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CHAIRMAN'S NOTE
Here we are, sandwiched between Memorial Day and Independence Day!
Warmer weather, the end of the school year, outdoor dining options, and summer vacations consume us. Our May Thirsty Thursday event at Fairwinds Brewing Company was well attended, and, at last check, we were still looking to nail down a T3 spot for June. In the meantime, be safe!
SFCC Chairman
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Get Involved in ParaFest
Opportunities are available to get involved in the Lorton Independence Day Parade & Festival (aka ParaFest) as a sponsor, exhibitor, food vendor, performer or volunteer. The event, which is hosted by the Lorton Volunteer Fire Department, will kick off at 2 p.m. on July 4 with a parade along Lorton Station Boulevard. Following the parade, the festival will begin at 3 p.m. with food, drinks, games, booths and entertainment. Sky lanterns will cap off the celebration at approximately 9 p.m. The festival and sky lanterns will be at the Lorton Station Boulevard strip mall by the Lorton VRE Train Station. Tickets to the festival will be $10. The cost is $5 for members of the military, police department and fire department. Seniors and children three and under are free.
For more information, visit the
event's page on the Lorton Volunteer Fire Department website. Download an application and submit it by June 10 if you'd like to participate in the event. If you have any questions, contact Klude Alyemni at
[email protected]. All proceeds will go to the Lorton Fire & Rescue Station.
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Member Profile - Harbour Grille
The owners of the Harbour Grille are breathing new life into the waterfront restaurant on the Occoquan River in Woodbridge with a recipe that has paid dividends for them at a mirror venue in Fredericksburg. They strive to offer high quality fresh food at a reasonable price with great service in a beautiful waterfront location that is also available for private events.
Click here to read more of the Harbour Grille story with a question and answer by SFCC member Leo LaPointe.
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Fireworks Sponsorships
for June 29 Event
Sponsorships are available for the region's largest pre-Independence Day Fireworks show that will take place at the Workhouse Arts Center on June 29 following a musical performance by the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters. The event will take place from 5-10 p.m. Food trucks, craft beer and fine wine as well as non-alcoholic beverages will be available. Art galleries and studios will remain open until just before the fireworks begin. General admission is free, and parking is $25 per car in advance. VIP tickets are also available and include premium parking, a private live musical performance, a catered meal, complimentary beer and wine and an exclusive outdoor viewing area. For more information, visit the
event website. If you have questions or would like to secure a sponsorship for your organization, contact Elena Romanova, Director of Development, at
[email protected] or at 703-584-2908.
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Welcome To Our New Member!
Welcome to Debbie Sutton of HR Innovative Consulting, which mentors
HR Professionals in performance management, policy implementation, AAP, benefits analyses, compensation, employee relations and strategic planning.
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Special Thanks to the Laurel Hill Golf Club
Our continuing thanks to
Laurel Hill Golf Club and General Manager Ryan Carmen for offering meeting facilities free of charge to the Chamber for our monthly Board of Directors meetings throughout the year.
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Board Member Highlight - Donita Hines
Since 2017, Donita Hines
has served as Volunteer Chief of Lorton Volunteer Fire Department. During her time as Chief, she has overseen a 250 percent growth in operational members of LVFD and has rebuilt and developed community relationships throughout Lorton. Chief Hines directly oversaw the purchase of a $300,000 Medic Ambulance and a $700,000 Fire Engine this past year, both obtained solely through donations and fundraising activities, which will replace the aging apparatus currently in use by the FCFRD career staff. She brought on board an excellent group of Volunteer Leaders from the local community who have taken on roles continuing LVFD's progress. These include a Training Officer who has incorporated a comprehensive training program keeping the volunteers current in their roles as providers, and a Recruiting Officer to develop new stellar volunteers. She initiated new programs at LVFD to serve the Lorton Community, such as CPR instruction and Stop the Bleed classes.
Donita was born in Biloxi, MS and lived there until she joined the USAF in September 1992. After training in Aerospace Physiology, she was stationed at Tyndall AFB, FL from 1992-1995, Kadena AB, Okinawa Japan from 1995-1997, and then Peterson AFB, CO in 1997. Her duties at these bases included training aircrew in aerospace physiology, escape/crash survival, and cabin pressure, and treating dive-related emergencies.
In June 2000, she entered the Bootstrap program, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Colorado Technical University, and was selected to attend Officer Training School. After her Commission as an AF Officer, she was stationed at Maxwell AFB-Gunter Annex, AL, first as a project officer managing the development, test, and application of upgrade software for the Defense Security System computer systems, and then leading an 18-person team as the Program Manager for the $1.5M Precision Measurement Equipment Lab Automated Maintenance System (PAMS).
In 2003, Chief Hines transferred to Los Angeles AFB, CA. She started as Communications Architecture Integration Manager for the Space-Based Infrared Systems (SBIRS) Program Office, and was then named Chief, HEO Operations, Integration and Certification Section. As HEO manager, she led her team to the launch and checkout of the HEO payloads. After a stellar record as HEO Manager, she was hand-selected by the AF 4-Star Program Executive Officer for Space to work directly for him as his SBIRS Staff Director, in charge of the $41B SBIRS portfolio overseeing all technical, fiscal, contract execution, sustainment and modernization activities. She also earned her Master's in Business Administration during this time. As a natural progression from her success, she relocated to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in Chantilly VA in July 2008 in the role of Deputy Chief,
Launch and Integration, Office of Space Launch (OSL). She worked at the NRO until her AF retirement as a Major in Aug 2012.
Upon her retirement, Donita began multiple volunteer activities, including at the Dulles Airport USO, working with animals for Best Friends Animal Society and Fairfax County Animal Shelter, and finally in 2014 with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. She earned her EMT Certification in 2015, and then her Paramedic Certification in 2017.
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