall. Everyone will shop online. Many willanswer the call of the big box. But local shop-pers should be sure to do some celebrating,shopping and dining locally. We promise itbrings more joy.

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

Every day can be“small business day.”

Celebrate, Shop, Dine LocallyChildren’s Connection

During the last week of each year, The Con-nection devotes its entire issue to the creativityof local students and children. It is a keepsakeedition for many families. The annual Children’sConnection is a tradition of well over a decade.

We publish artwork, poetry, essays, creativewriting, opinion pieces, short stories, photogra-phy, photos of sculpture or gardens or other cre-ative efforts.

We ask that all submissions be digital so theycan be sent through email or delivered on CD orflash drive. Writing should be submitted in richtext format (.rtf). Artwork should be photographedor scanned and provided in jpeg format.

We welcome contributions from public and pri-vate schools, individuals and homeschoolers. Tobe published, we must have first and last name ofthe student. Please include the student’s age and/or grade, school attended and town of residence.

Identify each piece of writing or art, includingthe student’s full name, age, grade and town ofresidence, plus the name of the school, name ofteacher and town of school location. Please pro-vide submissions by Friday, Dec. 4.

Email submissions for the Children’s Connectionto [email protected] line should be school name, town andteacher's last name (e.g. Westgate ES, McLean,Card).

Editorial

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Springfield


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Springfield Company Wins Award

To the Editor:On Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015,

Fairfax County Chairman SharonBulova pledged to more than fortysenior demonstrators that shewould work on getting permanentfacility(ies) for the Burke/WestSpringfield Senior Center WithoutWalls (BWSSCWoW), particularlywith the possibility of an additionto the Pohick Regional Libraryrenovation. She noted that thestaff of the Springfield Supervisorwould be involved in the process.

The senior demonstrators, ledby BWSSCWoW Founding Chair-man Corazon S. Foley, informedher of their plans for continuedactivism for the Springfield SeniorCenter – to include testifying at thepublic hearings in early 2016. Theplan includes a dance demonstra-tion by a group of senior partici-pants to underscore communityservice provided by the senior cen-ter, currently without walls.

Chairman Bulova encouraged

the senior participants to testify atthe public hearings on the budget,particularly if funding were to berequired for the addition to thePohick Regional Library renova-tion.

Many thanks go to senior linedance teams – the Snappy Tappers,Sampaguita Sweethearts (Philip-pine Dancing), Hawaiian Stars,and Cathy Byon’s Line Danceclasses. It was a wonderful daythat culminates more than a yearof community activism by Spring-field seniors, including petitiongathering (1,000 signatures), elec-tion campaign resulting with4,226 votes or 19 percent ofSpringfield totals, demonstrationsand, in 2016, testimonies to thefull Board of Supervisors. Moreinformation can be found atw w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m /Foley4SpringfieldSeniorCenter.

Corazon Sandoval FoleyBurke

Chairman Bulova Supportive ofSpringfield Senior Center

Letter

Diamond Transportation Ser-vices’ president and founder, Rob-ert “Robbie” Werth, has won theRichard W. Heddinger AccessibleTransportation Award. The annualaward is presented in honor of thefirst chair of the Washington D.C.Metro’s Accessibility AdvisoryCommittee for his leadership inthe cause of Metrorail accessibil-ity. The honor recognizes an ad-vocate and member of the disabil-ity community whose efforts haveresulted in significant improve-ments in the accessibility of Metro.

“This is truly the award of a life-time for me,” Werth said. “As some-one who knew and revered Rich-ard Heddinger, and as someonewho has spent his life in pursuitof his high standards, this awardhas very deep and emotionalmeaning for me.”

Werth launched Diamond Trans-portation in 1984 as the provider

of paratransit service for Alexan-dria City Public Schools, andAlexandria’s DOT Paratransit Pro-gram. Since then, Werth estab-lished Diamond Transportation asa premier local transportation pro-vider with extensive experience inparatransit service, call centermanagement, shuttle bus service,driver training and transportationmanagement.

Diamond has had a long historyof service with MetroAccess, be-ginning from the start of Metro’sparatransit service in 1994. UnderWerth’s 30 years of leadership,Diamond Transportation has beenawarded numerous national andregional awards for its outstand-ing customer service. Werth is thepast President of the Taxicab, Lim-ousine and Paratransit Associationand its Operator of the Year in1995.

Visit diamondtransportation.us.

Business Notes

Diamond Transportation PresidentWins Metro’s Accessibility Award

Paxton Van Lines, Inc. fromSpringfield has won the 2015Milton M. Hill Quality Award fromAtlas Van Lines, one of the mov-ing industry’s most prestigiousawards.

The Milton M. Hill QualityAward recognizes companies thatdemonstrate industry superiority

and uppermost quality of cus-tomer service. As part of the Atlasnetwork, these affiliated agentstruly rank among the best of thebest.

Paxton Van Lines received theaward at the 68th Annual AtlasConvention held Nov. 11-14 inTucson, Ariz.

8 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2015 Springfield Connection ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2015 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

Abigail Constantino

The Connection

To the children and some of theadults on the fields at South RunRECenter on Saturday, Nov. 14,

it was just a lacrosse tournament, anotherchance to play. They do not know MarcusGarcia, the organizer of the 15 teams par-ticipating in the the first American Kid-ney Classic, that is what he is calling thismeet.

They do not know about his brotherMatthew Moody, 31, who was diagnosedwith Goodpasture Syndrome. They do notknow about this uncommon autoimmunedisorder that affects the kidneys and thelungs.

