Dear Neighbor,

Mark your calendars for the 2nd Annual Braddock Bark coming up on Sunday, May 21!

Last year's first-ever Braddock Bark was a huge success, with hundreds of dogs and dog lovers joining us to celebrate our favorite friends.

The event will include adoption info, activities for pets, tables and booths featuring local businesses and non-profits, food vendors, and more!

Leashed dogs are welcome! Check out Celebrate Fairfax's website for more information.

I hope to see you there!

Bus Fares

Starting on May 1, the Fairfax Connector will expand their fare free service to riders ages 12 and younger, when accompanied by a paying adult. The current youth fare free policy is for riders ages 4 and younger who are accompanied by a paying adult.

The policy will support our goals for One Fairfax by increasing access to public transportation and eliminating financial barriers.

There are currently four other fare reduction programs for Connector riders:

• Free Student Bus Passes for Fairfax County students in 6th-12th grade with a Student Bus Pass
• Free transfers to and from WMATA Bus and Rail Stations
• Seniors and passengers with disabilities receive half fares
• Economically disadvantaged passengers can access the Transit Ridership Incentive Program (a Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation grant-funded program)

You can read more about the policy change here.

Yours in service,

Supervisor James R. Walkinshaw

Please share the newsletter with your friends and neighbors. If this email was forwarded to you, consider subscribing to receive Braddock District news & updates.

Continue reading below for more information on:

• Boat Launch at Lake Accotink Closed
• FCPS Community Meeting on Opioid Awareness
• ECHO's Shred and Share Event
• VDOT Paving and Restriping Program
• Virtual Community Pools Meeting
• NOVA Ceramics Department Pottery Sale
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Parent Education Session
• Inflation Reduction Act Roundtable
• Congressional Art Competition
• AARP Fraud and Identity Theft Protection Information Session
• Commonwealth Transportation Board's Public Meetings
• Summer Camps at GMU
• Prevent the Spread of Trapa Bispinosa
• April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
• John Hudson Summer Internship
• Fairfax Founders Fund

The boat launch at Lake Accotink Park will be closed until further notice.

The water levels at the lake were lowered to facilitate the replacement of the flashboards at the top of the dam. Progress on this project is moving along smoothly, but the lowered water levels have created shallows that are not passable by boat.

The new flashboards will be installed very soon, weather permitting. Once this project is complete, it will take some time for water levels to return to normal.

Read more on the Park Authority's website.

Due to the pressing personal and public health issues that substance abuse and behavior health problems present, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is hosting a community meeting to learn more about the risks of opioid use. The meeting will be held at Woodson High School (9525 Main Street, Fairfax, VA) on Monday, April 24 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Language interpretation services will be available, as well as American Sign Language accommodation. Childcare will also be provided, as needed.

Register here or view more information about the meeting on the FCPS website.

ECHO (Ecumenical Community Helping Others) helps people in need who live in Burke, Springfield, and part of Alexandria. 

ECHO is hosting a Shred and Share Event on Saturday, April 15, from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Kirkwood Presbyterian Church (8336 Carrleigh Parkway, Springfield). The shredding is free, but the organizers encourage participants to bring non-perishable food items to share with ECHO.

You can find out more about this and other ECHO events on their website.

Please join FCDOT and VDOT for a virtual meeting on Thursday, April 20, at 7:00 p.m. to learn about the 2023 Paving and Restriping Program. During the meeting, VDOT will share the roads in the Braddock District they plan to repave in 2023. 

FCDOT will share any striping changes they plan to make in the areas VDOT is paving, including proposed bike lanes and crosswalks. Learn more about the paving and restriping program or access the meeting link here.

The public comment period for this meeting closes at 5:00 p.m. on May 4. As the paving season gets underway, you can visit the VDOT paving map for current status of roads being repaved this year.

Pool operators and managers are invited to join Supervisor Walkinshaw for the annual Community Pools meeting. The meeting will be held virtually on Monday, April 24, at 7:00 p.m.

The meeting link and agenda will be emailed to the Community Pools distribution list during the week of April 10. If you are not on the distribution list and would like to receive the agenda and meeting link, please contact the Braddock District Office at [email protected].

Please note that this meeting is for pool operators, managers, HOAs, and civic associations, not pool users or private pool owners. 

