Loyal fans of One More Page Books in East Falls Church are helping the store keep the lights on — literally.

The bookstore, a staple in the community for 12 years that often works with Arlington Public Library and local schools, recently held a fundraiser to help pay for needed maintenance and to help the shop stick with its current slate of publisher vendors.

As of Monday evening, the well-loved bookstore at 2200 N. Westmoreland Street raised nearly $36,000 — surpassing its $35,000 goal — from some 400 donors over the course of 10 days. The largest was an anonymous $2,500 donation.

“We are overwhelmed with the response and the words of encouragement from our customers and the community,” owner Eileen McGervey told ARLnow. “It is difficult to ask for help and then to have such a rapid response is humbling.”

McGervey says she wishes the funds would go toward something “fun and exciting,” but instead it will go to fixing its lighting and HVAC system.

“About a third of our ceiling lighting units are no longer working, so there are certain parts of the store that are dark,” she said.

The funds will also make One More Page whole after paying for recent repairs to its air conditioning unit and plumbing.

“Since the overflow pan is in the ceiling, we have had water come down into the store — books and water are not a good mix,” McGervey said.

Any money leftover could help pay for “a few fun ideas for the store design,” she says.

McGervey says the bookstore is cutting costs where it can but that applies to future expenses, not those the store has already had to incur. In addition to fixing the AC unit, that includes ongoing costs associated with maintaining its website, which was upgraded during the pandemic to facilitate online ordering.

“The profit margin for small businesses is notoriously small, and over time, even new small expenses or slight revenue dips add up,” she wrote in the fundraiser. “And, like all of you, our rent and other expenses continue to rise.”

When rent rose by 30% in 2019, One More Page also turned to the community, hosting an online auction that ultimately helped it raise $20,374. That money paid the publisher vendors McGervey could not pay after covering rent.

The fundraiser for covering repairs and paying vendors this time around is ongoing. McGervey encourages supporters to continue shopping at the store, in person or online, and at Libro.fm for audiobooks. Supports can also attend events, become a Patreon member and buy branded t-shirts.

With the approach of summer comes a slower event schedule but One More Page does have a launch party scheduled for local author Jonathan Harper, for his book “You Don’t Belong Here” on June 4.

The store is also planning to support Arlington Public Library’s event with author Imani Perry at Central Library on June 22 and to likely host a repeat of its “highly popular” Puzzle Exchange night.

On July 18, the shop will celebrate the release of “The Inner Ear of Don Zientara” with Antonia Tricarico and special guests Don Zientara, Amanda MacKaye and Joe Lally, followed by an event to celebrate the July 25 release of “Ghosted” by store staffer Amanda Quain.

A nearly decade-old 5K race through Fairlington supporting a local girl with a rare disease is canceled, possibly indefinitely.

Since 2014, hundreds of Arlingtonians and visitors have participated in the Fairlington 5K, which raises money to fund research for a cure for leukoencephalopathy, or LBSL. The disorder affects the brain and spinal cord of Wakefield High School student Ellie McGinn.

Her P.E. teacher at Abingdon Elementary School initiated the first race in 2014. Since then, her family established the nonprofit, A Cure for Ellie, now Cure LBSL, which supports treatment research and raises awareness about the disease, while the race has attracted those affected by it from as far away as New Zealand.

“It’s been more than I ever could’ve dreamed for,” Ellie’s mother, Beth McGinn, tells ARLnow. “It’s a great community event and brought out the best in everyone here.”

This year would have been the eighth year for the race, but it was canceled due to stepped-up security for local races.

“For the safety and security of participants, spectators and special event staff, ACPD has a longstanding practice of clearing race courses of parked vehicles,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage said.

Over the last year, organizers of a few regularly occurring races that “did not have clear courses” were notified that by 2023, ACPD would no longer allow these events to occur if vehicles were parked along the race route.

The policy is intended to avoid drivers accidentally or purposefully striking participants. During last year’s race, police had to escort five individuals who inadvertently drove on the race course, despite public messaging and signage, Savage said.

This policy has been around for nearly a decade, according to Kathy Dalby, the CEO of local running store Pacers Running, which has handled race-day logistics for the Fairlington 5K as well as other races around the county.

“This isn’t a new policy, just probably not enforced across the board,” Dalby said. “We have been paying for car removal and meter charges since probably a year after the Boston Bombings, give or take.”

While ACPD offered to work with Beth McGinn to find a solution, she says she just does not see a way forward right now that keeps the race in Fairlington. Too many people use street parking, and relocating the race may result in fewer participants.