But Amy Lane, of Stafford, knows. Sheworks in a dialysis clinic. “I love the factthat it’s for the National Kidney Founda-tion.” Proceeds raised by the tournament

will go towards the American Kidney Fund.But Lane and her husband, who have chil-dren playing in the tournament, are happythat the event is raising awareness for kid-ney diseases. “Our kids love lacrosse andthey know what I do for a living and it meanssomething to them to play [in this tourna-ment].”

MARCUS’ FUNDRAISING GOAL is$5,000. The idea started with a conversa-tion between the brothers about how to helppeople. They came up with a lacrosse tour-nament to raise money. Marcus mined hislacrosse contacts to set it up. “If we can raisea couple thousand dollars, we can touch livesacross the country” through the AmericanKidney Fund, he said.

The American Kidney Fund, AKF, providesfinancial assistance to patients undergoingtreatment for kidney diseases. MartinMcNutt, of AKF, said that events like the tour-nament help raise awareness to the 30 mil-lion people affected by kidney disease in theUnited States and is an opportunity to raisefunds so patients can benefit from the ser-vices AKF offers.

Marcus, 22, grew up watching his olderbrother play lacrosse. Matthew was the rea-son, he took up the game. “He was Super-man to me,” said Marcus.

When Marcus went off to college in 2011,Matthew moved back home. But there was

something different about him. He had beenfeeling sick and sluggish for a long time buthad assumed the tough attitude of “walk itoff, it will go away,” instilled him from hishigh school sports days. He was not feelingright.

“I would take a long walk, all of a sudden,I can feel my heartbeat in my head. I’d walkup the stairs, I can feel my heartbeat in myhead and I knew that wasn’t normal,” saidMatthew. Especially not for a 26-year-old,who had always been active and athletic,never broke a bone, never even been in thehospital. On the day he finally went to thehospital, Marcus and Matthew’s mother,Marie Garcia, had just come back from aleukemia walk. Her husband told her thatMatthew was not feeling well. A nurse atthe Virginia Cancer Specialists, Marie did acheck on her son, looking at his eyes, hisfingers. “She noticed I had absolutely noblood left in my body. She threw me in thecar right away and took me to the hospital,”said Matthew.

“I had to coax him to get to get to the hos-pital. He kept saying, ‘After the Redskinsgame,’” said Marie.

“She basically saved my life,” said Mat-thew.

He was in kidney failure. He was 26 yearsold.

Goodpasture Syndrome occurs in 0.5-1.8cases per million per year in European and

Asian populations. Its etiology is not fullyunderstood but exposure to cigarette smoke,hair dyes, hydrocarbon fumes, metallic dustand certain drugs, as well as genetics, in-crease susceptibility according to the Na-tional Institute of Diabetes and Digestive andKidney Diseases. Matthew underwent plas-mapheresis, which took out the anti-glom-erular membrane antibodies attacking hisbody. But his kidneys were already shot. Hegoes to dialysis three days a week, for fourhours each treatment. He is waiting for akidney transplant. There was a potentialmatch recently but it fell through.

“He was never woe-is-me even when he

got turned away when he had a potentialkidney donor,” said Marie. “Just being ableto pick up the pieces and say, ‘Somebody elseneeded it more than me tonight. Mine’s nexttime,’ I think that’s been his resilience.”

“He hasn’t always wanted to go throughthe fight. He’s had some dark days,” saidMarcus, but he and his other brother Lucasrealized how strong their family is.

“It’s been four years now. We’re a fightingfamily. We’re getting through it,” said Lucas.

“Be more proactive in getting yourselfchecked out. A lot of men, especially singlemen in their early 20s or 30s, these thingssometimes can be detected early in life by

simple blood draws and yearly check ups.No matter what age you are, you shouldalways get that yearly check up,” saidMatthew.

IF CAUGHT EARLY, Goodpasture Syn-drome can be treated, according to Dr.Orlando Gutierrez, a nephrologist at theUniversity of Alabama in Birmingham.But by the time patients go to the hospi-tal, the disease is already in a severe stage.“A lot of damage has already been done,”he said, because there are few signs andsymptoms in the early process. Micro-scopic hematuria, blood in the urine, isan early sign, which not visible to thenaked eye.

“Unfortunately, it is such a rare disease,there is not anything that can be done ona general basis to catch it earlier. Keep inmind family history,” he said, and getchecked out if a family member hasGoodpasture Syndrome.

For some people it only affects the kid-neys but both kidneys and lungs can beaffected. “People who smoke are morelikely to get lung problems on top of thekidney problems,” said Gutierrez.

Lacrosse tourna-ment in Springfieldbrings attention toGoodpasture Syn-drome and kidneydiseases.

Fairfax Man Battles Rare Disease

Matthew Moody saysthat his mother, Maria,saved his life when hewas diagnosed withGoodpasture Syndromein 2011.

Photos by Abigail Constantino/The Connection

Marcus Garcia, of Fairfax, organized 15 la-crosse teams in a tournament bringing aware-ness to kidney diseases. Proceeds will go to-wards the American Kidney Fund.

For More InformationNational Kidney Foundation, https://

www.kidney.org/American Kidney Fund, http://

www.kidneyfund.org/Goodpasture Syndrome, https://

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000142.htm

By Tim Peterson

The Connection

Springfield resident Tim Swicord’sparents met at West Point, theUnited States Military Academy,and then both served in the U.S.

Army. “They sacrificed,” said Swicord, insixth grade at Sangster Elementary School.“You could either do it or you couldn’t. Theymade the decision.”

Swicord said he thinks it’s important forall veterans to be honored for choosing toserve in the military like his parents did. Hisis one of 155 military families out of 655

total with students attending Sangster.To honor those parents either actively serv-

ing or retired from the military, Sangsterhosted an annual Veterans Day program themorning of Nov. 11.

