A group of eight kids came together this summer to spread love in the Vienna community via wooden signs with painted hearts.
The group, which calls itself Rustic Love Vienna, created and sold the signs to benefit the Vienna VA Foodies Facebook group, which supports local restaurants, frontline workers and food-insecure families.
The idea came together after seeing Signs of Hope Delaware, a family business selling signs for profit after losing their jobs. Michelle Davila, the adult organizer of the group, decided to try and recreate the signature heart sign with wood in her own basement. She then involved her children, and Rustic Love Vienna took off.
“It’s just been really, really, really positive,” Davila told Tysons Reporter.
They wrapped up their orders on Friday, July 31, with a total of $6,220 raised, according to Davila. The children produced about 250 signs for the community, which can be spotted in yards when driving around Vienna.
“Driving around town and seeing them, I don’t know where they all go,” said Davila. She said seeing the signs when out and about reinforces the experience’s positivity and productivity.
While Davila was the adult in the group, her son and two neighbors were the people running the project. Kids would rotate between sawing, drilling and painting to make the signs.
Not only did kids from the neighborhood join the group, but also kids whose parents heard about the initiative and had an interest in joining. A neighbor even provided wood leftover from a previous project, according to Davila.
“It’s been super, super rewarding,” said Davila. “The amount of money we’ve raised for this group… has been a great thing for my kids to be able to experience.”
Photo courtesy of Michelle Davila
(Updated 8:10 p.m.) Virginia has teamed up with Google and Apple to offer a smartphone app for COVID-19 exposure alerts, making it the first state in the U.S. to use the new technology.
COVIDWISE will notify users if they’ve been in close proximity to someone with COVID-19 by using Bluetooth Low Energy. The app is meant to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
When announcing the app yesterday, Gov. Ralph Northam said the app can help catch new cases sooner, especially since the virus can spread before infected people show symptoms.
“This is another tool we can have to protect ourselves, our families and our communities,” Northam said. “This is a way we can all work together to contain this virus.”
Once someone gets an alert, Northam encourages them to self-isolate and get tested. If the test is positive, he said that users can add that information into the app, which will then alert users that the person has recently been around.
Android and iPhone users can download the app for free.
More from Google Play about how the app works:
If someone reports to the app that they tested positive, the signals from their app will search for other app users who shared that signal. The BLE signals are date-stamped and the app estimates how close the two devices were based on signal strength. If the timeframe was at least 15 minutes and the estimated distance was within six feet, then the other user receives a notification of a possible exposure. No names! No location!
The BLE framework within COVIDWISE will run in the background, even if the exposure notification app is closed. It will not drain the device battery at a rate that would occur with other apps that use normal Bluetooth and/or are open and running constantly.
“I want to be clear, this app COVIDWISE does not — I’m going to repeat that, does not — track or store your personal information,” Northam said. “It does not track you at all. It does not rely on GPS or your personal information. While we want everyone to download it, it is voluntary.”
Let Tysons Reporter know in the poll and comments section below if you plan to download the app.
What started as a mom-led effort to help food-insecure families has grown into a large volunteer group giving groceries, kids’ clothing and more to roughly 150 people in the Vienna area each week.
Self-described bargain hunters Sharon McKew and Grace Westreich got to know each other through a yard sale site. They told Tysons Reporter via Facebook Messenger that they are leading the efforts behind the public Facebook group Community Cares Vienna.
“It started after schools shut down, and I found out many of the students I worked with would no longer receive the ‘blessings bags’ from the school,” McKew said. “It was just a way to continue to get them food.”
Westreich said the group “exploded overnight.” As of today (Wednesday), it has more than 300 members.
At first, the donations came from McKew’s wallet and former families from a daycare McKew ran. Then, Westreich started giving donations, and the two teamed up. Westreich now manages the money, orders, donation solicitations and delivery logistics, while McKew directs the volunteers and handles the food.
Over time, the group has turned into a space for people to share and solicit donations for items like bed rails, baby clothes, book bags, lined paper for students and more. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact vulnerable communities, it’s clear from the messages posted in the group that there’s an ongoing need for food and supplies.
A study earlier this year by Feeding America predicts that one in six adults — and one in four kids — could experience food insecurity this year. Jade Leedham with Second Story, a local nonprofit helping vulnerable kids and young, told Tysons Reporter in July that she’s seen a decrease in volunteers and corporate sponsors while the need for support continues.
Community Cares Vienna is working to keep residents and local businesses engaged. The group’s extensive reach is thanks to the “amazing volunteers,” McKew and Westreich said.
So far, volunteers’ efforts have included making masks for kids and adults, delivering disinfectants, buying school supplies and paying for art camps for homebound students, McKew said.
