Help A-SPAN with their Cornhole Tournament

A-SPAN is having a Cornhole Tournament this Sunday, March 25^th and they are looking for 12-15 volunteers over the age of 21 to help them run the event. It will be held in Gateway Park in Rosslyn. Here’s the link to the event: www.victorytoss.com.

There are two shifts:

1)      11:30am – 2pm

2)      2pm – 4:30pm

The volunteer stations/tasks will be:

·         Checking IDs and giving out wristbands

·         Selling drink tickets

·         Pouring drinks

If you are interested in helping at the Cornhole Tournament, please email Sarah at smorse@a-span.org or call her at 828-429-2128.

Volunteering on Ice

A modified version of this post was originally shared on Voluntary Happiness.

About two years ago, I reached out to Arlington County's Therapeutic Recreation Office to see if they had any opportunities that might work well for the Community Volunteer Network. At the time, I was started to take a more active role in the group and helping individuals with disabilities was missing from the group's activities.

The first activity the group approached us to help with was a family ice skating night. Truth be told, I cannot really ice skate. I can propel myself slowly across the ice by moving my right leg just a few inches at a time and keeping my arms straight out to the side for balance. Fortunately, my fellow volunteers came through and most of them were able to take the lead.

Last year, the opportunity came up again, but rather than fear the ice as I had done last year, I went in with a big smile determined to set a good example. Before long, I was on the ice with a tiny hand holding my left hand with all her might. She looked up at me with an expression that said both "Come on grown-up, let's go!" and "Please don't let me fall." With a nod from a fellow volunteer, I pushed off from the wall and we slowly made our way around the rink. Neither one of us fell and before long, she was doing just fine on her own. I helped a few more kids that evening and even did a few rounds on my own. It wasn't fast and I never really learned how to stop, aside from just running into the wall, but I was having fun and so were the kids.

The event is coming up again this year. Will I be there? Absolutely! And this time, I have a renewed sense of confidence to share with the kids. 

If you'd like to volunteer with Therapeutic Recreation (same group I wrote about before with #1: We Ask That You Be Patient), CVN is helping out for the ice skate night on Friday, March 16th, and there are a few open slots. Please note that they have enough volunteers to help off the ice, so a skill level slightly higher than mine will be helpful!

Also, to get involved long-term, some of their opportunities are listed on Volunteer Arlington in the Parks & Recreation  list. Or, let me know what you'd like to do and I'll put you in touch with the right person.

A Volunteer's Perspective: Family Ice Skate Night

On a warm and breezy March day CVN members gathered at Kettler Iceplex to work with Therapeutic Recreation for their family fun night…on ice!  After a quick sign-in we were briefed by April who gave us numerous pointers on how to assist fledgling skaters and the different jobs we could undertake on and off the ice.  We were reminded that tying tight laces was particularly important as it’s quite tricky to learn to skate on a loose foundation…so true!  The skill levels of volunteers and participants varied on the ice, which made for an excellent learning environment.  Some were hesitant, others charged ahead, but most importantly fun was had by all - and we never required the use of the med kit!  Huzzah!  CVN members were literally cheered as we bid goodbye to our event hosts.  Afterwards we nabbed a few photos with the nearby hockey player cut-outs and headed to Rock Bottom for a swell social outing to round off the night.  Final verdict:  icetastic!

-- Dan Bronson

Volunteer Leader Opportunity

Over the past year, I have had the pleasure to serve as CVN’s Monthly Volunteer Committee (MVC) Chair overseeing our one-time volunteer events. I would like to share my experience with you in the hope that you might decide to get involved with the Monthly Volunteering Committee as a Lead or as the new Monthly Volunteer Chair.

I came into this position hoping to learn more about Arlington County, gain real experience planning and executing volunteer events, and to meet lots of interesting and kind people. Luckily, I was able to do all of these things.