PRINCIPAL Lisa Reddel spoke to studentsseated facing the front of the school undergleaming fall sunshine: “Veterans are veryimportant to this nation, this community, thisschool and me personally,” she said. Reddeladded that her father and husband’s fatherboth served in the military.

Veterans set an example for tomorrow’s

leaders, Reddel said, exhibiting “honor, citi-zenship, patriotism and bravery.”

“Freedom is not free,” she concluded.“Freedom comes from a veteran.”

The program included musical perfor-mances of “On Veterans Day” and “God BlessAmerica” by the school choir and handbells,and a reading of Ruth Apperton Rous’ poem“I am the Flag.”

A color guard of Lt. Col Jon O’Gorman,U.S. Marine Corps, Commander RobertLewis, U.S. Navy, Lt. Col. Arie Richards, U.S.Army and Col. Lance Landrum, U.S. AirForce, raised the American flag on the polein front of the school.

After the program concluded, studentsreturned to their classrooms. Each room wasscheduled to have a veteran visit and talkabout their role in the military.

Commander Robert Lewis, U.S. Navy,planned to visit the classes of his sonsHayden and Connor and talk about some ofthe things the Navy does. “It’s a great honorto see them in action,” he said. “I hope itleaves a lasting impression not only withthem, but their classmates.”

For sixth grade student John Richards,Veterans Day has a special meaning becausehis father, grandfather and great-grandfatherhave all served in the U.S. military. “It’s my

chance to really learn about what my fam-ily did,” said Richards, who added that hisgreat-grandfather served in World War IIunder Gen. George Patton.

Richards’ family recently moved to north-ern Virginia from Kentucky because his fa-ther took a new post with the U.S. Army. Towelcome and support military families thatare new to the area, Sangster has a militaryspouses group to help with the transition.

“We have a different perspective at thisschool,” said Maria DeHay, president of thespouses group, “having such a big militarypopulation. The students live with this ev-ery day.”

But whether or not their parents are inthe military, DeHay thinks the school’s Vet-erans Day program and classroom visits areimportant for all the students.

“It’s a great way for kids and the staff tohonor veterans,” she said.

“They’re gaining an understanding of whatpatriotism is, the sacrifices these peoplemake with their lives. It helps them visual-ize that.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION or to con-nect with DeHay and the Sangster militaryspouses group, [email protected].

Students in the Sangster Elementary School choir sing to celebrate Veter-ans Day on Nov. 11.

Sangster Elementary School Principal Lisa Reddel reminds students that“Freedom is not free; freedom comes from a veteran.”

Parents and representatives from all the U.S. military branches standbefore Sangster Elementary School Students during a special Veter-ans Day program.

Sangster Elementary School honors veterans with annual musical program.“They Sacrificed”

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Calendar

Send notes to the Connection [email protected] or call703-778-9416. The deadline is the Fridayprior to the next paper’s publication.Dated announcements should be submit-ted at least two weeks prior to the event.

OngoingInaugural Workhouse Glass

National 2015. Through Jan. 17. W-16, Vulcan Gallery, Workhouse ArtsCenter, 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton.Join for the family-friendly exhibitionsof glass art and the opening reception onTuesday, Nov. 10, 6-8 p.m.workhousearts.org, 703-585-2900.

FCPS Art Teachers Exhibition.Nov. 14-Dec. 6. W-16 McGuireWoodsGallery, Workhouse Arts Center, 9518Workhouse Way, Lorton. Join for theexhibitions by the FCPS best art teachers.Discover the breadth of talent found inFCPS as you view works by art teachers.The exhibit will feature various media,unified by the artist’s passion to educate.workhousearts.org. 703-585-2900.

Sue Grace Art Exhibition. Nov.14-Dec. 6. Workhouse Arts Center, Build-ing W-10 Gallery, 9601 Ox Road, Lorton.Her paintings share the experience of giv-ing birth, explore the bridge betweenabstract and figurative expression.G r a c e f a m i l y 9 9 9 @ v e r i z o n . n e t .www.workhousearts.org. 703-585-2900.

THURSDAY/NOV. 26Turkey Trot for Parkinson’s. 9 a.m.

Burke Lake Park, 7315 Ox Road,Fairfax Station. 5K Run/Walk andOne-mile gobble wobble to benefitthe Michael J. Fox Foundation forParkinson’s Research.www.WestSpringfieldRunning.com.

SATURDAY/NOV. 28Donuts with Santa. 11 a.m.-12:15

p.m. W-16, Vulcan Gallery,Workhouse Arts Center, 9518Workhouse Way, Lorton. Santa isreturning for a wonderful family eventjust in time for the holidays. JoinSanta and his helpers for a specialexperience at Donuts With Santa.Each ticket holder will enjoy twodoughnuts and a choice of juice orcoffee while Santa and his elves reada classic Christmas story and lead afun-filled family sing-a-long. $20.workhousearts.org. 703-585-2900.

Children’s Theatre: “TheNutcracker.” 1-2:15 p.m. and 3-4:15 p.m. W-3 Theatre, WorkhouseArts Center, 9518 Workhouse Way,Lorton. Presented by Mestey FilmsProductions. Playwright VianlixMestey produces an original re-tellingof the favorite holiday story in playform. Running time 75 minutes withone intermission. All ages. $9-$13.workhousearts.org. 703-585-2900.