The Art Department at Northern Virginia Community College will be hosting a Pottery Sale on Wednesday, April 19 from 9:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on the Patio of the Campus Student Services & Police (CA) building. View campus map here.

Everything for sale is handcrafted by students or faculty at the college and all proceeds benefit NOVA's Ceramics Program. Free parking is available for customers.

View the Art Department's Instagram for more details.

Join the Americans for Suicide Prevention's (AFSP) National Capital Area Chapter (NCAC) for a free online presentation of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s virtual program More Than Sad: Parent Education on Tuesday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m.

This program teaches parents and other caring adults about depression, demystifies treatment, and encourages those who are struggling or have a loved one who is struggling to seek help. *Must be 18 years of age or older to attend this presentation.

Contact AFSP-NCAC Education Chair at [email protected] with any questions. Check out AFSP's website to register or for more details

To request ASL interpreting services for this program, contact the AFSP National Capital Area Chapter at [email protected]. Submit requests at least three (3) business days prior to the presentation.

Congressman Gerry Connolly will be hosting a virtual Inflation Reduction Act Roundtable on Friday April 21, at 3:00 p.m.

This roundtable will highlight many of the issues our region is facing surrounding climate change, and the big steps the IRA has taken to address these. The IRA’s tax credits and climate programs will help Northern Virginians breathe cleaner air, make their homes more energy efficient and expand the use of clean, renewable energy.

Register for the meeting or submit questions here. For questions and event details, please call the Congressional District Office at (703) 256-3071 

Congressman Gerry Connolly is excited to announce the start of his 2023 Congressional Art Competition! This competition is open to all high school students who are residents of the 11th Congressional District regardless of where they attend school; public, private and home-schooled students are invited to participate. Due to space limitations, students may not submit more than two pieces of art. 

To verify that you live in the 11th Congressional District, click here. Check Congressman Connolly’s website for information, submission forms, and competition guidelines.

AARP Fraud Watch Network will be hosting a session about protecting yourself from fraud and identity theft on April 26 at 1:00 p.m. at the Wellness Center for Older Adults (4027 Olley Lane, Fairfax).

In this session, they will share an inside look at how scammers think, how to safeguard against identity theft and fraud, first-hand accounts from victims, and what to do if you or someone you know has been a victim.

View more details and register here.

The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) will host nine meetings across Virginia and is inviting the public to share feedback on transportation projects that have been recommended for funding, as well as other transportation initiatives. Members of the community may participate by attending public meetings or submitting comments online, by email, or by mail.

The public will have an opportunity to learn and share feedback. The Northern Virginia District meeting will be held on Monday, May 1, at 5:00 p.m. at the Potomac Conference Center at the NOVA District Office (4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax).

Learn more about the meetings here.

Keep your children engaged through academics, the arts, and sports/recreation camps at George Mason's selection of summer camps.

Programming covers a variety of interests including conflict resolution, conservation, game design and technology, podcasting, theater, music, and much more.

Visit GMU Camps' website for details.

Since 2014, an aquatic invasive species known as Trapa bispinosa has spread to more than 100 known locations around Fairfax County.

The County is asking for help detecting, reporting and eradicating the invasive plant as spring is the peak season in which it rapidly spreads. Help prevent the spread.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Nearly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men will be the victim of sexual violence at some point in their lifetime.

Sexual violence is a major public health, human rights and social justice issue that impacts every person in Fairfax County.

The purpose of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) is to raise public awareness about sexual violence, educate the community on how to prevent it and share resources available to those impacted by sexual assault.

Visit the Department of Family Services' website for 5 Ways to Talk about Sexual Assault Awareness Month or learn more about SAAM.

The Fairfax Area Disability Services Board established an internship program for college students and recent graduates with disabilities.

The internship program provides participants with on-the-job experience, professional development, and training opportunities.

Any college student, law student, graduate student, or recent graduate who self-identifies as an individual with any type of disability is invited to apply. You will not be required to disclose your specific disability; however, your application for this program will signify that you consider yourself a person with a disability.

For more information, click here or check out the FAQ page.

Fairfax County is looking for a few good entrepreneurs! The Fairfax County Department of Economic Initiatives has launched a million-dollar Fairfax Founders Fund (FFF) for early-stage tech companies that will provide up to $50,000 in capital to help start-ups develop their business and prepare for later-stage investment.



Applications are open now. Learn more on the Founders Fund Page.