Community briefs

Library art show rescheduled

Central Rappahannock Regional Library’s Uniquely Stafford Art Show at Porter Branch has been rescheduled. Show dates are Jan. 17–March 15, 2024. Submissions will be accepted online Jan. 2–6. The opening reception will be held Jan. 18, 6–7:30 p.m.

Categories include Natural Media: painting, drawing, printmaking and mixed; and Digital/Photography: photography and computer generated art.

Awards generously donated by the Friends of the Library include $500 for Best in Show, and $20 for first place, $125 for second place, $75 for third place and $50 for honorable mention in each category.

Artists ages 18 and older are invited to apply. Artistic works must illustrate scenes which are unique to Stafford County. For more details, visit librarypoint.org/uniquely-stafford .

Help sponsor character dinner

R.J. Carr, character education coach for the Chancellor High School football team, is looking for sponsors to help defray the cost of a Character Player of the Year award dinner on Dec. 7.

Each sponsor will get their logo on the flyer, banner at the dinner, a ticket to the dinner and the opportunity to talk for two minutes on character to approximately 75 guests.

Volunteers needed for tax program

Prosper Tax Services is Rappahannock United Way’s free tax preparation service for residents of Planning District 16. Volunteers are needed to participate as greeters and preparers.

Greeters provide a warm welcome and keep things moving in the waiting area. They verify clients have proper documentation, and that they meet the criteria for the Tax Program. Greeters don’t answer any tax questions

Tax preparers help clients complete tax returns using software. They are responsible to conduct client interviews, help clients complete accurate tax returns and distribute client surveys. Volunteer Tax Preparers must be comfortable speaking with people, reviewing tax documents for information, and using a computer based tax software to help clients complete tax returns. Volunteer Tax Preparers may be asked to help with reviewing tax returns that have been completed by other volunteer Tax Preparers prior to filing.

RUW will provide all materials and training. A list of training dates is available at ruw.givepulse.com/event/409571-Interested-2024-Tax-Volunteers .

Grant cycle open

The Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region is accepting applications for youth, recreation or preservation grants up to $7,500 from The Duff McDuff Green Jr. Fund.

These grants are for projects that promote recreation opportunities in the community, benefit youth mental health in our region or advance local historic/cultural preservation. In the past, funds have supported such projects as access to camps for local students, preservation tools for organizations to save artifacts, programing for families to experience recreation together and museum exhibits the community can enjoy.

Applications must be submitted online at cfrrr.org/apply/the-duff-mcduff-green-jr-fund and be received by 5 p.m. on Dec. 22. Read grant guidelines at cfrrr.org/apply/grant-programs .

Fund recipients will be notified in mid-February.

To learn more about grant opportunities contact Casey Hu, director of donor services, at ; or 540/373-9292 ext. 123.

ElderStudy offers midyear membership

Mary Washington ElderStudy invites you to join its organization for a reduced rate beginning Friday. For $40 for a half year, participants can attend as many sessions as they like.

Sessions scheduled for the spring will be posted on the ElderStude event calendar at elderstudy.com on Dec. 1. Sessions begin Jan. 9, 2024, and are either in the classroom on the Stafford campus of UMW, on Zoom or a hybrid (Zoom and in person). In addition to educational and informative sessions, ElderStudy offers tours, a book group and other special events.

In its 30th year as an organization, it is proud to have 300 members throughout the greater Fredericksburg area. For additional information or to sample a class before joining, email .

SERVE receives donation from foundation

SERVE has received $2,700 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to help nourish neighbors experiencing hunger. The Feeding the Hungry grant supports SERVE’s efforts through its commitment to a healthy pantry, providing 200% more fresh produce and protein to neighbors experiencing hunger.

Through this effort, guests are provided an open-choice option, every day, to choose the fresh vegetables and fruits that they enjoy eating. Twice monthly, guests are able to receive a free wellness check, food sampling and recipes, and nutrition education to learn how to eat healthier, even if a food pantry is their main source of food access.

Since its inception, the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation has awarded more than $18.1 million in grants.

Tour holiday houses in C. Beach

The 21st annual Christmas house tour will take place the weekend of Dec. 9, featuring nine beautifully decorated homes around the Town of Colonial Beach.

Discover the history and traditions of Colonial Beach while enjoying the company of fellow holiday enthusiasts. Gather inspiration for your own holiday decor or simply revel in the joyous ambiance of the season with other holiday revelers.

