[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 7, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E702-E703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE 2013 RESTON ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 7, 2014

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the recipients 
of the 2013 Reston Association Volunteer Service Awards. The Reston 
Association (RA) is the largest homeowners' association in Virginia and 
one of the largest in the country with more than 21,000 homes under its 
jurisdiction. Among other roles, RA serves as the steward of Reston's 
architectural aesthetics, recreational amenities, and environmental 
resources.
   RA relies on hundreds of volunteers who serve on boards, committees, 
and projects to carry out its mission to keep Reston a model community 
where all can ``Live, Work, Play,

[[Page E703]]

and Get Involved.'' I am pleased to enter into the Congressional Record 
the names of the outstanding volunteers for 2013.
   Volunteer of the Year: Diane Blust. Ms. Blust has been a Reston 
resident for 36 years and has made a long-standing commitment to 
protecting Reston's natural resources. She has chaired RA's 
Environmental Advisory Committee and RA's Sustainability Working Group. 
She serves as the President of Sustainable Reston, which is part of the 
Fairfax Coalition for Smarter Growth and was instrumental in developing 
a program to install garden plots near low-income housing. As a member 
of Reston Environmental Action (REACT), Ms. Blust works to promote 
energy efficiency and habits that lessen our environmental impact. She 
helped establish the Environmental Film series at Walker Nature Center 
and started the Smart Market, which is a seasonal, weekly farmers 
market. In addition Ms. Blust teaches various Home Food Preservation 
classes for Reston Community Center (RCC) and RA's Walker Nature 
Center.
   Volunteer Group of the Year Garden Plot Coordinators--Karen 
Parnicky, Lake Anne; Richard Padgett, Golf Course Island; and Molly 
O'Boyle, Hunters Woods I & II. RA rents more than 270 garden plots each 
year in four locations. The garden plot coordinators serve as liaisons 
between the garden plot renters and Reston Association staff. This 
group also contributes by weeding and watering or coordinating 
volunteers to do so when a gardener may be on vacation or away due to a 
medical condition.
   Community Partner of the Year: The Boofie O'Gorman Team. The Boofie 
O'Gorman Team donated $5,000 and more than 100 volunteer hours to the 
2013 Reston Kids Triathlon. This generous donation provides funding for 
our scholarship participants and other Reston Association fee-waived 
programs. Their monetary contributions and personal efforts in race-day 
support, show their dedication to the youngest members of the Reston 
community. The team also supports scholarships for the Reston 
Triathlon, the Reston Sprint Triathlon, the Runners Marathon, the 
Reston Relay Triathlon, and RA Camps.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the 
recipients of the 2013 Reston Association Volunteer Service Awards and 
in thanking them for dedicating their time, energy, and resources to 
the improvement of the quality of life and health of the Reston 
community.

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