Workhouse Winter Wonderland. 3-7 p.m. Full campus, Workhouse ArtsCenter, 9518 Workhouse Way,Lorton. Join and celebrate theholiday season creatively. Get intothe holiday spirit by taking a specialdate or the whole family on amagical sleigh bell ride around ourhistoric campus in horse-drawncarriages. Enjoy delicious holidaytreats such as s’mores and roastedchestnuts by the fire. Free.workhousearts.org. 703-585-2900.

“A Chanticleer Christmas.” 8 p.m.George Mason Center for the Arts,4373 Pond Drive, Fairfax. An eveningof ancient hymns, venerated sacredsongs, contemporary classics, gospelspirituals and treasured Americanand European carols, all performedwith Chanticleer’s lush harmoniesand impeccable technique. $32-$54,half-price for children and youththrough grade 12. cfa.gmu.edu. 888-945-2468.

TUESDAY/DEC. 1

10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-4p.m. Christ Lutheran Church, 3810Meredith Drive, Fairfax. Fifth yearwith Norwegian café, Fjord horses,live music, Nordic Dancers,Norwegian food products and goods.Local Nordic artisans. Waffle,krumkake, lefse demos, baked goodsand Kransekake sales. Free.www.norwaydc.org. 703-573-5943.

SATURDAY/DEC. 5City of Fairfax Festival of Lights

and Carols. 11:30-7 p.m. Old TownHall, 3999 University Drive, Fairfax.Come enjoy live holiday music, hotcider, s’mores by the Yule log, pettingfarm, Ferris wheel, caroling andlighting of the Christmas tree in thewinter wonderland. Visitwww.fairfaxva.gov/about-us/special-events/festival-of-lights-and-carolsfor times and locations.

Lunch with Santa. 11:30 a.m., 12:30p.m. Old Town Hall, 3999 UniversityDrive, Fairfax. Have lunch withSanta. $6. Parents free. Ages 10 andunder. Visit www.fairfaxva.gov forticket information or call 703-385-7858.

Santa’s Workshop. 1-5 p.m.Springfield Methodist Church, 7047Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield.Come out to Santa’s Workshop forcrafts, cookie and cupcakedecorating, storytime, a cake walk,letter writing to Santa and more.Additional fee for refreshments andphotos with Santa. $5. Children 12and below. [email protected].

A Celtic Christmas with Síor-Óg.7:30 p.m. Old Town Hall, 3999University Drive, Fairfax. City ofFairfax Commission on the Arts

See Calendar, Page 11

By Cecily Wolfe

Flint Hill School

“There is no suchthing as naturalbeauty,” said the

sign on the back wall of Truvy’sBeauty Salon. While there maybe some truth in that, one shouldalso take this slogan with a grainof salt. After all, is there not natu-ral beauty in laughter and infriendship? That was up to theaudience to decide once the play“Steel Magnolias” began at Rob-ert E. Lee High School.

Written by Robert Harling,“Steel Magnolias” premiered off-Broadway on March 28, 1987,and went on to enjoy an iconicfilm adaption in 1989 and a brieffive-month run on Broadway in2005. A tribute to Harling’s sister,who died of type-one diabetes,“Steel Magnolias” is a wonderfulstory set in the 1980s about sixLouisiania women of differentages and perspectives who gatherat Truvy’s Beauty Spot, looking forgossip and reassurance as theymove through both joyful andtragic stages in their lives.

The six young women from LeeHigh School handled this delicatebalance between comedy anddrama with exceptional maturity.Ellie Milewski (M’Lynn) embodieda constantly anxious mother, inter-spersing a rational tone with theslightly strained quaver. By allow-ing her placid appearance to some-times slip during moments of dis-belief and grief, Milewski easilyconveyed those times when shewas putting on a brave face, evenas grief and worry consumed her.The relationship between Milewskiand Remy Thompson (Shelby), herdaughter, was quite realistic.Milewski acted the collected, expe-rienced, albeit somewhat overbear-ing mother, while Thompson char-acterized Shelby through with aflighty nature and enthusiasticnaiveté, painting the picture of ayoung woman who still had notfully let go of her girlish fantasies.

While these two shared tense

arguments and affectionate hugsand looks, other actresses helpedto bring levity to such serious situ-ations. Michele Zelaya (Truvy) ranher beauty salon with flair, alwaysready to raise an eyebrow over thelatest gossip or assert her opinionson everything from marriage to thebest nail polish color. Acting largelyas a foil to her flamboyant boss,Skyler Estrella (Annelle) adeptlytransitioned from an awkwardteenage girl too shy to look peoplein the eye to a daring youngwoman then on to a devout reli-gious convert who prayed at thedrop of a hat. Kiana Burch’s(Ouiser) gruff and abrasive man-ner as the neighborhood misan-thrope highlighted her shift into amore compassionate person as shesoftened her words and personal-ity. Finally, Bethel Elias (Clairee)fully committed to her role as anolder, yet no less classy or spirited,Southern woman. Her slow drawl,stately gait, and quick-witted jabsdemonstrated her confidence andcommitment to Clairee’s laid-backand humorous outlook.

Aspects such as the lighting,makeup and sound mirrored thetone of the scenes and differenti-ated among characters. Though thelighting largely remained the samethroughout, the bright fluorescentlights of the beauty parlor addedan element of constancy to the con-tinually changing dynamics amongthe women. In contrast, makeupranged from shades of bright pinkto barely there, and incorporatedsubtle changes in keeping witheach character’s age and prefer-ences. The occasional song re-flected both upbeat and poignantmoments.

Overall, Robert E. Lee HighSchool’s production of “SteelMagnolia”s was a moving renditionof this classic. The composure ofthese six young women and theirhilarious yet heartbreaking conver-sations with each other remindedthe audience that, as Shelby says,“Life goes on,” and there will al-ways be beauty in friendship andlove.

