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Rebecca Toronto heard about the New Jersey-based student-led project Letters for Rose through her friend Daliya Rizvi. Rizvi knew, with how much Toronto gets involved in the community, the organization would be right up her alley.

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The International Day of Forests is this coming Tuesday and Earth Hour will be next Saturday night. Nature seems to command attention when the seasons change. What better way to celebrate our planet than with a hike in the Shenandoah mountains in the height of winter?

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 “We all come from different stages of life,” Melissa Alba said about her class at George Mason University. Alba is pursuing a master’s in social work after spending years working with diverse populations.

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“There’s a confidence with it. There’s a sense of accomplishment,” said Girls on the Run Coach Erin Anderson about the program. Anderson started a team at Hollin Meadows Elementary School in Alexandria six years ago.

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The spirit of Valentine’s Day isn’t only in saturated red roses and heart shapes, it’s also alive in the community when we see, hear, and support our neighbors. The nonprofit Food for Others delivered that spirit with their new market that adds more than 10,000 square feet to their food bank…

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When Edward Zhang started experiencing complications with his rare retinal disease retinoschisis in elementary school, he “had to [find] new solutions to new problems,” he said. From navigating the bus aisle to what activities he could do, Zhang ultimately had to relearn how to understand wi…

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Fairfax resident Millette Wardell was a coach at Curves, a women’s health and fitness club when a pair of Zumba instructors came in to demonstrate how Zumba could fit into a Curves’ workout. “That’s what I want to do,” she said after seeing them dance.

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Kids all over the nation in families struggling to stay afloat are finding their need for graduation dues, dream instruments, extracurricular registration fees, and even prescription glasses met. It’s the result of a communication chain that starts with their teacher or social worker who tur…

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A bright yellow truck, dubbed the Coastal Beach Truck, has been making the rounds in Northern Virginia. While other trucks queue at hot spots and events, their food truck is out visiting food-insecure neighborhoods six days a week, according to Amanda Norton..

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“I had just graduated from [George Mason University] and was looking for a volunteer opportunity,” said Chantilly resident Nancy Portee. “I was looking for something that I thought would make an impact. I love children so I researched and found the BeFriend-A-Child program.”

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The new year rises with rethinking and resolutions, or ins and outs. The generations we tease change with the technology we use and clothes we wear. Some things continue, like the motivation behind this column and the stories that fill it.

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 “If you try hard, strive, and have some grit you can honestly accomplish anything you want to,” said Erdem Dulguun. The eighth grader attends Kilmer Middle School during the week and organizes groundbreaking educational opportunities on weekends–namely the first Mongolian-American student s…

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When you think about getting involved with nature, it’s natural to imagine sunshine giving way to lush forests. Instead, the Plant NOVA Trees Coordinators Margaret Fisher and Heidi Allen say that winter is the best time to get out with the trees.

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The seasonal chills encourage us to huddle close to those we care about. As November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, it’s also about the gift of today.

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“So many people know there’s a problem, they want to help, but they don’t know what way will be most effective,” said Oakton Pantry Founder Cathy Jaquette. When Jaquette founded the Pantry at Oakton High School, she built a way for the community to help each other.

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Ronald and Lisa Suddarth are celebrating their 35th anniversary this month in the comfort of their Fairfax home. The home isn’t new–it was built in 1979 and they’ve lived there since 2006–but the comfort is since they’ve ended their four-year stint without heating or air conditioning.

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Fairfax County Police 2nd Lt. Roger Henriquez has been friends with Armstrong Elementary Kindergartener Vivienne (Vivy) since she was 18 months old. Henriquez caught Vivy’s attention while filling in as a crossing guard at the school when they were short-staffed.

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Kevin Koerner is a 23-year-old high school math teacher from Elkton, Md. who is “really good friends” with Colton Higgins, a 9-year-old Springfield resident. Koerner met Higgins and his family for the first time at halftime during the match between Nashville Soccer Club and Austin FC at GEOD…

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Vienna resident Holly Seibold can recall an article she read in early 2015. It was about an organization helping women seek independence from domestic violence by preparing them for job interviews.