Margaret Bush Teaches Flower Arranging to Mother's Group

On Thursday, June 9, 2011, the CFNC Mother's Group had the unique opportunity to learn flower arranging from longtime CFNC supporter and friend Margaret Bush, owner
of Artful Arrangements. Margaret brought all of the items needed, including fresh flowers and containers and worked with each participant to create her own lovely arrangement.

The Mother's Group, consisting of 14 mothers from a variety of countries, meets weekly at CFNC with Social Worker Ansley Shackelford to develop friendships, learn parenting skills, and discuss life issues in confidence.

Ansley, who has worked with this year's Mother's Group (all mothers of CFNC students) since September, said: "This was a wonderful opportunity for our mothers
to learn a new skill-something that they can take home and share with their friends and family. We are very grateful to Margaret Bush for sharing her time and her talents with us."

Margaret and her husband Marvin Bush have been long time supporters of CFNC. In the past they have served on host committees for fundraisers and have even hosted CFNC events in their home.

CFNC Tours the White House, Take 2!

On June 11, CFNC had another opportunity to tour the White House--this time in the East Wing! The tour was made possible by the The White House's Office of Public Engagement and was in honor of African-American Music Appreciation and Caribbean Heritage Month.

Those that attended were in awe of
CFNC Teacher Luz Naranjo in the Blue Room.

the ornately decorated rooms that they were able to see and experience. The East Wing includes many of the rooms that the President and his family use for entertaining, such as the Blue Room, the Green Room, the Red Room and the State Dining Room. The East Wing also includes the South Portico and offers beautiful views of the Jackie Kennedy Rose Garden.

Though they tried, no one was able to catch a glimpse of the President or his family. However, just being within the walls of so much history was thrill enough! CFNC is very grateful for this opportunity.

Hotel Monaco Hosts an Employment Workshop at CFNC

On Tuesday, June 14, Alexandria's Hotel Monaco, a Kimpton Hotel, held a Job
Employment Workshop at CFNC's Birchmere location.

The workshop was presented by Miguel Casimiro, Director of Housekeeping at Hotel Monaco and Elubia, Assistant Director. They discussed job opportunities in the
Housekeeping Department at the hotel, as well as presented participants with job descriptions, job requirements, an overview of the application process, work ethic expectations and tips for a successful interview.

Blanca Leyva, Director of Family Services at CFNC noted: "We are very excited to partner with the Hotel Monaco for this unique opportunity for our families. We are certain that all who participated learned valuable information."

CFNC looks forward to continuing our partnership with Hotel Monaco and Kimpton.

The Morrison House Hosts a Mother & Daughter Tea Party

CFNC mothers and daughters enjoyed an elegant Tea Party on Saturday, June 18 at 11 AM at CFNC's Birchmere location, thanks to the generosity of Alexandria's Morrison House, a Kimpton Hotel. The Tea Party, which included traditional tea sandwiches, scones and cookies served on real porcelain tea sets, was presented by Annee Gillett, Director of Catering at The Morrison House and Hotel Monaco, along with her staff as well as CFNC's Family Support Services department.

Upon arriving, each child received a tiara, necklace and bracelet to complete their tea party attire. After enjoying the food, mothers and daughters created butterflies out of arts and crafts materials and then enjoyed a reading by The
Morrison House staff of Ms. Spider's Tea Party. Children took home their crafts, costume jewelry, a book and, most importantly, the memories of a unique and special opportunity and quality time spent with their mothers.

Glymaris Lugo, a Social Worker at CFNC who helped put on the event, noted: "The girls and their mothers had such a wonderful time! This may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for the children and families that CFNC serves, and certainly a special event for them."

CFNC is very appreciative of Annee Gillett and her staff at The Morrison House for hosting the tea party and looks forward to working with the Kimpton on future events.

To enjoy additional photos, please visit our Photo Gallery.

An Elegant Luncheon

CFNC teachers and staff enjoyed an elegant and delicious end of the year luncheon, thanks to the generosity of Susan Gage Caterers and
The Birchmere. Susan Gage donated the scrumptious food and The Birchmere donated the space.

The luncheon is an annual event to thank teachers and staff upon the completion of a successful school year, but this is the first time in many years that the lunch was made possible by CFNC supporters. We thank them for providing us with the opportunity to appreciate our staff and celebrate our success this year over an elegant lunch, fun activities and the shared feeling of accomplishment for a job well done.