The Great Falls Grange Foundation hosted its first-ever open house for all Great Falls nonprofits. Julie Maher, director of the Great Falls Grange Foundation, who came up with the idea, said, "It's an opportunity for the public to come in to get information and talk to the leaders of the organizations and clubs." The five-hour event took place at the Grange on Georgetown Pike on Feb. 15.

Community members visit the tables at the inaugural, Get Involved Great Falls! Open House for All of the Nonprofits in Great Falls. 

 

Teresa Rutledge is the president of Lift Me Up!. She and Julie Casso, executive director, discussed the organization's therapeutic riding program, which started for people with disabilities. The volunteer organization added a new service, weekly sessions for the first responder program. The Arlington Police Department created it, and before participating in the lessons with the horses, they "chill for a while." Herd mentality of horses was recently presented in a session. Community members visit the barn to volunteer because they feel it enhances their mental health. Lift Me Up! is a community center that makes one feel good, a place for people. https://liftmeup.org/

Julie Ben-Achour is president of the Great Falls Trail Blazers. She said that the organization's goal when it was formed in 1999 was to allow people to walk from one neighborhood to another, perhaps to exercise their dogs. It has become a multi-use trail system connecting the community shared by pedestrians, horses and bicyclists, with a current membership of 759 members. "There is a map available on our web page.  We are constantly working on trails and working with the county to have a trail along Georgetown Pike," Ben-Achour said. http://www.greatfallstrailblazers.org/

Jeffrey Kretsch is the treasurer of The Analemma Society, a 2011-founded non-profit community organization. Mary Blessing is a board director and volunteer. They also had a table set up in the Grange and welcomed people to learn more about the public resource in Great Falls. They could volunteer, attend the free, no-registration Friday evening opportunities to view the heavens through telescopes, or sign up and attend Fairfax County Partakes programs such as the Night Sky Tour at the Roll-Top Observatory on March 13, which costs $8 and Register Online . Students could also work on Scout merit badges.

"The purpose of The Analemma Society is to teach the public science through astronomy," said Kretsch. Weather permitting, the society operates the observatory at Turner Farm Park, 925 Springvale Road, The Turner Farm | Park Authority - Fairfax County, on Friday nights.  https://www.analemma.org/

Members of the Great Falls Citizens Association (GFCA), Sandy Walker, membership chair; Elizabeth Huebner, secretary; Christ Rich, vice president; Winne Frost, co-chair of environment and parks; and Phil Pifer, board of directors, spoke about the association's volunteer opportunities, one of which was through the Fairfax County Invasive Management Program (IMA). "They have a calendar that goes up on their website, so we get a lot of students who volunteer through the IMA calendar. They can get community service hours. Sometimes we bring in candy and snacks," Rich said. Other volunteer opportunities are available through GFCA that do not require a significant time commitment. "Have a passion for a particular area or initiative? Want to write or design? Learn about websites. Get involved in the political process? Meet new friends who share your interests? Want to give back to your community? Devote as much time as you like, or as little as you have," states the civic organization's website. Reach out to volunteer@gfca.org  to become a volunteer. https://gfca.org/