UPDATED: Bishop O’Connell Inadvertently Contributed to Kelly Campaign
(Updated at 5:45 p.m.) On March 15, a year to the day after the all-Democrat Arlington County Board rejected a controversial plan to add lights to its football and baseball fields, Bishop O’Connell High School made a $350 contribution to the campaign of Republican County Board candidate Mark Kelly, according to public campaign contribution records.
In a statement issued late this afternoon, Michael J. Donohue, Director of Communications for the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, said the donation was made by a school employee using school funds. The check was intended to be a donation from an individual, however, and not a donation on behalf of the school itself, according to Donohue.
The Diocese learned today that a member of the staff of Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington County recently used a school check for the sake of convenience to purchase a set of tickets to a political fundraiser for a candidate for local office. This was a significant error in judgment on the part of the school employee as well as a clear violation of diocesan policy. Though all of the $350 in school funds were reimbursed by the employee, Chancery and school officials are presently reviewing the matter, and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.
One local Democratic official raised a red flag about the donation, which seemed like an unprecedented, symbolic gesture from the school, until the Diocese clarified the record.
“I’ve never seen this, a school giving a donation to a political candidate,” the official told ARLnow.com.
Donohue said Diocese policy specifically prohibits political donations, which would be a violation of the church’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
“Diocesan policy absolutely prohibits church entities to contributing to any political campaigns, either on behalf of or opposition to any candidate,” Donohue said. “That’s reflective of the IRS code.”
A Bishop O’Connell spokeswoman was reached via phone before this article was published, but declined to comment.
Kelly ended up losing the March 27 special election to Democrat Libby Garvey.
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Library Requesting High School Yearbook Donations
(Updated at 3:25 p.m.) If you attended high school in Arlington, you have something in common with Warren Beatty, Shirley MacLaine, Katie Couric and Sandra Bullock. All are immortalized in yearbooks at Arlington Central Library (1015 N. Quincy St), but the collection isn’t complete. That’s where you can step in to help.
The Virginia Room at the Central Library is asking for donations of Arlington high school yearbooks in good condition. That way, your accomplishments can be put on display for all to see, along with Sandra Bullock’s time as a cheerleader at Washington-Lee or Katie Couric’s work (quite foreshadowing) in the Yorktown Quill and Scroll Club. Hopefully, there’s no issue over the spelling of your last name like Shirley MacLaine and her brother, Warren (Beaty vs. Beatty).
In addition to the yearbooks, visitors to the Virginia Room can browse through the reference collection of the state’s historical items including maps, photos of the County from decades past and a local newspaper archive.
Judith Knudsen and John Stanton work in the Virginia Room and help visitors hunt down resources. The process will become a little easier on February 1, when the collection, including around 600 photos, will begin to be digitized and put online for public viewing.
“We’re Arlington, Virginia history, but we’re also a community archives,” Knudsen said. “We collect papers and information on individuals and also organizations.”
The high school yearbooks the library would like can be from any year between 1951 and 2010. It’s fine if the books have writing in them, but they must be without mold and mildew. Duplicates are welcome, but the Virginia Room is specifically missing the following yearbooks:
Wakefield – 1954, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1986, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Washington-Lee – 1930, 1958, 1959, 1963, 1964, 1969, 1972, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010
Yorktown – 1982, 1984, 1985, 1993, 1997, 2010
Hoffman-Boston – Missing All Except 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954
Bishop Denis J. O’Connell – Missing All Except 1977, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998
H.B. Woodlawn – They don’t have ANY yearbooks
Donations can be made in person. For more information, call 703-228-5966 or email the Virginia Room.
Make a Food Donation While Riding the Bus
If you’re looking for a place to donate food during the holiday season, Arlington Transit is making it easy. All you have to do is hop on an ART bus.
Arlington Transit teamed up with the Arlington Food Assistance Center for a food drive that allows riders to leave donations directly on buses. Each ART bus has a box for collecting non-perishable food items. Boxes have also been put in place at Commuter Stores.
All food collected will be sent to the Arlington Food Assistance Center to be distributed to local residents in need. During an average week, AFAC serves about 2,000 adults and 1,000 children.
As of November 29, Arlington Transit reported 160 items had been donated. The food drive runs through Friday, December 16. If you’d like to donate but aren’t sure what to give, there’s a list of suggested items on the Arlington Transit website.
