Route 1 Corridor Volunteers Honored At Volunteer Fairfax Awards

HYBLA VALLEY, VA — Volunteer Fairfax held its 30th annual Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards Wednesday during National Volunteer Week, and Route 1 corridor volunteers were among the residents honored.

The 30th annual ceremony recognized 11 winners of Volunteer Service Awards, 10 Community Champions and 149 overall nominees. While peer judges selected winners of the Volunteer Service awards, the Community Champions were selected by the 10 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors members. Each chooses a Community Champion in their district "for their commitment to promoting volunteerism within their community while addressing specific needs," according to the Volunteer Fairfax website.

The Route 1 corridor had Community Champions in the Lee and Mount Vernon Districts. For the Lee District, the Community Champion selected by Supervisor Rodney Lusk was Carla Claure. Claure not only serves on the Lee District Land Use Committee and Manufactured Housing Task Force, but she also helped organize food distributions, COVID-19 vaccine clinics and other resources to communities in need.

"Carla Claure’s exceptional leadership during the COVID-19 Pandemic has helped community members with vital basic needs such as food, vaccines, and more," Lusk wrote in the nomination. "Carla has become a role model for her community by making sure that the voice and needs of the Latin X community are heard. Carla’s countless hours of volunteer work have impacted our residents in an immeasurable, positive way."

In the Mount Vernon District, Supervisor Dan Storck selected Jim Klein. Klein is the Mount Vernon District representative on the Trails, Sidewalks, and Bikeways Committee and has supported improvements for bicyclist and pedestrian safety in the district. One example of his impact had been walkability and painting improvements added during repaving of Fort Hunt Road. In addition to his committee service, Klein volunteers at Storck's Tour de Mount Vernon.

"I am consistently impressed and grateful to Jim Klein for his strategic, innovative, and knowledgeable suggestions and solutions to solve bicycle and pedestrian challenges in our region," Storck wrote in the nomination. "Jim’s dedication and devotion to making our neighborhoods safer for all are evident in every project we undertake together."

Other Community Champion award winners are:

• Paul Berry, Chairman, for work chairing Fairfax County Redistricting Advisory Committee
• Jakelin Soriano Lake, Braddock District, for work as parent liaison at Braddock Elementary School
• Wade H.B. Smith, Dranesville District, for work with McLean Hamlet Community Association, the Fairfax County Trails, Sidewalks, and Bikeways Committee, Lewinsville Coalition and the McLean Citizens Association
• Gloria Runyon and Sylvia Taylor, Hunter Mill District, for work to create African American Historic Sites of Vienna, VA Riding Tour through Historic Vienna, Inc.
• Annandale Greenway Team, Jim Albright, Mason District, for work to connect neighborhoods between Green Spring Gardens and Annandale Community Park
• Jim Klein, Mount Vernon District, for work with Trails, Sidewalks, and Bikeways Committee
• Mary Kent, Providence District, for work with Food for Others
• Jenee Lindner, Springfield District, for work with Friends of Historic Fairfax Court House, Historic Fairfax City Inc., Fairfax Station Museum, and preserving historic African American Jermantown Cemetery
• Geoff Pohanka, Sully District, for community programs through Pohanka Automotive Group

The Volunteer Service Award winners include:

• Loren Zander: Education & Literacy Award, for work with Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
• Mary Lee DiSpirito, Lifetime Achievement Award, for work with Annandale Christian Community for Action
• John O’Connor: County Volunteer Award, for work with Fairfax County Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court
• Maria Lewan: RSVP Northern Virginia Award, for work at Capital Caring Health
• Fairfax Medical Reserve Corps: Volunteer Group Award
• Amini Bonane: Social Justice Winner, for work as advocate through Miss Black DC 2020 and Miss Fairfax City 2021
• Kirsten Mikolashek: Youth Leadership Winner, for work with Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program
• Fairfax Master Naturalists: Environmental Sustainability Award
• Laurie Manning: Quality of Life Winner, for work with Capital Caring Health
• Frank Pappas: Hunger Hero Award, for work with Fairfax County Community Emergency Response Team
• Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: County Volunteer Program Award

The Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards started in 1992 as a small event with a few volunteers, Volunteer Fairfax CEO Steve Mutty said during the ceremony. By 2013, the event included nearly 500 volunteers, nonprofits and local leaders, according to Mutty.

The full Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards event is available to watch on YouTube.