“What made our [race] so successful was also its downfall,” she said. “Thanks to the volume and density of Fairlington, we were able to turn out a lot of people. The civic association, the schools and the farmer’s market would promote it. There’s not that buy-in from everybody if I move it to a park.”

She says she understands the perspective of the police department. In addition to the incidents on the Fairlington 5K course last year, there have been a number of incidents in the last three years in which drivers have intentionally driven into crowds at community fundraisers, protests and foot races.

“It’s coming from a good place,” the mother said. “I wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt during my race, either… Right now, that’s the world we’re in.”

Although the race is canceled, Beth McGinn says people are still donating to the cause. The race has raised some $130,000 for research, per the race website, while the A Cure For Ellie cause has raised some $2 million, per the Cure LBSL website.

Right now, there are two drugs in clinical development. Beth McGinn says she hopes these could stop the disease’s progression in Ellie’s body and even help her daughter recover some mobility.

The disease has progressed to the point that Ellie uses a wheelchair at school and for long distances. Still, her mother makes sure to count her blessings.

“She’s a happy camper,” Beth said. “That’s a blessing.”

Arlington will be hosting a 17-year-old race to honor police officers who have died in the line of duty.

This is the second time that the county will host participants in the National Police Week 5K. The 17th annual event will be held on May 13.

Last year, racers ran from Rosslyn to the Pentagon in the first in-person race since the onset of the pandemic. The race was held virtually in 2020 and 2021 and pre-Covid, it was held in D.C.

“We chose Arlington for several reasons, the main reason being the location,” said event spokeswoman Amy Herrera. “Arlington is a beautiful city with a strong and active community.”

The race is also an opportunity to signal support for living officers, per the race website.

“Between a devastating pandemic, intense public scrutiny, and heightened civil unrest, the challenges our officers face continue to grow,” it says. “Whether you’ve witnessed this firsthand or as a police supporter, the NPW5K is your opportunity to help revive the camaraderie that our community needs now more than ever.”

National Police Week draws upwards of 40,000 people to the capital to honor the law enforcement officers who died on the job, per the event’s website.

“Tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, DC to participate in a number of planned events which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice,” the website says.

President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as “Peace Officers Memorial Day” in 1962 and the week in which that date falls as Police Week, the website said. Officers began holding a memorial service in 1982, which has since expanded to include a series of events, such as the 5K.

The race is sponsored by the Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit dedicated to honoring some 26,000 fallen law enforcement officers.

Online race registration is currently open. People can run in-person in Arlington or “virtually” by running a 5K from home. The course takes runners around the perimeter of the Pentagon, down Richmond Hwy, across Army Navy Drive and up Washington Blvd, via S. Joyce Street and Columbia Pike.

Bishop O’Connell High School students will be dancing for 12 hours straight to raise money for the research and treatment of cystic fibrosis.

The nearly 50-year-old tradition, dubbed the “Superdance,” will take place on Saturday, March 11 from noon to midnight. Each year, over 95% of the student body attends the event, which has live bands, DJs and games.

“This is a beloved school tradition created in the hopes of finding a cure for cystic fibrosis and in remembrance of several members of the O’Donnell family who died from the disease,” said Lizzie Whelan, the publicity chair for the Superdance.

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body and leads to an early death. A therapeutic drug approved in 2019 can help patients avoid lung failure and live longer.

But no such therapy existed in 1976, when the first 12-hour dance-a-thon was organized by Maura O’Donnell, then a senior at Bishop O’Connell. She put it together in hopes of raising enough money to find a cure after her sister Brenda died of the disease in 1975.

Maura, who also had cystic fibrosis, attended the first Superdance and graduated high school, but died from the disease while in nursing school.

She is remembered as “a vibrant young girl, who left an impact on every person that had the pleasure of meeting her,” Whelan said.

“Maura created a monumental impact on the student body that has lasted forty years and will continue to influence O’Connell students in the future,” Whelan said. “The entire Bishop O’Connell is dedicated to supporting this cause and continuing the fight that Maura so bravely started.”

Since its inception, Superdance has raised nearly $4.9 million to help find a cure for cystic fibrosis. This year, Whelan says the students aim to raise over $143,000 and pass the $5 million mark. Last year, the Superdance raised $136,000, making Bishop O’Connell is the largest high school contributor to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

An assembly previewing the event and educating students about cystic fibrosis will be held this Friday, Feb. 10. It will feature speeches from the student council, presentations from student committees, guest speakers, skits and games. At the end of the assembly, this year’s theme for Superdance will be revealed.