That’s not all. An anonymous donor donated their stimulus check. One mother-daughter duo dropped off boxes and bags filled with activities for kids. Several people organized neighborhood drives, while others consistently donate groceries. Girls Scouts and former daycare kids have prepared bags of food and teachers and staff from elementary schools are making deliveries.
The group also receives financial and marketing support from Lydia Russo, the local woman behind the Vienna VA Foodies Facebook group. People who want to get involved can email [email protected].
“Restaurants joined in, too,” Westreich said, highlighting local eateries that they made meals or donated:
- Inca Social
- Caboose Commons
- Foster’s Grille
- Mo:Mo House
- The Italian Gourmet
- Maple Ave Restaurant
- Nothing Bundt Cakes
“Sharon talks about kids waving from the window in excitement, the joy and sheer giddiness of knowing what the deliveries mean. Parents with tears of gratitude in their eyes,” Westreich said. “Sharon’s creed really has been, ‘No hungry bellies.'”
Photo by Maria Lin Kim/Unsplash
(Updated 9:30 a.m.) The Vienna Business Association’s Oktoberfest and several Town of Vienna events are no longer happening due to the pandemic.
The town announced today (Tuesday) that events through Oct. 3 are canceled and alternative Halloween celebrations are under consideration.
The canceled events include:
- Quarterly Recycling Day (September)
- Chillin’ on Church
- Teens on the Green (September)
- Oktoberfest (October)
Kathy Georgen, who chairs the Oktoberfest planning committee, said in the town’s announcement that Oktoberfest had to get axed because it depends on hundreds of vendors and thousands of attendees.
“We could not in good conscience move forward in this current climate,” Georgen said.
Instead, the VBA plans to promote Distanz Oktoberfest, which is described in a press release as “an initiative that encourages VBA-member and other Town businesses to host in early October German-themed events and promotions at their own location.”
Nearby, the City of Falls Church took similar precautions, canceling its Falls Church Festival in September and Farm Day in October. The rest of the city’s events for 2020 “will take place if a safe event format can be created.”
What factors should businesses consider when making decisions on remote and in-person work during the pandemic? Do employers feel like they will be safe in the office or using public transit?
Tysons Partnership aimed to provide insight into those very questions with a recent survey.
A message from Tysons Partnership President Sol Glasner accompanying the newly released survey results notes that they are meant to “set a baseline of understanding” that the organization plans to track with another survey in roughly six months.
Roughly half of the more than 700 people who responded to the survey live or work in the Tysons area, according to the results.
Drew Sunderland, Tysons Partnership’s marketing director, told Tysons Reporter that the survey indicates a shift from people relying on government and health officials giving guidance on public health precautions to following their own ideas about what’s safe as the pandemic continues.
The survey covered a variety of factors, from working at home to mask mandates to childcare concerns. Here’s an overview of the results.
Transit Concerns
Roughly 23% of the respondents said they rely on public transit to return to in-person work and less than 10% said they feel comfortable riding public transit right now. Overall, half of the respondents said they plan to wait until there’s a vaccine before returning to public transit.
Whether people want their commutes back is a different question. Analysis in the survey notes that many commenters are hopeful for long-term change that reduces or eliminates commuting.
Tysons Partnership says in the survey that WMATA and other public transit agencies should visibly enforce safety measures and test new initiatives like special fare zones to encourage riders back.
Kids and Work
Of the respondents, 30% were parents with kids under the age of 18.
The survey found that those parents are 16% more likely to have issues focusing on work, and the 10% of parents who don’t have any childcare support are twice as likely to want to send their kids back to school.
Several anonymous comments linked the ability to return to in-person work with classroom learning. Currently, Virginia is in Phase Three, which means teleworking is strongly encouraged.
For the respondents working full-time (491), a majority said they are working from home. Roughly 49% said they are happy with remote work, while 33% expressed loneliness. When asked why they would want to return to in-person work, respondents said they miss a variety of social interactions.
Safe at Work?
While 70% of the workers who responded said they trust their employer to provide a safe work environment during the pandemic, the employers had a different response with 25% saying they think they have the resources to make that happen.
In total, 32 businesses responded to the survey — 18 of which are in the Tysons area. They flagged the availability of personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies along with access to information about how to create a safe work environment as top concerns.
Roughly 58% of the respondents said they don’t want to return to in-person work unless there is a vaccine or treatment for the virus.
Masks and Preventive Measures
The analysis for the survey notes that masks were the “hottest” topic in the open-ended comments section.
Several comments included in the report addressed concerns around masks, like one person writing that they did not appreciate face coverings as optional in the workplace and others saying that businesses should require and enforce masks wearing.
“Right now, masks should be MANDATORY for every business worker and every single customer, inside or outside,” one person wrote.
Live, Work, Play
The final section of the survey results touched on respondents’ attitudes, comfort and ideas about a variety of activities. Overall, they were twice as likely to say they would shop at an outdoor rather than an indoor one or take part in “economic activities” that are outside.
