ARLINGTON FREE CLINIC LAUDED BY LEGISLATURE: The Arlington Free Clinic on June 24 received a resolution, approved by the General Assembly, saluting the social-safety-net provider’s 30th anniversary.
Supporting about 1,400 clients from offices in the Columbia Pike neighborhood, the clinic’s services over the decades have expanded from rudimentary to comprehensive.
In addition to the organization’s staff, a corps of approximately 350 volunteers, including some who have been with the organization since its start, provide services. Those volunteers range from physicians and other medical professionals to interpreters (60% to 70% of patients are Spanish-speaking, with other well-represented languages including Mongolian and Amharic).
“Our model is to be a health-care home [where] all of the needs can be taken care of in one place,” Lesley Daigle, the organization’s CEO, said at a recent presentation to a local service organization.
Despite expansion of initiatives to support those with low incomes or facing other barriers to health care, free-clinic leaders estimate that between 4,000 and 7,000 Arlington residents fall through gaps in program eligibility and rely on services like they provide.
A 30th-anniversary celebration is slated for Oct. 19, with special events taking place throughout the year. For information about the organization, and volunteer opportunities, see the Website at bit.ly/AFClinks.
CIVIC FEDERATION TO ESTABLISH PARKS COMMITTEE: As the Arlington County Civic Federation continues rebuilding its committee structure for a post-COVID world, one major part of community life thus far has yet to be addressed.
But that is about to change.
“We don’t have a parks-and-recreation committee, but we will soon,” said Jackie Snelling, who over the past two years has led the federation’s efforts at rebuilding committees. Many of them had fallen into abeyance even before COVID struck in 2020 and exacerbated the problem.
Co-chairs for the parks committee are being vetted, and the body will work to determine a list of priorities “as soon as we can get it going,” Snelling said at the June 11 federation meeting.
At the meeting, Civic Federation president John Ford praised Snelling for her work.
“Jackie has really single-handedly revived the committee structure,” Ford said.
Just because the Civic Federation hasn’t had a parks committee in recent years doesn’t mean it hasn’t tackled parks subject matter. In April, for instance, a forum was hosted on green space.
The federation does have an operating committee on environmental issues, which over the past year has looked at topics ranging from tree canopy to addressing deer in the community.
DOMINION STAGE ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR 75th SEASON: Arlington-based Dominion Stage has announced plans for its 2023-24 season, the performing-arts group’s 75th since beginning as the Fairlington Players in the immediate postwar era.
Planned productions include Arthur Miller’s iconic “The Crucible” (August) followed by a musical adaptation of Alison Bethel’s memoir “Fun Home” (October-November), the political thriller “The City of Conversation” (January-February) and concluding with the musical romp “Xanadu” (June).
For more on the organization and its diamond-anniversary season, see the Website at www.dominionstage.org.
MASTER NATURALISTS TO FOCUS ON MOSQUITOES, TICKS: A nuanced approach to addressing mosquitoes and ticks will be presented by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia in an online program on Friday, July 12 at 10 a.m.
Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Joan McIntyre will discuss options for managing challenging insects.
“Mosquitoes and ticks are annoying pests that can transmit diseases, but use of insecticides to control them is not particularly effective and is harmful to pollinators and other beneficial insects,” organizers said.
The program is free, but registration is required. For information and to register, see the Website at http://mgnv.org/rsvp-for-public-education-classes/.
ARTS GROUP RELEASES NEW PODCAST SERIES: The non-profit advocacy organization Embracing Arlington Arts has released its fifth podcast series, the new one featuring and highlighting the work of theatrical professionals who work outside of public view yet are integral to a successful production.
“Our aim with this education series was to celebrate the work of those behind the curtain,” said Janet Kopenhaver, the organization’s president. “And as the interviewee, I learned so much about their talents and responsibilities.”
Among those participating: costume designer Casey Watkins, technical/props manager Sylvia J. Pierce; lighting/visual-media designer C.J. Barnwell; scenic designer Julie K. Ross; and sound designer Bailey Gafeney.
“What made these interviews even more interesting was the fact that all five professionals worked on the same production – “Thurgood” at North Carolina Stage Company – and were able to fit all the behind-the-scenes pieces together for us from start to finish,” Kopenhaver said.
For information, see the Website at https://www.embracing-arlington-arts.org.
