JOIN THE BOOK DRIVE!
Our 5th Annual Book Drive for Summer Reading is fast approaching! With our partner, Wright to Read, we aim to provide 1,200 local children with three new or gently used books to enjoy during the summer break. Start culling your shelves for children’s books that you no longer use! Details for book drop off and new titles we especially hope to collect are forthcoming.
Mark your calendar!
- Book Drop-Off: Monday, February 21 at Pamela Larson’s home near the Masonic Memorial; please contact her for address
- Baskets for Books Fundraisers
- Sunday, February 27 at Burgundy Farm Country Day School
- Saturday, March 5 at Alexandria Country Day School on Russell Road
- Book Sorting & Packing Days: Friday, April 29 & Saturday, April 30 at the Wright to Read offices on North Washington Street in Old Town
Please join fellow Giving Circle members for informal fun — see below for more information.
Sunday, February 20 — 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Wine and Cheese Pairing and Tasting at Le Tastevin. Please let Pamela Larson know if you are interested in attending. Come out to Le Tastevin Wine Store (1309 King Street) — and enjoy some of its offerings! This is a great way to connect with old and new friends — and support a local business. Spouses/partners welcome!
Monday February 21 (Presidents’ Day) – 9:00 – 10:30 am
Young Family Event. Not going away for President’s Day Weekend? Great!! Spend the weekend cleaning out those crowded book shelves and come on by Pamela Larson’s house with your book donations and enjoy doughnuts and a cup of juice. Make a bookmark or two and help us prepare for the Book Drive Book Sort on Saturday April 30th. Please RSVP to Pamela so we have enough for everyone! Please note: we are accepting gently used books as well as new books which may be purchased at a discount through Hooray for Books! located at 1555 King Street.
Today, Giving Circle members and their children spent the afternoon at Burgundy Farm Country Day School packing new baby welcome bags to for Healthy Families Alexandria, the Alexandria Health Department, the Alexandria Campaign on Teenage Pregnancy and the Child and Family Network Centers as well as participating in nearly 20 other service projects. More details about the event to follow but great fun was had by all as you can see from our photos on our Facebook page.
Did you know the Giving Circle is on Facebook? It’s one more easy way to find out what we do and who we help. Follow us on Facebook.
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Join us in celebrating the legacy of
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on
Monday, January 17
10 am to 2 pm
(attend for as long as fits your schedule)
The Giving Circle of Alexandria has partnered with Burgundy Farm Country Day School for a 2nd annual Day of Service. We are coordinating an Infant Supplies Drive benefitting Healthy Families Alexandria, the Alexandria Health Department, the Alexandria Campaign on Teenage Pregnancy and the Child and Family Network Centers. We need your support to reach our goal of 100 packs! Please click here to sign up to donate supplies. We hope to make 100 packs which include vital supplies for new parents — diapers, wipes, diaper cream, pacifiers, soap, burp cloths and thermometers. Donations of cash or supplies may be dropped off in advance or brought with you on Monday. Even if you cannot attend the event, please consider donating money to purchase supplies, or to buy supplies and take them to Christine’s home in advance of the event. Location: Burgundy Farm Country Day School 3700 Burgundy Road Alexandria, VA 22303
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| Also, Giving Circle members and their children are invited to participate in Burgundy Farm’s entire Day of Service, which will include up to 20 different activities.If you would like to do so, please register at the Burgundy Farm website, so that they may plan for attendance and lunch. Please keep in mind that children should be chaperoned during the event. |
We are beginning the 2011 nomination and election process for The Giving Circle Board of Directors. This is an exciting time for The Giving Circle membership and an opportunity for those of you who want to get more involved to do so. We encourage members to become active in the leadership of The Giving Circle, so if you have the time and interest, please let us know.
- Please review the Leadership Opportunities available this year;
- Use the online Nominating Form to nominate yourself or another Giving Circle member to a leadership position;
- Please submit your nominations by January 31, 2011.
We are looking for Officers and Directors-at-Large, all of whom will serve on The Giving Circle Board of Directors. Certain Giving Circle Officer and Director positions are up for election this year. The remaining positions will be subject to election in 2012.
This spring, the Board of Directors will consider nominations received from members and will recommend a slate of Officers and Directors-at-Large to the membership for election. We will send out the Call to Vote for the 2011 election in April. Any member who contributed $100 or more to The Giving Circle between January 1, 2010 and April 15, 2011 will be eligible to vote in this election.
If you want to learn more about The Giving Circle Officer and Director-at-Large positions or have questions regarding the nomination process, please attend one of the Nominating and Membership Involvement Open Houses noted below, where you will have a chance to speak to current Giving Circle Officers about the open positions. Refreshments will be provided and children are welcome.
- Thursday, January 20, 9:30 to 11:00 am at the home of Cathleen Phelps, or
- Friday, January 21, 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the home of Pamela Larson.
RSVP by clicking on Cathleen or Pamela’s name above, and an e-mail will go to our Nominating Chair, Tracy Nickelsburg; she will provide home address information for the Open House of your choice.
If you have any questions, please contact Nominating Chair Tracy Nickelsburg or at 703.282-5096. We look forward to hearing from you regarding The Giving Circle’s future leaders and would enjoy seeing you at one of the Open Houses.
Part of last year’s Priority Gift to our community was a contribution of up to $20,000 to evaluate the effectiveness of Playgroups in our City and explore possibilities for improving and expanding the playgroup model.Giving Circle Founding Member Karen Devlin, together with September Jones of the Alexandria/Arlington Smart Beginnings Program have set this initiative in motion by way of a Playgroup Summit that took place in December. Several organizations with a vested interest in early childhood education and parental engagement participated in the event, which took place at the Campagna Center.
The purposes of the Summit were to:
- Obtain and share information on the various playgroup models operating in the City,
- Establish the unique characteristics of playgroups to reach at-risk families, provide opportunities to connect parents with community resources and facilitate development of social skills of children under age five.
- Identify the best way to reach at-risk families
- Determine whether there is a need or desire to have a comprehensive playgroup strategy in Alexandria
The Summit was successful in bringing together individuals who represent diverse organizations in the community who are interested in improving and expanding playgroups, such as the Center for Alexandria’s Children, the Office of Early Childhood, the Department of Human Services for the City of Alexandria, the Alexandria City Public Schools, the City of Alexandria’s Health Department, the Campagna Center Early Head Start Program, Preschool Prevention Team, Northern Virginia Family Services, Healthy Families Alexandria, and Stop Child Abuse Now. The summit was also attended by George Washington University faculty.
The conversation is just beginning and we are on the cutting edge! There is more to come in the next few months. Stay tuned to find out how our Giving Circle will have an opportunity to assist direct providers in improving and expanding the playgroup model throughout Alexandria.