Under Phase Three, non-essential retail, parks, restaurants and places of worship are now able to fully open. Some places, like fitness centers and entertainment venues, have capacity restrictions.
Roughly 23% of the respondents identified themselves as essential workers. “Essential workers are twice as comfortable engaging in non-work social and economic activities outside the home,” the analysis noted.
Respondents noted that protective measures drive their interest in participating in activities more than rollbacks of government restrictions.
A full summary of the results can be found online.
Photo by Michelle Goldchain
Earlier this week, Gov. Ralph Northam announced new regional restrictions to address a surge of COVID-19 cases in Hampton Roads.
The new restrictions, which go into effect today, lower the maximum number of people allowed at gatherings, limit late-night alcohol assumption at restaurants and cut back indoor dining for restaurants.
The eastern region’s beaches and non-compliance with public health guidelines and mandates appear to be some of the factors for why the area became a coronavirus hot spot.
While the eastern portion of the state has seen a rising number of cases, Northam noted that the percent positivity rates for Northern Virginia and the western region were below the statewide rate.
“There’s been a dramatic decrease in Northern Virginia,” Northam said, about the rate.
When asked by reporters earlier this week if he would consider domestic travel restrictions, Northam said that it’s an option he’s considering. Some states are asking travelers from “high-risk” states to self-quarantine following their arrival.
Let us know in the poll and comments section below if you think Northam’s regional effort is sufficient or if he should announce statewide restrictions.
Photo via Governor of Virginia/Facebook
Due to COVID-19 precautions, the annual Falls Church Festival and Farm Day events are canceled.
The City of Falls Church announced the change of plans today, saying that public health concerns prompted the decisions.
The 45th Falls Church Festival was originally set to offer live entertainment, amusement rides, food from local eateries and pony rides on Sept. 12. Last year’s event attracted roughly 12,000 visitors, according to the city’s website.
Meanwhile, the 27th annual Farm Day would have featured horsedrawn hay-rides, pumpkin painting, scarecrow making and other fall activities in October.
“We are committed to helping our resident, visitor, and business community stay safe,” Danny Schlitt, the city’s recreation and parks director, said. “We don’t see a way to safely hold large crowd events like the Falls Church Festival and Farm Day.”
The announcement said that the rest of the city’s events for 2020, including Sunset Cinema, Halloween Carnival and Holiday Craft Show, “will take place if a safe event format can be created.”
“We are looking into ways to create a safe Sunset Cinema, Halloween Carnival, and Holiday Craft Show,” Schlitt said. “We also want to build on the success of the wildly popular Springtime Bunny car parade and the Independence Day Scavenger Hunt — we are continuously looking for ways to bring fun and togetherness (if socially distant) to the community!”
People looking for virtual events can check out the Virtual Community Center newsletter.
Gov. Ralph Northam said during a press conference today that local health officials are pointing to a “significant shift” of people in their 20s or younger getting COVID-19.
As of today (Tuesday), just over 19% of the total reported cases statewide affected people in their 20s, making it the highest percentage of all age groups, according to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). In the Fairfax Health District, that age group represents 16.6% of the cases — the third-highest age group behind people in their 30s (19.3%) and 40s (18.5%).
Kids and teenagers have roughly the same percentage of cases (10%) compared to people ages 70 and older both statewide and in the Fairfax Health District, VDH says. People ages 70 and older account for the majority of the deaths related to the virus.
Long term care facilities account for roughly half of the outbreaks statewide and just over 75% of outbreaks in the Fairfax Health District. Northam shared that almost 3,000 people have covered from COVID-19 in nursing homes, bucketing the statistic under one of the several “major steps forward.”
Many school systems around the country, including Fairfax County Public Schools, have been struggling recently about how to return to school during a pandemic as health officials learn how the virus affects kids.
The Fairfax Health District has two of the state’s eight cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). Here’s what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about MIS-C:
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. We do not yet know what causes MIS-C. However, we know that many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19, or had been around someone with COVID-19. MIS-C can be serious, even deadly, but most children who were diagnosed with this condition have gotten better with medical care.
In addition to noting the age demographics for COVID-19 cases, Northam said today that Northern Virginia is one of the areas of the state with an encouraging percent positivity rate of COVID-19.
“There’s been a dramatic decrease in Northern Virginia,” Northam said.
He noted Northern Virginia’s rate is 5.7%, while the western region of the state is at 5%. Statewide, the percent positivity rate is right around 7%.
Concern about a surge of COVID-19 cases in Hampton Roads prompted the governor to announce restrictions for that region.
“I’m worried that people are starting to lose hope and that’s not a good thing,” Northam said.
