Community Corner

Employees,Volunteers Put 'Service Above Self'

Vienna Rotary gives annual awards, continues to give profit from last year's Viva!Vienna! festival to local organizations

If there's a Vienna Ambulance driving through town, odds are Monica Haley is on it -- or made sure someone else would be.

As captain of Emergency Medical Services for the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, Haley coordinates the volunteers who will be riding in the vehicles for emergency calls -- and festivals like Viva!Vienna! and Celebrate Fairfax -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Last year, that meant she put 1,085 hours into the volunteer position above and beyond those dedicated to her full time job, the equivalent of more than 45 full days.

Find out what's happening in Viennawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Haley was one of the volunteers honored Wednesday with the Rotary Club of Vienna's "Service Above Self" awards, given annually to volunteers nominated by the Town of Vienna and the fire and police departments. "Service Above Self" is the rotary's international motto.

Also honored were John King, from the town's parks and recreation department, and Vienna Police Department Dispatcher Amy Milliman.

Find out what's happening in Viennawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Nominators said King had exceeded expectations as a park supervisor for the twon. He's connected to community groups and volunteers outside working hours for town events.

He's also the girls JV basketball coach at Osbourn Park High School and the football coach at Dominion High School; previously, he was the head basketball coach at Edison, Yorktown and Stuart High Schools.

Milliman, who is known in the department as a "top notch" dispatcher with lots of energy, is known to "go the extra mile," VPD Chief Bob Carlisle said.

In a nomination letter, Vienna Police Lieutenant Louise Forges said Milliman is an employee who takes pride in her work. She also takes on duties above and beyond her job responsibilities: Milliman, a trainer for newly-hired dispatchers, too the initiative to develop a comprehensive training manual on her own time, he said, and also inspects car seats for Town of Vienna residents.

She's also a member of the Canisius College Board of Alumni in
New York and volunteers at the Andrews Center Foster Care Home.

The Rotary also presented checks to some organizations in Town, part of the nearly $150,000 the group anticipates donating to local clubs, groups and non-profits this year. The money is raised by the annual Viva!Vienna! festival; all proceeds from the festival are given out through similar awards each year.

This year, the parks and recreation department received $8,000 to fund its summer camp scholarship program, to assist children who may not otherwise be able to participate in activities during the school break.

More money will go toward a new town project off the W&OD Trail near Follin Lane: The department has plans to build five interactive stations as part of a new "fit trail," which will set up stations for boot-camp like exercises and allow users to scan a barcode with their smartphones to watch video demonstrations.

Parks and Recreation Director Cathy Salgado said she hopes the project will be complete in late summer or early fall.

"It's one of the first in the area," Salgado said.

The rotary also gave $3,000 to the police department, to help fund community education materials, and additional money to the Vienna Fire Department, who just debuted a new canteen and is expecting another much-needed vehicle this fall.

Carlisle told those at the luncheon the annual Rotary donation makes a large impact on the department's programs: Several years ago, rotary money helped fund tuition for a young student at Madison High School to attend a youth leadership development camp.

The student had a "hard childhood" and was being raised by his grandparents, who were Vienna residents, Carlisle said.

Years later, that same boy is now a man in his young 20s, preparing to graduate from Old Dominion College with a double major  in international studies and French.

His grandmother, who now lives in Florida, called Carlisle recently to thank him for the changes the department made in her grandson's life.

"That [money] really changed that kid's life," Carlisle said.

This article has been updated.


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