The president/CEO of the Arlington Community Foundation recently gave Kiwanis Club of South Arlington members and guests an inside look at the organization and its community-building initiatives.

“The point of a community foundation is really to help bring people together,” Jennifer Owens said at the Sept. 18 meeting of the club, held at Busboys & Poets in Shirlington.

Locally, that means “making sure Arlington is a place people feel they belong and can stay in,” Owens said.

Arlington presents a somewhat unique challenge for safety-net organizations, because “there is a high level of wealth but also disparity,” she said.

Her remarks touched on efforts to address income and housing challenges, particularly those impacting households earning 30% or less than the area median income.

“It’s easy to hide need in Arlington if you’re not looking for it,” Owens said. “We’re about trying to bring people into the conversation.”

There also was discussions about efforts to support the community’s growing population of seniors, especially those with income challenges. That represents “a conversation that is starting to be had a little more,” Owens said.

Among those in attendance was Maimoona Bah, division chief for Aging and Disability Services at the county government’s Department of Human Services.

She noted the increasing need for support of seniors at all ages, particularly in the 60-to-70 range that are transitioning into retired life.

“We need to be creative,” Bah said.

The Arlington Community Foundation was founded in the early 1990s by William T. Newman Jr. Owens in 2017 was recruited from a similar organization in Upstate New York to take the helm.

John Murphy, a Kiwanis Club member and civic leader, said Owens has taken the foundation to a new level.

“She dug in and got the job done,” he said.

The key to a community foundation’s success is the ability to garner private (non-governmental) dollars, whether from individuals, philanthropic organizations or business entities.

In Arlington, “there is money, there is need and there is a passion” to address challenges, Owens said.

Beyond financing initiatives, the foundation also serves as an advocacy group. “Information is what drives public policy,” Owens said.

The luncheon attracted a large number of guests, including representatives from the Arlington County government, school system and non-profit organizations.

Kiwanis Club president Andres Tobar also serves as executive director of the Shirlington Employment and Education Center. He noted the importance of the foundation to the community’s social-safety net.

“We are so delighted with the initiatives the Arlington Community Foundation has taken over the years to lend that extra helping hand,” he said.

Two years ago, Tobar was among recipients of the foundation’s William T. Newman Jr. Spirit of Community Award, presented to leaders who are making a difference.

The 2025 awards, to be presented Nov. 7, will honor Claudia Ramirez Cuellar, Nina Janopaul and Kellen MacBeth.

Students at Randolph Elementary School in South Arlington started the new school year with brand-new backpacks filled to the brim with important back-to-class items.

More than 450 backpacks were stuffed and organized on Aug. 23 during the 2025 Capital District Convention.

Volunteers spent several hours dropping in materials ranging from pencils and glue sticks to notebooks and Kleenex, with the final touch being an age-appropriate book for the recipients.

The goal was to have the Randolph students, from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade, prepared as Arlington Public Schools began the 2025-26 school year on Aug. 25.

In charge of the effort on the Kiwanis side was Carrie Wagner, president of the Kiwanis Club of Waynesboro, who took on the leadership role as part of the District Convention (DCON) planning committee.

“The biggest challenge was to figure out which school to do,” Wagner said.

With the convention being held in Crystal City, Wagner reached out to see if club members nearby had suggestions for schools to support.

The Kiwanis Club of South Arlington proposed the name of Randolph Elementary, having worked with the school on a number of initiatives, including a springtime science fair.

Wagner reached out to the school’s principal, Carlos Ramirez, who embraced the idea. He invited several school staff members to handle the logistics.

“Once I found the school and I connected with them, it was easy,” Wagner said.

Ramirez said the school greatly appreciated being a partner in the initiative.

“The Kiwanis Capital District’s generous donation of backpacks to Randolph Elementary has provided our students with essential school supplies while also giving them the gift of a strong and positive start to the new school year,” he said. “This act of generosity reflects a deep commitment to supporting student success and fostering a sense of readiness and confidence as they begin their learning journey.”

Ramirez added: “We extend our sincere appreciation to Carrie Wagner for her exceptional leadership in coordinating this effort and to the very many volunteers who rolled up their sleeves to stuff backpacks with school supplies and age-appropriate books make this dream come true. Carrie’s organization and collaboration with our staff ensured a smooth process and meaningful impact for our school community.”

Books came from the Green Valley Book Fair, a supplier in Mount Crawford, Va. The selected titles ranged from “Dinosaur vs. Bedtime” by Bob Shea, designed for pre-kindergarten students, to “Horrid Henry and the Soccer Fiend” by Francesca Simon, aimed at fifth-graders.

A call was put out for volunteers to help stuff the backpacks, and the response among convention-goers exceeded expectations. So much so, the entire effort was done in under two hours.

The effort was funded, in part, through a grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund. John Tyner, the Capital District’s liaison to the fund, said it was the type of project Kiwanis dollars aim to support.

“The need is there [and] we step up,” Tyner said at the fellowship luncheon held Aug. 23 at the convention. “Our resources, when pooled together, are greater than any one of us alone could imagine.”

Among those participating in the stuffing was Andres Tobar, president of the South Arlington Kiwanis Club. Also taking part were Kiwanis Club of Arlington president Dr. Greg Craddock and treasurer Julia Wright.

In addition to the books and back-to-school items, each backpack included a special, student-designed bookmark with contact information so Randolph students can enter next year’s competition to possibly have their own artwork included on them.

While the South Arlington Kiwanis Club does not yet have a formal K-Kids relationship with Randolph Elementary, one might be considered for the coming year.

Melanie Anderson, executive director of Arlington Thrive, on July 17, 2025, spoke to the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington, highlighting the growth, successes and challenges of the organization.

Founded as an ecumenical organization to provide emergency funding for residents to pay rent, medical bills and the like, the organization has grown in recent years to deliver a broad array of services ranging from parenting classes to workforce-development support, to a diverse and inclusive clientele.

“This is a very, very expensive community to live in,” said Anderson. The goal of Arlington Thrive is to provide resources for people to make their way, she said.

When the resources of Arlington Thrive aren’t enough to provide the support one needs, “we’re never going to say ‘no’,” Anderson said. “We’re going to try to connect you with other services, going to our other partners and putting some of that together so we can meet those needs.”

Recently, the organization also began programming to support federal-government workers impacted by playoffs.

“You are not alone,” the organization says to federal workers. “We’re your neighbors, and we’re here to help you stay housed, healthy and hopeful. We’re offering short-term help to keep you stable while you get back on your feet.”

Founded in 1975 as AMEN (Arlingtonians Ministering to Emergency Needs, later Arlingtonians Meeting Emergency Needs), the organization traces its roots to FISH (For Immediate Sympathetic Help) initiatives formed in the 1960s by churches in North Arlington and South Arlington, addressing local community needs.

In 2013, the organization was rebranded as Arlington Thrive to embrace a vision of progress, which includes all Arlingtonians.

Anderson has Kiwanis roots: She is incoming vice president of the Kiwanis Club of Arlington, and recently attended her first Kiwanis International convention.

Anderson’s mother has Kiwanis bona-fides, having served as president of the Kiwanis Club in their hometown.