Issue 146

Friday, January 6, 2023

Prince William County

Dear Neighbors,

A new year is upon us and with it lots of exciting things are happening in Prince William County. Our new County Executive, Chris Shorter (County News issue 138), has entered his new role and joined me for an event this week (Chair's Calendar below). Later this month, newly hired Planning Director Mark Buenavista (County News issue 144), will be stepping into his role.

There will also be changes to the Board of County Supervisors. On Tuesday, February 21, the Gainesville Magisterial District will hold a special election for its newly vacated Board seat (County News issue 145). Additionally, this is the day County staff will present the Board the proposed FY2024 Budget.

In Service,

Chair Ann Wheeler

Sunday, December 18, Chair Wheeler's Office attended the Chabad Lubavitch of Greater Gainesville and Manassas Grand Menorah Lighting by Rabbi Perlstein, Fire Truck Gelt Drop, and 10-year anniversary celebration.

Thursday, January 5, Chair Wheeler attended The Rose Gaming Resort (Chair's Calendar issue 99) Topping-Out ceremony, where the last steel beam is installed. Jack Sours, Churchill Downs Incorporated, parent company of The Rose Gaming Resort, Corporate Vice President of Gamin Jack sours (left photo) spoke at the event. Also attending (right photo left to right) Shaun Peet, Dumfries Town Council, Andrea Bailey, Potomac Magisterial District Supervisor, Caetrina Peterson, Dumfries Town Council, Derrick Wood Dumfries Mayor, and Keith Rogers Jr., Dumfries Town Manager.

Register here to attend the virtual volunteer training on Wednesday, January 18, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, or Saturday, January 21, 9:30 am to 11:30 am. After registering for your virtual training session, you will be prompted to provide additional information, such as your preferred “shift” for the PIT Count.

Find out how to properly recycle your holiday greenery and defective lights in the County Holiday Information section of issue 145.

Saturday, January 14, at 10:00 am, the PWC Human Rights Commission is hosting Universal Human Rights Day at the at the McCoart Administration Building, 1 County Complex Court. A highlight of the celebration will be the annual presentation of the Human Rights Awards to members of the community. Mindy Weinstein, Washington Field Office Director, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is the guest speaker. The event will include light refreshments, is free, and open to the public.

Kiwanis International, a global community dedicated to improving the lives of children one community at a time, has opened Kiwanis Club of Haymarket! Kiwanis clubs have built all-access playgrounds, restocked libraries, created food pantries, bought medical equipment, hosted diversity fairs, stuffed school backpacks and more. Local projects are based on the needs of the community. Key Club for high school students helps to create the next generation of community leaders and Aktion for adults with disabilities helps members find purpose and self-worth. Learn more about the new club and how it can help kids in the Haymarket-Gainesville area at an informational meeting Thursday, January 12 at 6:30 pm at Out of the Blue restaurant. 

Sunday, January 15, 3:00 pm to 3:55 pm, the PWC Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism is hosting a Mind-Body Educational Workshop at the Sharron Baucom Dale City Recreation Center. The session will be offered monthly and is free to members of the Sharron Baucom Dale City Recreation Center and Chinn Aquatics and Fitness Center. Non-members can attend for a drop-in fee of $12.

Saturday, March 25, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, the PWC Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism is hosting the Eighth Annual Prince William/Manassas History Symposium at the Old Manassas Courthouse. PWC has many different layers to its history, and many individuals have shaped the County’s complex past. This year's program, Historic Communities of Change, will look at some of these early pioneers in County history and how we still see their impact on the diverse and inclusive PWC community we enjoy today. Admission is $10 for the all day symposium. Spaces are limited, registration is required.

Congratulations to Woodbridge's Freedom High School football team on its first state title in school history with a 48-14 win over James Madison High School in the Virginia High School League Class 6 state football championship. This caps off an undefeated season for the Eagles. For the players, this game and the season were ones that they will never forget. Photo credit to Monet Anderson, @LadyBroadcaster.

In 2022, Northern Virginia Food Rescue (NOVA-FR, Regional News issue 99) distributed over 2.5 million pounds of food into our community, the equivalent of over 2 million meals! This has been the work of 341 volunteers rescuing food from 164 donors and delivering it to 462 food distribution partners throughout Fairfax, Fauquier, and Prince William Counties.

While NOVA-FR Food Rescue Heroes are vital to its efforts, financial support provided by foundations, businesses, and individuals allows it to coordinate those rescue efforts. If you would like to support reducing food waste, hunger, and greenhouse gas emissions, there are several ways to donate. 

In October of 2018, the Action in Community Through Service (ACTS) Board approved the new Prince William Food Rescue (PWFR) program (Hometown Hero News issue 26), and it officially launched in August 2019. Just a few months later, COVID-19 drastically changed the food insecurity landscape and the Food Rescue Hero app, which addresses the disconnect between food waste and hunger, become vital for our community.

Just eighteen months after launching, PWFR had rescued over 1.2 million pounds of food, redirected another 13 million pounds, and completed over 3,000 direct food deliveries to shut-in families. NOVA-FR was launched on March 14, 2021. In November 2021, Fairfax Food Rescue was launched and in May 2022 Fauquier Food Rescue was launched.