Beauty in Friendship

Tiny Tots Concert. 10 a.m. 7 p.m.Robert E. Lee High School, 6540Franconia Road, Springfield. JoinRobert E. Lee High School Band andDrama for their annual Tiny Totsconcert featuring favorite charactersand seasonal selections. $2. 703-663-0185.

THURSDAY/DEC. 3Tap Takeover with Devil’s

Backbone Brewing Company. 4-8 p.m. Wood Ranch BBQ and Grill,Springfield Town Center, 6797Springfield, Mall, Springfield. Samplethe happy hour menu along withspecial brews from DBB includingBravo 4pt Session IPA, Schwartz BierBlack Lager and the distinctiveSmokehaus Lager, an aromaticamber. RSVP 703-307-3977 [email protected].

THURSDAY-SUNDAY/DEC. 3-6Library Holiday Book Sale. Dec. 3,

3-9 p.m. Dec. 4-5, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.Dec. 6, noon-2 p.m. Richard ByrdLibrary, 7250 Commerce St.,Springfield. Come and find thoseperfect books, CDs and DVDs for yourholiday shopping. Whether it’s a cutelittle book to put a gift card in, acraft/hobby book for your favoriteaunt or that special gift for mom, dador the little ones–there are offeringsgalore waiting for you. Purchases willhelp fund valuable library children’sprograms. Bag sale on Sunday. Formore information, please [email protected] or 703-451-8055. TTY 703-324-8365.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/DEC. 4-5Norwegian Festival/Bazaar. Friday,

Chanticleer, hailed as “the world’s reigning male chorus,”performs at George Mason’s Center for the Arts on Satur-day, Nov. 28.

Chanticleer, hailed as “the world’s reigning male chorus,”performs at George Mason’s Center for the Arts on Satur-day, Nov. 28.

Photo by John Milewski

From left: Remy Thompson, Michele Zelaya andBethel Elias in Robert E. Lee High School’s ‘SteelMagnolias.’


12/6/15C

12/6/15

C

To AdvertiseYour Community

of Worship,Call 703-778-9418

bbCOMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP

Looking for a New Place of Worship?Visit Antioch Baptist Church!

703-425-0710 • www.antioch-church.org

All Are Welcome!Sunday Worship 8, 9:30 & 11:30 a.m.Sunday School for Children & Adults 9:30 a.m.Married Couples Sunday School 11:30 a.m.

6531 Little Ox Road, Fairfax Station, VA 22039

Twinbrooke Centre • 9565 Braddock RoadOpen 7 Days • 703-425-1855 • Like us on Facebook

GIFTS TO GO!Wrapped and ready

for you.

sponsors the seventh annual Christmasconcert. Adults $5.00 and Children12 and under free.www.fairfaxarts.org.

Art Guild of Clifton Holiday Show.2-7 p.m. Clifton Presbyterian Church,12748 Richards Lane, Clifton. Afeature of this year’s show will beinstruction and craft demos for youthvisitors. They will be able to use avariety of papers and stamping tocreate Holiday cards and giftaccessories suitable for their giftgiving. www.artguildofclifton.org.

Clifton Tree Lighting. 6 p.m. AyreSquare. Campfire, marshmallowroast, carols. www.clifton-va.com.

Concerts from Kirkwood-Marcolivia. 3 p.m. KirkwoodPresbyterian church, 8336 CarrleighParkway, Springfield. Award-winningviolin and violin/viola duo. Theconcert will feature season music inthe folk traditions of America andEastern Europe. Free.www.kirkwoodpres.com.

SATURDAYS/DEC. 5, 12, 19Donuts with Santa. 11 a.m.-12:15

p.m. W-16, Vulcan Gallery,Workhouse Arts Center, 9518Workhouse Way, Lorton. Santa isreturning for a wonderful familyevent just in time for the holidays!Join Santa and his helpers for a

special experience at Donuts WithSanta. Each ticket holder will enjoytwo doughnuts and a choice of juiceor coffee while Santa and his Elvesread a classic Christmas story andlead a fun-filled family sing-a-long.$20. workhousearts.org. 703-585-2900.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/DEC. 4-5, 11-12Popular Christmas Drama. Call for

times. Harvester PresbyterianChurch, 7800 Rolling Road,Springfield. “The Best ChristmasPageant Ever” play by BarbaraRobinson. Show suitable for all ages.$6-$20. 703-455-7800.

From

Calendar

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Sports

The No. 2-seed Lake Braddock foot-ball team secured a trip to the 6ANorth region semifinals, beating

No. 7 Battlefield 13-10 on Nov. 20 in Burke.Two days later, Bruins running back

Lamont Atkins made a decision about hisfootball and academic future.

Atkins, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound junior,committed to Vanderbilt University on Sun-day. Atkins has been a primary option inthe Lake Braddock offense and figures tobe a key contributor when Lake Braddockhosts No. 3 Westfield in the 6A North re-gion semifinals at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday,Nov. 28.

It’s the third straight season the two teamshave met in the region semifinals, withWestfield winning each of the last two years.

Atkins recently participated in a Q&A withThe Connection, discussing his commitmentto Vanderbilt, Lake Braddock’s upcomingmatchup with Westfield and his Thanksgiv-ing plans.

Q: You committed to Vanderbilt on Sun-day, correct?

Atkins: Yes. I visited for the game Satur-day and stayed to meet all the coaches andtour the facilities and campus Sunday. Atthe end of the day, I committed to the coach-ing staff.

Q: What made Vanderbilt the right choicefor you?