The Falls Church restaurant community is coming together to raise money for the employees of Ireland’s Four Courts.

The Courthouse mainstay was heavily damaged on Aug. 12 when a rideshare driver, who was apparently suffering a medical emergency, slammed into the front of the pub during a Friday happy hour. Three people were seriously injured and a raging fire sparked by the crash charred much of the interior.

Arlington County police announced yesterday that the driver will not face criminal charges. A Four Courts co-owner told ARLnow that the first step of rebuilding, a partial demolition, will start soon, followed by construction “in a couple of months.”

In the meantime, fellow restaurants have been banding together to support Four Courts employees while the pub remain closed.

Samuel Beckett’s Irish Pub in Shirlington held a fundraiser last month and, in early November, a number of prominent Fall Church restaurants are holding a fundraiser dubbed the “Crawl for the Courts.”

“Clare and Don’s Beach Shack and Ireland’s Four Provinces are organizing this Falls Church effort to support the staff of Ireland’s Four Courts,” said a press release for the event.

Three employees were reported to be among the 12 who suffered injuries not considered serious.

More on the event, from the press release:

On Saturday, November 5, 2022, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., the local Falls Church restaurant community is coming together to host a Crawl for The Courts to benefit the employees of Ireland’s Four Courts. To participate, one will need to buy a voucher. The vouchers for the restaurant crawl will be available for purchase at each participating restaurant, on the day of the event. The cost is $100 per person and 100 percent of the proceeds raised will be presented to Irelands Four Courts. The patrons who come out to support this community effort will show their voucher to enjoy a bite and a drink special at each of the six participating restaurants.

A half dozen restaurants are participating, including:

Clare and Don’s Beach Shack
130 North Washington Street

Ireland’s Four Provinces
105 West Broad Street

Liberty Barbecue
370 West Broad Street

Northside Social
205 Park Avenue

Dogwood Tavern
132 West Broad Street

Harvey’s
513 West Broad Street

(Updated at 2:40 p.m.) The rideshare driver who crashed into Ireland’s Four Courts in Courthouse last month likely experienced “a medical emergency” before driving into the building, police say.

This preliminary explanation comes after Arlington County police previously ruled out drunk driving as well as malicious intent.

The crash set fire to the popular pub, situated next to the “T” intersection of N. Courthouse Road and Wilson Blvd, during a local company’s happy hour event. It triggered a large emergency response and road closures as people fled the fiery scene. More than a dozen people were hurt.

Police said today that all three pub-goers who were hospitalized with serious, potentially life-threatening injuries have now been released — a little over a month after they were admitted. One patient was still in critical condition and two others were in stable condition within a week of the crash.

The seriously injured people are expected to undergo a rehabilitation process as they continue to recover, we’re told.

In all, 15 people were injured, including nine brought to local hospitals. Of them, three were Four Courts employees hospitalized for less serious injuries, including smoke inhalation.

Four Courts Managing Partner Dave Cahill told ARLnow that the patrons who were seriously injured may not have survived but for other quick-thinking fellow pub-goers, including a volunteer firefighter, as well as first responders who arrived on scene just moments after the crash.

“Our thoughts and prayers have been with them for this whole time,” Cahill said of the victims. “They’re regulars who come in here all the time… we’re happy that they’ve started the next stage of recovery.”

Building inspectors determined that Four Courts is structurally sound but not fit for occupancy due to the extensive damage.

The pub is planning to rebuild, funded in part by a now-closed GoFundMe campaign that blew well past its $50,000 goal, raising just over $95,000. Tonight, fellow Arlington Irish pub Samuel Beckett’s (2800 S. Randolph Street) is hosting a fundraiser and silent auction for Four Courts staff.

Cahill told ARLnow today that insurance and other matters are still being worked out before construction can begin that would allow at least part of the pub to reopen. If demolition starts soon, he said, the best case scenario would be reopening in late spring or early summer of 2023.

When the doors swing back open, he wants customers to feel like nothing has changed, and for regulars to request the same TV channels and sit in the same seats they’ve sat in for years.

“We’re going to work and recreate Four Courts as close back to the original as possible,” he said. “We don’t want people to walk in here and think they’re in a different place. Things will be updated, obviously, but we want people to feel at home in the Four Courts.”

The only thing that many repeat customers would miss would be their personal mugs. Four Courts had a mug club with more than 1,475 mugs people purchased; added their names, football team logos and family crests to; and drank from whenever they came in.