Fall E-CARE Disposal and Recycling Event Scheduled
If it can’t be thrown out with the trash or picked up for normal recycling, chances are you’ll be able to get rid of it next month at Arlington’s “E-CARE” Environmental Collection and Recycling Event.
The biannual event is being held at Thomas Jefferson Middle School (125 S. Old Glebe Road) from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Residents will be able to drop off various types of large or hazardous items, including small metal items, computers, televisions, cell phones, other electronics, fluorescent bulbs and tubes, paint products, fuels and petroleum products, lawn and garden chemicals, poisons, pesticides, automotive fluids, car care products, propane gas cylinders, photographic chemicals, swimming pool chemicals, household cleaners, mercury, flammable solvents, fire extinguishers and corrosive materials.
There will also be a collection of gently used clothes, shoes, microwaves, mattresses, bed frames, eyeglasses and old bicycles. Most items will be donated to poor residents of Honduras, while the bikes and eyeglasses will be sent to unspecified overseas destinations.
The only items that are specifically banned are explosives, ammunition, freon, radioactive materials, prescription drugs, medical waste and asbestos. Also, smoking is prohibited while on-site.
See more information on the Arlington County E-CARE web site.
Morning Notes
County to Label Building Energy Use — In October, Arlington will start installing signs on county-owned building that will reveal the building’s energy use and carbon footprint. “We’d like people to think of energy use in buildings like they think of gasoline use in cars,” Joan Kelsch, Arlington’s green building program manager, told reporter Michael Lee Pope. [WAMU]
Planetarium Donors and Dedications — Among the whimsical new seat dedications in the soon-to-be-renovated David M. Brown Planetarium: “Pick any star — make a wish!” “Gaze upward & dream!” and “4 Who Is Yet To Come.” [savetheplanetarium.org]
Fairfax Supervisor Candidate’s 2010 Arlington Assault — An independent candidate for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors was charged with assault in Arlington after a heated argument over a Crystal City parking space on March 25, 2010. “It was an altercation between two adults,” explained Will Radle, who has been endorsed by the Independent Green party. [Kingstowne Patch]
Favola Tops Latest Fundraising Numbers
Quarterly finance reports are out for Arlington’s state Senate races.
In the heated 31st District contest between County Board member Barbara Favola and Army National Guard JAG officer Jaime Areizaga-Soto, Favola won the fundraising battle and conserved her cash.
Favola received $130,414.68 in contributions during the second quarter of 2011, compared to Areizaga-Soto’s $73,816.00. Areizaga-Soto also took out $145,000 in net debt during the period, but only ended up with $41,137.84 cash in hand thanks to a whopping $177,678.16 in spending. Favola spent $74,764.67 and ended with $112,909.01 cash in hand.
Favola may face renewed criticism of her willingness to accept money from developers and other interests with business before the County Board. All told, Favola accepted nearly $35,000 in donations from real estate, development and hotel companies.
Among the donations were $5,000 from JBG Companies executive Walter Coker, $2,500 from Monday Properties executive Timothy Helmig, $2,500 from IDI Group CEO Giuseppe Cecchi, $1,000 from The Bozzuto Group’s Thomas Bozzuto, and $1,000 from MRP Realty executive Robert Murphy. She also accepted donations from representatives of Vornado/Charles E. Smith, the B.F. Saul Company, McCaffrey Interests, and Cushman & Wakefield.
Additionally, Favola accepted a $2,500 donation from Advanced Towing owner John O’Neill, $1,000 from Red Top Cab and $500 from Enviro-Cab partner April Hess. All three firms are subject to special county regulations. Political supporters Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, Sen. Janet Howell, and Sen. Dick Saslaw collectively contributed $32,000 $42,000 to Favola.
Areizaga-Soto, meanwhile, raised a significant portion of his money from friends and family in his native Puerto Rico. He raised more than $21,000 from donors in the American territory. Areizaga-Soto’s fellow attorneys were also generous. He raised $18,700 from donors identified as attorneys.
Areizaga-Soto’s largest individual donor was Carlos Del Toro, the CEO of a service disabled veteran-owned engineering and consulting firm in Stafford, Va. Del Toro donated a total of $5,250 to Areizaga-Soto.
The winner of the primary race between Favola and Areizaga-Soto will face Republican Caren Merrick in the fall. Merrick raised $136,031.25 during the quarter and has $153,499.90 cash on hand.
In the three-way Democratic primary race for the 30th District state Senate seat, Arlington County School Board member Libby Garvey captured the fundraising crown.
