These Arlington Heroes Went Above And Beyond In 2020

ARLINGTON, VA — 2020 was not a great year for a lot of people. However, what 2020 was good for was revealing the people in our community who have gone the extra mile to help others in difficult times.

We at Patch asked readers to nominate those in Arlington who they thought deserved special recognition in 2020. Before we change the calendar, let's give these Local Heroes one last round of applause.

Here are Arlington's Local Heroes for 2020:

Community Emergency Response Team: Arlington Heroes

Rose Blanchard and Les Garrison nominated five members of Arlington's Community Emergency Response Team for their outstanding volunteer work delivering food to Arlingtonians in need during COVID-19.

Mitchell MacNaughton Delivers Meals To Seniors: Arlington Hero

Mitchell MacNaughton has been volunteering with Meals on Wheels America for about two years. Once COVID-19 hit our area, he became a dedicated volunteer bringing meals and masks to our seniors every Monday and Thursday morning.

Robert Price Is A 'Selfless, Caring Counselor': Arlington Hero

Cielo Solis nominated his professional contact Robert Price of Arlington. "He is a selfless, caring counselor and program manager in the field of substance abuse and has worked tirelessly every day during the COVID-19 pandemic," Solis said of Price.

'Dedicated Clinician, Husband, and Father': Arlington Hero

Khyati Desai-Seltzer who nominated her husband Jordan Seltzer of Arlington. "There are so many unsung heroes during this pandemic not the least of which are social service workers that couldn't self-quarantine," Desai-Seltzer said. "Jordan works for the local jail as a mental health clinician for inmates and their families. He is a committed and dedicated clinician, husband, and father, who respects all people no matter their circumstances."

Arlington Teen Organizes Virtual Activities To Help DC Nonprofit

Last summer, Nina Parsee began volunteering at Jubilee Jumpstart, a nonprofit learning center in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C., that provides high-quality education for preschool children from low-income families. To draw attention to Jubilee Jumpstart's GoFundMe campaign, she and other area high school students hosted a week of virtual activities on the center's social media accounts for children to participate in and for potential donors to see.

Ballston Clothing Shop Donating Dresses To Coronavirus Responders

Jane Abraham and her daughter Betsy own and operate two Scout & Molly's dress franchises, one at Reston Town Center and the other at Ballston Quarter in Arlington. Despite being closed due to the coronavirus, they were looking for a way to brighten the lives of their customers. They donated dresses to frontline responders in April.