Volunteers are needed for two upcoming fall events at Prince William Forest Park:

Heritage Festival

• What: A fun celebration of park history & heritage for all ages. Includes live music, blacksmithing, antique cars, games and more!
• When: Saturday, September 11, 2010 • 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. • Rain or Shine!
• Volunteers: High school age and up needed for assisting with parking, information, Kids Kabin and other activities.
• Benefits:  Receive a breakfast, lunch and a fabulous t-shirt!

National Public Lands Day

• What: Prince William Forest Park’s  biggest volunteer event of the year! Lend a helping hand to a variety of projects including  trail work, cabin restoration, painting/staining, and general site clean-up.
• When: Saturday, September 25, 2010 • Begins at 8:30 a.m. – Picnic Grove Area (adjacent to Visitor’s Center)
• Volunteers: Students, retirees, families, individuals
• Benefits:  Breakfast & lunch provided!

For more information about these volunteer opportunities and events, contact:

Jenn Kays
Park Ranger/Volunteer-in-Parks Coordinator
Prince William Forest Park
(703) 221-3943
Jenn_Kays@nps.gov

Or go to www.nps.gov/prwi

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), along with other local and national partners, is sponsoring the first-ever, national Prescription Drug “Take-Back” Day. This event, which will be held on Saturday, September 25, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at various locations in the Metro area, gives consumers the opportunity to drop off, anonymously and with no questions asked, any unused, expired and/or dangerous prescription drugs for collection and proper disposal. This important initiative’s goal is to decrease the amount of prescription pill abuse and theft.

Environmentally, this effort will greatly reduce the levels of water contamination caused by the improper disposal or flushing of prescription drugs.

Click on the Link below to Locate a Collection Site Near You:

https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/NTBI/NTBI-PUB.do?_flowId=public-flow

For more information about this event, read the DEA Press Release on Prescription “Take-Back Day.”

SA Community Outreach & Water Education display at PWCS' Teachers F.I.R.S.T. 2010 held at Freedom High School in Woodbridge, Virginia.

 

SA display featured interactive AWWA water treatment plant tour, samples from new Educator Lending Library, flyers, brochures and other materials.

The Service Authority was one of several exhibitors on display at the 2010 Prince William County Public Schools Teachers F.I.R.S.T. (For Inducting, Retaining, and Supporting Teachers) Orientation held for new teachers, on Tuesday, August 24, 2010, at Freedom High School in Woodbridge.  Over 400 new teachers had the opportunity to learn about the various Community and Public Education Outreach opportunities, events and programs offered by the Service Authority on water education and related topics.

Currently, on the home page of water.org, an organization whose mission it is to assist developing countries obtain safe water and proper sanitation, is a rotating slideshow of pictures with startling and accurate facts about the global water crisis and how it is affecting women, sanitation, disease, and the environment among other topics.

Check it out, you’ll be amazed and quickly realize how fortunate we are as Americans to have access to clean, safe drinking water and proper sanitation 24/7.

View the slideshow.

Help our local youth prepare for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year by donating school supplies to the Prince William Region’s Chambers’ annual Tools for School Supply Drive. 

The Service Authority is honored to, once-again, serve as an official drop-off location for this worthwhile cause.  A donation box is located in the lobby of our main headquarters at 4 County Complex Court in Woodbridge. Deadline for all donations is July 30, 2010.

According to the Irrigation Association, July is Smart Irrigation Month!  To learn more about how to:

• Plant correctly
• Invest in an irrigation system
• Use water Wisely
• Maintain or upgrade your system
• Work with an irrigation professional

Click HERE!

Beginning Saturday, June 19 through Friday, July 2, 2010 is Dale City’s Neighborhood Pride Week (NPW)! Many volunteers are needed for clean up activities on Dale Boulevard and its surrounding areas. Do your part to help clean your community! Cap off your hard work by enjoying the Dale City Independence Day Parade on July 4th, followed by Family Fun Day (see post below).

To learn more, read the 2010 Letters to NPW Residents by Connie Moser, NPW Coordinator, at moserconnie@hotmail.com, or by phone at (703) 590-6662.

Print Family Fun Day Flyer (pdf )

On Friday, May 28, 2010, the Service Authority’s Community Outreach Coordinator, Sheri Pierce and Multimedia Assistant, Amelia Sullivan, participated in Pennington Schools’ annual 2nd Grade Camping Around the Curriculum.  At the World of Water tent, students learned about water conservation. During the lesson, “The Human Faucet,” 9 groups of second graders compated and measured the amount of water that can be saved during daily activities, like brushing their teeth.

Attention students in grades K-3! We would like you to color and submit ONE of the water-themed sheets listed below to be showcased in a slideshow on this very blog!

Instructions for Entering Drinking Water Week Grades K-3 Color Sheet Slideshow:

1. Download, print out and copy, as needed, the water-themed color sheets (PDF) below:

• Everyone Watches Water (PDF)
• Give Each Plant Water (PDF)
• Only Water that Comes from the Tap (PDF)
• When Taking a Bath Don’t Fill Up the Tub (PDF)

2. Select and color your favorite water-themed coloring sheet from above. Only ONE colored sheet per student will be accepted.

3. Include your name, school, grade and teacher ON THE BOTTOM, FRONT LEFT CORNER of each color sheet. See sample below.

 4. Submit your completed coloring sheet by email attachments (scanned, color .pdf) to spierce@pwcsa.org or by USPS mail, in 9×12 envelope, to: Sheri Pierce, Community Outreach Coordinator, PWCSA, P.O. Box 2266, Woodbridge, VA  22195.

5.  All submissions due by Friday, May, 14, 2010.  Please contact Sheri Pierce at (703) 530-5310 should you have questions.