Atkins: I knew Vanderbilt was the rightchoice for me before I even visited for the

weekend. They are the No. 15 NationalUniversity in the nation and [head] coach[Derek] Mason makes academics a top pri-ority for the players. I also enjoyed the per-sonalities of all the coaches. They care fortheir athletes as they would their own kids.They hold you accountable to being aVanderbilt man and encourage you to belimitless. I also couldn’t pass up an oppor-tunity to compete in the SEC.

Q: For what position did Vanderbilt re-cruit you?

Atkins: I was recruited to play runningback.

Q: Lake Braddock pulled out a 13-10 win

over Battlefield last week in thequarterfinals. How do you feel your teamplayed?

Atkins: Battlefield was a great team andplayed well on both sides of the ball. I wasproud of my entire team because everyonefought hard for four quarters and pulled outa close victory.

Q: Now you face a Westfield program thathas beaten Lake Braddock in the regionsemifinals each of the last two years. Whatwill it take to beat the Bulldogs?

Atkins: Westfield is a great team and theymay have the best defense in the state. Wehave to execute our game plan and play

error-free football to beat them.Q: You guys will practice on Thanksgiv-

ing, correct? What time? How long?Atkins: Yes, we will practice from 8:30 to

11:30.Q: What are your plans for Thanksgiving

day?Atkins: After practice, a few of the par-

ents will prepare a real nice brunch for us.It’s a privilege to be practicing and havinga meal with your team on Thanksgivingbecause it means your state championshipdreams are still there.

Q: What is your favorite Thanksgivingfood?

Atkins: I like the fried turkey and mymom’s sweet potato pie.

Q: With the football season still going,will you have to make sure you don’t eattoo much?

Atkins: Don’t worry, we have practice at8:30 Friday morning and I’m sure we willrun it off.

Q: Do you or your family participate inany sports-related Thanksgiving traditions?

Atkins: We do not. My mom is the varsityteam mom and leads most of the prepara-tion for the team brunch. My dad and littlebrother will be helping her out too, alongwith a lot of the other families. After prac-tice and the brunch, we’re all tired so wenormally just hang out around the houseand watch movies.

— Jon Roetman

Lake Braddock Football to Host Westfield Q&A: RB Atkinscommits to Vanderbilt.

LakeBraddock

runningback

LamontAtkins

recentlycommitted

to playfootball atVanderbiltUniversity.

Photo by

Craig

Sterbutzel

The Connection

Springfield Connection Sports Editor Jon Roetman

703-752-4031 or [email protected]

The South County football teamremained undefeated and se-cured a spot in the 6A Northregion final four thanks in part

to another big night from senior runningback DeMarcus Ramsey.

Ramsey carried 30 times for 155 yardsand two touchdowns, according to stats onmaxpreps.com, helping the top-seed Stal-lions defeat No. 9 West Potomac 42-9 in theregion quarterfinals on Nov. 20 at SouthCounty High School.

Ramsey has now rushed for 1,407 yardsand 20 touchdowns in 12 games, while av-eraging 5.9 yards per carry. Friday’s perfor-mance was the seventh time Ramsey sur-passed the 100-yard mark this season, in-cluding a 228-yard, four-touchdown effortagainst T.C. Williams on Oct. 1. He rushedfor 184 yards and four touchdowns againstAnnandale on Oct. 23, and went for 157yards and two scores during the Stallions’33-30 overtime victory against LakeBraddock on Nov. 6.

The 6-foot, 220-pound ball carrier willhave a chance to add to his totals when

South County (12-0) hosts No. 5-seedRobinson (9-3) in the region semifinalsat1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28. The Ramsare on a five-game win streak and have wonseven of their last eight games. Robinsondefeated No. 13 Chantilly 31-24 in thequarterfinals on Friday.

Advancing this far in the playoffs meansSouth County will practice on Thanksgiv-ing. Ramsey recently took part in a Q&Awith The Connection, sharing his thoughtsabout the win over West Potomac,Saturday’s matchup with Robinson, and hisplans for the upcoming holiday.

Q: South County defeated West Potomac42-9 last week in the quarterfinals. How doyou feel your team played?

Ramsey: I definitely believe we playedbetter. We also for the first time had lessthan 10 penalties, so I think if we can keepthat up we’ll be that much better.

Q: You had 30 carries last week againstWest Potomac. As a running back, howmany carries do you feel you need in a gamebefore you’re performing at your highestlevel?

Ramsey: As a running back, I’m startingoff at my highest level and finishing at myhighest. So it can even be 1-5 carries; I’llmake sure I give the best I’ve got.

Q: Next up for South County is a semifi-nal matchup with Robinson. What will ittake to beat the Rams?

Ramsey: It’ll take guts, it’ll take pride, it’ll

take a Stallion Nation.Q: Does being undefeated at this point in

the season place additional pressure on theteam?

Ramsey: Being undefeated at this pointin the season does put additional pressureon the team because we know we have alot of eyes on us just waiting to see us fail.

Q: The team will practice on Thanksgiv-ing, correct? What time? How long?

Ramsey: We practice on Thanksgivingmorning from 7-10 a.m., including meet-ings, so for about two hours.

Q: What are your plans for ThanksgivingDay?

Ramsey: My plans for Thanksgiving Dayare to wake up early in the morning andget what I need to get done with my team,then enjoy the day with my family.

Q: What is your favorite Thanksgivingfood?

Ramsey: My favorite Thanksgiving foodwould honestly be the gumbo my dad hasbeen making since I was little because he’sfrom Louisiana.

Q: With the football season still going,will you have to make sure you don’t eattoo much?

