Get Involved in FAlls Church
The following local organizations and City of Falls Church boards and commissions welcome your involvement. This list is by no means exhaustive but offers some great places to start and can guide you according to your interests and passions.
City and Civic Organizations:
Run for City Council or School Board: https://www.fallschurchva.gov/2185/Information-for-Candidates
Review information for interested candidates on the City website. Email vote@fallschurchva.gov. Call 703-248-5085 (TTY 711)
City of Falls Church Boards and Commissions: https://www.fallschurchva.gov/130/Boards-Commissions
Approximately 135 residents are appointed by the City Council to aid in the development and oversight of city policy through their volunteer service on city and regional committees, boards, and commissions.
Mary Riley Styles Library: https://www.mrspl.org/support-library
The mission of the Mary Riley Styles Public Library is to provide and promote open access to reading, educational, recreational, cultural, intellectual and informational resources that enrich and enlighten all segments of our community.
Mary Riley Styles Library Board of Trustees (City Boards and Commissions): https://www.fallschurchva.gov/362/Library-Board-of-Trustees
The Board provides general supervision of the public library, establishes policies, and issues necessary regulations for the governance of the library. The Board gives guidance to the Library Director in the preparation of the budget and advises the City Council and the City Manager. The Library Board of Trustees is legally established in Chapter 24 of the City Code of Falls Church as provided in Section 24-3. It is composed of seven members and is appointed by the City Council for a term of four years.
Falls Church Chamber of Commerce: https://www.fallschurchchamber.org/
The Falls Church Chamber of Commerce is an independent, 501(c)6 non-profit membership organization founded in 1947 and is led by a 21-member Board of Directors and two part-time staff. The mission is to promote local business interests in order to foster economic prosperity and civic wellbeing in the greater Falls Church community by: Supporting business and community growth and development; providing members with educational, marketing, and networking opportunities; advocating Chamber positions on critical business issues; and
encouraging quality business ethics and community respect.
Falls Church Electoral Board (City Boards and Commissions) https://www.fallschurchva.gov/2164/Electoral-Board
In each county and city in Virginia, a three-member Electoral Board is responsible for the proper and orderly conduct of all elections held in their locality. This includes preparation of ballots, administration of absentee ballot provisions, the conduct of the election, and the ascertaining of the results of the election. The Electoral Board is also responsible for appointing a General Registrar/Director of Elections to a term of four years. The committee is appointed by the Circuit Court from a recommended list provided by the local political parties for staggered, three-year terms. Two of the members on the Electoral Board represent the political party that cast the highest number of votes at the last preceding gubernatorial election. The third member represents the party that received the next highest amount of votes.
Falls Church Village Preservation and Improvement Society: https://www.vpis.org/
The Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS) is a 501c3 charitable organization dedicated to the improvement of the City of Falls Church through beautification, promotion of community events, and preservation of historic structures and landmarks.
Falls Church Citizens for a Better City: https://www.fallschurchcbc.net/
Citizens for a Better City (CBC) was founded in 1959 in order to establish a first-class school system in our newly independent City and to identify quality candidates for City Council and School Board and help them seek election. Today we are no longer in the campaign business, choosing instead to focus on community issues, supporting quality schools & city services and maintaining our independence as the Little City.
Falls Church Forward: https://fallschurchforward.org/
Falls Church Forward is a coalition of Falls Church residents and civic leaders who are taking the long view to imagine, advocate, and work for a Falls Church that is welcoming, vibrant, and sustainable. To do so, they are coming together as an active, vocal, political base of support for city policies, projects and programs that promote the pillars of our city’s openness, vibrancy, and sustainability.
Falls Church League of Women Voters: https://www.lwv.org/local-leagues/lwv-falls-church
The League is a political grassroots network and membership organization that believes the freedom to vote is a nonpartisan issue. For more than a century, we’ve worked to empower voters and defend democracy. As a women-led organization, we encourage everyone to take part in our democracy.
American Association of University Women (Falls Church branch): https://fallschurcharea-va.aauw.net/
AAUW empowers women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. Our nonpartisan, nonprofit organization has more than 170,000 members and supporters across the United States, as well as 1,000 local branches and 700 college and university partners. Since AAUW’s founding in 1881, our members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political.
