Judith Morroy, left, and South Arlington Kiwanis Club member Ingrid Morroy perform at Arlington Historical Museum exhibition opening.
A South Arlington Kiwanis Club member brought her own story of immigration to life during the opening of an exhibit showcasing Virginia’s rich cultural heritage.
The two are natives of Suriname, but have carved out lives of achievement in Virginia: Judith, older by 40 minutes, with the World Bank, and Ingrid, who served 20 years as Arlington’s elected commission of revenue.
“This country has given us so much opportunity, but we miss certain things” about their homeland, Ingrid Morroy acknowledged during a 45-minute concert helping to open the exhibition.
Music was a major part of the family’s life while the twins and their three siblings were growing up.
They learned English while growing up in Suriname through musical lyrics. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Everly Brothers were among favorites.
Even in South America, “you’re so exposed to [U.S.] culture,” Ingrid Morroy said.
(Another sister preferred French music and culture, eventually marrying a French native and settling down there.)
“We the People: The World in Our Commonwealth” is a traveling exhibit of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. The Arlington Historical Society was able to secure it as part of the nation’s 250th-anniversary celebrations.
David Pearson, past president of the historical society, said the sisters were “the two perfect people to accompany the ‘We the People’ exhibit.”
“They’re both very notable,” Pearson said.
Photo of Emma Violand-Sánchez by Lloyd Wolf was used in the “We the People” exhibit.
The concert features an eclectic mix, with songs ranging from the Beatles to international folk ballads, with tales of their upbringing and experiences intermixed.
“Our mother had a lot of old Indonesian music — we used to hear it in the house,” Judith Morroy said.
That house is still standing, she said, but much of the surrounding neighborhood bears little resemblance to the community of the twins’ youth.
Though it has a statewide focus, the traveling “We the People” exhibition has a significant number of local mentions.
“A lot of the immigration stories in Virginia began here in Arlington,” Pearson said.
Among the Arlington stories told in the exhibition include how a portion of Clarendon in the 1970s-80s became Little Saigon, with stores and restaurants operated by South Vietnamese refugees, and the efforts of Arlington educator Dr. Emma Violand-Sánchez and others starting in the 1970s to push for a local commitment to educating immigrant children.
Last year, the South Arlington Kiwanis Club honored Violand-Sánchez with its second annual Harro & Janie Wulf Legendary Service Award, celebrating her work in the community.
Kiwanis Club of South Arlington honors Key Club scholarship recipient Elizabet Guzman Fallas.
Kiwanis Club of South Arlington members on June 18 honored Elizabet Guzman Fallas, who will use scholarship funds from the club to attend Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond.
Guzman Fallas, her mother and Arlington Community High School principal Dr. Jeannette Allen attended the club meeting and participated in a roundtable discussion with Kiwanis members.
Guzman Fallas was a member of the high school’s Key Club, sponsored by Kiwanis, and received the club’s $1,500 annual scholarship presented to a Key Club member.
“I wanted to be part of something, to contribute,” she said of joining the Key Club.
A specialized program within the county school system, Arlington Community High School was the right fit for her academic needs, Guzman Fallas said.
“It was a smaller school, and they helped me along,” she said.
Fallas heads to college with some credits already under her belt, having taken dual-enrollment courses in high school.
She aims to become a dentist, and chose VCU after visiting the campus.
“I like the people there. It’s very diverse,” she said.
Guzman Fallas has two younger sisters, one headed to middle school in the fall and the other in elementary school.
“You are blazing the trail for your sisters,” Kiwanis treasurer Wilfred Braveboy said.
Key Club scholarship recipient Elizabet Guzman Fallas with Kiwanis Club president Andres Tobar at graduation ceremonies.
The first year of college can be a challenge. Mila Lynne Floro, a member of the Kiwanis of South Arlington board of directors and the club’s adviser to the Key Club, said Kiwanis members were ready to support their scholarship recipient.
Floro, a former educator, counseled Guzman Fallas that she should also avail herself of the support services at Virginia Commonwealth University.
“Don’t be shy [in seeking support],” Floro said. “The college will have resources. They want you to succeed.”
Principal Allen served as the first sponsor of the Key Club at the school in 2009-10, when it was known as Arlington Mill High School and she was assistant principal.
The Key Club thrived through 2020, but the arrival of the pandemic caused cessation of in-person classes. Even when they resumed, the school system’s primary focus was to make up for lost time.
“Covid kind of put a damper on bringing [school organizations] back,” Allen said, but efforts of Greg Jones and current club sponsor Dr. Tiffany Mitchell-Patterson ultimately resulted in the club’s rechartering through Kiwanis International.
A total of 21 students participated in the Key Club during the 2025-26 school year. “We’re really excited about it,” Allen said of the club’s reinvigoration.
About half the Key Club members graduated this spring, and efforts to recruit members will start when classes resume in August.
Key Club members provide service within the school, and learn how important it is to be involved in the community, Allen said.
(Allen herself was a member of the Key Club when in high school, first in New York City and then in Virginia.)
Having a $1,500 scholarship from the South Arlington club available to students is another incentive for them to become active in the school’s Key Club.
Connecting with Arlington Community High School is one way the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington can fulfill its mission, club member and director John Murphy said.
“We’re very fortunate to have a relationship” with the school, he said.
“We’re delighted with the relationship,” added club president Andres Tobar.
Arlington Community High School in coming months moves into a new home, provided by Amazon in National Landing. School Board members recently signed a lease for up to 30 years, giving the school its first permanent home in more than a decade.
“We’re really excited to grow some roots and join this dynamic community,” Principal Allen said of the Pentagon City location.
In the coming school year, there may be opportunities for a three-way partnership between the Kiwanis Club, Arlington Community High School and Randolph Elementary School. Both the high school and Kiwanis Club have provided support for the elementary school in the past.
Key Club member Kayliyh Davis with faculty sponsor Dr. Tiffany Mitchell Patterson.
Nearly a dozen members of the newly rechartered Key Club earned diplomas during Arlington Community High School’s 2026 graduation ceremony.
They were among 62 members of the school’s Class of 2026 celebrating completion of studies during a ceremony held June 12 at Washington-Liberty High School.
“The sky is truly the limit to all of you,” said Dr. Tiffany Mitchell Patterson, a social studies teacher and faculty sponsor of the school’s Key Club.
The school’s Key Club, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington, was active until Covid resulted in the temporary shutdown of in-person classes across Arlington’s school system in 2020. Efforts to bring it back to life have been ongoing for the past year.
