Left to Right: Justin Fairfax, Ed Deitsch, Aneesh Chopra, Jerry Foltz, Reed Heddleston, Ralph Northam, Jeremy McPike
It was standing room only at the Candidate Forum 2013 on April 27th in Clifton. Wonderful to hear and meet our excellent Democratic primary candidates for Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General as well as our candidates for local House races.
Mark Herring (AG Candidate)
John Bell (Del Candidate)
The DWC invites you to join us by participating in our National Day of Service Volunteer project on Saturday, January 19th. Join us and get some fresh air and exercise as we clean up litter along our adopted section of Clifton Road. We will start off a 2 PM. Contact dwcevents@aol.com for details. You do not have to be a DWC member to participate – all are welcome.
Let’s help make this a memorable holiday season for those right here in Fairfax County who need our help! We had a great turnout at our November18th General Meeting and collected many toys and donations for our Holiday Projects, described in a post below. If you missed that meeting, it is not too late…
We will continue with all of our Holiday Project collections for a few more weeks. Toys, gift certificates for older children, and checks for the purchase of new coats will continue until December 10th, and grocery food gift cards for Our Daily Bread (ODB) will be accepted until December 31st.
All donations are tax deductible.
Holiday service projects will be the focus of the next general meeting of the Democratic Women of Clifton. That meeting takes place on Sunday, November 18th, at 3 p.m. The location is the Clifton Community Hall, 12641 Chapel Rd., Clifton, VA 20124. Following a short meeting, at about 4 p.m., the DWC will reconvene at a local restaurant in Clifton for a holiday celebration.
Again this year, the DWC will participate in two great holiday projects with two very worthwhile organizations.
Toy and Coat Drive
For the second year, the DWC is coordinating with Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD) to collect toys for 3,000 needy children throughout Northern Virginia. These donated gifts will be the only ones many of the children receive for Christmas. The toy drive is the highlight of the holiday season for both the first responders and the young gift recipients.
In addition to toys, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department will accept monetary donations to purchase coats for area children. Last year, the department distributed nearly 3,000 new coats to more than 50 schools, shelters, and nonprofits throughout Fairfax and Alexandria. The organization observes that “giving these kids a new coat builds such great self-esteem” that it helps them do better in school.
With the monetary donations received, FCFRD will purchase new coats from a nonprofit called Operation Warm out of Chadd Ford, PA, for $15 each. Donations of checks or cash are tax deductible, and receipts will be provided for tax purposes. (No coats, please!)
If you wish to contribute to the toy drive, bring new, unwrapped toys to the November 18th meeting of the DWC. Gift cards from Target or Old Navy are also welcomed for older children, who enjoy selecting their own gifts at these stores. If you can’t make the meeting but want to donate, please contact us to arrange a drop off; gift cards may be mailed to Democratic Women of Clifton, P.O. Box 143, Clifton, VA 20124.
Donations to the coat drive may also be mailed to the DWC, with checks made payable to Firefighters and Friends to the Rescue. The toy and coat distribution event with the FCFRD will be held on December 18th, so we would like to receive your donations to both projects by December 10th.
Grocery Store Gift Card Collection for Our Daily Bread
Also, as in recent years, the DWC is sponsoring a collection of grocery store gift cards to benefit Our Daily Bread, a local nonprofit organization that provides food and assistance to Northern Virginia families experiencing financial hardship. Your gift card donation will be distributed to the families in January. Please bring gift cards of any denomination from any local grocery store or checks payable to Our Daily Bread to the DWC meeting on November 18th or mail them to us at the address above. We will accept these until December 31st.
Questions? Please email us at cliftonwomendems@aol.com.
The DWC invites all Northern Virginia Democratic women to attend our General Meeting on Sunday, October 21st at 3-5 p.m. at the Clifton Community Hall, 12641 Chapel Rd., Clifton, VA 20124. Our topic will be From Distressed to De-Stressed, Wellness Wisdom for Women, featuring speaker Hilaire Henthorne.
At this meeting, the DWC will again collect toiletries and writing materials for the women incarcerated in the Fluvanna Correctional Facility for Women in Charlottesville. See below post for more information on this project.
We will also be hearing from Foxhall Parker Field Director for the Virginia Victory 2012 campaign, which works for all Democratic candidates on the ballot on November 6th – President Obama, Gov. Tim Kaine and Congressmen Connolly and Moran and candidate Kristin Cabral (10th District).
Service Project – Toiletries and Stationery Items Collection
At our general meetings on September 23rd and October 21st, the DWC will collect toiletries and writing materials for the women incarcerated in the Fluvanna Correctional Facility for Women in Charlottesville. Supporting the Kairos Prison Mission, our project will help women who are destitute and receive little outside support. Those who have jobs at the facility earn only $.23 to $.35 per hour. Yet they must pay for all their basic toiletries, which are much more expensive when purchased through the prison than at CVS or Rite Aid. Contributions to the prison residents are allowed during the few weeks prior to the holidays.
Listed below are the items requested. Please note the sizes indicated, as larger items cannot be accepted. We prefer that each “hygiene set” be packaged in a gallon-size zip-lock bag, but separate items will be accepted. A hygiene set should include one of each of the following:
The Prison Mission also seeks donations of stationery materials for the women. These items do not need to be packaged as sets in plastic bags:
Your participation in our women’s prison project will be greatly appreciated. Direct your questions to cliftonwomendems@aol.com. We hope to see you at our September and October meetings!
Sunday, September 23. General Membership Meeting. Topic: Education and the Schools, an open forum featuring Democratic Members of the Fairfax County School Board. 3 – 5 pm.
Sunday, October 7th. Clifton Day. DWC members and Springfield District Democratic Committee will staff the tables from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please let us know if you will be able to take a two-hour shift at the table at cliftonwomendems@aol.com. Rain date is Oct. 14th.
Sunday, November 18. Members meet to work on Holiday Project. 3 – 5 pm.
On Tuesday, June 12th, join the Democratic Women for an informal dinner gathering at Brion’s Grille in Fairfax, 10621 Braddock Road, across from GMU. Half-priced burger night begins at 5 p.m. Vegetarian alternatives are available, too. If you will be joining us, RSVP to dwcevents@aol.com so that we will know how many to expect. This is for members and prospective members only.
Join DWC members, family, and friends (including well-behaved dogs) as we march for our Democratic candidates in the annual Clifton Fourth of July Parade on Wednesday, July 4th. We will gather at the corner of Dell Ave and Main Street at 3:30 p.m. for this short but fun parade, which will begin at 4 p.m. Wear your DWC tee shirts or any other royal blue shirt and white shorts or pants! Contact us at cliftonwomendems@aol.com if you have questions.
All DWC members and their families are invited to attend the Annual Family Picnic on Sunday, May 20th from 4 to 7 p.m.. We will gather at Donna Netschert’s backyard which borders on Clifton Town Park. Please park on Main Street, enter Clifton Park and look for the DWC signs.
Bring a main dish, side dish or dessert to share. Plates, cups, utensils, lemonade and water will be provide. BYOB and a blanket or lawn chairs. Volunteers are needed, so come early for set up, and stay for clean up.
R.S.V.P. what you will be bringing to share and how many will attend to: DWCevents@aol.com