If you haven’t had time to get your donations in for the Fairfax Fire and Rescue Annual Holiday Toy Drive the deadline of Monday Dec 5th is fast approaching.  

 Please donate

** new unwrapped toys ** or gift cards from Target or Old Navy for older children. Contact us to arrange pick-up by December 5th.  

Grocery store gift card donations for Our Daily Bread will be accepted until December 31st.  Your gift card donation will be distributed to the families in January. 

Mail them to Democratic Women of Clifton, P.O. Box 143, Clifton, VA  20124.

Also, as in past years, the DWC will sponsor a collection of grocery store gift cards to benefit Our Daily Bread, the 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 to the DWC meeting on Sunday or mail to us at the above address.  We will be accepting these until Dec. 31st.

Questions?  Please email us at cliftonwomendems@aol.com.

Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the thirty American servicemen who died in a helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan this past weekend.  Here are some ways in which you can help support the families of these brave servicemen.

The Navy SEAL Foundation helps provide support to families who suffer tragedies.  In Virginia, you can text SEAL to 90999 to donate $10, or you can donate online at www.nswfoundation.org.  The Foundation website states the following:

The loss of the U.S. Navy SEALs in Afghanistan is the kind of news the Navy SEAL Foundation fears—but prepares for in our mission to provide immediate and ongoing support and assistance to the Naval Special Warfare community and their families. When a member of the community falls, the Foundation helps the families with memorial services and defrays the financial costs of travel for immediate family members who live far away. These warriors were at the tip of the spear in the global war on terror, exhibiting extraordinary skill, courage, and commitment. It’s paramount for the Foundation to support their families here at home. When a warrior falls, the Foundation is prepared to take the burden of cost away from the families and help them with planning.

You can also help families affected by the tragedy by donating to the Armed Forces Relief Trust at www.afrtrust.org; the Special Operations Warrior Foundation at www.specialops.org; or the Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation at www.woundedeodwarrior.org. ;

In May of this year, the DWC wrote a post under the heading “Show Your Appreciation of Military Families.”  Please re-read that post and donate some of your time and energy to support our troops and their loved ones.

June 14th is Flag Day and the week beginning on June 12th is National Flag Week.

As President Obama writes:  When the American flag soars, so too does our Nation and the ideals it stands for. We remain committed to defending the liberties and freedoms it represents, and we give special thanks to the members of the Armed Forces who wear our flag proudly. On Flag Day, and during National Flag Week, we celebrate the powerful beacon of hope that our flag has become for us all, and for people around the world.

To read more of the President’s remarks on this subject click here.

May is Military Appreciation Month and DWC encourages our members and the community to become involved with the national Joining Forces program First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden have established to honor and support military spouses and families in our own communities by committing to an act of kindness.   When service men and women serve, their families serve with them and the  DWC  thanks them for what they do for all of us.

Check out the website which explains the program and encourages volunteerism in many areas: http://www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces/

First Lady Maureen McDonnell has established a similar program in Virginia called Serving Our Service Member Families or S.O.S.  Check out:  http://www.sos.virginia.gov/

The new DWC “Fun Bunch” group will gather at the home of a DWC member for an organizational meeting on Sunday, March20th from 3-5 p.m..  The “Fun Bunch” is all about having fun with other DWC members and getting to know one another a little bit better.  All interested DWC members are invited to participate in this new group.

Those who attend this first organizational meeting will plan for future fun events such as field trips, walks or exercise classes, cards, lunches, dinners or brunches, etc. – anything  goes.  The group will decide what they want to do and be “Bunch-driven”, so come with your ideas, plans, suggestions, etc. as to what the group will do and how it will be lead/organized so that activities can start soon.

Please email cliftonwomendems@aol.com for additional information, questions and to R.S.V.P.



At this holiday season, the Steering Committee of the Democratic Women of Clifton would like to wish you and your family very Happy Holidays – may they be filled with friends, family and make for many good memories.

We would also like to share some thoughts with you at this joyous time of the year.
We have so much to be grateful for in our lives.  Your generosity toward our troops project in November was fantastic.  We packaged and mailed 49 boxes of snacks, toiletries, and gifts to our soldiers in Afghanistan (see post below).  Our packages arrived within the week, in time for Thanksgiving, and the troops were thrilled with all they received. Once again, the success of our project was due to the combined efforts of our members and the community, including the DYNAMO soccer team and VFW Post 5412 in Burke.  We Democrats know that “it takes a village” to make things happen!

The DWC is also hoping to make a difference for families in need right here at home. Don’t forget about our other holiday project, purchasing grocery store gift cards in conjunction with Our Daily Bread (ODB), the Fairfax-based nonprofit, nonsectarian organization that feeds area families in need.  ODB serves families from our local area every month, and their requests for services and food for families in crisis grows every month.  You may contribute to our holiday project by purchasing food cards in any denomination from local grocery stores. Food cards or checks may be mailed to DWC, P.O. Box 143, Clifton, VA 20124 .  Checks should be made payable to Our Daily Bread, with “Food Program” noted on the memo line.  The DWC will collect food card donations through December 30 for distribution to families in January. You may also donate in honor of a family member or loved one –just let us know the name(s) that so we can send a card acknowledging your donation.  As of this posting, we have not met our goal of $2,000 yet, but are hopeful we will, so do give to this group if you have not done so already–and thanks if you have already given!

Also, our sister organization in Prince William County, the Democratic Women of Lake Ridge, sent us this holiday suggestion.  We think this is a great idea and wanted to share this with you.

“When writing your holiday cards this year, send one card to the address below.  If everyone who read this sends just one card, think how many cards these wonderful and special people who have sacrificed so much will receive.”

Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900  Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C.  20307-5001

Happy Holidays from your DWC Steering Committee