A total of 21 students signed up, some seniors and others from lower grade levels, which will help to build the organization’s strength in the coming school year.
Key Club member Brandon Campbell speaks at graduation ceremony.
Officers for the past year were Sidney Thomas, president; Amina Osman, vice president; Chaniya Beale-Smith, secretary; and Nyakuiy Kong, treasurer.
Arlington Community High School offers specialized programming designed to meet the needs of students, who range from those who wish to complete academic studies early to those coming back to school after an absence.
The school is special because it “is just so different,” said Mitchell Patterson, who spoke on behalf of the faculty at the ceremony.
Graduates ranged in age from 16 to 46. Many are immigrants for whom English is not their primary language.
“You’ve climbed every hill, pushed through every obstacle.” principal Dr. Jeannette Allen told graduates.
Two of the Key Club’s graduating seniors were among three students selected to speak at the graduation ceremony.
Key Club member Grace Duran Velasquez speaks at graduation ceremony.
Among them was Grace Duran Velasquez, who came to Arlington Community High School in order to complete her final year of high school.
“It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made,” she said. “It was a blessing.”
The new graduates have been prepared to face the next challenges, Duran Velasquez said.
“A fresh chapter is unfolding. We have proven we can finish what we start,” she said.
Key Club member Brandon Campbell, who transferred from Wakefield High School for his senior year, said the individualized attention at Arlington Community High School was what he needed to get to the finish line.
Teachers and staff “pushed me every day to keep moving forward,” he said at the ceremony.
Key Club scholarship recipient Elizabet Guzman Fallas with Kiwanis Club president Andres Tobar.
As part of its support for the program, the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington bestowed a $1,500 scholarship on Key Club member Elizabet Guzman Fallas. It was one of several scholarships she received, helping her make the transition to Virginia Commonwealth University.
Kiwanis Club of South Arlington president Andres Tobar and secretary Scott McCaffrey attended the ceremony. Club member Mila Lynne Floro, who served as liaison to the Key Club, was out of town but was featured in a video presentation during graduation ceremonies.
New graduates who were Key Club members were easily identifiable, wearing commemorative medallions provided by the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington to salute their achievements. The club also staffed a table for the post-ceremony reception, where fruit offerings were enjoyed by graduates, families and school personnel.
Arlington School Board Chair Bethany Zecher Sutton, who spoke at the ceremony, said all the new graduates are “prepared to meet what lies ahead.”
“Each of you took many steps to invest in yourselves,” she said. “Take pride in how far you have come.”
At the ceremony, Superintendent Francisco Durán urged students to maintain their momentum moving forward,
“You are excellence,” he said. “Be bold, be courageous and claim your success.”
Mitchell Patterson said she hoped the students’ connections to their alma mater would not end on graduation day.
“You are surrounded by love, and I want you to carry that with you,” she said. “The world needs you.”
Key Club member Meriem Zaoui is honored by faculty sponsor Dr. Tiffany Mitchell Patterson.
The near-record graduating class of 62 at Arlington Community High School was part of a group of more than 1,900 Arlington Public Schools seniors who crossed graduation stages in ceremonies running from June 5-13.
Key Club is an international, student-led organization that provides members opportunities to deliver community service, build character and develop leadership.
The first Key Club formed in 1925 in Sacramento, Calif., with 11 charter members. Its founders were two high-school administrators and Sacramento Kiwanis Club members who sought out “key” members of the student body to support community service and build school spirit.
Key Clubs would remain male-only organizations until 1977, when membership opened to girls. In 1991, Michelle McMillan of the Missouri-Arkansas District became the first female member elected president of Key Club International.
In 1996, future “Today” show host Craig Melvin was the first Black president of Key Club International, and three years later, the organization’s membership topped 200,000 for the first time.
Some of the Arlington Community High School Class of 2026.
Ken Grundborg, center, receives a diploma he earned more than six decades ago (courtesy Georgia Tech).
Not once but twice, Ken Grundborg was unable to attend his college commencement exercises owing to what might be termed a family obligation.
When you’re in the Army, “you don’t argue with Uncle Sam,” Grundborg chuckled at the May 21 meeting of the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington.
At the meeting, the club member and Arlington resident detailed a journey of more than 60 years to finally participate in commencement exercises at the Georgia Institute of Technology, better known as Georgia Tech.
In 1960, Grundborg completed his undergraduate studies in civil engineering at the institution. But the Defense Department dispatched him to a posting in Korea, leaving him unable to receive his diploma in person.
Ken Grundborg walks to receive his diploma (courtesy Georgia Tech).
Six years later, it happened again. Having completed graduate work at Georgia Tech, Grundborg found himself unable to attend commencement ceremonies because he had been posted to South Vietnam.
It was all part of a 28-year career with the U.S. military that saw Grundborg at different times involved with the Army Corps of Engineers, 82nd Airborne Division, Rangers and Pathfinders. He retired as a colonel, having earned the Legion of Merit, Ranger Tab and Bronze Star Medal — but without possession of his diplomas.
Fast-forward six decades. Grundborg’s bride, Mila Lynne Floro, felt something should be done to rectify the situation. She wrote to Georgia Tech, explaining the situation.
What followed as a case of the red carpet being rolled out — the university welcomed its 88-year-old alumnus back with open arms, spotlighting him at the spring 2026 undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies and highlighting his military service.
Ken Grundborg and Mila Lynne Floro with family members at George Tech commencement ceremony (family photo).
The institution’s president, Ángel Cabrera, couldn’t resist a playful admonishment as the Arlington resident walked across the stage to receive his diplomas to an ovation.
“You, sir, are 60 years late to your graduation ceremony!” Cabrera said.
For Grundborg, the experience proved “the most memorable day of my life.”
“I almost cried,” he told fellow Kiwanians. “It was amazing. They went all out.”
Grundborg said that he may not have had the chance to participate in commencement ceremonies in the 1960s, but he always has valued his time spent at Georgia Tech.
“I really appreciate that school,” he said. “It prepared me for my military career.”
Kiwanis Club of South Arlington members salute Ken Grundborg (blue shirt in center).
Knowing a good story when they saw it, a number of Georgia and even national news outlets provided coverage.
Grundborg told ABC News that he never held it against the Army that he wasn’t able to participate in commencement events.
“I understood that when they had an opening or a need, that took precedence,” he said.
Ken and Mila Lynne, also a Kiwanis Club of South Arlington member, married last year after having been together as a couple for a decade.
Del. Patrick Hope speaks to fellow members of the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington.