“We lost a lot of mugs,” he said. “When the fire came, it melted the mug and left the handle. We’re sad about that. That was a big part of the brand.”

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Arlington County police say the rideshare driver who crashed into Ireland’s Four Courts on Friday did not do so intentionally and was not drunk.

Beyond that, not much is known — or, at least, being revealed publicly — about the circumstances that led to the fiery crash that severely injured several people inside the long-time Courthouse pub.

“The Arlington County Police Department continues to investigate the cause of Friday’s crash,” the police department said in a statement late Monday afternoon. “Based on the preliminary investigation, detectives do not believe the crash was an intentional act and alcohol has been ruled out as a contributing factor. The driver of the vehicle is cooperating with the ongoing investigation.”

“Detectives continue to encourage anyone with information related to this investigation to contact Detective K. Stahl at [email protected] or 703-228-7145,” ACPD said. “Information may also be reported anonymously to Arlington County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.”

Police said that three people are still in the hospital, including one who’s still in critical condition and two others that are now in stable condition.

Initially, police said four people had been taken to the hospital from the scene in critical condition. In all, 15 people were injured, including nine brought to local hospitals, six of whom have since been released.

ARLnow previously reported that the quick actions of customers and first responders to treat the injured and move them away from the growing inferno likely saved lives.

Meanwhile, Four Courts has told local news outlets that it is planning to rebuild.

The pub and its staff will be helped by a GoFundMe campaign, which has blown past its $50,000 goal and raised more than $77,000 as of publication time. Four Courts employees, three of whom were hospitalized but have since been released, are also getting an assist from a fellow local Irish bar.

Samuel Beckett’s Irish Gastro Pub, at 2800 S. Randolph Street in Shirlington, is organizing a fundraiser and silent auction on Thursday, Sept. 15 for Four Courts staff.

Already more than 1,000 people have said they’re going or expressed interest in the event on Facebook.

“We at Beckett’s and Kirwan’s on the Wharf would like to hold a fundraiser for the staff of Ireland’s Four Courts,” wrote owner Mark Kirwan. “We will have a silent auction and a night of fun and entertainment to raise money for these poor unfortunate souls who went through hell… Thank you in advance and let’s make this road ahead for these folks a bit easier.”

Firefighters and county building officials were at Four Courts on Monday. The pub’s general manager, Dave Cahill, told ARLnow this afternoon that Four Courts is still trying to determine how to move forward, depending on what the inspections find.

“We are working with the county and inspectors to determine the next course of action,” Cahill said. “We are extremely grateful for all the neighborhood support.”

The four people reported to be seriously injured when a car plowed into Ireland’s Four Courts last night may not have survived but for the quick actions of fellow pub-goers and first responders.

That’s according to Dave Cahill, long-time manager of the Courthouse fixture, which remains closed after last night’s crash and fire.

At last check, the four critically injured people were still hospitalized, but the hope is all four will pull through, we’re told. Cahill tells ARLnow that all three Four Courts employees who were injured and brought to the hospital have since been released.

The crash happened around 6:45 p.m. Friday, as people were gathered near the front of the pub for a local company’s happy hour event.

A gray Toyota Camry — ARLnow has heard from multiple sources that it was being operated as a rideshare vehicle — reportedly came speeding up N. Courthouse Road and drove through the “T” intersection, slamming directly into the pub. It was nearly 20 feet inside the business, Cahill said, and started to catch fire almost immediately.

Quick-thinking customers sprang into action, coming from the back of the restaurant to the smoldering wreckage to help severely injured customers, the driver, and at least one passenger of the car, who was also hurt. Photos taken as fire started to engulf the car and the pub show several people carrying one man — who can be seen in a photo taken seconds earlier slumped over in front of the car — to safety outside.

Police and firefighters arrived on scene as employees and customers were still trying to flee the pub. Photos and a TikTok video show police officers running into Four Courts as smoke billowed out. In frantic police radio transmissions, first arriving officers requested “a lot of ambulances” and reported “a lot of people” still inside the restaurant as fire spread.

“It’s an image I’ll never forget,” said Cahill.

Without customers risking their own safety to save the injured, and without the lightning-fast response of police and medics — ACPD headquarters is a couple of blocks from Four Courts and a fire station is a short distance down Wilson Blvd — “it could have been a lot worse,” he said.

