Arlington County Fair: More Than Fun and Games!

The Arlington County Fair kicked off yesterday at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center. With tons of food, crazy rides, and live entertainment, there's a lot to get excited about. However, there's a lesser known side of the Fair that takes place inside the gymnasium that is definitely worth a visit. In addition to arts and crafts booths and businesses, a number of local non-profits are on site to discuss their mission and upcoming volunteer opportunities. Essentially, it's a one-stop-shop to see the array of what Arlington has to offer and how we can give back.

When looking through the list of non-profits who will be at the Fair, it's great to see how many of them have welcomed CVN as volunteers in the past. There are also many organizations we have never worked with. I encourage you to go to the fair and visit all of these groups -- you never know what volunteer opportunity might arise out of a short conversation.

Here is a short list of groups CVN has helped in the past or is planning to work with soon. If you've volunteered with them before, let them know. I bet they'd be happy to see you again!

Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC): CVN has a recurring event with AFAC where we help bag rice, beans, oatmeal, produce and other items the center buys in bulk. In fact, there is an event coming up this Saturday: http://tinyurl.com/afacrec. At their booth, they will be collecting donations of non-perishable food. Donations seem to pick up in the fall and winter, but there is a great need throughout the year.

Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) of Northern Virginia: CVN will be helping children with spin art at SCAN's booth on Saturday and Sunday: http://bit.ly/aWlI83. No prior experience is necessary, just a fun attitude!

Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment: CVN has helped ACE with stream clean-ups in the past, including the well-publicized event earlier this month where volunteers found a goat head!

Arlington Committee of 100: Starting in September, the Committee of 100 will be back with its monthly dinner meetings that include discussions of local, regional, and state interest. We hope to partner with the Committee of 100 for an educational event later this year.

Arlington YMCA: This fall, CVN will team up with the Arlington YMCA for the first time. We plan to help the YMCA host a haunted house for local children around Halloween.

If you visit the Fair and learn about a new opportunity that may be a good fit for CVN, please let us know!

Hope to see you there!

Tiffany