When the Kiwanis Club of Arlington wants the inside scoop on the state government, it can call upon one of its members.
Patrick Hope has represented portions of Arlington in the House of Delegates since first winning election in 2009, and currently chairs the House Courts of Justice Committee. On May 21, he briefed Kiwanians on the 2026 legislative session.
Legislators convened in Richmond in mid-January for a 60-day session that has since wrapped up, with the exception of finalizing the state budget. Hope, who represents the 1st House District, said he expects that to follow shortly.
The budget “has yet to be passed, but will be” in time for the start of the state government’s fiscal year on July 1, Hope said.
“We’re very close — we’ll have a deal,” he said of the negotiations between the House of Delegates and Senate now taking place.
Del. Patrick Hope speaks to Kiwanis Club members and guests.
Democrats control both houses of the legislature and last November won all three statewide offices (governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general) previously held by Republicans. But the 2026 General Assembly session has been marked by Gov. Abigail Spanberger wielding her veto pen against a number of pieces of legislation championed by legislative Democrats.
“There’s been some growing pains,” Hope said of Spanberger’s first months in office. But, he said, “we got a lot across the finish line.”
“It’s a give and take,” he said of the typical relationship between the governor and General Assembly.
The delegate also discussed Democratic efforts, since overturned by the Virginia Supreme Court, to enact new congressional districts, and also detailed three constitutional amendments that will be on the statewide ballot on Nov. 3.
Arlington has five legislators representing the county in Richmond: Sens. Barbara Favola and Elizabeth Bennett-Parker and Dels. Alfonso Lopez, Adele McClure and Hope.
“We work really well together,” Hope said.
The program offered a chance for interactions between Hope and his fellow Kiwanis members on public-policy issues.
“This has been beautiful,” club president Andres Tobar said. “Very substantive.”
In addition to being a member of the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington, Hope is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Arlington, among other organizations.
Mila Lynne Floro and Ken Grundborg listen to the presentation of Zuraya Tapia-Hadley at the March 18, 2026, Kiwanis Club of South Arlington photo.
More than 100 local students will be receiving scholarships through efforts of the local Dream Project this spring, the organization’s leader told South Arlington Kiwanians on March 18.
The students, some U.S. citizens and others immigrants, will attend a variety of in-state institutions of higher education, including George Mason University, Marymount University, Northern Virginia Community College, Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia.
Some will use their $4,500 stipends to support out-of-state educational opportunities, while the organization also provides scholarship funds for students taking coursework focused on career and technical certification.
Zuraya Tapia-Hadley, CEO of the Dream Project, detailed the impact of those scholarship funds to Kiwanis Club members.
Despite challenges facing immigrant communities, “you wouldn’t believe how resilient they are,” Tapia-Hadley said.
Local immigrant youth is “energized and committed and moving ahead.”
The Dream Project was founded in 2010 to provide scholarships and mentoring to students across the local region, many of whom were undocumented. In the past 15 years, its services have expanded to provide an increasing variety of services to youth who are either immigrants themselves, or come from immigrant families.
About one-third of students in Arlington’s public schools come from immigrant families.
Emma Violand-Sánchez receiving the 2025 Harro & Janie Wulf Legendary Service Award from the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington.
In part because of her work founding and supporting the Dream Project, former Arlington School Board member Emma Violand-Sánchez was presented with the Kiwanis Club’s Harro & Janie Wulf Legendary Service Award in 2025.
In her remarks at the March Kiwanis meeting, Tapia-Hadley said one of her goals as the organization’s relatively new CEO is to bring services to youth earlier in their high-school careers.
“We’re still working to make sure all families know about this coaching and mentorship,” she said.
Through the outreach efforts, “we really get to know students on a very personal basis,” Tapia-Hadley said.
Born in Mexico City, Tapia-Hadley grew up in the Washington area, then returned to Mexico for college before coming back to the local area. She chose Arlington because of its good schools.
2026 Arlington School Board members Kathleen Clark, Miranda Turner, Bethany Zecher Sutton, Zuraya Tapia-Hadley and Monique “Moe” Bryant (courtesy Arlington Public Schools)
In 2024, Tapia-Hadley was elected to the Arlington School Board, running in part to address perceived inequities in local educational opportunity.
“I saw a lot of gaps,” she said. “Families that need the most support often have the least resources.”
SEEC, as the organization is known, has long collaborated with the Dream Project on initiatives.
“It’s a beautiful partnership. We work wonderfully together,” Tobar said.
At the meeting, club director John Murphy said Arlington supported efforts to provide mentoring and financial backing to Arlington immigrant youth headed to higher education.
Elenor Hodges of EcoAction Arlington speaks to club members.
It was founded nearly a half-century ago, but EcoAction Arlington is looking toward the future — and to collaboration throughout the community.
“We want partners who can commit to longer-term relationships, whatever that relationship is,” the organization’s executive director, Elenor Hodges, said at the Nov. 20 meeting of the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington.
Hodges has led the organization since 2000, when it was known as Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment. The organization, founded 47 years ago, rebranded in 2018 with its new name. “Action” was chosen as part of the new name, in part to appeal to a new generation.
“Young people are really looking to do things, to get involved,” Hodges said.
Elenor Hodges speaks as club members Mila Lynne Floro, Ken Grundborg and Andres Tobar listen to remarks.
“We get a very cross-generational group of volunteers — age 16 to retiree,” Hodges told Kiwanians. “We help them to be empowered, to teach others.”
One of the organization’s volunteer initiatives is the “Eco Ambassadors” program. Modeled after Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, it offers local residents the opportunity to receive training in environmental initiatives, then give back to their community.
The first class of the Eco Ambassadors program, offered to Arlington and Alexandria residents, graduated in November.
The presentation at the Kiwanis meeting also looked at EcoAction’s efforts to plant more trees across Arlington, especially in areas that previously have been underserved.
All this is done with a modest staff of three full-time and eight part-time staff. While EcoAction Arlington receives county-government support as well as private donations, it, like many other safety-net organizations, is facing the challenges of the current economic environment.
Hodges said she’s committed to continuing and, where possible, expanding services.
“There’s a big imperative for doing this work,” she told the South Arlington Kiwanians.
A dip into the archives of the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington shows that many of the same issues facing Kiwanis clubs today were the same 30, 40 and 50 years ago.
The Charlie Clark Center for Local History at Arlington Central Library holds much of the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington’s archives of the period from the 1970s to the early 2000s in the Arlington Community Archives. They were donated by longtime club member John Marr on behalf of the club.
