Community Corner

Whitewater Rafting Story | Care Packages | First Fridays: VA Good News

Good news in NoVA includes a celebration of local leaders, grand prize goes to local writer, and teens organize care packages for military.

From left, Dominic Bonaiuto, Tarika Sethi, Saly Fayez, Taralyn Kohler, Shawn DeRose, Debi Alexander and Kia Cole-Hines pose for a photo following Thursday's Northern Virginia Leadership Awards Ceremony in Reston.
From left, Dominic Bonaiuto, Tarika Sethi, Saly Fayez, Taralyn Kohler, Shawn DeRose, Debi Alexander and Kia Cole-Hines pose for a photo following Thursday's Northern Virginia Leadership Awards Ceremony in Reston. (Michael O'Connell/Patch)

VIRGINIA — This week's good news stories in Northern Virginia include a celebration of local leaders, a woman's whitewater rafting story wins writing contest, and the National Park Service offers an update on projected peak bloom of cherry blossoms.

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

Uplifting Others A Common Thread For Leadership Award Winners

Leadership Fairfax hosted the 2024 Northern Virginia Leadership Awards at the Reston Community Center-Hunter Woods

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

Woman's Whitewater Rafting Story Wins Prize In Writing Contest

Tracy Long of Reston was recently named the grand-prize winner in the annual "Share Your Story" writing contest sponsored by Recreation.gov and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Teen Center To Organize Care Packages For Military

Vienna's Club Phoenix Teen Council is continuing its support of U.S. military troops with a new donation drive to provide care packages.

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

First Fridays Returns To Downtown In 2024

While it's not quite time for warmer weather yet, Manassas residents can enjoy the returning First Friday block parties starting in March.

DC Cherry Blossoms To Hit Peak Bloom Early, Dates Announced

With a mild winter winding down in the Washington, D.C., region, the National Park Service said fans of D.C.'s famed Yoshino cherry blossoms will reach peak bloom early this year.

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