"how to keep one's financial affairs in order"

Herndon High in National Business Plan Competition

The Business Management Virtual Enterprise class at Herndon High recently placed first in best sales presentation, first in website design, second in company business card, and fifth in human resource case study during a trade show at Virginia Wesleyan College. The students created the company V-LO Chip, Inc. Their chip is the size of a stamp and can be placed on any item which would allow one to locate a lost, stolen, or misplaced object using a smartphone, laptop, or tablet. It can also be used for medical purposes to locate disoriented loved ones suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease. Team members include Paria Ahmadi, Daniel Cozza, Eduardo Delgado, Bobby Emmons, Bailey Hubble, Anthony Lieu, Stephanie Paendong, Nathan Petrelli, and Sam Sepassi. Team officers also played a part in the success of the competition but did not attend; they traveled to New York City on March 31, to represent Virginia in the National Business Plan competition. Officers are Steven Barbaro, Andrew Ipinza, Robert Koss, Travis Langtry, Andrew Maccini, Sara Pena, and Han Phan.

Donate to Diva Central

To the Editor: On Saturday, March 8, I had the opportunity to volunteer for Reston Community Center’s annual Diva Central Event. Since RCC’s creation of this program twelve years ago, Diva Central has provided a chance for young ladies in our surrounding community the opportunity to shop and select a beautiful prom outfit, complete with gown, wrap, purse, shoes, and jewelry, absolutely free, relieving some of the financial burden of what we all know can be a lavish, and therefore, expensive event.

Arbor Terrace of Herndon Wins 2013 Excellence Award

Arbor Terrace of Herndon was presented with a Senior Advisor Excellence Award for receiving consistently high ratings from residents and their families in 2013. SeniorAdvisor.com is a consumer reviews web site established by A Place for Mom (APFM), the nation’s largest senior living referral service, as a way for seniors and their families to share feedback on senior living communities and services. The inaugural Senior Advisor Excellence Award identifies the top senior living communities who have received an overall average rating of at least 4.5 stars on the site. The award winners were recognized for having the best customer ratings and reviews out of more than 100,000 senior care providers currently on SeniorAdvisor.com. Winners of the Excellence Award are located all over the country and represent the top tier of independent living, assisted living, and Alzheimer’s care communities on the SeniorAdvisor.com website. This exclusive designation places the winners in the top one percent of senior living communities nationwide according to consumers.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Visits the Korean Bell Garden

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority has announced that Kim Moon-Soon, Governor of the Gyeonggi Province of the Republic of Korea, donated $10,000 for the long-term maintenance of the Korean Bell Garden during his recent visit to the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna. Governor Kim has a long standing relationship with the people of Fairfax County and has been an active part of the creation and completion of The Korean Bell Garden. The bell garden was fully funded by donations from the Republic of Korea and the Gyeonggi Province. This is the only traditional Korean garden with a bell in the western hemisphere and the only Korean bell on the east coast. The two--ton “Bell of Harmony” was donated by Governor Kim and the Gyeonggi Province in 2011 and is the jewel of the Bell Garden. The bell combines images of nature from both Korea and Virginia as a symbol of the Korean-American population in this region.

Governor Proposes New Budget

Commentary

In Virginia a governor can serve two terms, but the terms cannot be successive. All newly elected governors of Virginia take office at the beginning of a biennial budget cycle where the outgoing governor has proposed a budget for that cycle. Since the General Assembly is considering the budget when the new governor comes into office, the new governor can attempt to influence the legislature’s consideration of the budget.

Week in Great Falls

Town Hall Meeting on Deer Issues Great Falls Citizens Association will hold a Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the Great Falls Grange, as a Part II - GFCA Deer & Forest Health Program. Part one of this program was held in March when Commonwealth and Fairfax County experts discussed the role of deer in forest degradation, Lyme disease and car collisions. The April 8 program will look at possible solutions * Kristen Sinclair, Fairfax County Park Authority, who will outline deer control in county parks; * Kevin Rose, certified wildlife biologist with the VA Department of Game & Inland Fisheries, who will discuss Commonwealth hunting requirements and non-lethal forms of deer control; and * Jerry Peters, Great Falls resident and founder of Green Fire, who will describe his neighborhood's bow hunting program and the impact on local deer herds. There will be ample time for questions and answers during this public program.

Virginia Champions

Longfellow Middle’s Mathcounts Team defends the title.

Longfellow Middle’s Mathcounts Team successfully defended its title as Virginia’s Mathcounts Champion during competition that took place recently in Richmond. The team of Franklyn Wang, William Sun, Scott Becker, and Aaditya Singh make up the Longfellow Mathcounts team, which is coached by Mary Jo Clark. Wang was the top individual finisher and earned top honors in the Countdown Round. Finishing second in the individual standings was William Sun; Scott Becker finished in sixth place. Wang and Becker will compete for Virginia at the national competition in Orlando in May. Longfellow math teachers Vern Williams, Barbara Burnett, and Jay Gorgia serve as assistant coaches for the team.

Wolftrap Elementary Wins Odyssey of the Mind Competition

Students from Wolftrap Elementary School competed at the NoVa North Odyssey of the Mind Region 9 Tournament, which took place at Oakton High School on March 8.

