McLean Resident Honored At Volunteer Fairfax Awards

MCLEAN, VA — Volunteer Fairfax held its 30th annual Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards Wednesday during National Volunteer Week, and a McLean resident was 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.

For the Dranesville District, the Community Champion selected by Supervisor John Foust was Wade H.B. Smith. Smith has been a longtime volunteer with the McLean Hamlet Community Association, the Fairfax County Trails, Sidewalks, and Bikeways Committee, Lewinsville Coalition, and the McLean Citizens Association. Smith helped found the Lewinsville Coalition of homeowners along Lewinsville Road in McLean, has advised Foust on developer proposals for trails, sidewalks, and bicycle facilities, and has worked on issues such as cut-through traffic, transit, and traffic congestion on the transportation committee of the McLean Citizens Association.

"Mr. Smith is the community volunteer you want on your team. He gives generously of his time and energy," said Foust in the nomination. "He is someone who examines issues thoroughly and thoughtfully and often provides outside-the-box solutions."

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.

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
• 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.
• Carla Claure, Lee District, for work with Lee District Land Use Committee and Manufactured Housing Task Force, food distributions and other community assistance
• 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 full Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards event is available to watch on YouTube.