Ramsey: No, that’s actually the least ofmy worries. I should be eating way muchmore than I’ve been doing, so that’s some-thing I’ve been making sure to work on withthe fact that we’ve been doing so much run-ning.

— Jon Roetman

South County to Host Robinson in 6A North SemifinalsQ&A: RB Ramseyenjoys father’sgumbo onThanksgiving.

Runningback

DeMarcusRamsey and

the SouthCounty

football teamwill host

Robinson inthe 6A Northregion semi-

finals at 1:30p.m. on

Saturday,Nov. 28.

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Quality Tree Service& Landscaping

Reasonable prices. Licensed & insured.

24 Hour EmergencyTree Service

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A&S Landscaping

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We Accept All Major Credit CardsLicensed, Insured, Bonded • Free Estimates • Class A Lic

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EmploymentEmployment

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Educational InternshipsUnusual opportunity to learnmany aspects of the newspa-per business. Internshipsavailable in reporting, pho-tography, research, graphics.Opportunities for students,and for adults consideringchange of career. Unpaid.E-mail [email protected]


Zone 2 Ad Deadline:

Tuesday Noon

703-778-9411

ClassifiedClassifiedZone 2: • Burke

• Fairfax • Springfield

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21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements

GOT DEER?Problem Solved!

Avid Bow Hunter with over 40 years experience. All harvested deer donated to

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Latinos como tú sirviendo a nuestra comunidad

703-444-7804www.VAGoldBuyers.com

21580Atlantic Blvd.

#120Sterling,VA 20166

• We are Local• We Buy Gold, Silver and Diamonds• Over 40,000 Satisfied Customers• We are Licensed and Specialize in State Sales

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26 Antiques 26 Antiques

JENNIFER SMITH ❖ Serving the Area Since 1995

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For a free digital sub-scription to one or allof the 15 ConnectionNewspapers, go towww.connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

Complete digital rep-lica of the print edition,including photos andads, delivered weeklyto your e-mail box.

Questions? E-mail:[email protected]

CLASSIFIEDDEADLINESZones 1, 5, 6 ....................Mon @ noonZones 2, 3, 4 ....................Tues @ noon

E-mail ad with zone choices to: [email protected] or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

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ZONESZone 1: The Reston Connection The Oak Hill/Herndon ConnectionZone 2: The Springfield Connection The Burke Connection The Fairfax Connection The Fairfax Station/Clifton/ Lorton ConnectionZone 3: The Alexandria Gazette Packet

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The Vienna/OaktonConnection

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An expert is someone who knowssome of the

worst mistakesthat can bemade in his

subject and howto avoid them.

-WernerHeisenberg

Send notes to the Connection [email protected] or call 703-778-9416. Deadline is Friday. Datedannouncements should be submitted at least twoweeks prior to the event.

Clifton Presbyterian Church is offering a GriefSupport Group. Offered for eight sessions onThursdays from Dec. 3-Feb. 3 from 10:30 a.m.-noon for those who have experienced a recentdeath and loss in their lives. This group will offera safe and supportive place for participants to ex-plore ways to walk the journey of grief and to“wrestle” with difficult, and sometimes unanswer-able, questions. Dec. 3, 10, 17; Jan. 7, 12, 21, 28;Feb. 3. Clifton Presbyterian Church is located at12748 Richards Lane, Clifton. [email protected].

Fairfax Baptist Temple, at the corner ofFairfax County Parkway and Burke Lake Roads,holds a bible study fellowship at 9 a.m. Sundaysfollowed by a 10 a.m. worship service. Nursery careand children’s church also provided. 6401 Mission-ary Lane, Fairfax Station, 703-323-8100 orwww.fbtministries.org.

First Baptist Church of Springfield offersSunday school at 9:15 a.m., followed by a 10:30a.m. worship service at 7300 Gary St., Springfield.703-451-1500 or www.fbcspringfield.org.

Clifton Presbyterian Church , 12748Richards Lane, Clifton, offers Sunday worship ser-vices at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Nursery care isprovided. Christian education for all ages is at 9:45a.m. 703-830-3175.

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 8304Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield, offers casualworship services on Saturday evenings at 5:30 p.m.featuring contemporary music. More traditionalservices take place on Sunday mornings at 8:15and 11 a.m. Sunday School is from 9:45-10:45 a.m.for children and adults. The church also offers dis-cussion groups for adults. 703-451-5855 orwww.poplc.org.

St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church,6720 Union Mill Road, Clifton, conducts Sundaymasses at 7:30 a.m., 8:45 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and12:30 p.m. It also offers a Saturday vigil at 5:30p.m. and a Thursday Latin mass at 7 p.m. 703-817-1770 or www.st-andrew.org.

Kirkwood Presbyterian Church, 8336Carrleigh Parkway in Springfield, supports a Moth-ers of Preschoolers (MOPS) program on the firstand third Wednesday of each month. Meetings are9:30-11:30 a.m. at the church. All mothers andchildren are welcome. The program provides moth-ers an opportunity to get to know other mothersthrough discussions and craft activities. Register.703-451-5320.

Franconia United Methodist Church, 6037Franconia Road, Alexandria, offers traditional Sun-day church services at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. plusSunday School classes for all ages at 9:45 a.m.Childcare is available 8:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Therewill be a Terry Hall Concert on Saturday, April 14at 4 p.m. with old spirituals, classic hymns, south-ern gospel favorites and more. 703-971-5151 [email protected] orwww.franconiaumc.org.

Arabic Bible Baptist Church is located at6428 Ox Road in Fairfax Station. Services are onSaturdays at 6:30 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m. Pas-tor: Wissam Jamil. Call 703-273-5599.

