Park View, D.C.

General Scott statue on the AFRH grounds

Here’s an update – and some exciting news – from the Friends of the Soldiers’ Home group.  At their last meeting on January 12, 2012, they developed a ‘road map’ for how the Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) and surrounding communities would collaborate in 2012. This resulted in five concrete events and a number of potential event ideas and goals.

The five major events that will be held at the home in 2012 are:

• A weekend day in May in which the community will be invited to enjoy the grounds with the residents, through a golf scramble, fishing in the ponds, kids’ biking and other outdoor fun!
• June 6, D-Day (details of this event yet to be determined)
• July 4, the community and residents will watch the Washington Monument fireworks together from the best spot in town, the top of the Hill on the Home grounds!
• Oct. 7, at the Home’s annual antique car show, the community will participate
• A date in December, the community for the second consecutive year will co-sponsor the holiday tree lighting

In addition to these events, the Friends group committed to continue volunteering to assist residents during AFRH Bingo nights. Starting in February, the community will supply a minimum of 10 volunteers for a Bingo night once each month. Dates and times still to come.

Other event ideas that were discussed but not yet planned included those listed below:

• having the community help inaugurate a ’50s style food center with a sock hop
• community/residents gathering together on the Home lawn to enjoy a live concert together
• having a film festival/movie marathon
• the community having a role, and a booth, at the annual bike race held at the Home
• having a community outdoor volunteer day where we remove brush and/or do beautification
• hosting a trivia night at one of the local bars/restaurants

Lastly, the Lincoln’s Cottage – located on the AFRH grounds — has also expressed an interest in working with the community in their events. Opportunities to collaborate with Lincoln’s Cottage include:

• activities surrounding Emancipation Day, April 15-16
• Memorial Day weekend events, possibly including walking tours of historic National Cemetery across the street from the Home grounds
• activities in September marking the 150th anniversary of the Presidential Guard, created inLincoln’s time, now known as the Secret Service

To learn more, get involved, or join the Friends of the Soldiers’ Home group, email John Hughes.

If you are interested in additional volunteering opportunities at the AFRH, you can email Carolyn Weber or contact her by phone at 202-541-7627.

This entry was posted on January 25, 2012 at 7:01 am and is filed under Armed Forces Retirement Home, Community Involvement. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: AFRH, Community Involvement, Old Soldiers' Home, Park View, Petworth