Now that we are fostering a dog I meet local families at adoption day each weekend and some have shared stories of recently losing a pet. I tear up when I hear them. Our wonderful vet is involved in a Pet Remembrance Candle Lighting Ceremony in Leesburg next week, and I offered to help get the word out. The event will be held at St. James’ Episcopal Church (14 Cornwall Street NW Leesburg 20176) at 6:00 P.M. on Friday March 5th. The deadline to include your pet’s photo in the slideshow has passed, but you and your family can still attend to remember a pet together and put a picture of your pet on the Memory Board. Here are some details straight from the flier:
This year market he 5th International Pet Remembrance Candle Lighting Ceremony. Pet lovers in Loudoun County first participated in this ceremony in 2009. Please join us once again to help continue the tradition in honoring all beloved pets who have passed on, are lost, or have been separated from their family.
Join us in the Fellowship Hall of St. James’ Episcopal Church at 6:00pm for light refreshments, to hear readings and music, and to enjoy inspirational thoughts from our special guest, the Reverend Bonnie J. Berger. Rev. Berger is an interfaith minister, spiritual life coach, and hospital chaplain who is excited to help build this tradition in celebrating the human-animal bond! The candle lighting ceremony will occur at 7:00 pm. All human members of your family are invited to attend but please leave your four-legged family members at home!
Feel free to bring a picture of your pet along to be included on the Memory Board.
If you cannot attend our ceremony, please feel free to e-mail us your pet’s name and picture so he or she can still be included in the slide show. We also encourage you to join us at home by lighting a candle for one hour at 7:00 pm. We hope you will find comfort knowing that other pet lovers worldwide will also be lighting a candle on the same date, in memory of their lost pets!
If you have questions you can reach Dr. Krisi Erwin of the Leesburg Veterinary hospital at this email address.
Info about the upcoming Ashburn MOMS Clubs’ preschool forum is quickly spreading through various moms groups throughout the county. The announcement follows.
The MOMS Clubs® of the Ashburn Area are pleased to present:
Ashburn Preschool Forum
Saturday, January 23, 2010
9:00am – 12:00pm
The Mills Recreation Center
43895 Grottoes Drive in Ashburn Village
Are you considering preschool for your child?
Come get the parents’ perspective on our local schools!
Information about the preschools in our area will be available and moms with children in the various schools will be speaking about their personal experience with the teachers and schools.
Open to ALL Ashburn Area parents!
For more information, please contact MOMSClub@tjdjmail. com
**** We’re currently looking for parents of children in the preschools to speak at the forum. This is the 4th year we’ve held the forum and the people attending always seem very grateful to have some “inside knowledge” about the schools.
Here are the schools we hope to include at the forum, so if you’d like to volunteer to speak for about 5 minutes about your experience with one of these schools please email momsclub@tjdjmail. com. We also hope to have some of the special needs programs represented so if you are willing to share your experience with those we’d love to have you. Your participation would be very much appreciated!
A Child’s Place Preschool
Arcola Christian Preschool
Ashburn Children’s Center
Ashburn Village Country Day School
Audubon Nature Preschool
Bean Tree Learning
The Boyd School
Briar Woods Early Learning Lab (Preschool at the Woods)
Broad Run Early Learning Lab
Busy Bees (Kari Vance)
Celebration
Chesterbrook Academy
Christian Fellowship School
Classroom of Discovery
Claude Moore Preschool (formerly Sterling Annex)
Discovery Oaks Academy
Dulles South Preschool
Fit 2 Learn
Goddard School (Belmont Greene)
Goddard School (Ashburn)
Golden Pond
Growing Minds (Judi Ratcliffe)
Heaven Sent Christian Preschool
Hope Christian Preschool
Kids Under Construction
KinderCare Learning Center
KinderWorks in Brambleton (formerly Winwood)
Little Learners Academy
Little Sprouts Preschool
Loudoun Country Day School
Minnieland
Montessori Academy at Belmont Greene
Montessori Children’s House of Loudoun
My Favorite Place Preschool
Open Arms Christian Child Development Center
School of Spanish (Magnolia Inmon)
Sha’are Shalom Rosie Uran Jewish Education Center
South Riding Children’s Center
St. David’s Episcopal Preschool
Sterling Annex Preschool
Stone Bridge Early Learning Lab
Virginia Academy/Ark Preschool
Willow Montessori
Winnie the Pooh
Winwood Children’s Center
‘Tis the season for giving, but it can often be hard to know how to help or where to start. Here are a few ideas on how to spread the love beyond your own family.
