Last Saturday, Reston Association's Volunteer Reston held a day of service to honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. I joined about 50 volunteers to sort toys for The Closet of Greater Herndon. (photo credit: Reston Association) Unfortunately, due to this weekend's storm several other volunteer events were canceled at a time when many of our nonprofits are already being impacted by a volunteer shortage. Like the staff shortage impacting businesses, it is due to the Omicron variant, and the winter weather isn't helping.

If you can, consider giving some of your time to the many nonprofits and organizations that serve our community and most vulnerable neighbors. Most have opportunities to work from home or in smaller groups. As I have mentioned many times in this newsletter, I am awed by the generosity of our Hunter Mill District residents. Please know that your support is very much needed and appreciated! Here are several resources:

Order your free at-home COVID-19 test kit from the federal government at http://covidtests.gov.

The White House is expected to announce today that the federal government will distribute 400 million free high-quality N95 masks, which will be available at pharmacies and community centers in coming weeks. I will provide additional information as it becomes available. Washington Post article.

Booster and Vaccine Update for Teens and Children

My wife Kristina and I are history buffs not only of the Reston area (where we live) but also Fairfax County. There are many of us interested in county history so I wanted to share with you some news about a great resource.

The Library of Virginia has awarded Fairfax Circuit Court more than $20,000 to preserve Court records dating back to the 1700s, including wills, land use records, records of roads and more. The funding is much appreciated! It is remarkable the amount of history you can find at the Circuit Court's Historic Records Center in it's original form – we want to make sure it is preserved. Learn more.

Information on upcoming Reston Comprehensive Plan Study Task Force meetings is below. To learn more about the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study and the task force, visit the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study webpage. Meeting details and agendas will be found here. You can watch live streams of the meetings on YouTube Live, as well as the video archive of all past task force meetings.

The meeting is hosted on the Webex platform. Use this link to attend and participate in the meeting. You will be prompted to register with your email address and ZIP code before logging into meeting. If you prefer to only listen to the meeting, you may call 1-844-621-3956 and use Access Code: 2337 084 2106. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711. More information.

The next TAC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 26, 8 to 10 a.m. The meeting will be hosted on the Webex platform. Use this link to attend and participate in the meeting. You will be prompted to register with your email address and ZIP code before logging into meeting. If you prefer to listen to the meeting on your phone, you may call 1-844-621-3956 and use access code: 2339 304 9083. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711. The HMD TAC meets quarterly on community transportation issues. Topics include road and transit projects and programs (including Fairfax Connector and Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project), trails and sidewalks, legislative and funding information, and a comprehensive project status list. For additional information or to be added to the HMD TAC email list contact: Shyamali Hauth. Watch recent TAC meetings here. 

The Parking Reimagined project aims to evaluate existing parking rates and determine if adjustment of parking rates to meet current demand is appropriate, while also examining Fairfax County's administration of parking regulations. Get updates, including videos of town hall meetings here.

Reston for a Lifetime, an organization that seeks to help the community’s older residents live independently for as long as possible, has an updated website. It includes many added resources, as well as tools to enable neighbors to assist older neighbors who may need help.

     Restonforalifetime.org's extensive local resources allows users to find information on caregiving, healthy aging, legal help, long-term services and supports, paying for care and transportation. 

New infrastructure and facilities, improvements, and technological upgrades are vital to ensuring that the Town of Vienna continues to operate efficiently and thrive as a community. Stay informed and get project updates here.

Snow is in the forecast again, so passing along recommendations from the county on eight places in our neighborhoods to shovel:

A reminder from Jose's dog (photo) to get your annual dog license or renew it by Tuesday, Feb. 1. The fee is $10 per dog, except for service dogs which are given licenses for free.

Learn more.

History of Northern Virginia’s Segregated Libraries, Monday, Jan. 24, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Join the African American Genealogy Special Interest Group of the Fairfax Genealogical Society for this free virtual presentation. To register email Laura Wickstead or call 703-293-2136.

Don’t miss your chance to learn about Reston-area summer camps and out-of-school activities – all in one place! Details at Summer Camp Expo.