John Marr, left, donated archival materials to the Arlington library system. He is shown with Jack Crawford. (All photos from county archives.)
Ten boxes of materials are stored, although one — contain bulkier items — currently has gone missing within the library system’s archival facility. Efforts are being made to find and reunite it with the other boxes.
Diving to the material provides a fun trip down memory lane. And the items contained within show challenges that would be familiar to modern-day Kiwanians.
Minutes from a meeting in 1972 noted that a number of members were having difficulty maintaining their attendance. That same set of minutes also reported on the cost of meals for club meetings, the recent international convention and activities at the Key Club of Wakefield High School.
Meeting minutes from the early 1970s.
Minutes of the board of directors meeting of Aug. 8, 1974 (the night before Richard Nixon resigned the presidency) reported on a discussion about ways to find new members in the 25-to-35-year-old age group. Does that sound familiar?
Minutes from the 1970s show a modest downturn in membership, another issue that continues to be a challenge for service clubs.
In September 1971, a report to Kiwanis International said membership was 29. By June 1974 is had declined to 27 and in September 1976 was down to 19. A challenging mid-1970s economy may have been one reason for the decline.
For those who remember when the club used to open its meetings tunefully, the archives contain number of “Songs of Kiwanis” booklets, providing the words for songs that had the stamp of approval from Kiwanis International.
“The Yellow Rose of Texas” was one option for a song to start Kiwanis meetings.
While times change, the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington commitment to the community and youth never wavered.
There are letters in the archives from the club to local and even federal leaders, urging support for youth initiatives.
The club at one point sponsored a Builders Club at Drew Model School (now Dr. Charles Drew Elementary), and the archives include photos from the 1981 boys and girls Kiwanis soccer teams in the South Arlington Soccer League.
1981 girls team in South Arlington Soccer League.1981 boys team in South Arlington Soccer League.
In the broader community, items in the archives show the club’s support for the Arlington Civic Symphony in the 1960s and its ongoing support of the Inter-Service Club Council over the decades.
The South Arlington Club is not the only service club whose archives are preserved for the future by the library system. Others include our sibling club, the Kiwanis Club of Arlington.
The earlier donation of South Arlington club materials may not be the last. More recent material collected by the late Harro Wulf may soon be added, giving future researchers and club members a deeper understanding of the organization’s history and the people who took part in its activities.
Attendees at the Oct. 16, 2025, Kiwanis Club of South Arlington meeting with honoree Dr. Emma Violand-Sánchez
For her service to immigrants’ rights and education, Dr. Emma Violand-Sánchez on Oct. 16 was presented with the 2025 Harro & Janie Wulf Legendary Service Award.
In remarks to the club and a large number of guests, Violand-Sánchez spoke of arriving in the U.S. in the early 1960s from her native Bolivia knowing no English and her efforts to become part of the American culture while retaining her own cultural identity.
She spoke of her years with Arlington Public Schools working to support immigrant students and their families, singling out Superintendent Robert Smith for his support of the efforts during those years. She also spoke of her personal journey during those years.
Violand-Sánchez started her remarks by noting her own connection to Kiwanis, starting at Mount Vernon High School in Fairfax County in 1961 when she joined the Key-ettes, which then was the female counterpart to the Key Club.
It was, she said, another opportunity in her early days in the U.S. to find a sense of belonging.
Dr. Emma Violand-Sánchez receives her award from Lt. Governor Robert Dodd, Janie Wulf and President Andres Tobar.
After arriving in Arlington, she was recruited by Jim Hunter to become a member of the Kiwanis Club of Arlington in the late 1980s, one of the first three women to become part of the club.
“It was a wonderful experience. I was in awe about the power of volunteerism — the sense of humility that is fostered through volunteerism,” she said. And with the club, “there were constant opportuities to volunteer,” she said.
Violand-Sánchez noted that in recent days she had spoken to groups as diverse as a private girls’ high school in New York and the ESL program at the Arlington County Detention Facility. She encouraged all those she meets to embrace their strengths and acknowledge challenges that are impacting them.
“When you have a shadow, it can come to the light,” she said.
She also noted the power of social media, letting the group know that her sister in their native Bolivia had found out about the award she was going to receive by way of a club Facebook posting.
Kiwanis of South Arlington presented its inaugural Legendary Service Award in 2024 to former U.S. Rep. Jim Moran. Earlier this year, the club voted to permanently add the names of Harro & Janie Wulf to the award, in honor of their distinguished service to the club.
Janie Wulf, President Andres Tobar and Lt. Gov. Robb Dodd then presented the award to Dr. Violand-Sánchez.
Janie Wulf said she had purchased and read “Dreams and Shadows: An Immigrant’s Journey,” and found it a compelling story.
“It was beautifully woven together,” she said.
President Andres Tobar remarked that he had known Violand-Sánchez for nearly 50 years, as both arrived in the Arlington area in the mid-1970s and found common cause in supporting the needs of a growing immigrant population.
Andres Tobar is honored by Police Chief Andy Penn and Sheriff Jose Quiroz.
Kiwanis Club of South Arlington president Andres Tobar recently was honored for 15 years of service leading Arlington County Crime Solvers.
Police Chief Andy Penn and Sheriff Jose Quiroz were among those paying tribute as Tobar finalized plans to step down from the position.
Penn and Quiroz jointly presented Tobar with a plaque to mark his “steadfast leadership.”
“He is passionate about making a difference,” Penn said as Crime Solvers’ 2025 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award Luncheon. The event celebrated achievements of K9 units for both police and sheriff.
The Oct. 9 luncheon marked the end of Tobar’s 15-year tenure as president of Crime Solvers. Tobar took over leadership from former Arlington Chamber of Commerce president Rich Doud.
“It’s been a pleasure,” Tobar said of the experience.
“We wish him some well-deserved rest and relaxation,” said Dulce Carrillo of Arlington Public Schools, who emceed the program.
Andres Tobar at 2025 Arlington County Crime Solvers luncheon.
While no successor has been named, Tobar said there were a number of qualified individuals serving on the organization’s board whose skills could be tapped.
“I’m delighted with the talent that has stepped up,” he said.
Arlington County Crime Solvers offers the public an opportunity to provide anonymous information about criminal activity at (866) 411-TIPS or online. But the organization also works to bridge any divides between public safety and the community.
Tobar serves as executive director of the Shirlington Employment and Education Center (SEEC), and has worked to build bridges between the immigrant community and law enforcement.
