November 20, 2024
Thanks to those who have renewed their membership. There have been a lot of checks and PayPal notifications of payments. Several people are good for this year or also next year because of their previous multi-year payments. If you are not sure, please email me to check your status. Thanks to those of you who asked.
1 – Donation Drives from America’s Adopt a Soldier
2 – ECHO News
3 – Santa Trains with VRE
4 – No fee for senior pet adoption, 11/22-24
5 – Pet vaccine microchip event, Lorton, 12/2, 9-11am
6 – Membership Renewal Drive
7 – Calendar
1 – I received a lot of information from the America’s Adopt a Soldier Organization about upcoming events. These events include:
- Hospitalized Military Kids (Walter Reed WRNMMC) New Book Drive (Barnes & Nobel)
Please stop into Barnes & Noble 6646 Loisdale Road, Springfield, VA, 22150 November – December
Buy a specially priced or other book and simply donate at the register all books go to our Book Case(s), Book Nook(s) at Walter Reed (WRNMMC) Children's Center
- Hospitalized Military Kids (Walter Reed WRNMMC) Toy Drive
We Need Toys YEAR – ROUND for all ages Help Us “Fill the Toy Bunker for our Sick and Hospitalized Military Children at
Walter Reed (WRNMMC)
Mail “NEW” Toys and Games: Americas Adopt A Soldier, 6744 Gravel Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22310
You can get more information on these events and upcoming ones at https://americasadoptasoldier.org/ .
2 = From the ECHO Newsletter: Making Thanksgiving Truly Festive
Once again ECHO is working to connect clients who would welcome the gift of a Thanksgiving feast with people in our community who would like to donate groceries for a festive meal to a family having a hard time this season. A donor may ask for a specific size of family to assist, and ECHO will match the donor with a local household in need. ECHO will offer a list of foods for the donor to deliver or suggest an amount of grocery store gift cards that can be delivered or mailed. Cards should be mailed to arrive at the recipient’s home by November 24. If you would like to help one or more families have a happy Thanksgiving, contact Fran Eck at franalaneck@msn.com.
ECHO’s Holiday Gifts for Children
The ECHO elves are working to stock the Holiday Gift Shop! ECHO needs donations of new toys (not gift-wrapped, please) for children ages 0-15 for this much-anticipated program. Donations should be made no later than December 6th. Donations can be chosen from our Amazon wish list and delivered directly to ECHO. Find the list at www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/31K8QEMXDB5SX/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1, but it may be most easily accessed through our website, www.echo-inc.org/wishlist-on-amazon. Or donors may deliver gift items directly to our donation door. Popular items are baby dolls, scooters with helmets, soccer balls (sizes 3,4,5), riding toys, and family board games. See a complete list of suggestions at ECHO’s website under the “Donate Goods” tab. ECHO, located at 7205 Old Keene Mill Road, is open on weekday mornings from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00.
November 24 - Thanksgiving Meal delivery deadline
November 27 - Closed in the evening only
November 28-29 - Closed for Thanksgiving
December 7, 8, 10 - Holiday Gift Shop
December 14 - Saturday Opening
December 15 - Christmas Meal gift delivery deadline
December 23 - January 1 -Closed for the holidays
3 – From the Braddock District newsletter: The Virginia Railway Express's popular Santa Trains will return on December 14! Kids will have the chance to ride a VRE train to meet Santa and friends, learn about rail safety, and receive candy canes and coloring books from Santa's helpers.
This is one of my family's favorite events of the year and is a great way to kick off the holiday season!
You can buy tickets for the Burke Centre Santa Trains in-person on Monday, December 2, beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Kings Park Library (9000 Burke Lake Road, Burke), one of the in-person ticket sales locations.
Online tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, December 3 at 10:00 a.m. Visit theVRE website for more information.
4 – From the Franconia District newsletter: From November 22-24, adopt a senior pet (age 6+) with no adoption fee! Families who adopt during the event will also receive a $500 credit for bloodwork or other veterinary services at Pender Veterinary Centre, courtesy of the Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. View adoptable pets.
As many adoption organizations will tell you, please reconsider getting an animal as a Holiday present. The shelters are overrun with surrendered animals early in the year from people who thought a pet would be a good gift before considering all of the responsibility and cost associated with getting one.
5 – From the Braddock District newsletter: As part of Fairfax County Animal Shelter's (FCAS) Pet Resource Center, Fairfax County residents have an opportunity to vaccinate and microchip their pets without the cost of a veterinary exam.
All clinics are first-come first-served and cash only. Clinics are held at the Michael R. Frey (4500 West Ox Road, Fairfax) or the Lorton Campus (8875 Lorton Road, Lorton). The Animal Shelter's next clinic is Monday, December 2, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. | Michael R. Frey Campus.
For more information on upcoming dates or details, visit the FCAS website.
6 – from the last newsletter: As always, it is $10 to renew. If you are paying online, add a dollar. If you are paying by cash or check, do not add a dollar. You can drop off payments in the box in front of my house (6919 Vancouver Rd) to save a stamp. Just lift the lid on top of the box and drop it in the slot. You can also mail it to:
CAWSV
PO Box 2204
Springfield, VA 22152
If you want to pay online via PayPal, here are the links for renewing:
· Renew for 1 year - $11 (FY25)
· Renew for 2 years - $21 (FY25-26)
· Renew for 3 years - $31 (FY25-27)
7 – Calendar
11-28 – Thanksgiving Holiday
11-29 – State and County Holiday (Sorry Federal employees)
12-2 – Vaccine/Microchip event at Lorton Animal Shelter
12-7 – Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
12-14 – Santa Train
12-24 – County Holiday (Full Day this year)
12-25 – Christmas, start of Chanukah
12-26 - Kwanza
1-1 – New Year’s Day (Federal, State, and County Holiday)
1-2 – end of Chanukah