There will be three tour times and several routes. Enjoy the trolley tour for an additional fee or take a self-guided driving tour. All tours start at the Colonial Beach Museum, 128 Hawthorne St., Colonial Beach, for tour passes, maps and trolley tickets.

Tours will be held Dec. 9 at 4 and 6 p.m. and Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. Tours are two-hour blocks.

The tours culminate in a VIP finale event at Greystone Manor on Dec. 10, 5–7 p.m. The VIP finale requires a separate ticket and includes access to a catered event at a private home. Catering will be provided by Fire Escape American Grill.

Tickets are available through Eventbrite at tinyurl.com/CBHolidayHouseTour2023 . Members of the Colonial Beach Historical Society receive a discount.

The annual tour is a fundraiser for the Colonial Beach Historical Society and Museum. Visit themuseumatcolonialbeach.com for more information.

Foster a dog for the holidays

Old Dominion Humane Society’s “Home for the Holidays” foster program is a treat for the rescue dogs and families during the Christmas holidays, whether the house is filled with family and friends or an individual is home alone. Fosters can choose to pick up a dog for Thanksgiving, Christmas or both holidays.

The program offers the unique chance for people wanting to adopt a dog to find out if it’s a good match for them. Check out the pictures and biographies of available dogs, find a favorite rescue dog to foster and fill out an application at olddominionhumanesociety.org/foster-information . ODHS will provide food, collars, leashes, toys and crates for all foster dogs. Fosters are asked only to provide love and attention to these four-legged friends.

For a Christmas stay, dogs can be picked up between 5 and 7 p.m. on Dec. 20, through noon to 4 p.m. on Dec. 30. Fosters can also pick up a dog during the adoption events, which are held on Wednesdays, 5–7 p.m.; Fridays, 6–8 p.m.; and Saturdays, noon–4 p.m.

ODHS is located at 3602 Lafayette Blvd. Applications in advance are preferred and take priority over walk-ins. For more information about the dogs, adopting and adoption applications, as well as upcoming events, volunteering, fostering and donating items, visit olddominionhumanesociety.org .

Stafford holds annual coat drive

Stafford County Public Schools and Stafford County Fire & Rescue and volunteer fire stations will again partner with Operation Warm, a national non-profit organization, to support Stafford students in need of a new winter coat. This year, the division is in need of nearly 2,000 coats to support the identified need in the school system.

For every $25 raised, Operation Warm provides a new coat for a child in need. To help support local children this winter, make a tax-deductible donation online at staffordschools.net/operationwarm .

Every donation, no matter the amount, will help provide children in the community with brand-new winter coats!

Checks may be made payable to Mountain View Fire and Safety Association with “Operation Warm” on the memo line; mail to association at Box 2528, Stafford, VA 22555.

To donate by another method, contact Hunter Berry, Stafford Schools Assistant Director of Family and Community Engagement, at or 540/295-3441.

Family offers volleyball scholarship

The Brown family is accepting applications for the Douglas Frank Brown Memorial Volleyball Scholarship. Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to high school seniors, boy or girl, moving on to play volleyball at the collegiate level.

A high school transcript, proof of an offer to play volleyball at the collegiate level and a 300-word essay about the impact that volleyball has made on your life are required. A letter of recommendation is optional, and only one letter will be accepted.

Applications are available through the high school’s counseling center or by

emailing . The deadline to apply is April 5, 2024.

Seniors plan events

Area seniors will attend “Miracle on 42nd St.” on Nov. 29 and “Jersey Boys” on Jan. 31, 2024, at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts. Call Betty Lee to reserve your place at 540/786-2650.

The Fredericksburg Seniors office, at 408 Canal St., is open on Wednesdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., to sign up for trips, pay membership dues, get information or shop the thrift store. The phone number is 540/371-2429.

Lake of the Woods AARP Chapter 5239 is sponsoring a trip to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the Christmas City, Dec. 6–8.

The trip includes two nights’ lodging, two breakfasts and dinners, Moravian Museum experience, Bethlehem by night tour, Koziar’s Christmas Village, German Christkindlmarkt and Christmas putz. The bus will leave from Lake of the Woods and the Gordon Road commuter lot in Spotsylvania County. The cost is $509 per person, double occupancy. For more information or to sign up, email ; or call or text 540/226-2871.

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