In Hard Times, Supporting Their Own With traditional aid insufficient, neighborhood enlists area groups to provide holidays for its needy. By Mike DiCicco Wednesday, October 28, 2009   The Jetz All-Stars Cheer and Dance teams often stage fund raisers, since the organization’s target audience is children who wouldn’t be able to afford to belong to other all-star teams. To offset the cost of entering competitions and other expenses, the children often raise money in the community, said Mary Frias, director of operations for the Jetz. However, on Saturday, Frias and a handful of girls were soliciting donations outside the Safeway at Hunters Woods Plaza not for their team but for needy families in Stonegate Village Apartments. The Reston-based Jetz are among several organizations collecting food and toys to bring Thanksgiving and the winter holidays to residents of the Stonegate neighborhood. In an e-mail, Nigat Begum, president of the Stonegate Association, explained that 60 families in her neighborhood were in need for the holidays this year, and Reston Interfaith, which had provided for needy Stonegate families in the past, was unable to meet the demand. So the neighborhood association took matters into its own hands, enlisting the aid of Girl Scout troops, area businesses, churches and others. Begum’s son and daughter are on Jetz teams, and the organization regularly engages in service projects to give back to the community that supports it, making the Stonegate project a natural fit for the teams’ backing, she said. Frias said her organization thought it "phenomenal" that Stonegate residents had decided to step in and help their own neighbors. "With the economy the way things are, a lot of people are in need," she said. Last weekend, her team was asking shoppers to donate food items to be assembled into Thanksgiving baskets, but they will be soliciting donations for Stonegate families every weekend through Dec. 20, in order to provide meals and gifts for the winter holidays as well. A number of businesses have joined the cause, staging food and toy drives, including Reston’s Safeway and Ledo Pizza, as well as the latest Lucia’s Italian Ristorante and the Five Below discount store, both in Sterling. Anyone interested in contributing to the Stonegate neighborhood’s effort can contact Begum at 703-390-9011 or stonegateassociation@yahoo.com. Photo by Mike DiCicco Jetz All-Stars director of operations Mary Frias poses with team members Nadia and Siria Aparicio, 9 and 11 respectively, and the younger, 10-year-old Mary Frias outside the Safeway where the group solicited food donations for Stonegate residents last weekend.   Email this Article Print this Article     ©2009 Connection Newspapers. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy 1606 King Street ♦ Alexandria, VA 22314 ♦ 703-821-5050  Site Design, Development and Hosting by Timberlake Publishing