FOUNDATION NAMES 2024 ‘SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY’ HONOREES: The Arlington Community Foundation has announced 2024 recipients of its William T. Newman Jr. Spirit of Community Awards.
Jeannie Broyhill, Dr. Raymond Hoare and Marty Swaim were selected for the honors, to be bestowed in November.
“Individually and collectively, these honorees represent the passion, commitment and community advocacy that define the award, and the absolute best vision of what Arlington can be,” foundation officials said.
Broyhill is being honored for a long list of civic roles, including leadership posts with Culpepper Garden, the Leadership Center of Arlington, Advance Arlington (formerly Arlington Committee of 100) and Womenade.
Dr. Hoare, a cardiologist, in 1994 became a founding physician of Arlington Free Clinic, where he continues to see patients who otherwise would not have access to cardiac specialized care.
A 46-year Arlington resident, Martha (Marty) Swaim is the co-founder of Challenging Racism (CR), a local nonprofit dedicated to empowering, inspiring, and giving individuals the tools to disrupt systemic racism.
Previous recipients since the honor first was bestowed have included (in chronological order starting in 1993, with some years having multiple honorees) Joan Cooper, H. Paul Mount, Anna Barber, Elizabeth Campbell, Walter Tejada, John McCracken, Julia Connally, Charles Overby, Jennie Davis, Jean Berg, Eric Schaeffer, Ralph Johnson, the Woman’s Club of Arlington, Preston Caruthers, Rich Doud, Karen Darner, George Varoutsos, Mary Ann Nirschl, Meg Tuccillo, John Andelin and Ginger Geoffrey, Lola Reinsch, Mary Ann Moran, Jonathan Kinney, John Milliken, Emma Violand-Sánchez, Alfred Taylor, Arlington’s front-line public-health workers, Lucy Bowen, Portia Clark, Mark Riley, Dr. Mike Silverman, Andres Tobar, Dr. Tsehaye Teferra and John Foti. The award is named in honor of retired Circuit Court Judge William Newman Jr., founder of the Arlington Community Foundation.
For information on the awards program, see the Website at www.arlcf.org.
ARLINGTONIAN’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO MERIT STATE HISTORIC MARKER: The Virginia Board of Historic Resources has approved a marker honoring the contributions of Dr. Lilli Vincenz of Arlington, the first state historical marker focusing on the history of the LGBT community.
It was one of five historic markers statewide approved by the body during its recent quarterly meeting.
Vincenz (1937-2023) was a journalist, filmmaker and psychotherapist. She participated in the first gay-rights protest at the White House in 1965 and co-founded the Washington Blade newspaper in 1969. Her documentaries featuring recordings of significant gay-rights marches brought visibility to the movement.
State officials say it takes about eight months after approval of signage for it to be created and placed. The sponsor of each marker is responsible for the cost of roughly $3,000.
Virginia’s historical-highway-marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first along U.S. Route 1. As such, it is considered the oldest such program in the nation, state officials say.
For information on all the new markers, see the Website at https://tinyurl.com/lillivincenz.
GRANT FUNDING WILL SUPPORT CULPEPPER GARDEN’S NATIVE GARDEN: Culpepper Garden, the Ballston affordable-living apartment complex for seniors, has been awarded a $1,000 grant by Keep Virginia Beautiful as part of its 14th annual Green Grants program.
Funding will be used to create a bird-watching native garden on the 5-acre campus.
Every year, government, non-profit, civic and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address an environmental concern in their community.
“Green Grants support a variety of projects that are developed and implemented at the local level, in response to each community’s needs and priorities,” said Cristi Lawton, Keep Virginia Beautiful’s executive director.
Since 2011, Keep Virginia Beautiful has provided $307,000 for 415 programs and projects throughout the state. For information on the organization, see the Website at www.keepvirginiabeautiful.org.
ARLINGTON NAACP TO HOST PROGRAMS: The NAACP Arlington branch is hosting upcoming online programs:
• July 27 - A program on “Understanding the Federal Hiring Process.” To register: https://tinyurl.com/federalnaacp.
• July 31 - A program on “Create A Blueprint for Financial Success.” To register: https://tinyurl.com/blueprintnaacp.
For additional information, see the Website at www.arlingtonnaacp.com.
GARDEN PROGRAM TO LOOK AT ‘INSECT HEROES’: Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners will present a workshop on “Insect Heroes” on Friday, July 26 at 10 a.m. online.
“All you have to do is invite the ‘right’ kind of insects to your garden, and most insect problems will be solved,” organizers said. “Really it is that easy.”
The free program will be led by Master Gardener Beth Buffington. For information, see the Website at http://mgnv.org/rsvp-for-public-education-classes/.
CORRECTION: An article last week on plans to redevelop the Mellwood parcel in Arlington included an incorrect date of the opening of Nelly Custis Elementary School.
The school opened in 1923.