Learning about Arlington – As MVC, I was able to interact with dozens of non-profits serving the Arlington community. Each time I communicated with these non-profit leaders or attended a volunteer event, I was able to learn about the work that they do and how they address a particular need in Arlington. For instance, I started the position thinking that homelessness was a D.C. problem that didn’t really affect Arlington. Through working with the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN), I learned that there are many Arlingtonians in need of a home and was able to provide help: whether through direct service at the Emergency Winter Shelter or by helping raise money at A-SPAN’s annual fundraising gala. I also learned about gang prevention activities, enrichment activities for individuals with disabilities, Arlington’s emergency preparedness efforts, and efforts to clean-up Arlington’s environment. Each of these experiences has given me a better understanding of Arlington and armed me with the knowledge to make a greater impact on the community.

Volunteer event planning – Before serving as MVC, I had little experience planning volunteer events and my level of confidence in this area was shaky at best. However, with help from the rest of the CVN leadership team, I was able to quickly learn best practices for planning and executing volunteer events which eventually enabled me to help train other volunteer leaders. I feel very confident now in my ability to manage large groups of volunteers in sometimes challenging and stressful situations. CVN does a great job giving new leaders the support and help they need to rise to the occasion and help empower new leaders.

Meeting great people – Lastly, although I am stepping down from a leadership team position for the time being, I am very grateful to have met and worked with such a great cohort of individuals both on the leadership team and the Monthly Volunteering Committee. Additionally, I was able to meet and get to know so many kind and thoughtful people at meet-ups and volunteer events. CVN is made up of so many inspiring people who give up their time to make a difference and I am so glad I had the opportunity to work along side them.

If you have read this far, I really encourage you to consider getting involved in CVN’s monthly volunteer events as a leader; whether as the Monthly Volunteer Chair for 2011, a member of the Monthly Volunteering Committee, or as the leader for a volunteer event of interest to you. There are so many exciting possibilities within CVN to make a difference, learn about your community, gain real experience, and meet awesome people and I hope you will take advantage of them.

If you have any questions or would like to get more involved, please email cvn.m.volunteering@gmail.com or come to a meet-up and talk to a leadership team member.

Sincerely,

Kellen MacBeth

Former Monthly Volunteer Chair

Volunteering With Community Volunteer Network at the Help the Homeless Gala

This blog post was originally published on Sharon Tewksbury-Bloom's blog, Service Driven.  It has been reposted here with permission from the author.

Last Thursday night, Jay and I volunteered together for the first time in a long time.  We signed up through Community Volunteer Network to volunteer for the 5th Annual Help the Homeless Holiday Gala hosted by Arlington's Street People's Assistance Network (A-SPAN).

Photo by Carl Clifford

NOTE: More Great PHOTOS from Carl Clifford on Flickr.

A-SPAN

I had come to learn about A-SPAN's work through their Director of Development, Jan Sacharko, who is very active on social media and has really amplified the voice of A-SPAN in the short time he has worked there.  Although Arlington is well known for its high median incomes and low unemployment rate (around 4% even during this Great Recession), affordable housing and homelessness are still issues that face many Arlingtonians.  Many families are one pink slip or health crisis away from losing everything they have.  A strong safety net is vital so that children's lives are not uprooted and so that men do not freeze to death on the streets in our community.  These are real consequences  of a broken support structure that I became aware of in the last community we lived in.  Arlington manages to keep the safety net intact with a lot of dedication from individuals like those present at Thursday night's gala.

Interested in giving to A-SPAN?



Interested in volunteering with A-SPAN?

Our Volunteer Experience

As a volunteer experience, Thursday night was primarily positive (and would have been overwhelmingly positive if we had been able to arrive sooner and enjoy the event more).  CVN offers a great way for young people like Jay and I to volunteer on a flexible schedule with people that we know.  They have an ongoing calendar of volunteer events as well as happy hours where you can meet other volunteers.  Through my position at Volunteer Arlington I have worked closely with CVN for 2.5 years so we knew most of the CVN volunteers working Thursday night.

The event was split into two shifts, which is absolutely crucial for special events.  First, big events take a lot of energy and therefore a 2 or 2.5 hour shift is long enough (especially since all of the volunteers were coming straight from a full day of work).  Also, one of the main attractors to volunteering for a special event is getting to take part in it for free.  The shifts allowed us to participate before or after our volunteering was complete.  This is great for the organization as well, since none of us would have been able to afford the $100 ticket, but now that we know what the event is about we could spread the word next year or maybe attend in the future when we earn more money.

