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Discover Fauquier August 2018
26
Your Business
&
Community
in Action
~ Sarah Smarrelli
OSLC youth Jael Tucker, Bridget Shorey, Paige
Shorey, Carolyn Kiser, Noah Bonnaire, Christopher
Kiser, and AJ Breeding prepare for their service day.
Local Youth Serve with 31,000+ at National Youth Gathering in Houston
Seven high school youth and three adult chaperones from Our Saviour Lutheran Church
(OSLC) in Warrenton spent a few days of their summer break at the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America's (ELCA) National Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas, where they enjoyed
a host of fellowship and learning opportunities and participated in a day of service.
Occurring once every three years, this five-day event, which ran from June 27July 1, attracted
more than 31,000 youth from across all 50 of the United States and several foreign countries.
The group arrived in Houston on June 26 and launched into teambuilding and interactive
learning activities over the next few days. Several ongoing projects and causes throughout
the event finished with impressive results, including 40,000 books donated at Blast Off for
Books and $261,000+ in offerings to be shared among local, domestic, and global ministries.
The OSLC youth spent their day of service weeding and cleaning up a historical cemetery
and picking up trash in the surrounding neighborhood of a Houston suburb. Many of the
service projects responded to ongoing needs in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
"As a youth who is normally quiet and keeps to myself, I was worried about being with 30,000
other kids," said Bridget Shorey. "But the National Youth Gathering was life-changing. I found
new friends, became closer to God
in many different ways, and bonded
with youth and adults from my own
church." "Going to the National
Youth Gathering was a lot of fun,"
added Christopher Kiser. "I made
new friends, and I learned a lot about
myself and my faith."
At the closing worship service, the
dates and location of the next National
Youth Gathering were revealed to
the crowd: June 29July 3, 2021
in Minneapolis, Minnesota. OSLC
hopes to send another group--five
of the seven youth who attended this
year are eligible to attend the next
Gathering--and will soon launch
fundraising efforts to offset associated costs.
School Resource Officers Play Unique Role
Since 1994, Fauquier County's School Resource Officer
(SRO) deputies have been working in local schools. The
first two deputies worked at Fauquier and Liberty High
Schools, and was expanded through federal grants in
1999 to include two additional SROs to serve the four
middle schools. Today, each of the county's middle and
high schools has a dedicated SRO.
The SRO program follows a community policing based
approach in which the officers fulfill three main roles,
as well as many other smaller roles, within the school
community. First and foremost, the SRO is a law enforcement officer with the goal of creating
and maintaining a safe, secure, and orderly environment by enforcing laws, investigating
complaints, and "keeping the peace." The SRO--certified to teach by the Virginia
Department of Criminal Justice Services--can share special law enforcement expertise
through presentations in the classroom to promote a better understanding of our laws and
legal system. Finally, the SRO also provides legal resource guidance to students, parents,
teachers, and staff, and acts as a link to support services both inside and outside the schools.
Despite all these important roles, many SROs say the most rewarding part of their position is
interacting with students and developing trusting relationships--this is what truly makes the
SRO program work.
Bingo the Clown Succeeds in Her Most Challenging Act
Pulling off one of the biggest stunts in her 42-year career, Carol Collins (better known as "Bingo
the Clown") recruited 30 clowns from across the Washington, DC metropolitan area to perform
at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden's Spring Gala in May. The event celebrated
the 1980s with artist honoree Jeff Koons, and a special dessert performance by New York artist
Jennifer Rubell, who is known for her participatory routines that often use food as a medium.
It was Jennifer who contacted Carol about the clown event, after finding her Newventur
Entertainment website. At the event, Bingo and the other clowns stood like statues on 8-inch
pedestals around a circular hallway during the award presentation to artist Jeff Koons. At
the conclusion, the clowns became animated and offered the guests chocolates. However,
to earn the treats,
guests had to do
something funny for
each clown. Bingo
was positioned
across from the DJ,
so her guests had
to play a balloon
guitar in exchange
for the chocolate
goodie. Everyone
in attendance
raved that they had
never had so much
fun at a museum!
Monthly Green Tip--Do Your Part to Keep Fauquier Beautiful
Although bottles and cans are collected together at Corral Farm and all
remote collection sites throughout the county, please don't dump bags in the
same container with these recyclables. Please empty bags of bottles and
cans into the appropriate container and then recycle the bag in the container
marked for "plastic bags only."
PATH Foundation Interns Impact Local Community
The PATH Foundation welcomed 12 interns to its summer internship program, which ran
from June 4August 3. The interns helped the Foundation in its mission to strengthen the
overall health and vitality of Fauquier, Rappahannock, and northern Culpeper communities.
Out of nearly 40 applicants, these interns were chosen based on their academic success,
majors, and past work experience. The PATH internship program allows college students to
have an impact on their local community and to glean experience in their respective career
paths.
Each intern worked with either the PATH Foundation itself or with area organizations whose
work is consistent with the Foundation's efforts. In addition to the PATH Foundation and
PATH Volunteer Center, organizations hosting interns include The Clifton Institute, Culpeper
County Parks and Rec, Fauquier County Public School's Virginia Preschool Initiative,
Fauquier F.I.S.H., Fauquier Free Clinic, Fauquier Habitat for Humanity, Rappahannock
County Public Schools' "Commit to be Fit" program, and the Warrenton Farmer's Market. For
more information about the PATH Foundation internship program, visit
www.pathforyou.org.
2018 PATH Interns: Madeline McCombe, Bryce Harty, Elisabeth Heras, Ta'Mia Carrier,
Maggie Clinard, Sarah Thornhill, Chrissy Mohl, Josh Racer,
Brandon Green, Catie McCarthy, Claire Downey. (not pictured: Katie Schmidtmann)
Chun Rhee (Jhoon Rhee's son)
and Grandmaster Ron Jenkins
Grandmaster Ron Jenkins Honors the Late Jhoon Rhee
Through his involvement in the martial arts sport, Ron
Jenkins, grandmaster at Karate Sports Academy, was
honored to attend the funeral of Jhoon Rhee-- legendary
martial artist who introduced Tae Kwon Do to the United
States more than half a century ago. Held at McLean
Bible, Ron was overwhelmed by the warm welcome he
received from the numerous celebrities in attendance
including Jesse Jackson, Chuck Norris, Mrs. Bruce Lee,
and others. Ron knows the Rhee family primarily through
their son, but he has also coached many former Jhoon
Rhee students during his lifetime involvement with the
sport.