Bellezza Spa of Centreville, Va. has collected more than 75 non-perishable food items for Northern Virginia Family Services, while offering a 10 percent discount for any customer who donated five or more canned goods. For more information, go to www.bellezzaspava.com or call 703.266.0063.

“We appreciate the support from our customers who helped us contribute to Northern Virginia Family Services food pantry,” said Paola Berrios, owner of Bellezza Spa of Centreville, Va.

(Ashburn, Va.) - This year, residents at Ashby Ponds donated a total of $137,570 to the community’s Staff Appreciation Fund.  The annual campaign is organized each year as a way for the residents to say “thank you” to the non-management hourly employees at the community.

At Ashby Ponds, eligible employees may include the community’s wait staff, security officers, communication and administrative staff, banquet servers, maintenance workers, culinary team members, housekeepers, and the special projects crew, totaling 320 staff members.

This year, 82% of all residents at the community participated in the campaign.   On Tuesday, December 9, Ashby Ponds hosted a Staff Appreciation Fund reception where donated funds were distributed to each eligible employee.  Employees also had the opportunity to write notes of thanks to the residents for their generosity.

Ben Cherington and Kylie Levy of Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA) Performing Arts Academy of Lorton, Va. and Alexandria, Va. were recently recognized for All-Star Cast by the Virginia Theatre Association Conference for their performances in I Never Saw Another Butterfly. This was the first time Metropolitan School of the Arts had participated in the conference. Cherington, an 11th grader from Burke, Va., and Levy, a 10th grader from Fairfax, Va. are students at Metropolitan School of the Arts. For more information, go to www.metropolitanarts.org.

Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA) also earned the 2014 Virginia Theatre Association Conference award for Best Costume Design and was recognized for Staging, as well as received an honorable mention for Best Play, I Never Saw Another Butterfly.