Jay staffing the front entrance of Artisphere for the Gala

Jay and I were stationed at the front entrance.  We welcomed guests, answered questions, and opened doors.  This role suits me well since I enjoy direct customer service.  Jay said he felt out of his element at a "gala", but he was excellent at the job and seemed to enjoy himself.

Recommendations

For next year, or for similar gala events I would recommend:

Offer a service club the opportunity to coordinate the coat check in exchange for keeping any tips they make.  Two volunteers handled the coat check and turned away tips all night.  They did not feel comfortable taking any money, but the guests did not mind paying and that would have been a great way to raise more money for the cause or for another community group.

The bulk of the money raised came from auctions (silent and live).  There is a lot of interesting social science behind raising the most money from an auction which is worth researching.  For example, in a live auction, should you have the auction items get steadily more valuable?  How many auction items are ideal for netting the greatest amount of money and good will from your donors?  What is the effect on giving when large donors are publicly recognized in front of their peers at the event?  Are there methods for real time feedback to the participants about who is bidding, how much, and why they give?  In addition to the giving itself, how can the payment process be streamlined so that donors have a positive experience throughout the event?

CVN has actually volunteered at several fundraisers that featured auctions this year.  We have discussed how CVN volunteers could serve as volunteer consultants to the nonprofits based on our first-hand knowledge of auctions and what we have observed to work best.

Thank You Letter from Community Residences

Just received this thank you letter in the mail from Community Residences for CVN's fall clean up project earlier this month.  

How You Can Help this Holiday Season

The Holidays are a great time to give back to your community. Many local non-profits and community agencies are offering special ways to serve during the November and December Holidays:

• Register for Holiday Volunteer Projects
• Browse Thanksgiving Opportunities
• Browse December Holiday Opportunities

Some of the volunteer opportunities that I would likely to highlight include:

Tuesday, Wednesday, November 23rd & 24th, Prep Work for the 5th Annual Turkey Trot - Volunteers are needed at the Pacers Running Store in Clarendon to help stuff registration packets and prepare materials for the Turkey Trot fundraising run.

Thursday, November 25th, Turkey Trot Race Day Volunteers - If you are a runner, consider getting up early on Thanksgiving to run or walk in this fun community event in north Arlington.  If you are not into running, then you can support the runners by helping to set up or hand out water, etc.

Thursday, November 25th, Put the GIVING in Thanksgiving - The Holiday Project is a group that organizes visits to nursing homes around the holidays.  They will be visiting a nursing home in the Pentagon City area on Thanksgiving Day from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm.

Saturday, December 11th - YMCA Arlington Breakfast With Santa - Come out to the YMCA (only 4 blocks from Clarendon metro!) and celebrate with Santa and families of Arlington. This is a family oriented event with a pancake breakfast and photos with Santa.

Friday, December 17th, Project Christmas Angel with OAR -
Project Christmas Angel, led by a local non-profit Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR), is an annual event that helps provide gifts for the children of incarcerated parents. At the wrapping party, we will hand-pick gifts based upon ideas from parents, wrap them, and prepare them to be delivered. There will also be refreshments and lots of holiday music! CVN has helped out at this event for a few years now and it's always been a lot of fun.

Saturday, December 25th - Holiday Project Visiting Nursing Homes - The Holiday Project will be bringing a group to Potomac Center in Crystal City from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm on Christmas Day.  Come along to spread some cheer to elderly residents that may not have family visiting.  More details on their website: http://www.holidayproject.org/html/visit_list.html


Throughout December:

Secret Santas Needed - Donate gift cards to the Department of Human Services for distribution to kids in foster care, elderly residents, and families in need.  Please deliver, mail, or bring to CVN's December Meetup.  Gift cards needed by 12/18/10.

Santa's Elves at Ballston Common Mall - This is a fun way to help kids and benefit a local service club.  Sign up with your friends or significant other to dress as elves and help Santa at the mall.  There are two hour time slots available every weekend starting on day after Thanksgiving to December 24th with the exemption of the last week in December.  Details on shifts are available here: http://arlingtonjaycees.ning.com/events/photos-with-santa-2010

There are two different nonprofits that are staffing the holiday gift wrap tables at Barnes & Noble locations around northern Virginia.  

