2016 Eakin Philanthropy Award

 

The Fairfax County Park Foundation board of directors selected the recipients of the 2016 Eakin Philanthropy Award.  The award recognizes significant financial or in-kind contributions, projects with broad, long-term benefit to the community, and visionary contributions which create new programs or facilities and provide a new approach to addressing community needs. 

 

Rachel Harris founded Let's Help Kids (LHK) in 2010 at the age of six to

help elementary school-aged children whose families are experiencing financial hardship by providing them with special items or experiences that they otherwise could not afford. Jen Sterling, chair of the LHK Board of Directors and Rachel's mother, is a former FCPF Board Director and provided pro-bono design services through her company, RedThinking. Since 2011, LHK has donated $8,300 to Rec-PAC summer camps and PACT (Parks and Community Together) camp scholarships for children in homeless shelters and supportive housing. 

   

Since 2001, Northrop Grumman has provided donations of nearly $110,000 to the Park Foundation to support programs such as the Land Preservation Fund and the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) program at Hidden Oaks Nature Center. Its donations also provided funds for Burke Lake Park, Frying Pan Farm Park and the Movin' & Groovin' play area at Clemyjontri Park. The corporation provided seating at events, reducing the registration cost to FCPF representatives and sponsored a 2016 Volunteer Workday at Hidden Oaks Nature Center as part of the MWEE program.

The Ruth & Hal Launders Charitable Trust partnered with the FCPA to create The Arrowbrook Centre Park in Herndon. In 2010, Arrowbrook Center, LLC donated 6.4 acres of property with site improvements including a lighted synthetic field, a picnic pavilion with restrooms, a basketball court, two lighted tennis courts, a bocce court, a playground and trails. Since 2014, the trust has donated $50,000 to fund the Music at Arrowbrook Park Summer Entertainment Series.

 

 

Thank you, Penn State Summer Intern!

 

Kelsey Blystone is a rising senior at the Pennsylvania State University where she is studying Health Policy and Administration. A native to Fairfax County with a passion for non-profit work led her to be the developmental intern for the Fairfax County Park Foundation.

 

Kelsey's key projects include:

• assessing the levels of healthy food options in the 9 FCPA RECenters;
• helping with the planning of FCPF Board and Committee meetings and administration;
• assisting with the planning and execution of the 68th Annual 4-H Fair at Frying Pan Farm Park. 
• serving on the Leadership Team for Brewfest. 

 

In partnership with Celebrate Fairfax, Visit Fairfax, and Fairfax County Government, the Workhouse Arts Center is presenting its inaugural BrewFest. The event will feature nearly 100 craft brews by 30 breweries. We are excited to highlight many of our local brewers. The day will feature a dozen bands performing on three stages, numerous food trucks, lawn games, and of course, our artists will be in their galleries which will be open for you to explore.

 

Please note that General Admission ticket prices for Brewfest increase on Thursday, August 11th, the final day to purchase Hop Star and VIP tickets.

FCPF Finance Administrator Retires

Cindi Steger says it will be a bittersweet day when she retires as a key member of the Fairfax County Park Foundation's lean staff complement of 3. She's ready to move on to the next stage of her life, but says that there's a lot she will miss about the 13 years she has spent helping the Park Authority in her role as Finance Administrator for the Foundation.

Steger's institutional knowledge of the Park Foundation will be missed. She has worked with four executive directors during her tenure. Since working at the Park Foundation donations have increased eightfold from $105,000 to more than $800,000 per year!

Cindi said one of her biggest accomplishments was converting to a paperless office. While it took three years to complete, the dozens of binders and multiple file cabinets that used to crowd the small foundation office are no longer needed.

Cindi has been training her replacement, Mary Shields, and will continue working until the Foundation's annual independent audit is completed.

Cindi and her husband will be moving to a new lakefront home near Charlotte, North Carolina and are looking forward to living closer to their children and grandchildren.

Welcome, Mary Shields!

Mary Shields is the new Finance Administrator for the Fairfax County Park Foundation. Her responsibilities include managing the Foundation's accounts reconciliation, matching gifts, thanking donors, audit preparation, budget and financial reporting.

 

Prior to joining the Park Foundation in 2016, Mary worked at American Target Advertising, Inc., a direct mail marketing agency for ten years. Her experience includes financial management, direct response, direct marketing, production coordination and executive administrative support.

 

Mary is a native of Fairfax County and graduated from Fairfax High School and received her B.A. in Business Administration from George Mason University. She now resides in Fauquier County with her husband, three young boys and a newly added puppy.

 

Go to the Drive-in at Starlight Cinema

   

Come join Starlight Cinema and the Fairfax County Park Authority as we relive a tradition that was gone too soon. The big screen, the cool air and your choice of sitting in the comfort of your own car or under the night sky. Come to the drive-in movies, bring your chairs and blankets and sit outside free of charge. The joys of the old-school drive-in, with movies all ages will love, will bring the community and your family together. Gates will open at 6 p.m. and picture time is at dark on Saturday evenings in August.

 

On Saturday, August 13, Inside Out is playing. You can watch Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwestern existence when her father starts a new job in San Francisco, struggle to adjust to a new life.

 

The Good Dinosaur will be showing on August 20. Join an Apatosaurus who forms a distant and accidental relationship with a brave young primitive boy. This is a world that dinosaurs successfully live in until the Prehistoric age.

 

On August 27, Home is the story of a loveable misfit from another planet. Follow the adventure as he lands on Earth and finds himself on the run from his own people. Luckily, he forms an unlikely friendship with an adventurous girl who is on a quest of her own.

 

Starlight Cinema will take place at Trinity Centre located at 5860 Trinity Centre Parkway, in Centreville VA. For more information call 703-324-7469 or visit online at Summer Entertainment Series.  

Discovery Trail Map program

 

While summer vacation will soon be ending there is still time for park visitors under the age of 17 to complete the requirements to win one of three high quality bicycles and safety helmets by participating in the Discovery Trail Map program's 2016 Presidential Edition. 

  All entries must be submitted not later than September 5, 2016.   

 

Thanks to Spokes, etc. for donating the  bicycles and helmet prizes for the lucky winners.  The winners will be notified by phone in early September.

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