Collaborations such as those are needed more than ever, he said.
“We’re in some very tough times now. People are hurting,” Tobar said. “But we will persevere and we will do it by focusing on things we can control.”
Tobar also has served multiple terms as president of the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington, starting a new one-year stint at the start of the club year on Oct. 1.
Join Kiwanis Club members as we celebrate the opening of Arlington Community High School's new space in National Landing. We are a proud partner with the school's Key Club!
Posted: July 17, 2026 by smccaffrey Leave a Comment
Local Kiwanian celebrates her immigrant experience through song, storytelling
A South Arlington Kiwanis Club member brought her own story of immigration to life during the opening of an exhibit showcasing Virginia’s rich cultural heritage.
Ingrid Morroy and her twin sister, Judith, performed in concert at the July 13 opening of “We the People: The World in Our Commonwealth” exhibition at the Arlington Historical Museum.
The two are natives of Suriname, but have carved out lives of achievement in Virginia: Judith, older by 40 minutes, with the World Bank, and Ingrid, who served 20 years as Arlington’s elected commission of revenue.
“This country has given us so much opportunity, but we miss certain things” about their homeland, Ingrid Morroy acknowledged during a 45-minute concert helping to open the exhibition.
Music was a major part of the family’s life while the twins and their three siblings were growing up.
They learned English while growing up in Suriname through musical lyrics. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Everly Brothers were among favorites.
Even in South America, “you’re so exposed to [U.S.] culture,” Ingrid Morroy said.
(Another sister preferred French music and culture, eventually marrying a French native and settling down there.)
“We the People: The World in Our Commonwealth” is a traveling exhibit of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. The Arlington Historical Society was able to secure it as part of the nation’s 250th-anniversary celebrations.
David Pearson, past president of the historical society, said the sisters were “the two perfect people to accompany the ‘We the People’ exhibit.”
“They’re both very notable,” Pearson said.
The concert features an eclectic mix, with songs ranging from the Beatles to international folk ballads, with tales of their upbringing and experiences intermixed.
“Our mother had a lot of old Indonesian music — we used to hear it in the house,” Judith Morroy said.
That house is still standing, she said, but much of the surrounding neighborhood bears little resemblance to the community of the twins’ youth.
Though it has a statewide focus, the traveling “We the People” exhibition has a significant number of local mentions.
“A lot of the immigration stories in Virginia began here in Arlington,” Pearson said.
Among the Arlington stories told in the exhibition include how a portion of Clarendon in the 1970s-80s became Little Saigon, with stores and restaurants operated by South Vietnamese refugees, and the efforts of Arlington educator Dr. Emma Violand-Sánchez and others starting in the 1970s to push for a local commitment to educating immigrant children.
Last year, the South Arlington Kiwanis Club honored Violand-Sánchez with its second annual Harro & Janie Wulf Legendary Service Award, celebrating her work in the community.
(Adapted in part from coverage that initially ran in ARLnow.)
Last Updated: June 21, 2026 by smccaffrey Leave a Comment
Kiwanis scholarship helps VCU-bound student reach for academic success
Kiwanis Club of South Arlington members on June 18 honored Elizabet Guzman Fallas, who will use scholarship funds from the club to attend Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond.
Guzman Fallas, her mother and Arlington Community High School principal Dr. Jeannette Allen attended the club meeting and participated in a roundtable discussion with Kiwanis members.
Guzman Fallas was a member of the high school’s Key Club, sponsored by Kiwanis, and received the club’s $1,500 annual scholarship presented to a Key Club member.
“I wanted to be part of something, to contribute,” she said of joining the Key Club.
A specialized program within the county school system, Arlington Community High School was the right fit for her academic needs, Guzman Fallas said.
“It was a smaller school, and they helped me along,” she said.
Fallas heads to college with some credits already under her belt, having taken dual-enrollment courses in high school.
She aims to become a dentist, and chose VCU after visiting the campus.
“I like the people there. It’s very diverse,” she said.
Guzman Fallas has two younger sisters, one headed to middle school in the fall and the other in elementary school.
“You are blazing the trail for your sisters,” Kiwanis treasurer Wilfred Braveboy said.
The first year of college can be a challenge. Mila Lynne Floro, a member of the Kiwanis of South Arlington board of directors and the club’s adviser to the Key Club, said Kiwanis members were ready to support their scholarship recipient.
Floro, a former educator, counseled Guzman Fallas that she should also avail herself of the support services at Virginia Commonwealth University.
“Don’t be shy [in seeking support],” Floro said. “The college will have resources. They want you to succeed.”
Principal Allen served as the first sponsor of the Key Club at the school in 2009-10, when it was known as Arlington Mill High School and she was assistant principal.
The Key Club thrived through 2020, but the arrival of the pandemic caused cessation of in-person classes. Even when they resumed, the school system’s primary focus was to make up for lost time.
“Covid kind of put a damper on bringing [school organizations] back,” Allen said, but efforts of Greg Jones and current club sponsor Dr. Tiffany Mitchell-Patterson ultimately resulted in the club’s rechartering through Kiwanis International.
A total of 21 students participated in the Key Club during the 2025-26 school year. “We’re really excited about it,” Allen said of the club’s reinvigoration.
About half the Key Club members graduated this spring, and efforts to recruit members will start when classes resume in August.
Key Club members provide service within the school, and learn how important it is to be involved in the community, Allen said.
(Allen herself was a member of the Key Club when in high school, first in New York City and then in Virginia.)
Having a $1,500 scholarship from the South Arlington club available to students is another incentive for them to become active in the school’s Key Club.
Connecting with Arlington Community High School is one way the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington can fulfill its mission, club member and director John Murphy said.
“We’re very fortunate to have a relationship” with the school, he said.
“We’re delighted with the relationship,” added club president Andres Tobar.
Arlington Community High School in coming months moves into a new home, provided by Amazon in National Landing. School Board members recently signed a lease for up to 30 years, giving the school its first permanent home in more than a decade.
“We’re really excited to grow some roots and join this dynamic community,” Principal Allen said of the Pentagon City location.
In the coming school year, there may be opportunities for a three-way partnership between the Kiwanis Club, Arlington Community High School and Randolph Elementary School. Both the high school and Kiwanis Club have provided support for the elementary school in the past.
Last Updated: June 16, 2026 by smccaffrey Leave a Comment
Members of revitalized Key Club part of unique high school’s graduating class
Nearly a dozen members of the newly rechartered Key Club earned diplomas during Arlington Community High School’s 2026 graduation ceremony.