Holiday Gift Wrapping to Benefit the Literacy Council
There are three hour time slots available at the Clarendon location on Sunday December 19th.  There are also three hour time slots available at the Pentagon area location on Saturday December 11th, Sunday December 12th, evening of Tuesday December 14th, evening of Friday December 17th, Saturday December 18th, Sunday December 19th, and the evening of Thursday December 23rd.

Gift Wrapping for The Reading Connection
There are three hour evening time slots still available at the Clarendon location on: December 23rd and Christmas Eve.  There are many other shifts available at other locations and during the day time: http://www.signupschedule.com/trcgiftwrap

Non-profit Spotlight: Community Residences

Community Residences, Inc. (CR) is nonprofit organization that provides community-based transitional, long-term residential, and independent living support services for adults in one or more of the following situations: diagnosis of mental illness, an intellectual or developmental disability, and homelessness.

CR provides a number of services for youth and adults, including: residential group homes, community integration and support, intermediate care facilities, and assisted living care.

On Saturday, November 13th, volunteers from Community Volunteer Network are joining together to help prepare the yards of five CR homes for winter. We’ll be raking and picking up trash and debris. Afterward, we will meet at Front Page (Ballston) to relax and meet fellow volunteers.

This is our biggest event of the year and it takes dozens of volunteers to get all of the work done. If you’d like to help out, please sign up here: http://bit.ly/CommunityResidences.

Also, if you’re part of a group that would like to help out, please email cvn.chair@gmail.com. One Brick’s Washington, D.C. chapter has already signed up to help, and we’d love to work with more organizations!

CVN's Adopted Area at Gulf Branch Nature Center - This Saturday

This Saturday, CVN is going back to our Adopted Area at Gulf Branch Nature Center in north Arlington.  Wondering what you have to look forward to?  Check out these pictures and video for a sneak peak.  And then, please sign up to help out from 10:30 am - 1:00 pm this Saturday!  

ADOPT AN AREA SIGN UP PAGE

Emergency Preparedness - Everyone Has a Role

Everyone knows that the key to surviving any disaster or emergency is being adequately prepared. Whether the emergency is a house fire, car accident, flood, or terrorist attack, the same general principles of preparedness apply. During National Preparedness Month (September), it’s important for every Arlingtonian to take a second look at his or her level of preparedness in order to know what types of emergencies or disasters he or she is likely to face and be prepared to face them.

On September 25, CVN volunteers will have an opportunity to assist Arlington County prepare for a disaster by assessing its capacity to manage spontaneous volunteers in the aftermath of a major incident. By acting as these spontaneous volunteers during a simulated volunteer screening and processing, CVNers will be able to help ensure that our own community is prepared to face the next disaster. Volunteer Arlington is partnering with the Medical Reserve Corps for this exercise and the lessons learned will help the county prepare to respond to a host of other emergency scenarios. Local governments across Northern Virginia will be hosting similar exercises.

Just as every individual and family should take this month to examine their own level of preparedness by reviewing fire evacuation plans, restocking emergency supply kits, testing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, to name a few, across the country, government at all levels are doing the same to ensure that their constituents will be safe when the next disaster or emergency strikes. Any opportunity for you to contribute your time or talents to make your community safer and more prepared, is worthwhile. I hope you will join me on September 25th to make Arlington safer. See you there!

For more information about the Arlington County’s upcoming emergency exercise please contact cvn.admin@gmail.com or sign up at http://bit.ly/arlingtonexercise.

A Volunteer’s Perspective: Arlington Youth Soccer Tournament

On Saturday, June 19^th, there was a great soccer tournament for at-risk youth at Arlington’s Washington-Lee High School. The event took place on one of the first great summer days - one that was sunny with few clouds and fortunately, it lacked the dreaded DC humidity. The school’s newly renovated soccer fields made for great competition between the students and its spacious cafeteria provided a great setting for a break from sport to enjoy lunchtime conversations. That is where CVN comes in.