Arlington Goodwill Center Racks Up Donations
Arlington residents are nothing if not generous. The county is home to one of the highest-performing Goodwill donation centers in the country.
The nonprofit’s Glebe Road donation center at 10 S. Glebe Road was ranked 6th out of 2,657 donation centers nationwide in 2010.
The center, which often has a line of cars waiting to donate snaking through its parking lot, racked up 121,254 donations in 2010, according to Goodwill spokesman Brendan Hurley. The location’s retail store, meanwhile, recorded 119,946 transactions.
All told, donations at the Glebe Road center kept 4,850,160 pounds of materials — including 370,000 pounds of computer equipment — out of landfills.
Large Donation Helps Save Planetarium
A flood of last minute donations has helped to save Arlington’s David M. Brown Planetarium. A large donation from an anonymous donor pushed the campaign past its goal as the fundraiser came to a close on Thursday.
The anonymous donation of $50,000 bumped the total to $435,000. That surpassed the goal of $402,800 set in April 2010 by Dr. Patrick Murphy, Superintendent of Arlington Public Schools.
More than 3,500 businesses, individuals and foundations contributed to the cause, 200 of them taking part during the 10-day online fundraising challenge. The money will go toward purchasing a state-of-the-art planetarium projector, replacing the seats, updating the lighting system and repairing the inside of the dome. Had the goal not been met, the 40 year old facility would have been closed and used for classroom space.
Friends of the Arlington Planetarium, the non-profit group formed to raise money for the project, says it will continue to make sure the planetarium stays up to date and will provide support as necessary.
AFAC Requests Produce Donations
The Arlington Food Assistance Center is asking local gardeners and farmers to donate extra produce to bolster AFAC’s food pantry.
“Each week, over 1,300 client families visit AFAC to pick up supplemental groceries,” the organization said in a statement. “Fresh fruits and vegetables are in high demand among AFAC clients, especially as fuel prices drive up food prices.”
Produce donations can be made at the following locations:
- AFAC (2708 S. Nelson Street) — Monday though Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Master Gardeners Help Desk at the Courthouse Farmers Market (N. Courthouse Road & 14th Street N.) — Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to noon
- Rock Spring United Church of Christ (5010 Little Falls Road) — Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to noon
For more information on donating, and to learn about other ways to help, contact Puwen.Lee[at]afac.org or call 703-845-8486. The produce donation drive is part of AFAC’s Plot Against Hunger program.
Arlington Free Clinic Receives Major Gift
The Arlington Free Clinic (2921 11th Street South) has received a major charitable gift.
The McLean-based Campbell Hoffman Foundation has given the Free Clinic $677,500 for “continued integration of mental health services within primary care.” AFC says it will also use the funds for “primary and specialty care… and pharmacy services.”
“The funding will support and sustain our essential medical services in Arlington County,” said David Lee, MD, chair of AFC’s board. “We are truly grateful for the Foundation’s trust in our capacity to serve the community and for the opportunity to carry forward its important legacy of primary care.”
Morning Notes
Whitlow’s Rooftop Deck Opens Today — Wilson’s on Whitlow’s — the new rooftop deck atop Whitlow’s on Wilson (2854 Wilson Boulevard) — will open for the season at 4:00 tonight. With sunny skies and temperatures reaching into the upper 70s, the place may get a bit crowded. [Clarendon Culture]
Library Accepting ‘Operation Paperback’ Donations — Arlington Central Library (1015 N. Qunicy Street) is accepting donations of gently-used paperbacks for our troops. Books donated between now and April 30 will be shipped to U.S. troops overseas as part of the ‘Operation Paperback‘ program. “All genres except romance are needed,” the library notes. [Library Blog]
Courthouse-Area Lunch Spots Lauded — Is Courthouse “one of the best places around for work lunches?” One D.C.-based blogger thinks so, citing spots like Pho 75, Five Guys, Ray’s Hell Burger, Dehli Dhaba, Fireworks and Earl’s Sandwiches. [I Spy Things DC]
Morning Notes
H-B Woodlawn Student Wins Arlington Idol – We have a new Arlington Idol. H-B Woodlawn junior Mary Shields (above) placed first at the annual singing competition Thursday night. Watch her winning performance here. Shields will now perform at a July 8 summer concert at Washington-Lee High School. [Arlington Public Schools]
Discussion of Pike/Glebe Development Tonight — Arlington’s site plan review commission will discuss early plans for a mixed used development at the Rosenthal auto dealership site at Columbia Pike and South Glebe Road tonight. The development plan calls for ground floor retail space, 259 residential units and 44 town homes. The meeting is open to the public. [Pike Wire]
Donations for Employee Injured in Brawl — The Hyatt Regency Crystal City hotel is accepting donations for an employee who was seriously injured during a brawl at the 2011 DMV Music Awards. Antonio Illanes was hit with a bottle and lost sight in his left eye. He has had to endure several operations since the March 6 incident. [TBD]
Dogs on Display at AWLA — The Animal Welfare League of Arlington has set up a small animal viewing area in its lobby to encourage the adoption of animals that have had a hard time finding a home. [Sun Gazette]
Screen capture via YouTube
Thieves Strike Hume School, Endangering Historical Society’s Finances
The Hume School, home of the Arlington Historical Society Museum (1805 South Arlington Ridge Road), was damaged by thieves last month, the organization’s president has confirmed.