Also helping: the pub was significantly less crowded than usual for a Friday, a server told NBC 4.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was hurt,” said Cahill.  Asked about when the pub might reopen, Cahill said “we’re not thinking about it right now.”

Building inspectors determined that Four Courts is structurally sound but not fit for occupancy due to the extensive damage. Photos of the interior from this morning, shared with ARLnow, show a vast swath of charred flooring, fixtures and ceiling near the front of the pub.

The car, meanwhile, was removed from inside and hauled away on a flatbed tow truck early this morning. Video shows heavy front-end damage from the collision.

Cahill said management will start to assess repairs and future plans next week, but noted that the kitchen and the newer rear of the pub is largely intact. The current hope is that insurance will help to pay employees and keep them on staff.

A GoFundMe page, which Cahill says was set up by a regular customer, will also help. As of publication it has raised more than $7,500 of a $50,000 goal.

A total of 14 people were injured, including eight who were brought to local hospitals, police and fire officials said last night. There’s still no word on what led to the crash.

Update at 4 p.m. — The Arlington County police and fire departments just issued the following joint statement. Two of the victims remain in critical condition, the statement says, while the other two seriously injured people have been stabilized.

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Fifth graders at Nottingham Elementary School raised more than a thousand dollars, via a lemonade stand, for relief efforts in Ukraine.

The fundraiser, held June 4, raised $1,250 to donate to World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit founded by Chef José Andrés that is providing freshly made meals to people in Ukraine. Students ran the stand as their graduation service project.

The fifth graders sold lemonade and popsicles from around 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on that Saturday. Their stand was decorated in blue and yellow, the national colors of Ukraine, and set up along a sidewalk near the school’s fields.

“We sold a lot of lemonades to baseball teams, a lot of coaches came,” said Juliette Schroeder, one of the fifth graders.

The students led the event largely by themselves, while their parents acted as coordinators.

“I would say this was really kid-run and kid-driven,” parent Alison Grantham said. “We stood back and they ran the lemonade stand and handled the money and everything.”

The fifth graders voted to run a lemonade stand from of a list of idea. The decision was “almost unanimous,” Juliette said. She voted for it because she was interested in helping the people in Ukraine.

“Since I’ve been interested in this conflict myself, I’ve been seeing things on the news,” she said. “There were a bunch of people that have been talking to me about it and I thought it’s interesting to try to do something.”

The students made posters promoting the event and posted them around the neighborhood, while the parents organized the signups, bought the materials and took out a cashier’s check for the money raised, Grantham added.

World Central Kitchen was chosen as the recipient of the funds because the students wanted to provide food assistance to Ukraine, especially warm meals, Juliette said.

“It’s one of the main things of living and honestly, I don’t think I could imagine, like, my world without having warm meal for me every single day,” she said.

Grantham’s daughter, Abby, was at the stand in the morning. Her most memorable moment was when multiple families were waiting around the stand to get lemonade.

“It was a very hectic moment, but it was also very nice, because they all wanted to come and support Ukraine,” Abby said.

(Updated at 10:45 a.m.) The woman who was pushed out of a moving vehicle along Wilson Blvd near Ballston has a long road to recovery from her injuries, according to an online fundraiser.

The victim, 25, suffered a traumatic brain injury that required extensive surgery and left her in critical condition, her sister wrote on a GoFundMe page. Two weeks after the incident she was in stable condition but expected to require 6-12 months of recovery.

“The hospital bills and the rehab center will be very expensive, so we appreciate all the help we could get,” says the fundraising page, which has raised more than $40,000 towards its $50,000 goal.

The page notes that the victim is from Ukraine and her father is currently fighting in the war there.

“We are from Ukraine, so our dad is defending our homeland while our mom had to flee the war to Germany,” it says.

A GoFundMe spokesperson tells ARLnow that the fundraiser has been verified by the company’s Trust and Safety team.

The fundraiser sheds little light on the circumstances leading to the woman being pushed out of the vehicle.

“She was going home from a night out, but at 3am she was pushed out of a speeding car onto the [road] by an UNKNOWN DRIVER, and her phone was stolen,” it says. The Arlington County police crime report from last month said that a witness saw the woman pushed out of the passenger door of a black SUV, but no further description of the vehicle or the driver was given.

An ACPD spokeswoman said this morning that police are still investigating and seeking tips.

“The investigation into the incident is ongoing and detectives continue to follow up on investigative leads in the case,” said Ashley Savage. “No arrests have been made at this time.”

“Anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected],” Savage added. “Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).”