After introductions among the volunteers and setting up tables I waited for the tournament to adjourn and the players to rush inside for lunch. After everyone found seats, I wound up at a table with 4 diverse students, all of different nationalities who looked exhausted from their workout, but like any teenager they still had energy for more. Over a lunch of chicken breast and potatoes, I discussed with them the issues surrounding gangs, and let them share their gang related stories and knowledge. At first I was given a sarcastic reaction as the players did not seem interested in discussing gang issues and were still more focused on soccer. Being a fan of Gangland on the History Channel, I was able to share stories of the gang, The Latin Kings, who are from my home of New York. This prompted them to share their own personal experiences. I thought my History Channel background was rather in depth, but I was shocked to learn that each of the students knew a lot more about gangs than I did. Luckily, for their sake, the students said that they never been approached by a gang before, and their stories were mainly learned through gang stories that were told to them. While the four in my group were not in gangs, other tables had students whose brothers and sisters were in gangs so they were able to express the negative impacts they felt from their siblings' associations.

In the end, I felt that I had thoroughly expressed the dangers associated with gangs enough times to bore my group. So, I then went on to discuss their personal interests, and even went as far as teasing them about the U.S. making it further in the World Cup than their national team. After the lunch I was asked by my group to watch them as the soccer tournament resumed. In the end it felt worthwhile knowing the impact that I had and seeing the enjoyment created by the event. Afterward, all the volunteers met to share similar thoughts and stories. This was my favorite event so far, and I hope to share many more experiences like this one through CVN.

- Bryon Miller

Bryon is a leader on the Monthly Volunteering Committee. On September 26th, he will lead a mini-walk with Arlingtonians Meeting Emergency Needs. For more information, click here.

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

Being a Community Leader

There are, no doubt, many different reasons why young adults decide to become involved with the Community Volunteer Network (CVN). Some may want to meet new people, develop new friendships, volunteer with a like-minded group, or just give something back. A central commonality, though, is a commitment, conscious or not, to serving one’s community. It’s this community service that drives CVN volunteers to give up their evenings after work and their precious weekend hours to make a difference in Arlington in a shared vision for a brighter tomorrow.

Part of CVN’s mission is to cultivate community leaders—individuals who understand the needs of their community and actively work to address them. Thus, the opportunity to work with volunteers to identify their talents and discover ways in which these can be used to improve the community, is essential to CVN’s continued community relevance.

On Tuesday, July 27 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm, CVN is offering its volunteers an opportunity to discover the new ways in which they can positively impact their community. CVN’s Volunteer Leader Training will engage volunteers in a discussion about CVN’s current efforts within the community, how volunteers can take on new roles to support these efforts, and how these efforts can be expanded to better utilize the talented community leaders currently serving as CVN volunteers.

If you would like to take the next step toward becoming a community leader, come out to the Volunteer Leader Training. You can sign-up at http://bit.ly/2010CVNLeaders or email any questions to cvn.m.volunteering@gmail.com.

I hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Kellen

__

Kellen MacBeth

Monthly Volunteer Chair

Video: Gang Prevention Youth Soccer

Check out Community Volunteer Network at the Gang Prevention Youth Soccer Tournament.  When you see the young adults in blue shirts... that's us!

