This Saturday, September 11, marks two decades since the tragic attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans. Each year, we honor the lives of those who were lost and the selfless service of the first responders, including those from Fairfax County, who saved countless lives that day.

Because of the heroic efforts of both the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) and the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD), both organizations were honored with a piece of the Pentagon in 2018. The piece is displayed at the museum at the Fairfax County Public Safety Headquarters and commemorates the efforts of both agencies in the aftermath of the attack.

This year, Fairfax County will host a 20th anniversary 9/11 remembrance ceremony on Saturday, September 11 at 2:00 p.m. The event will be held at Bailey's Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department (3601 Firehouse Lane in Falls Church), the location from which many first responders deployed to assist at the Pentagon. You can watch the ceremony on Fairfax County Government Channel 1016 (Cox) and Channel 16 (Verizon/Comcast), or you can view online. The ceremony will also be streamed on Fairfax County's Facebook page.

In recognition of National Day Of Service Day -- a federally-recognized day of service held each year on September 11 -- we will also be hosting a Stuff the Bus Food Drive at two locations within the Braddock District from 10:00 a.m. through 3:00 p.m. Fairfax County will be hosting similar food drives at 19 additional locations around the County. I encourage you to come out and donate what you can for this special day of service.

This Saturday, September 11, Fairfax County’s Stuff the Bus Food Drive will be collecting non-perishable food donations at the Braddock District office (9002 Burke Lake Road, Burke, Virginia 22105), the Oaks Community Center (5708 Oak Leather Dr, Burke, VA 22015), and 19 additional locations throughout Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax from 10:00 a.m. through 3:00 p.m. Help fight hunger and feed hope in the community by donating!

Tune in to the new episode of the Braddock Voices Podcast featuring George Mason University (GMU) President Gregory Washington. Supervisor Walkinshaw talks with Dr. Washington about his first days on the job leading the University, the rise of the robots, and his goals for GMU’s future.

Watch on YouTube or listen on-the-go on Soundcloud. Both platforms are free to use, and you do not need an account!

Fairfax County will honor those who lost their lives and those who answered the call during the tragic events of September 11, 2001, at a 20th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony this Saturday, September 11 at 2:00 p.m. The event will be held at Bailey's Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department, 3601 Firehouse Lane in Falls Church.

Scheduled speakers for the event include Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey McKay and Supervisor Gross, as well as Fire and Rescue Chief John Butler and Police Chief Kevin Davis. The ceremony is taking place in the afternoon in order to accommodate the Pentagon's 9/11 Ceremony and morning volunteer activities at the Government Center. 

The public is encouraged to view the ceremony online. It will be televised on Fairfax County Government Channel 1016 (Cox) and Channel 16 (Verizon/Comcast) and streamed online. The ceremony can also be viewed on Fairfax County's Facebook page. 

Enabling legislation passed in the 2020 session of the Virginia General Assembly allows Fairfax County and other counties or cities in the state to adopt an ordinance imposing a five-cent tax on disposable plastic bags provided by retailers in grocery stores, convenience stores, or drugstores within its borders. The legislation requires that the tax be collected by the retailer at the time of purchase, with revenue to be allocated toward:

• Environmental cleanup programs

• Pollution and litter mitigation programs

• Educational programs on environmental waste reduction

• Provision of reusable bags to recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) benefits

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on a proposed plastic bag tax ordinance, on September 14, 2021, at 4:30 p.m. at the Fairfax County Government Center. Fairfax County’s proposed ordinance tracks the enabling legislation passed in the 2020 Virginia General Assembly, as well as any guidelines to be adopted by the state Tax Commissioner. Those guidelines are being finalized now, following the release of draft guidelines in June 2021.

Members of the public are encouraged to provide testimony on the proposed ordinance at the September 14 hearing. To find out more about ways to testify, or to register to speak, visit the Department of Clerk Services’ website or call (703) 324-3151, TTY 711.

Please join Supervisor James Walkinshaw for a virtual Community Update and Feedback Forum for the Braddock community on the future of Fairfax County on Monday, September 20, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. To register, click here. The meeting will be held on Zoom, and registration is encouraged. Those who do not pre-register may use the meeting ID: 822 5069 8876 and the password Braddock2@ on the time/day of the event.

County staff will provide a brief overview of the process used to develop the proposed Countywide Strategic Plan. Participants will engage in an interactive survey and can ask questions.

Through extensive community engagement prior to the pandemic and throughout 2021, the plan charts a path for the future of Fairfax County focused on the following nine priority areas:

➢ Cultural and Recreational Opportunities

➢ Economic Opportunity

➢ Effective and Efficient Government

➢ Empowerment and Support for Residents Facing Vulnerability

➢ Health and Environment

➢ Housing and Neighborhood Livability

➢ Lifelong Education and Learning

➢ Mobility and Transportation

➢ Safety and Security

If you are unable to attend the meeting, view a copy of the presentation online. Be sure to also check out the short YouTube video on the nine priority areas and take the fourth community survey. Your feedback will be combined with previous input, analyzed for trends, and shared with the Board of Supervisors this fall.