They were among 62 members of the school’s Class of 2026 celebrating completion of studies during a ceremony held June 12 at Washington-Liberty High School.
“The sky is truly the limit to all of you,” said Dr. Tiffany Mitchell Patterson, a social studies teacher and faculty sponsor of the school’s Key Club.
(Click here to view the ceremony online, and click here for ARLnow coverage.)
The school’s Key Club, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington, was active until Covid resulted in the temporary shutdown of in-person classes across Arlington’s school system in 2020. Efforts to bring it back to life have been ongoing for the past year.
A total of 21 students signed up, some seniors and others from lower grade levels, which will help to build the organization’s strength in the coming school year.
Officers for the past year were Sidney Thomas, president; Amina Osman, vice president; Chaniya Beale-Smith, secretary; and Nyakuiy Kong, treasurer.
Arlington Community High School offers specialized programming designed to meet the needs of students, who range from those who wish to complete academic studies early to those coming back to school after an absence.
The school is special because it “is just so different,” said Mitchell Patterson, who spoke on behalf of the faculty at the ceremony.
Graduates ranged in age from 16 to 46. Many are immigrants for whom English is not their primary language.
“You’ve climbed every hill, pushed through every obstacle.” principal Dr. Jeannette Allen told graduates.
Two of the Key Club’s graduating seniors were among three students selected to speak at the graduation ceremony.
Among them was Grace Duran Velasquez, who came to Arlington Community High School in order to complete her final year of high school.
“It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made,” she said. “It was a blessing.”
The new graduates have been prepared to face the next challenges, Duran Velasquez said.
“A fresh chapter is unfolding. We have proven we can finish what we start,” she said.
Key Club member Brandon Campbell, who transferred from Wakefield High School for his senior year, said the individualized attention at Arlington Community High School was what he needed to get to the finish line.
Teachers and staff “pushed me every day to keep moving forward,” he said at the ceremony.
As part of its support for the program, the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington bestowed a $1,500 scholarship on Key Club member Elizabet Guzman Fallas. It was one of several scholarships she received, helping her make the transition to Virginia Commonwealth University.
Kiwanis Club of South Arlington president Andres Tobar and secretary Scott McCaffrey attended the ceremony. Club member Mila Lynne Floro, who served as liaison to the Key Club, was out of town but was featured in a video presentation during graduation ceremonies.
New graduates who were Key Club members were easily identifiable, wearing commemorative medallions provided by the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington to salute their achievements. The club also staffed a table for the post-ceremony reception, where fruit offerings were enjoyed by graduates, families and school personnel.
Arlington School Board Chair Bethany Zecher Sutton, who spoke at the ceremony, said all the new graduates are “prepared to meet what lies ahead.”
“Each of you took many steps to invest in yourselves,” she said. “Take pride in how far you have come.”
At the ceremony, Superintendent Francisco Durán urged students to maintain their momentum moving forward,
“You are excellence,” he said. “Be bold, be courageous and claim your success.”
Mitchell Patterson said she hoped the students’ connections to their alma mater would not end on graduation day.
“You are surrounded by love, and I want you to carry that with you,” she said. “The world needs you.”
The near-record graduating class of 62 at Arlington Community High School was part of a group of more than 1,900 Arlington Public Schools seniors who crossed graduation stages in ceremonies running from June 5-13.
The graduation ceremonies were livestreamed and archived, and can be viewed online.
Key Club is an international, student-led organization that provides members opportunities to deliver community service, build character and develop leadership.
The first Key Club formed in 1925 in Sacramento, Calif., with 11 charter members. Its founders were two high-school administrators and Sacramento Kiwanis Club members who sought out “key” members of the student body to support community service and build school spirit.
Key Clubs would remain male-only organizations until 1977, when membership opened to girls. In 1991, Michelle McMillan of the Missouri-Arkansas District became the first female member elected president of Key Club International.
In 1996, future “Today” show host Craig Melvin was the first Black president of Key Club International, and three years later, the organization’s membership topped 200,000 for the first time.
Last Updated: May 21, 2026 by smccaffrey 1 Comment
For Kiwanian, Army service meant missing commencement — until now
Not once but twice, Ken Grundborg was unable to attend his college commencement exercises owing to what might be termed a family obligation.
When you’re in the Army, “you don’t argue with Uncle Sam,” Grundborg chuckled at the May 21 meeting of the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington.
At the meeting, the club member and Arlington resident detailed a journey of more than 60 years to finally participate in commencement exercises at the Georgia Institute of Technology, better known as Georgia Tech.
In 1960, Grundborg completed his undergraduate studies in civil engineering at the institution. But the Defense Department dispatched him to a posting in Korea, leaving him unable to receive his diploma in person.
Six years later, it happened again. Having completed graduate work at Georgia Tech, Grundborg found himself unable to attend commencement ceremonies because he had been posted to South Vietnam.
It was all part of a 28-year career with the U.S. military that saw Grundborg at different times involved with the Army Corps of Engineers, 82nd Airborne Division, Rangers and Pathfinders. He retired as a colonel, having earned the Legion of Merit, Ranger Tab and Bronze Star Medal — but without possession of his diplomas.
Fast-forward six decades. Grundborg’s bride, Mila Lynne Floro, felt something should be done to rectify the situation. She wrote to Georgia Tech, explaining the situation.
What followed as a case of the red carpet being rolled out — the university welcomed its 88-year-old alumnus back with open arms, spotlighting him at the spring 2026 undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies and highlighting his military service.
The institution’s president, Ángel Cabrera, couldn’t resist a playful admonishment as the Arlington resident walked across the stage to receive his diplomas to an ovation.
“You, sir, are 60 years late to your graduation ceremony!” Cabrera said.
For Grundborg, the experience proved “the most memorable day of my life.”
“I almost cried,” he told fellow Kiwanians. “It was amazing. They went all out.”
Grundborg said that he may not have had the chance to participate in commencement ceremonies in the 1960s, but he always has valued his time spent at Georgia Tech.
“I really appreciate that school,” he said. “It prepared me for my military career.”
Knowing a good story when they saw it, a number of Georgia and even national news outlets provided coverage.
Grundborg told ABC News that he never held it against the Army that he wasn’t able to participate in commencement events.
“I understood that when they had an opening or a need, that took precedence,” he said.
Ken and Mila Lynne, also a Kiwanis Club of South Arlington member, married last year after having been together as a couple for a decade.