CVN Monthly Update

CVN Chair’s Report Last month, the Honorable Walter Tejada invited members of the Community Volunteer Network to speak at the Arlington County Board Meeting.  With 6 years of volunteering behind us and many more to look forward to, we had a lot to share!  In preparing for the presentation, we focused on our accomplishments over the last year, which was full of change in our structure and leadership.  Since so many of you played a part in this, I wanted to pass along some of our greatest accomplishments: In 2009, we had 22 volunteer events; this year, we've already surpassed that number! In 2009, 177 unique CVN volunteers contributed 784 hours of service to the community. Our blog, The CVN Forum, was launched in May 2010; we've already had more than 300 visits to the site and over 30 posts. Under our previous structure, the leadership team consisted of four individuals; we now have over 15, including our four Committee Chairs and the members of each committee. Finally, in 2009, over 60 hours of training was provided to volunteer leaders. In celebration of our awesome volunteers, we are holding our annual Summer Celebration on Tuesday, July 13th, from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. at Hard Times Cafe in Clarendon.  At this "All Star" event, we will present awards to our MVPs, hear from a local community leader, and enjoy free food and sodas.  Whether you volunteer every weekend, once in a while, or are just starting out with us, all volunteers are encouraged to attend!   Thank you for volunteering with CVN!  Hope to see you soon! Tiffany	Find us on the web
	Community Calendar Monday, July 5th - Join Young Government Leaders & AmeriCorps for a beautification project at Bon Air Park Saturday, July 17th – Free Open House at Signature Theater in Shirlington Saturday, July 31st - Our Task’s Summer Conference, “Inter-Generational Dialogues: Our Earth, Our Future.”  Register by July 16th. Check out our calendar here. Find other volunteering opportunities you might be interested in here.
Upcoming CVN Events Photo from last year's Summer Celebration at the Arlington Arts Center. Summer Celebration at Hard Times Café - Tuesday, July 13, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. | We hope that our “All Star” volunteers will come out for CVN’s annual Summer Celebration at Hard Times Café (back bar - upper floor). Wear your favorite sports team apparel, school colors, or CVN shirt and enjoy a night celebrating all that we have accomplished over the last year. To show our appreciation for all the hours of volunteering you have put in, we will have complimentary food and soda. We will also be presenting MVP awards to our top volunteers. This is not an event to miss! Whether you have been an all star or taken a back seat this year, we would love to have you and show the strength of CVN. Find out more, RSVP: Summer Celebration or email cvn.social@gmail.com. APAH Family Picnic & Backpack Giveaway - Saturday, July 24, 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. | CVN has been invited back to volunteer at the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing's (APAH) Family Picnic and Backpack Giveaway for the residents of their Buchanan Gardens Apartments. Volunteers will be help set up, distribute food, help with children's activities (craft table and games), and clean up. If you love kids, this is a great opportunity to positively interact with children in a fun and safe environment! Find out more, RSVP: APAH Family Fun Day Recurring Volunteering @ Cherrydale - July 24, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. | TimeSlips is a creative storytelling method that helps people with dementia reaffirm their humanity and connect with staff, family, and friends. CVN volunteers, along with Creative Community Connections, will lead the TimeSlips sessions at Cherrydale Rehabilitation Center. Find out more, RSVP: Timeslips at Cherrydale Recurring Volunteering @ ATS Community Garden - July 25, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. | Come check out this CVN recurring event—helping maintain and improve the schoolyard garden at Arlington Traditional School. You’ll enjoy an active afternoon and a fun, dynamic group interested in small-space gardening, local food, and environmental ed. If you haven’t attended before, contact Brynn Slate to get details on this and other related activities—field trips, discussions, shared meals, and more! Find out more, RSVP: Community Garden Recurring Volunteering @ AFAC - July 31, 12:30-2:30 | Help Arlington Food Assistance Center (in Shirlington) by bagging rice, beans, produce, and other bulk items. It's a two-hour shift and a part of CVN's recurring volunteering initiative with AFAC. We have six slots available, and since this is one of our recurring events, please only sign up if you're interested in volunteering on a regular basis. Find out more, RSVP: AFAC Food Bagging	Last Month’s Recap CVN Kickball Team CVN Kicks Grass ended the regular season with a 2-5 record, not bad for our very first season.  We might not have won our division, but we definitely had the most fun, showing up for the last game of regular season play in costume (check out Facebook for a picture).  We will have spots available for a team next spring (or possibly again this fall) and would love to have more CVNers join our roster.  If you're interested in joining future kickball efforts, send an email to Social Chair Kelly Corbally at cvn.social@gmail.com.  Gulf BranchNatureCenter Invasive Plant Pull A team of five CVNers pulled invasive weeds on a beautiful Saturday morning in June.  The clean-up took place in an area that has been adopted by CVN.  When the weather cools off, we'll head back to Gulf Branch to do more work in our area. Arlington Youth Soccer Tournament  During a break from the World Cup action, CVN helped out at the Arlington County Gang Task Force's Annual Youth Soccer Tournament.  Two volunteers helped serve the athletes lunch, while the rest of the group facilitated small group discussions about gang activity and resources needed to help teens stay on the right track.  AFAC Food Bagging   CVN continued it's recurring volunteering event at the Arlington Food Assistance in June.  We helped bag rice, beans, oatmeal, and produce to be distributed to Arlingtonians in need of groceries for their families.    Gardening at ArlingtonTraditionalSchool   Since March, CVN volunteers have been working with students, parents, and staff members to maintain the garden at ArlingtonTraditionSchool.  The school keeps a detailed blog of everyone's progress and, as shared recently on the CVN Forum, the gardeners have a ton of fun.
From the CVN Forum Five Reasons to Get out and Garden with CVN What makes volunteering with the school garden crew at Arlington Traditional School so much fun? Besides the draws of working outdoors and giving back to the community, there are many more reasons to come check it out. Read on for five of the best reasons you may not have known about. 1. See your new friends more than once. We’ve all been to CVN events where we meet cool people, but then don’t get a chance to hang out with them again. Since the ATS garden crew meets twice a month for work days, you’ll be more than Facebook friends! 2. Get your hands on a pick axe. Want to wield more than a mouse? We’ve got you covered. The garden crew gets the chance to use lots of fun tools—from pick axes for piercing those layers of clay and gravel, to 6-foot pry bars for levering out plant roots. You’ll be glad you got out of that desk chair. 3. Learn soccer skills from a 10 year old. Garden work days aren’t all about plants and soil. Regular volunteer Dan took a break from digging and weeding to challenge ATS 4th grader Maya to a soccer shootout and found out that scoring 100 points against a 10 year old isn’t as easy as it sounds. 4. Watch your work bloom. The Japanese quince bush that we dug up and replanted on our first work day in March is thriving in its new home near the school’s entrance. The bush’s bright salmon-colored flowers regularly remind us of the positive impact we’re having at ATS. 5. Eat (and drink) local. Monthly social gatherings keep garden volunteers connected and offer opportunities to gab and grub it up. This month we’re meeting at Willow on June 25 to sip Virginia wine  and sample small plates created with local food. Perfect for a summer evening! To learn more, contact event lead Brynn Slate at brynngslate@yahoo.com. View photos from our latest work day. Or just come on out to our next work days: June 19 from 9-11 a.m. and June 27 from 2-4 p.m. Read more about the ATS garden. See you soon!  Brynn Slate Recurring Volunteer Committee Community Volunteer Network (CVN) Read other posts at: http://arlingtoncvn.blogspot.com
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CVN Volunteers Needed for two events this weekend!