A casual worship service with a praise bandis at 9:45 a.m. at Sydenstricker United MethodistChurch, 8508 Hooes Road in Springfield.www.sumcdisciples.org or 703-451-8223.

Calvary Hill Baptist Church, 9301 LittleRiver Turnpike in Fairfax, conducts practice in theSanctuary every Wednesday at 7 p.m. All are wel-come. 703-323-1347

The Fairfax Church of Christ, 3901 RugbyRoad in Fairfax, has facilitators available to helpthose who are experiencing a separation or divorce.703-63-200 or www.fxcc.org.

Faith Notes


By John Byrd

A coalition of local remodelers andhome improvement suppliers areset to repair the deck and wheel-chair ramp surrounding the

home of Dixie Dawson, a long term Cliftonresident with spina bifida.

Dawson, who lives alone in the house herfather built in the early 1960s, was the ben-eficiary of the second annual Remodeler’sCharity Tour which was held Nov. 7. Thetour was sponsored by Sun Design Remod-

eling with participation from TW Perry, Ce-dar Electric, MR Contracting and Trex.

The repairs, which will include extensiveupgrades to the wheelchair-accessible deck,as well as improvements to the home’s elec-tric system and chimney, will occur on Dec.12. All materials and labor are being do-nated by participating contractors. Thevalue of the repairs is estimated at $25,000.

Dawson credits childhood friend, JanayeRaper Lawson, with initiating the processthat led to her receiving the needed assis-tance. Lawson knew about last year’s char-

ity tour (which helped a local widow re-pair the driveway to her home) and con-tacted Christina Gallagher, wife of Sun De-sign principal Bob Gallagher. Two dayslater, Gallagher dropped by Dawson’shome.

“I just thought there must be a way thata community as old and close-knit as ourscan aid one of its own,” says Gallagher,who grew up in the area where his fatherpracticed medicine.

“My company has learned a lot fromdoing tours of recently remodeled homes;

this seems like a logical way to draw atten-tion to someone in the community we couldhelp.”

The tour, which focused on a Sun Designproject in the Balmoral section of Clifton,provided an opportunity for locals to makea contribution to Dawson. It also firmed upthe professional support needed to executethe repairs.

John Byrd ([email protected] orwww.HomeFrontsNews.com) has been writing sto-ries about community interest topics for 30 years.

Home remodeler Bob Gallagher, who grew up near Clifton, organized abenefit to help Dixie Dawson with repairs to her house including a deckand wheelchair ramp. The repairs are set for Dec. 12. Dawson, who hasspina bifida, has lived most of her life in the rambler off PopesheadRoad her father built in the early 1960s. Gallagher is a principal at SunDesign Remodeling. The Dawson house.

Remodelers, Suppliers Join Forces to Help Clifton WomanSun Design Remodeling and partners donate services to upgradedeck and wheelchair ramp for local woman with spina bifida.

To ContributeThose who wish to make a contribution to the

Dawson repair effort may do so at: https://www.youcaring.com/dixid-dawson-449502

How did the King James Versionof the Bible come to be? In aone-day exhibition celebrating

International Bible Day on Nov. 23,Springfield resident and historian BruceSlawter showcased several ancient Biblepages and explained some of the book’sorigin story.

The exhibition took place at FirstChurch of Christ, Scientist in Springfield,where Slawter is a member and “firstreader.” Not to be confused with theChurch of Scientology, the Christian Sci-ence Church was founded by Mary BakerEddy in 1879. Members follow the Bibleand Eddy’s interpretation of it as theirspiritual basis.

Slawter of Springfield has alway beeninterested in history and is a “firstreader” at the First Church of Christ,Scientist. In 2011, the 400th birthday ofthe King James Bible, Slawter said was“the big push” to pursue Bible historyscholarship as he was teaching college-age Sunday School at the church.

Questions of how the King James Ver-

sion of the Bible came about compelledSlawter to contact the Folger ShakespeareLibrary and begin work on his own exhibi-tion. Slawter connected with vendors andcollectors online, and came into possessionof several historic pieces he had verified byexperts at Folger.

His pieces include a page from the Will-iam Tyndale New Testament, from around1526, the first English translation from the

original Greek; the Matthew Bible, circa1537, a first edition from Antwerp printedwith movable type on rag-cotton linen; andthe Geneva Bible, circa 1560, by EnglishProtestants who fled England.

The primary collection of Slawter con-cludes with a page from the 1611 first edi-tion of the King James Version, the culmi-nation of work from six different compa-nies exchanging drafts, peer reviews and

circulating corrections before a generalreview committee and senior review.

“It’s considered one of the greatestcollaborative efforts of scholarship inhistory,” Slawter said.

Slawter managed an open house at thechurch during the day and led a moredetailed talk that evening. Seeing thepages first hand has given him a moreprofound perspective on his own schol-arship.

“It makes you appreciate the dedica-tion of the forerunners of Biblical schol-arship,” Slawter said. “Many of theseindividuals were martyred for theirviews, like Tyndale, who asked for hisstylus and his Hebrew dictionary so hecould work on translating right up untilhis execution.”

“You wonder whether you would havethat sort of faith, that courage, today,”Slawter added.

First Church of Christ, Scientist is lo-cated at 5315 Backlick Road in Spring-field.

—Tim Peterson

Special Bible Exhibit at First Church of Christ, ScientistBruce

Slawter ofSpringfield

presents anexhibition

and talk onthe history

of the Bibleat First

Church ofChrist,

Scientist inSpringfield.

Pho

to

by Tim

Peterso

n/T

he C

on

nectio

n

Season of Giving

Pho

to

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ntributed

“no small deed”

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