Community Corner

Tattoo Artist Paints Mural, Area Jewish History Traced: NoVA Good News

Good news in NoVA this week includes a new book on the Jewish community, a tattoo artist paints a school mural, and the return of $5 movies.

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Emmanuel Chavez Galicia is almost finished painting a large mural in a stairwell at Katherine Johnson Middle School in Fairfax City. The process of painting the mural started at last year's career fair at the school, where he spoke.
Emmanuel Chavez Galicia is almost finished painting a large mural in a stairwell at Katherine Johnson Middle School in Fairfax City. The process of painting the mural started at last year's career fair at the school, where he spoke. (Michael O'Connell/Patch)

VIRGINIA — This week's good news stories in Virginia include a husband and wife who researched and wrote one of the first books on Northern Virginia's large Jewish community and the 47th Annual Alexandria Turkey Trot honoring the family of former Alexandria Mayor Kerry Donley, who died in July.

Plus, read about a tattoo artist hired to paint a mural at a school in Fairfax City; students learning about Indonesia music and culture in McLean; and a dedicated group of volunteers who advocate for children who are victims of abuse and neglect.

Also, learn about residents and student athletes in Virginia who are doing great work in the community and how to donate to Toys For Tots 2022.

Find out what's happening in Arlingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Here are some of this week's good news headlines:

Jewish Community Of Northern Virginia Takes Spotlight In New Book

Given the large Jewish community in Northern Virginia, Susan and Shawn Dilles were surprised there wasn't a book providing an overview. Northern Virginia has a Jewish population over 120,000, a population that exceeds those of D.C. and the Maryland suburbs. The Dilleses, who have been involved with two congregations and the Pozez Jewish Community Center, decided it was time to give their faith community its own book.

Find out what's happening in Arlingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Kerry Donley's Family To Lead Alexandria Turkey Trot As Grand Marshals

The family of the late Kerry Donley, former Alexandria mayor, will be grand marshals of the 2022 Alexandria Turkey Trot on Nov. 24. The 47th annual Alexandria Turkey Trot is a Thanksgiving morning tradition, drawing some of the East Coast's top elite runners and thousands to the Del Ray neighborhood. The Donley family was selected for their service to Alexandria. The family has made the Turkey Trot their own Thanksgiving tradition.

Mural in Fairfax School Stairwell Begins With Career Day Encounter

Katherine Johnson Middle School in Fairfax City hosted its 2022 career day, where Emmanuel Chavez Galicia was finishing a large mural in a stairwell at the school. The path that the tattoo artist from Dixer Studio took to painting the mural started with a conversation he had last year during the school's career day. After Galicia answered students' questions about how to have a career in the arts, school officials told him they wished they knew about him sooner. "They were like, 'We wish we had a mural,'" Galicia told Patch on Wednesday. "I said, 'I can do a mural.'"

Indonesian Music, Culture Explored At The Potomac School In McLean

Students from The Potomac School in McLean learned about Indonesia arts and culture, including the angklung, a musical instrument made from bamboo. The program, organized in partnership with the Indonesian embassy, explained how each angklung instrument produces a single note or chord, so several players must collaborate in order to play melodies. Angklung music promotes the values of teamwork and social harmony, the visiting music educators told the students.

Patch Local Heroes: CASA Volunteers Advocate For Fairfax Children

Fairfax CASA Volunteers of Fairfax City work tirelessly to advocate for children with open abuse and neglect cases, according to their colleagues who nominated them as heroes. Volunteers for CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, served more than 260 children in the city over the last year. They visit their children often, attend meetings and court proceedings, and collectively served over 18,000 hours in the last year.

Other NoVA Patch Heroes and Star Student Athletes

A Few More Good News Stories:

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Toys For Tots Across NoVA

$5 Movies Return

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