“Sometime in early December, thieves literally ripped off three 30 foot long copper downspouts from the exterior walls of the Hume School,” said Arlington Historical Society President Tom Dickinson. “This is a severe blow to our carefully shepherded finances, which were already in a precarious (deficit budget) situation. Although covered by insurance, we will incur a $1,000 deductible hit to pay for replacement downspouts.”
Dickinson said he’s meeting with a contractor today to get an estimate for the total replacement cost. He said that with the public’s help, he’s still hoping to catch the thieves.
“It would be interesting to know if any of your readers have contacts with scrap metal dealers in the area who might remember having seen these very long, dark brown tubes come through recently,” he said. “The price of copper has gone way up in recent months, thus making such brazen thefts more frequent.”
A photo of the Hume School is one of the finalists in this year’s county vehicle decal contest.
Anyone interested in donating to the historical society can do so online here or by sending a check to the Arlington Historical Society at P.O. Box 100402, Arlington, Virginia 22210-3402.
Big Planetarium Donation Encourages Others to Give
A $100,000 donation from local builder and philanthropist Preston Caruthers has given new life to the campaign to save Arlington’s planetarium.
The donation, first announced late last week, was given to the Friends of the David M. Brown Planetarium organization in the form of a challenge grant. From now until the $100,000 is exhausted, each donation to the planetarium will be matched by Mr. Caruthers’ funds.
That means that reaching certain donation levels will be easier for individual donors. For instance, a donor would now only need to donate $500 to reach the $1,000 level required to dedicate a seat in the planetarium.
“It’s a way of encouraging people to make a donation, and to do it sooner rather than later,” said Friends of the Planetarium Board President Alice Monet. Prospective donors want to get their donations in before the challenge funds are depleted, she said.
The $100,000 donation came at a critical time, as the planetarium campaign was eying a looming fundraising deadline set by Arlington Public Schools, which owns and operates the aging facility on the grounds of Washington-Lee High School.
With Mr. Caruthers’ gift figured in, the Friends have now raised close to $250,000. The donation pushed the organization just north of the school-imposed $241,680 target for the end of December. The ultimate fundraising target for the group is $402,800 on June 30 of this year, with a $322,240 target set for March 31.
Monet says the organization has “seen a big effect already” from the Caruthers challenge.
Between 30 and 40 donations came in over the weekend, Monet said, blowing away the usual half dozen donations during a typical weekend.
“It’s now clear to people that we’re a lot more likely to succeed,” she said. “It’s an achievable fundraising effort, and people want to be a part of that.”
Support a Great Local Charity, (Possibly) Win Cool Stuff
ARLnow.com has teamed up with our friends at What’s the Deal to support Doorways for Women and Families, which is trying to reach an important $100,000 fundraising goal by the end of the month.
With family homelessness at historic levels and incidents of domestic violence on the rise, Doorways has seen demand for its services rise in Northern Virginia.
For the next 36 hours, you’ll have the chance to make a small donation to Doorways while being entered into a raffle featuring more than 15 prizes from restaurants and other businesses around D.C.
Your raffle ticket purchase of $5 or $10 will help pay for Doorways’ domestic violence safehouse and court advocacy services, as well as its homelessness prevention efforts and emergency family shelter.
Click here to buy raffle tickets to support Doorways.
You can also check out the charities being supported by three other local sites — We Love DC, EatMore DrinkMore and K Street Kate — here. The charity that raises the most money (100 percent of the purchase price will go directly to the charities) will have their donations matched by What’s the Deal.
