Dear Neighbor,

On Tuesday, September 21, Fairfax County Health Director, Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu, provided an update on COVID-19 during the Board’s Health and Human Services Committee Meeting. At the moment, Fairfax County remains in high-level community transmission status, according to the CDC standard. Dr. Addo-Ayensu also provided an update on enhancements to the school investigation process that should reduce the amount of time that students are out of school due to COVID-19 contact tracing.

Please remember to continue following local guidelines in order for us to limit the spread of COVID-19. We are still awaiting final CDC guidance regarding booster doses. I'll provide updates as soon as they are available.

74% of Fairfax residents over 18 are fully vaccinated. Being fully vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community. If you are apprehensive about getting vaccinated, please visit StayWellNova. My office is also able to share additional Health Department resources that are translated in multiple languages. Please contact us if you or someone you know could benefit from these resources.

On Saturday, October 2, Supervisor Kathy Smith and I 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 Supervisor Smith and I invite you to register today to join Team Fairfax BOS on the Walk. Registration starts at 11:00 a.m. and the opening ceremony begins at 12:30 p.m. I hope to see you there!

Recently, I had the honor of joining Supervisors Dalia Palchik and Rodney Lusk, and the Board, in designating September as Sickle Cell Awareness Month. We recognized Melanie Pearson Hurley, President of The Heart of Gold Sickle Cell Foundation of Northern Virginia, and Valerie Bey, Board Member and Director of the Foundation, for their role in promoting awareness for this disease. The foundation provides crucial advocacy and support to families experiencing the effects of Sickle Cell Disease. If you would like to learn more, volunteer, or find out how you can help, visit the nonprofit's website.

Hope For The Day (HFTD) is a nonprofit movement empowering the conversation on suicide prevention and mental health education. They host peer-led, clinically backed mental health education, and proactive suicide prevention programming. 

Hope For The Day’s® educational programming is inspired from lived-experience best practices, and endorsed by H.F.T.D's clinical advisory board. The goal of their work is to provide tools for early recognition and intervention to disrupt the highest risk factors for mental health crisis and suicide.

Educate yourself and facilitate proactive prevention in the community by learning more about HFTD's educational tools.

As pickleball continues to grow in popularity, County agencies have received numerous requests to provide additional pickleball facilities within parks, RECenters, and community centers. Given the need to balance the competing recreational needs of County residents, the Park Authority met with stakeholder groups, conducted a public survey, and initiated a study to develop recommendations for how and where pickleball courts should be provided. A virtual community meeting was held on September 14 to discuss the draft Pickleball Study and recommendations. The presentation and link to a recording of the public meeting are available on the Pickleball Study website.

Comments regarding the Pickleball Study can be emailed to 16393@publicinput.com or the Park Authority Public Information Office at parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov or (703) 324-8662. The comment period will close on October 1, 2021. A revised study report will then go to the Park Authority Board for endorsement. If you are interested in pickleball, be sure to make your voice heard.

According to the Feeding America Impact of Coronavirus on Food Insecurity projections (published March 29, 2021), the food insecurity rate in Fairfax County is 7.4%, up from 5.8% in 2019. That means about 86,716 people don't have access to sufficient food because of limited financial resources. Together, we can make sure that families in our community have warm and nutritious meals.

Our next Stuff the Bus Food Drive will take place Saturday, October 9, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at:

Find a complete list of locations to drop off your food donations, what to put on your shopping list to donate, and tips for donating safely on the Stuff the Bus 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 is now offering In-Person Early Voting at numerous locations (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 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

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

The Barbara Varon award is given annually to a Fairfax County resident whose dedication to improving the community through volunteer service honors the memory of Barbara Varon, former Chairman of the Fairfax County Electoral Board. The nomination process has been extended to Friday, October 15, 2021.

In order to be considered, nominees must perform all of the above activities in a voluntary capacity. Download a fillable, PDF nomination form. Then select "save as" or "save target as.

Learn more about Barbara Varon's service to Fairfax County and this award at by visiting Fairfax County's website.

Fairfax County will host a community information and outreach meeting at the Workhouse Arts Center this Saturday, September 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for community members to learn more about the Fairfax Peak proposal at the I-95 Landfill. Fairfax County and Alpine X will have a tent at the Workhouse Community Market Day where attendees can stop by to learn about the proposed project. Two short formal presentations are planned for 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Narrated optional bus tours of the site will also be available. Seats on the bus should be reserved in advance. Any unreserved seats will be available to walk-up passengers. More event information can be found on the Department of Economic Initiatives website.

Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling and the Coalition for Smarter Growth are sponsoring a 7 mile bike tour of the Government Center and Fair Lakes area to discuss future redevelopment and existing and planned walking and bike improvements. Supervisor Walkinshaw will greet riders before the group leaves the Fairfax County Government Center. The group will meet at the front of the Government Center located at 12000 Government Center Pkwy, Fairfax, VA 22035.

This is a free event, but pre-registration is required. All riders must also show proof of vaccination, wear a helmet, and sign a liability waiver. Register today.

Fairfax Water is reviewing its customer service practices to ensure that they support customers and the community effectively.

As part of this effort, they want to hear from you! Fairfax Water wants to hear about the issues that matter most and past experiences with Fairfax Water.

This survey should take 5-7 minutes. Your responses are anonymous.

Please complete the survey by Thursday, September 30.

The West Springfield District Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will be hosting a Community Engagement Meeting on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. These meetings enhance communication between the residents and the Fairfax County Police Department. It offers residents a chance to interact with the officers of the West Springfield Station.

The meeting speaker will be Debbie Sausville. The topic will be "Mothers Against Drunk Drivers". The meeting will be held via Zoom, and you can use this meeting link -- please use the password: 738424. You can also dial in by calling (636) 651-3141 and using conference code: 404496

This is a free program, and all ages are welcome to attend. The meetings are generally held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. (except for July and August).

On Thursday, October 7, from 3:00 p.m. through 5:00 p.m., Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV) will host a seminar demonstrating how racism and sexism against Black women are embedded as a structural problem. The meeting will be held via Zoom, register today. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

There are many branches on the tree of inequality that cannot be covered in two hours. Therefore, this seminar will focus on one root of the tree: the history of racism against Black women. This seminar should be viewed as an opening conversation with participants engaging in self-reflection about their social identities.

The Northern Virginia Veterans Association and the Dulles Area Transportation Association have been awarded federal funding for a joint project to provide veterans who are disabled or over age 65 transportation to COVID-19 vaccination appointments. The program offers round-trip, no-cost taxi service to COVID-19 vaccination appointments for eligible veterans, including those who need wheelchair accessible transportation.

The program has expanded and now offers free transportation to medical appointments. This includes rides to appointments at the VA Hospital in Washington, DC.

If you qualify and need a ride, contact NOVA Veterans by emailing melissa@novavets.org or by dialing (703) 659-0788.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) held a Design Public Meeting on the Shirley Gate Road Extension Project on Tuesday, September 21, at 7:00 p.m. FCDOT presented Preliminary Design plans for the project and is seeking public input. Comments will be accepted through Friday, October 29, 2021.