Paladar Latin Kitchen and Bar Coming to Tysons

The bold and fresh flavors of Latin America will be coming to Tysons when Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar opens its second location in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area on May 9. Paladar, a Cuban term for small, soulful and comforting restaurants that people run out of their homes, will be located at Leesburg Pike and Old Gallows Road in Tysons. The restaurant will feature an American interpretation of the vibrant flavors of Central and South America and the Latin Caribbean, with a special nod to the cuisine of Cuba. The Rum Bar will offer a selection of over 50 rums.

Fairfax County Senior Centers

Senior Centers for Active Adults offer opportunities to make friends, stay on the move, and learn new things. Fairfax County residents age 55 and older may join any of the 13 senior centers sponsored by the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services. Senior centers offer classes, health and wellness programs, computer and internet access, trips and tours, and opportunities to socialize with others and stay connected with your community. There is an annual membership fee of $48 for attending the senior centers. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ncs/srctrs.htm for more.

Register with Arlington’s OSAP ASAP

Arlington County’s Office of Senior Adult Programs (OSAP), a unit of the Deptartment of Parks and Recreation, coordinates activities and programs at the County’s six senior centers and several community centers. It also administers a popular 55+ Travel Program. Arlington residents 55 years of age and older can register for a 55+ Pass with the Office of Senior Adult Programs which gives them access to programs at all of the centers plus free access to exercise facilities from 6:25 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Community Center and Barcroft Sports and Fitness Center. They will also receive a bi-monthly, 36-page magazine (55+ Guide) and be eligible to participate in the travel program. The cost is $20 annually.

Thanks, Coach…

…my Certified Holistic Health Coach, Rebecca Nenner, that is. (Visit www.healthcoachdiva.com for information leading to a healthier lifestyle.) More than a coach, Rebecca is my friend – and has been for many years. A former co-worker at the Connection Newspapers, Rebecca is as passionate about health and fitness as I am about the Boston Red Sox. She has been my guiding hand now for over five years, most especially when I was first diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer back in February, 2009. Although there are no whistles involved in her coaching, there are phone calls, e-mails, YouTube videos, Webinars and miscellaneous other advisories regularly landing in my in box. To say Rebecca has saved my life might be an overstatement, given that I am being treated by an oncologist; however, she has given me an alternate perspective on what I can do to help my body survive my treatment and live like I have a present and a future, a gift if ever there was one.

Artist Puts ‘Priceless Home’ on the Market

Herndon home filled with love and art.

1008 Tyler Street looks like an unassuming brick house from the front. Open the door, however, and art is everywhere. Paintings, photographs, etchings cover the walls of the three-story home.

Herndon In-town Absentee Voting Denied

Mayor, council still have more questions about details.

Authorization to establish an in-person absentee voting location for the Herndon Town Council election fell 6-1. A last-minute resolution ended up denied on Tuesday, March 25 due to the amount of questions the council still had about it so close to the May elections.

A Reston Retrospective

Stories and thoughts by Reston residents as the community turns 50.

Usually, when you ask a number of people to share their thoughts and opinions on any subject, you get as many different answers as the numbers polled. In asking a rather random selection of residents for their thoughts as Reston celebrates its 50th anniversary, coincidentally with the 100th birthday of founder Robert E. Simon, you do get some interestingly different perspectives, but you get an uncanny commonality in their musings, as well. Regardless of where in Reston our commentators reside, the descriptors of "community," "beauty," "amenities," "something for everyone," "a town for all ages," and "protect our core values" were mentioned by all – and more than once during each Reston retrospective conversation.

The Northern Virginia Problem

Top Virginia Universities are harder to get into: checking why and how to help.

Many Northern Virginian students are biting their nails, waiting for their college admission letters this week. But in a sea of overachievers, NoVa students are coming across a pervasive issue with in-state colleges—what is being dubbed the "the Northern Virginia Problem." Many residents of Fairfax, Alexandria City, Loudon, Fauquier, Prince William and Arlington counties are spreading the word that top Virginia universities—the University of Virginia, Washington and Lee and William and Mary are becoming harder and harder to get into.

Comic Satire With a Big Heart

‘The Cripple of Inishmaan’ at the 1st Stage.

Tysons' 1st Stage is giving audiences a terrific evening's entertainment with a talented, engaging cast. The 1st Stage "The Cripple of Inishmaan" is a gem of a production.

Hosting Community on Passover

March 21 reception recognized donation of 100-plus Haggadot from Mike Berger of Vienna.

Passover or Pesach celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. The sacred holiday begins sunset of Monday, April 14, and ends nightfall of Tuesday, April 22. The commemoration begins with the Passover ritual, the Seder, in which followers of the Jewish faith read from the family Haggadah, breaking for a traditional feast. At its core, the Haggadah narrates the story of the Exodus from Egypt. On March 21, the Chabad Tysons Jewish Center, in Vienna, recognized a donation of more than 100 Haggadot [Jewish texts] from Mike Berger, a Vienna resident whose father collected the versions throughout his lifetime.

Spring Fun Starts Now

From food to live entertainment, a bit of something for everyone is available.

Daffodils are peeking through ground snow and the days grow a bit longer each day. It must be spring. The Connection offers this diversity of springtime fun to its readers.

Freeman House Celebrates ‘The Country Store’

Exhibit showcases history of bygone era.

For a hundred years, towns and cities across America depended on their "general" stores – or "country" stores – for food provisions, clothing and dry goods, animal feed and seeds, and small equipment to sustain the community.

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