We've got a busy month and many volunteer opportunities to fill.  Are you available this weekend?  We are still looking for 21 more volunteers, so I hope you can join us.  Sign up below:

 

First Event: The American Heart Association's Heart's Delight, a premiere wine tasting fundraiser, needs your help with their silent auction. Volunteer to support this worthwhile cause and have some fun!

Day/date: Saturday, May 8

Time: 6:00 - 10:00 pm

Where: 2500 Calvert Street NW, Washington DC (Omni Shore Hotel)

Number of volunteers needed: 9

Find out more, RSVP: http://bit.ly/heartsdelight

Please email cheryl.hackley@gmail.com with any questions!

                                                                

Second Event: The Arlington Food Assistence Center (AFAC) needs help with their biggest food drive of the year, the Letter Carriers Food Drive. Volunteers will be sorting and packing food (be prepared to do some heavy-lifting!) to be distributed to the families that depend on their aid.

 

Day/date: Sunday, May 9

Time: 2:30 - 5:30 pm

Where: 2708 S. Nelson Street, Arlington, VA

Number of volunteers needed: 12

Find out more, RSVP: http://bit.ly/AFACLetterCarrierFoodDrive

Please email CVN.m.volunteering@gmail.com with any questions!

 

 

Thanks!

 

Kellen

 

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Kellen M. MacBeth

Monthly Volunteer Chair

Community Volunteer Network (CVN)

CVN.m.volunteering@gmail.com