Photo via Governor of Virginia/Facebook
About a year after Wee Chic opened in the Mosaic District, COVID-19 restrictions temporarily closed the brick and mortar store. Now, the newly reopened kids’ clothing boutique is preparing for the fall.
Started in Maryland a little more than 10 years ago, Wee Chic made a quick pivot to e-commerce with curated boxes and an online store this spring. Just like owner Bridget Quinn Stickline predicted back in May, the reopened stores are currently offering steep discounts as Wee Chic looks to shed excess inventory and make way for fall clothing.
“We still have too much inventory,” Stickline told Tysons Reporter in mid-July. “Currently, we’re selling product up to 60% off. This is the good stuff that would have sold full price.”
With fall approaching, Wee Chic plans to make changes again — a “giant pivot cycle” as Stickline calls it — to keep the business going during the pandemic. Stickline stressed that the store is committed to serving shoppers with various comfort levels around COVID-19 precautions, from in-store browsing with required face coverings to online shopping.
Curated Boxes Returning
Wee Chic first promoted its curated “Shop Box” in the spring to help with the inventory overload, but put a pause on the box due to the summer sale.
As the store now looks to move away from being heavily discounted, Stickline said that she plans to relaunch the box for fall merchandise.
Here’s how the box works: employees talk to shoppers over the phone to pick out 10-20 pieces, which can include multiple sizes. When the box arrives, kids try on the clothes and parents send back whatever they don’t want. Shoppers who keep a certain number of pieces get a percentage off their entire order.
Because the box is not a subscription model, Stickline said that her employees work hard to pick out the right products.
“[Subscription services] have a chance to get it right,” Stickline said. “In our model, it’s one box. That one box has to be good enough.”
Stickline noted that while Wee Chic had been offering the box for awhile, the store hadn’t given it a name or marketing until the pandemic.
Loyalty Program
Bringing back the box isn’t the only upcoming move for the fall. Wee Chic is also looking to start a loyalty program — “Something we’ve wanted to do for a long time,” according to Stickline.
Stickline sees the loyalty program as a way to make her customers feel appreciated and also ease any strain on their wallets from the pandemic.
“Everyone I think is more concerned about spending right now,” she said.
Inventory Changes
Regular customers might notice some changes to Wee Chic’s inventory this fall. Unlike previous years, the store is now looking to reduce its party dresses and ramp up its toy and gift options as the pandemic affects clothing demand.
Wee Chic is also selling masks for kids and tweens, which Stickline calls “a little bit of a heartbreaker.” The masks include pastel colors, sharks, unicorns, corgis and more. “
“You still have to buy clothes,” Stickline said. “Some kids are going back to schools a few days a week.”
Even for families and school systems opting for fully virtual learning, Stickline noted that kids outgrow clothes quickly.
Parents normally have to size up for a few or all of their kids’ clothing pieces every season, with ages 2-5 usually seeing the fastest growth and ages 6-8 most likely for growth spurts, Stickline said.
Online Wish List
When the pandemic prompted social distancing and canceled in-person events, Stickline noticed that shoppers started to spend more on kids’ presents.
“I feel like people are giving slightly nicer gifts because they can’t go to showers,” she said. “[People] want to make more of a gesture. You’re sad for a kid who can’t have a birthday party when they’re 6.”
In pre-COVID times, kids could pick out items in the store for wish lists. Now, work is underway to create an online registry.
Stickline sees the online wish list as a way for would-be guests to send “a big box full of fun” to kids and their families celebrating birthdays and holidays.
“The role I see for us in the world as a business is we’re here to spread some cheer and make things better,” she said.
Photo via Wee Chic/Facebook
As COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the U.S., some jurisdictions are turning to domestic travel restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.
D.C. recently announced that people arriving from 27 states considered to be COVID-19 “hotspots” for nonessential business will be required to quarantine for two weeks. Several states, including Florida, Hawaii and Maine have asked certain visitors to self-quarantine, according to legal site Justia.
Virginia is among the states listed on the travel advisories for New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, Patch reported.
“Virginia currently does not have any quarantine requirements upon arrival from travel within the U.S.,” according to the Virginia Department of Health, adding that international travelers are asked to self-quarantine for two weeks.
Gov. Ralph Northam tweeted a warning on Saturday (July 25), saying that the state might have to bring back more COVID-19 restrictions if cases continue to rise, especially in the eastern part of the state near the beaches.
We will be watching the public health data closely over the weekend––if the numbers don't come down, we may have to take additional steps to blunt the spread of this virus.
Wear a mask and practice physical distancing so we don't have to move back.
Be smart and stay safe.
— Governor Ralph Northam (@VAGovernor73) July 25, 2020
Northam is scheduled to deliver a COVID-19 update today (Tuesday).
Let us know in the poll if you think he should put domestic travel restrictions in place.
Photo by Gabrielle Henderson/Unsplash