For all other information on the strategic plan, visit the Strategic Plan’s website.

The Active and Thriving Communities Grant Program will provide grants to selected eligible small businesses and nonprofits experiencing negative economic impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of $10 million is available, with priority given to those who serve vulnerable communities.

To be eligible, an applicant must be a small business or 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operating in one or more of the following areas:

Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, through the online portal only. Applications will be available in English and Spanish. Translation support will be provided.

What are your transportation priorities? Is it to reduce congestion? Decrease fuel consumption? The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority has launched a survey to better understand the transportation needs of the community.

You can learn more about the survey, NVTA, and reducing traffic in Fairfax County on NVTA's website.

The survey is open to the public until Friday, September 17, 2021.

The Braddock District Office still has Mosquito Dunks available. The dunks can be placed anywhere that water collects, and they prevent mosquito breeding.

Stop by the office (9002 Burke Lake Rd) to pick one up Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. Distribution is limited to two per person, please.

On Saturday, October 2, Supervisor Walkinshaw and Supervisor Smith will lead Team Fairfax in the annual American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Out of the Darkness Walk. This event raises support for scientific research, evidence-based resources, training, and advocacy. AFSP does life-saving work and I invite you to register today to join Team Fairfax BOS on the Walk.

Healthy Minds Fairfax coordinates a full range of mental health and substance abuse services for children and youth across multiple county agencies, the school system and private treatment providers. The goal is to help you and families in the Fairfax-Falls church community access mental health and substance abuse services.  

Volunteer Fairfax, a nonprofit that mobilizes people and resources to meet regional community needs, is offering a series of FREE volunteer management educational opportunities. The three webinars are listed below:

Learn more about this webinar series by visiting Volunteer Fairfax's website.

Complete information about how, when and where to vote can be found at the Fairfax County Office of Elections website.

In Virginia there are three different ways to vote:

3- In-Person voting on November 2, 2021, at your local polling place.

Fairfax County will be offering In-Person Early Voting at numerous locations starting September 17 (please see list below). Information about early voting dates, times and locations can be found on the Fairfax Office of Elections website.

What You Need to Know:

Any registered Fairfax County voter may vote early at any Fairfax County early voting location.

Early in-person absentee voting is available for the November 2021 General & Special Elections at the following three locations from September 17 through October 30:

Visit the Vote by Mail page at the Fairfax Office of Elections website for complete details.

Online: Use the request form at the Virginia Department of Elections website,

1. Download, print, and complete--including your handwritten signature--a vote-by-mail application

-- OR --

2. Pick up a preprinted paper application at:

Submit your completed paper application using one of these methods:

Visit the Vote by Mail page at the Fairfax Office of Elections website for complete details. Ballots can be returned by mail, by commercial delivery, or at Drop Boxes.

Ballot Drop-Off Boxes

November 2, 2021, General and Special Elections: Ballot drop-off boxes are available at all early voting locations when locations are open for voting. The drop boxes are for voted ballots which are secured in the envelope provided to the voter. All instructions in the absentee ballot must be followed.

Voted ballots may be dropped off outside the Government Center at an attended drop box during business hours. An accessible, secure drop box is installed outside the building, permitting voters to drop off their ballots 24/7.

Voted ballots may also be dropped off at any early voting site during hours of operation.

On Election Day, ballots may be brought to your regular polling place when the polls are open.

November 2, 2021, General and Special Elections:

• Before you vote, check your registration status

• Find your polling place

• Make sure you bring an acceptable form of identification

Join the Sargent family, community leadership, friends and colleagues, on Saturday, September 18, from 11:00 a.m. through 12:30 p.m. at the McLaren-Sargent Pavilion as Friends of Lake Accotink (FLAP) honor and pay tribute to Dick Sargent for more than 50 years of community service.

Dick served on the Braddock District Park Advisory Committee, and was the Ravensworth Farm Civic Association Parks and Recreation Standing Committee Chair (the liaison with FCPA and LAP). He will be missed but never forgotten. His work to make the community a safe, clean, and beautiful environment in which to raise families is evident every day.

For additional information of questions email contact@flapaccotink.org.

The annual Deer Management Archery Program begins Saturday, September 11, and runs until Saturday, February 19, 2022.

Learn more by visiting the Fairfax County Police Department's website.

You can also review the below redistricting fact sheet in Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, or Arabic,

Braddock District's very own Lake Accotink Park (LAP) was featured in one of Channel News Asia's (CNA) recent stories. The video segment below provides an inside look at the Lake Accotink Park Summer Camp Program's return. Dan Grulke, LAP's Park Manager, is interviewed and provides his experience managing the Park's Camp Program following the peak of the pandemic.