[Archived] Fourth Annual Spring for Alexandria to be Held May 5 – May 7, 2011

Three-Day Celebration of Giving and Service involves Government, Businesses and Residents

ACT for Alexandria, Volunteer Alexandria, the Alexandria Jaycees, and the City of Alexandria will jointly host Spring for Alexandria, a three-day celebration of giving and service throughout the City on May 5 through May 7, 2011.  Now in its fourth year, Spring for Alexandria offers multiple opportunities for residents to become involved, including the Generations of Giving Gala on May 5; the Business Philanthropy Summit, Community Service Day and Celebration on May 6; and Alexandria Gives and Lemonaide Day on May 7.

New this year, ACT for Alexandria is hosting an innovative online fundraising event called Spring 2 ACTion.  Spring 2 ACTion allows people to donate to over 30 local charities through a quick and easy online portal.  Donations can be made through spring2action.org.

Spring For Alexandria hosts raises hundreds of thousands of dollars that are used by the partners to improve the lives of hundreds Alexandrians.  Co-Chair, David Speck says: "There is no better way to have fun and support our community, than the three days of events and activities that encompass Spring for Alexandria."

Spring for Alexandria kicks off with the Generations of Giving Gala on Thursday, May 5, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Episcopal High School, 3900 West Braddock Road.  The Gala honors philanthropy in Alexandria with its new sports-themed ACTlympics.  Sportscaster Tim Brant of ABC7/WJLA-TV & News Channel 8 will emcee the evening, which will includes a live auction and rubber ducky raffle.  The evening will be topped off with the presentation of the Legacy of Service Award to Alexandria Toyota’s Jack Taylor honoring his commitment to community service, giving, and investment in Alexandria. All proceeds from the event benefits ACT for Alexandria and its grantees.  To purchase tickets, please go to www.actforalexandria.org.

On Friday, May 6, the Business Philanthropy Summit is held to recognize philanthropic leaders in Alexandria.  The breakfast event will be hosted at the First Baptist Church of Alexandria, 2932 King Street, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.  At the Summit, Billy Shore of Share Our Strength will be the keynote speaker and the 2011 Business Philanthropist and Nonprofit Leader Awards will be presented. 

Following the Summit, Volunteer Alexandria and the City of Alexandria will deploy hundreds of volunteers to project sites throughout the City for its Spring for Alexandria Community Service Day. Volunteer help is needed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to complete a variety of tasks.  City, business and private citizen teams are still forming now.  Sign up at www.springforalexandria.org – click on Day of Service. The day concludes with volunteers returning to a Community-Wide Celebration, which will be held at Market Square, 301 King Street, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The celebration begins with a program led by Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille with awards and prizes for volunteers who will also enjoy live jazz music, a wellness center, lunch, and other activities. 

The three-day celebration concludes on Saturday, May 7, as the Alexandria Jaycees host family fun Alexandria Gives: A Community Contribution Day.  Alexandria residents are encouraged to clear out their cupboards and their closets and donate to neighbors in need.  Alexandria nonprofits will be onsite at the First Baptist Church of Alexandria, 2932 King Street, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. collecting food, clothing and supplies.  For the first time INOVA Blood Donor Services will be onsite for blood donations. For a complete list of accepted donations, please go to www.alexjaycees.org.

Also, Lemonaide Day, sponsored by Kids Helping Kids, Inc., will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Alexandria youth will be selling lemonade at stands stationed throughout the City to raise money for two Alexandria-based children’s charities, Alexandria Tutoring Consortium and The Fund For Alexandria’s Child.

For information on any of these events, or to arrange onsite media coverage, contact Jennifer Matta at 703-823-1600 or jmatta@pcicom.com.

Spring for Alexandria is a three-day celebration of giving and service in Alexandria, VA.  Entering its 4th year, Spring for Alexandria is jointly hosted by ACT for Alexandria, the City of Alexandria, Volunteer Alexandria and the Alexandria Jaycees. During the celebration Alexandrians are encouraged to give back to their community by donating their time, money or support to some or all of six different events: the Generations of Giving Gala on May 5; the Business Philanthropy Summit; Community Service Day and Celebration on Market Square on May 6; and Alexandria Gives: A Community Contributions Day; and Kids Helping Kids’ Lemonaide Day on May 7.  Spring for Alexandria has brought together more than 3,000 community members, businesses, nonprofit organizations, schools and government. Starting this year, ACT for Alexandria will include Spring2ACTion -- an innovative on-line community-wide fundraising event designed to inspire unprecedented levels of charitable giving in Alexandria. For more information on Spring2Action visit www.actionalexandria.org.

Toyota U.S.A Motor Sales, Speck-Caudron Investment Group, The Washington Group of Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, SunTrust, ABC7/WJLA-TV & News Channel 8, and PCI COMMUNICATIONS, INC. are proud sponsors of Spring for Alexandria.

For more information, visit www.springforalexandria.org.