Posted: May 21, 2026 by smccaffrey Leave a Comment
Club member keeps Kiwanians up-to-date on state government
When the Kiwanis Club of Arlington wants the inside scoop on the state government, it can call upon one of its members.
Patrick Hope has represented portions of Arlington in the House of Delegates since first winning election in 2009, and currently chairs the House Courts of Justice Committee. On May 21, he briefed Kiwanians on the 2026 legislative session.
Legislators convened in Richmond in mid-January for a 60-day session that has since wrapped up, with the exception of finalizing the state budget. Hope, who represents the 1st House District, said he expects that to follow shortly.
The budget “has yet to be passed, but will be” in time for the start of the state government’s fiscal year on July 1, Hope said.
“We’re very close — we’ll have a deal,” he said of the negotiations between the House of Delegates and Senate now taking place.
Democrats control both houses of the legislature and last November won all three statewide offices (governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general) previously held by Republicans. But the 2026 General Assembly session has been marked by Gov. Abigail Spanberger wielding her veto pen against a number of pieces of legislation championed by legislative Democrats.
“There’s been some growing pains,” Hope said of Spanberger’s first months in office. But, he said, “we got a lot across the finish line.”
“It’s a give and take,” he said of the typical relationship between the governor and General Assembly.
The delegate also discussed Democratic efforts, since overturned by the Virginia Supreme Court, to enact new congressional districts, and also detailed three constitutional amendments that will be on the statewide ballot on Nov. 3.
Arlington has five legislators representing the county in Richmond: Sens. Barbara Favola and Elizabeth Bennett-Parker and Dels. Alfonso Lopez, Adele McClure and Hope.
“We work really well together,” Hope said.
The program offered a chance for interactions between Hope and his fellow Kiwanis members on public-policy issues.
“This has been beautiful,” club president Andres Tobar said. “Very substantive.”
In addition to being a member of the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington, Hope is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Arlington, among other organizations.
Last Updated: March 22, 2026 by smccaffrey Leave a Comment
‘Dream Project’ CEO briefs Kiwanians on organization’s support for students
More than 100 local students will be receiving scholarships through efforts of the local Dream Project this spring, the organization’s leader told South Arlington Kiwanians on March 18.
The students, some U.S. citizens and others immigrants, will attend a variety of in-state institutions of higher education, including George Mason University, Marymount University, Northern Virginia Community College, Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia.
Some will use their $4,500 stipends to support out-of-state educational opportunities, while the organization also provides scholarship funds for students taking coursework focused on career and technical certification.
Zuraya Tapia-Hadley, CEO of the Dream Project, detailed the impact of those scholarship funds to Kiwanis Club members.
Despite challenges facing immigrant communities, “you wouldn’t believe how resilient they are,” Tapia-Hadley said.
Local immigrant youth is “energized and committed and moving ahead.”
The Dream Project was founded in 2010 to provide scholarships and mentoring to students across the local region, many of whom were undocumented. In the past 15 years, its services have expanded to provide an increasing variety of services to youth who are either immigrants themselves, or come from immigrant families.
About one-third of students in Arlington’s public schools come from immigrant families.
In part because of her work founding and supporting the Dream Project, former Arlington School Board member Emma Violand-Sánchez was presented with the Kiwanis Club’s Harro & Janie Wulf Legendary Service Award in 2025.
In her remarks at the March Kiwanis meeting, Tapia-Hadley said one of her goals as the organization’s relatively new CEO is to bring services to youth earlier in their high-school careers.
“We’re still working to make sure all families know about this coaching and mentorship,” she said.
Through the outreach efforts, “we really get to know students on a very personal basis,” Tapia-Hadley said.
Born in Mexico City, Tapia-Hadley grew up in the Washington area, then returned to Mexico for college before coming back to the local area. She chose Arlington because of its good schools.
In 2024, Tapia-Hadley was elected to the Arlington School Board, running in part to address perceived inequities in local educational opportunity.
“I saw a lot of gaps,” she said. “Families that need the most support often have the least resources.”
For many years, Tapia-Hadley served on the board of the Shirlington Employment and Education Center, where Kiwanis president Andres Tobar serves as executive director.
SEEC, as the organization is known, has long collaborated with the Dream Project on initiatives.
“It’s a beautiful partnership. We work wonderfully together,” Tobar said.
At the meeting, club director John Murphy said Arlington supported efforts to provide mentoring and financial backing to Arlington immigrant youth headed to higher education.
“We have a loving, caring community,” he said.
Last Updated: November 23, 2025 by smccaffrey Leave a Comment
‘EcoAction Arlington’ approaches 50 years while focusing toward the future
It was founded nearly a half-century ago, but EcoAction Arlington is looking toward the future — and to collaboration throughout the community.
“We want partners who can commit to longer-term relationships, whatever that relationship is,” the organization’s executive director, Elenor Hodges, said at the Nov. 20 meeting of the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington.
Hodges has led the organization since 2000, when it was known as Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment. The organization, founded 47 years ago, rebranded in 2018 with its new name. “Action” was chosen as part of the new name, in part to appeal to a new generation.
“Young people are really looking to do things, to get involved,” Hodges said.
“We get a very cross-generational group of volunteers — age 16 to retiree,” Hodges told Kiwanians. “We help them to be empowered, to teach others.”
One of the organization’s volunteer initiatives is the “Eco Ambassadors” program. Modeled after Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, it offers local residents the opportunity to receive training in environmental initiatives, then give back to their community.
The first class of the Eco Ambassadors program, offered to Arlington and Alexandria residents, graduated in November.
The presentation at the Kiwanis meeting also looked at EcoAction’s efforts to plant more trees across Arlington, especially in areas that previously have been underserved.
All this is done with a modest staff of three full-time and eight part-time staff. While EcoAction Arlington receives county-government support as well as private donations, it, like many other safety-net organizations, is facing the challenges of the current economic environment.
Hodges said she’s committed to continuing and, where possible, expanding services.
“There’s a big imperative for doing this work,” she told the South Arlington Kiwanians.
Posted: November 11, 2025 by smccaffrey Leave a Comment
Archives show the challenges facing Kiwanis don’t change much over time
A dip into the archives of the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington shows that many of the same issues facing Kiwanis clubs today were the same 30, 40 and 50 years ago.
The Charlie Clark Center for Local History at Arlington Central Library holds much of the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington’s archives of the period from the 1970s to the early 2000s in the Arlington Community Archives. They were donated by longtime club member John Marr on behalf of the club.
Ten boxes of materials are stored, although one — contain bulkier items — currently has gone missing within the library system’s archival facility. Efforts are being made to find and reunite it with the other boxes.
