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All the news that's fit to celebrate
Crime, fights in city hall, heated public hearings...too often, newspaper headlines get taken up with the sensational and the contentious. It would be a shame to recap the year and overlook the good news that is such a large part of this community.Fauquier County abounds with individuals who donate their time to those in need. Whether on an individual level, or as part of a local church or service organization, these benevolent spirits make a tremendous difference in the lives of the county's poor, sick, disabled, and elderly, as well as in the welfare of animals and the environment.
In October, at least 35 businesses and service groups participated in the Day of Caring through 230 volunteers, sponsorships and donations.
In Fauquier, volunteers from Habitat for Humanity and congregants of local churches repaired the homes of those with limited income, while Piedmont United Way employees cleaned houses for the elderly, and Home Depot employees restored the Vint Hill Transitional Housing.
"That's the way a community is supposed to work," said Jill Skelton, an organizer of the Day of Caring and director of the Piedmont Volunteer Center.
"You help people when you can, and people help you when they can. The number of volunteers is this region is astounding. It kind of restores your faith in humankind."
The needs of the elderly are often overlooked. However, organizations like the Senior Care Network and Aging Together focus on meeting the their needs in Fauquier.
In August, the Senior Care Network launched VOLTRAN, a volunteer transportation service designed to take elderly people and disabled adults where they need to go. Before VOLTRAN, the most common cause of doctor appointment cancellations among Fauquier's elderly was their inability to get to the appointment.
VOLTRAN not only ameliorated this problem, but it also allows the elderly to run other vital errands, including runs to the grocery store and pharmacy and family visits.
Retiree Virginia Malone was the first driver to volunteer. Malone had always been interested in helping the elderly, but after her husband died last year, she found herself relating even more to their needs and concerns.
"I live by myself, and it made me aware that I could be in the same position," she said.
Transportation assistance for those in need wasn't limited to the county's roads alone this year. Warrenton residents Debby Kirkman and Jeff Kennedy fly for Angel Flight, a non-profit charitable organization of volunteer pilots who provide free air transportation to medical facilities for the financially distressed.
During their two years with the organization, Kirkman and Kennedy have flown patients with various illnesses to receive treatment.
The organization hosted about 565 missions or 900 passengers in 2007, worth some $500,000 on commercial airfare if pilots had not volunteered to help out.
"I found it really rewarding to be a pilot," Kirkman said. "I wanted to not just have [my license] for my personal recreation, but to do something good at the same time."
And pilots aren't the only ones making trips to help the sick. Doctors in Fauquier have been using their medical expertise to provide basic medical care to people in impoverished countries.
Warrenton nephrologist, Dr. Ken Kornetsky, joined Medical Missionaries eight years ago. In 2007, he took trips to Haiti every few months, where he has helped set up a clinic.
Likewise, Warrenton pediatrician Dr. Constantine Chienku, who founded God Saves, a non-governmental organization that provides medical care in the impoverished rural areas of Cameroon, spent two weeks in Cameroon in July, providing medical attention to as many as 40 patients a day.
Sometimes dogs need a helping hand, or paw, too. In June the local SPCA celebrated its 50th anniversary with a fair that attracted 200 people. SPCA Director, Judy Hagerman said this year's fair had the best turnout and fundraising totals that they've had in the event's 11-year history.
"Everything we did was bigger and better," she said.
This year, with the hard work of environmentally concerned residents, the county took a few steps forward in protecting its natural resources.
In October, members and supporters of the Goose Creek Association gathered in a meadow along the banks of the creek in Delaplane to celebrate the General Assembly's designation of the Fauquier portion of Goose Creek as a State Scenic River. With this action, which took effect in July, the entire 48 miles of the Goose Creek corridor winding through Fauquier and Loudoun counties now has that status.
"It just confirmed what a special area it is, and that we really need to take care of it," said Katherine "Butter" Strother, co-chair of Goose Creek Association.
In December, the Fauquier County Department of Environmental Services (FCES) was recognized nationally with a second-place award for waste reduction and recycling efforts by a government agency.
During the fiscal year 2006-07, FCES's recycling program diverted more than 10,000 tons of recyclables from the county landfill. Methane gas produced by decomposing organic waste that does make it into the landfill was transformed into usable electricity to fuel about 500 homes in the Warrenton area.
The recycling program underwent improvements earlier in the year, including a new regional construction and demolition recycling center in July that receives between 200-500 tons daily for sorting and processing, and expansion of the electronics recycling program, which now includes more items and is open to the public six days a week.
Although the season for spreading holiday cheer is coming to an end, another season of giving is just beginning. And as in 2007, the need will be year round.
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