The full fundraising message from the GoFundMe page is below.

Hi, my name is Polina – I’m Maryna’s sister.

On our dad’s 50-year anniversary, Maryna, 25 y.o., has been a victim of a SEVERE crime. She was going home from a night out, but at 3am she was pushed out of a speeding car onto the highway by an UNKNOWN DRIVER, and her phone was stolen. When the paramedics arrived, her skull bone was out in the open, she had bruises, scratches, and road rash all over her body… Doctors have performed two different surgeries on the brain right away – one lasted 5 hours, the other one lasted another 2,5 hours; and still she was in a critical condition.

Police called me and woke me up at 4am with these terrible news. My husband and I drove up to DC from NC right away. I am the only family Maryna has in the USA . We are from Ukraine, so our dad is defending our homeland while our mom had to flee the war to Germany. When I came to the hospital and saw Maryna, I didn’t recognize her. Her long beautiful hair was shaved, she had two huge ridges on both side of the head, plenty of tubes in her to keep her alive, she was pale and motionless…

The first few days were critical – people die from these injuries, and you don’t even need to be a doctor to understand that. The fact that she’s young made a big difference in this case, otherwise she wouldn’t have survived. She’s super smart and kind, and always helps people – she volunteered to help with the humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine, while working for an NGO. She has 2 masters degrees and speaks 4 languages fluently. It’s terrifying to think what would have happened if the ambulance didn’t arrive on time. This kind of crime is for horror movies, not for real life. Nobody deserves this.

Now it’s been about two weeks since the incident, and she is stable. Maryna would need about 6 months to a year to recover. The hospital bills and the rehab center will be very expensive, so we appreciate all the help we could get.

Since starting Arlington-based Cozy Cleaning during the pandemic, its co-owners have viewed it as a way to support other Mongolian Americans.

Otgon Altankhuyag and Munkhzul Nergui, who are both Mongolian, decided to start the house cleaning and organizing service after hearing that demand for residential cleaning was up given that many people were stuck at home all day.

“We can also help Mongolian women,” Altankhuyag said. “We pay our employees, so we support Mongolian women who (are) staying home with lots of kids. They can’t work full time.”

The owners are planning to join other local business owners for a fundraiser in Ballston organized by Hamkae Center next Thursday, June 9, to support Asian American communities. It’s the first fundraiser for Hamkae Center since it changed its name from NAKASEC VA, which stood for National Korean American Service & Education Consortium Virginia, in November 2021.

This is the first time the center has organized the event on its own, and it’s the first in-person fundraiser since the pandemic began, said Growth and Operations Team Lead Patrick Canteros. The event was canceled in 2020 and virtual in 2021.

“A lot of our sponsors previously were national organizations,” Canteros said. “This time around, a lot of our sponsors, a lot of the organizations and businesses that are supporting us, this time around with food and auction items, they are all local businesses.”

Altankhuyag had previously worked with Hamkae Center as a translator, as well as donating masks to the organization during the pandemic. Her company decided to join the upcoming fundraiser because she wanted to encourage others and contribute, said Altankhuyag.

“I would like to show the neighbors that everybody has the potential to learn a small business and make a small amount of money and enjoy their (lives),” she said.

As of 2021, there were over 70,000 businesses owned by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the Washington region, which accounted for 12.4% of all private businesses in the area, according to a report from the Virginia Asian Advisory Board.

The fundraiser, called Pursuing Our Dreams 2022, is set to feature around 20 Asian American businesses in the D.C. area, including various restaurants, a rock-climbing gym and the soccer team The Washington Spirit. The event is set to be held between 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Marymount University’s Ballston campus (1000 N. Glebe Road).

Participants can choose to sponsor and donate to the fundraiser, according to its application form. Canteros said Hamkae Center wishes to have 20% of its funding come from community donors.

During the event, Hamkae Center is set to give out a few awards to individuals and organizations for their work in issues in which the center is also involved.

“We definitely selected them based on the work that we’ve done and who have been key instrumental folks in helping us move that needle forward,” said Policy and Communications Team Lead Zowee Aquino.

The four awards this year will go to Del. Kathy Tran (D-42), the Virginia Poverty Law Center, the Vietnamese Resettlement Association and organization member Onion Ha, according to the organization’s Twitter announcement.

The fair is set to include a range of activities such as origami tutorials, tarot card and birth chart readings, and a silent auction. Food and drink will be provided by local AAPI-owned restaurants.

https://twitter.com/hamkaecenter/status/1523055348030275584