Donate to a local nonprofit
If your mailbox looks anything like mine this week you know that there are many community based, not for profit organizations around who need our financial support to continue their important work. I am supporting the Loudoun Literacy Council this year and invite you to join me. The Loudoun Literacy Council’s dedicated team of volunteers and staff are committed to improving English literacy skills of at-risk adults, children and families in Loudoun County through ESL course offerings, story times in local homeless shelters, book donations, community events, individual tutoring, and working with the county Head Start program. Each of these offerings affects individuals, and their stories drive me to help the Loudoun Literacy Council in any way I can. Plus, gifts in December 2009 will be doubled up to $10,000 by an anonymous donor and I like the idea of doubling my gift. 
Consider giving “alternative gifts” to the idealists on your list this year
You and your loved ones can create alternative gift registries with help from the folks at a New American Dream. Imagine the impact you can have on a young child by helping them develop an other-centered alternative holiday gift list.
You can shop at one of the local Alternative Gift Fairs which allow you to donate to local nonprofit organizations on behalf of someone on your shopping list. Much better than a lump of coal.
If you are globally inclined, there is always Heifer International which promises to help you “choose a meaningful gift to give a loved one and help children and families around the world receive training and animal gifts that help them become self-reliant.”
Short on cash? There are still many ways you can help our community!
Donate Blood
The Red Cross is ALWAYS looking for blood donors. This is not a kid-friendly task (you should have seen the looks they gave me when I tried to sneak the kids onto the blood-mobile a few years back!), but could be a nice escape on the weekend if you are not bothered by needles and blood. If you are not eligible, maybe you can babysit for a friend while s/he donates.
Help the Ashburn Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department
By participating in a short fire safety survey between now and December 21, 2009, you can help the Ashburn Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department win a $10,000 grant. I just did this and promise to revisit this post if I start getting oodles of junk mail. Of course, by then it may be too late.…
Provide a foster home for a homeless animal
There are many animal rescue organizations here in Northern Virginia that need help from dedicated, experienced animal lovers who are willing to train, socialize and love pets seeking new forever homes. Here are some of your options:
I have not personally fostered for any of these organizations. I recommend contacting an agency to see if it feels like a fit, and seriously considering whether fostering is right for your family before you start. It is a big commitment!
Volunteer to post fliers for a local nonprofit
This is a fun project to involve the kids in as you can traipse through your local community center, post office, gym, and library together and talk about the folks you are helping as you go. But, watch out! You may get so attached to their mission you end up volunteering in other capacities…
Conduct your own community clean up
Look for it and you will find trash, dog feces, cigarette butts and other messes in our shared spaces. Teach your kids a lesson and work together to help clean a little piece of it up. Don’t forget to wear gloves and wash your hands! If you need a little literature to connect the dots for younger kids, check out the book All the Way to the Ocean by Joel Harper.
Leverage your grocery bill
If your frequent shopper club card at your store of choice is not already connected to a scrip program supporting your local schools or favorite nonprofit consider supporting the Georgetown Child Life program through the Giant Bonus Bucks program. The thought of spending the holidays away from home in a hospital is difficult for many of us to imagine, but for some it is a constant reality. Having a few toys around sounds like a good thing.
And if all else fails, just count birds
Seriously! You can join the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy at their 13th annual Christmas Bird Count on December 27, 2009.