Diving to the material provides a fun trip down memory lane. And the items contained within show challenges that would be familiar to modern-day Kiwanians.
Minutes from a meeting in 1972 noted that a number of members were having difficulty maintaining their attendance. That same set of minutes also reported on the cost of meals for club meetings, the recent international convention and activities at the Key Club of Wakefield High School.
Minutes of the board of directors meeting of Aug. 8, 1974 (the night before Richard Nixon resigned the presidency) reported on a discussion about ways to find new members in the 25-to-35-year-old age group. Does that sound familiar?
Minutes from the 1970s show a modest downturn in membership, another issue that continues to be a challenge for service clubs.
In September 1971, a report to Kiwanis International said membership was 29. By June 1974 is had declined to 27 and in September 1976 was down to 19. A challenging mid-1970s economy may have been one reason for the decline.
For those who remember when the club used to open its meetings tunefully, the archives contain number of “Songs of Kiwanis” booklets, providing the words for songs that had the stamp of approval from Kiwanis International.
While times change, the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington commitment to the community and youth never wavered.
There are letters in the archives from the club to local and even federal leaders, urging support for youth initiatives.
The club at one point sponsored a Builders Club at Drew Model School (now Dr. Charles Drew Elementary), and the archives include photos from the 1981 boys and girls Kiwanis soccer teams in the South Arlington Soccer League.
In the broader community, items in the archives show the club’s support for the Arlington Civic Symphony in the 1960s and its ongoing support of the Inter-Service Club Council over the decades.
The South Arlington Club is not the only service club whose archives are preserved for the future by the library system. Others include our sibling club, the Kiwanis Club of Arlington.
The earlier donation of South Arlington club materials may not be the last. More recent material collected by the late Harro Wulf may soon be added, giving future researchers and club members a deeper understanding of the organization’s history and the people who took part in its activities.
Last Updated: November 11, 2025 by smccaffrey Leave a Comment
Educator, advocate for immigrants receives ‘Legendary Service Award’
For her service to immigrants’ rights and education, Dr. Emma Violand-Sánchez on Oct. 16 was presented with the 2025 Harro & Janie Wulf Legendary Service Award.
In remarks to the club and a large number of guests, Violand-Sánchez spoke of arriving in the U.S. in the early 1960s from her native Bolivia knowing no English and her efforts to become part of the American culture while retaining her own cultural identity.
She spoke of her years with Arlington Public Schools working to support immigrant students and their families, singling out Superintendent Robert Smith for his support of the efforts during those years. She also spoke of her personal journey during those years.
She discussed her recent memoir — “Dreams and Shadows: An Immigrant’s Journey” — and the places she has gone and people she has spoken with since its publication.
Violand-Sánchez started her remarks by noting her own connection to Kiwanis, starting at Mount Vernon High School in Fairfax County in 1961 when she joined the Key-ettes, which then was the female counterpart to the Key Club.
It was, she said, another opportunity in her early days in the U.S. to find a sense of belonging.
After arriving in Arlington, she was recruited by Jim Hunter to become a member of the Kiwanis Club of Arlington in the late 1980s, one of the first three women to become part of the club.
“It was a wonderful experience. I was in awe about the power of volunteerism — the sense of humility that is fostered through volunteerism,” she said. And with the club, “there were constant opportuities to volunteer,” she said.
Violand-Sánchez noted that in recent days she had spoken to groups as diverse as a private girls’ high school in New York and the ESL program at the Arlington County Detention Facility. She encouraged all those she meets to embrace their strengths and acknowledge challenges that are impacting them.
“When you have a shadow, it can come to the light,” she said.
She also noted the power of social media, letting the group know that her sister in their native Bolivia had found out about the award she was going to receive by way of a club Facebook posting.
Kiwanis of South Arlington presented its inaugural Legendary Service Award in 2024 to former U.S. Rep. Jim Moran. Earlier this year, the club voted to permanently add the names of Harro & Janie Wulf to the award, in honor of their distinguished service to the club.
Janie Wulf, President Andres Tobar and Lt. Gov. Robb Dodd then presented the award to Dr. Violand-Sánchez.
Janie Wulf said she had purchased and read “Dreams and Shadows: An Immigrant’s Journey,” and found it a compelling story.
“It was beautifully woven together,” she said.
President Andres Tobar remarked that he had known Violand-Sánchez for nearly 50 years, as both arrived in the Arlington area in the mid-1970s and found common cause in supporting the needs of a growing immigrant population.
Last Updated: October 13, 2025 by smccaffrey Leave a Comment
Kiwanis president saluted for 15 years leading Arlington County Crime Solvers
Kiwanis Club of South Arlington president Andres Tobar recently was honored for 15 years of service leading Arlington County Crime Solvers.
Police Chief Andy Penn and Sheriff Jose Quiroz were among those paying tribute as Tobar finalized plans to step down from the position.
Penn and Quiroz jointly presented Tobar with a plaque to mark his “steadfast leadership.”
“He is passionate about making a difference,” Penn said as Crime Solvers’ 2025 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award Luncheon. The event celebrated achievements of K9 units for both police and sheriff.
The Oct. 9 luncheon marked the end of Tobar’s 15-year tenure as president of Crime Solvers. Tobar took over leadership from former Arlington Chamber of Commerce president Rich Doud.
“It’s been a pleasure,” Tobar said of the experience.
“We wish him some well-deserved rest and relaxation,” said Dulce Carrillo of Arlington Public Schools, who emceed the program.
While no successor has been named, Tobar said there were a number of qualified individuals serving on the organization’s board whose skills could be tapped.
“I’m delighted with the talent that has stepped up,” he said.
Arlington County Crime Solvers offers the public an opportunity to provide anonymous information about criminal activity at (866) 411-TIPS or online. But the organization also works to bridge any divides between public safety and the community.
Tobar serves as executive director of the Shirlington Employment and Education Center (SEEC), and has worked to build bridges between the immigrant community and law enforcement.
Collaborations such as those are needed more than ever, he said.
“We’re in some very tough times now. People are hurting,” Tobar said. “But we will persevere and we will do it by focusing on things we can control.”
Tobar also has served multiple terms as president of the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington, starting a new one-year stint at the start of the club year on Oct. 1.
Upcoming events
Monthly administrative meeting
No in-person meeting this month
Capital District Convention begins, Annapolis
Arlington Community High School ribbon-cutting
Monthly administrative meeting
Happy Kiwanis New Year!