Proudly sporting USE’s new purple T-shirts, our members enjoyed one another’s company at this year’s second in-person get-together. For covid safety, we each brought our own meal to RA’s Lake Anne picnic pavilion, all freshly spruced up as if done up just for us.

Our group was small but lively with around 17 attending. There was a lot of catching up to do, and everyone proceeded to talk and talk and talk. A brief game and a small door prize rounded out our good time. Even a sudden downpour didn’t deter us, it just cooled and cleared the air a bit.

While we were getting reacquainted, we were surprised and privileged to have our local Hunter Mill District Supervisor, Walter Alcorn. Mr. Alcorn stopped in to chat for a while, talking with us about, among other things, Fairfax County’s plan for the Reston Town Center North redevelopment. The project is planned to include a new Reston Regional Library, a new Embry Rucker Shelter, as well as facilities for permanent housing and services – interesting to learn about first-hand from our own county supervisor.

Another visitor we were fortunate to have with us was Season Zellman from Fairfax County’s Health Department. She is the coordinator for the county’s Village Movement and dropped in to get to know our group a little better. Fairfax County sees Reston USE as a kind of “village” since several of the services we provide for one another can help make it easier for some of our more senior members remain in their homes, one of the primary purposes of the nationwide Village Movement. Season hopes to provide assistance and support to USE and the other Village organizations in Fairfax County. We enjoyed getting to know her.

Here’s hoping this is just one of many USE gatherings to come, with more and more USE members coming out to join us.

Story by Kathy Bush/Photos by David Bush