Falls Church-Annandale Lions Club: http://www.annandalelions.org/
Lions are men and women who give their time for humanitarian purposes in their local and larger communities. By conducting service projects and raising funds, Lions help those in need. The Lions Motto is "We Serve." Lions participate in service activities emphasizing research into the causes and treatment of sight and hearing loss, diabetics education, drug awareness, and education programs. Lions work with the physically and mentally impaired, support environmental issues, community welfare, international understanding, and youth programs.
National Society Daughters of the American Revolution: http://fallschurchdar.blogspot.com/
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR or DAR) is a non-profit, non-political, volunteer women’s service organization comprised of over 3,000 chapters and over 185,000 members. DAR objectives are Historic Preservation, Education, and Patriotism.
Environmental Causes:
City of Falls Church volunteer opportunities: http://www.fallschurchva.gov/940/Environmental-Opportunities
Opportunities include Community Clean-up Events, Habitat Restoration & Invasive Weed Removal, Recycling Extravaganza, and more.
Operation EarthWatch: https://www.vpis.org/environment/operation-earthwatch/
VPIS, in partnership with the City’s Environmental Sustainability Council, assists in the management of the very successful Operation EarthWatch program in local elementary schools. Operation EarthWatch is a locally developed, voluntary, volunteer-run and uniquely Falls Church environmental education and action program
Environmental Sustainability Council (City Boards and Commissions): https://www.fallschurchva.gov/171/Environmental-Sustainability-Council
The Environmental Sustainability Council (ESC), formerly known as the Falls Church Recycling and Litter Prevention Council, was established in 1989 for the purpose of planning and promoting a comprehensive program of recycling and litter prevention activities. As it expanded and evolved, the ESC and its subcommittees have increasingly addressed a wide range of environmental and sustainability issues important to the quality of life in our community.
Urban Forestry Commission (City Boards and Commissions): https://www.fallschurchva.gov/414/Urban-Forestry-Commission
The Urban Forestry Commission (formerly Tree Commission) was created to maximize the urban forest's ecological and aesthetic benefits to the community. Therefore, the Urban Forestry Commission is charged with advising the City's Arborist, Council and Manager on regulations, policies, practices and plans for the care and improvement of the city's urban forest.
The Arts and Culture:
Falls Church Arts: https://fallschurcharts.org/
Falls Church Arts is a recognized 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded in 2003. With a stated mission to “ensure the arts are an essential part of the cultural environment,” Falls Church Arts has since inception focused on the visual arts, bringing exhibition opportunities and the chance to learn, share, and grow while reveling in the joy of making, sharing, and experiencing art.
Creative Cauldron: https://www.creativecauldron.org/
Guided by the belief that creativity is a fundamental need of the human spirit, Creative Cauldron is dedicated to providing affordable, enriching, and diverse experiences in the performing and visual arts to Northern Virginia and the greater Washington, DC community. Creative Cauldron gives people of all ages, incomes and backgrounds opportunities to connect and grow through the arts. We create original productions, present a broad array of art and artists, and offer transformative educational programs in an intimate and collaborative atmosphere.
Cherry Hill Farmhouse: https://cherryhillfallschurch.org/about/
The mission of the Friends of Cherry Hill Foundation is to preserve and protect the integrity of the mid-19th century house, barn, and outbuildings. The Foundation acquires and maintains the period furnishings in the house and the antique tool collection in the barn.
Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation: https://www.tinnerhill.org/
The Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation was founded in 1997 to preserve the early civil rights history of Falls Church and vicinity. Their mission is: To preserve the rich cultural heritage of pioneering African Americans who fought racial segregation and established the nation’s first rural branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); to sponsor educational and other activities designed to increase awareness for the achievements African Americans have made in Falls Church and Virginia; to recognize the achievements of special individuals and groups by developing written materials, creating memorials and monuments, organizing festivals, cultural events, and observations and exhibitions, and sponsoring workshops and seminars; and to create educational opportunities to disseminate to teachers, students, and the general public the rich history of Tinner Hill and the citizens of the region.
Falls Church Historical Commission (City Boards and Commissions): https://www.fallschurchva.gov/266/Historical-Commission
The Historical Commission provides information and advice on historical matters for the city government, develops criteria for the identification of historic buildings and sites, and makes recommendations on recognizing and preserving such structures and sites. The Commission identifies, collects, preserves, and displays the evidence and records of the city's history, and recommends measures for preserving city publications, displays and other materials of historic interest. It also proposes programs and projects involving city history. The Historical Commission advises the City Council, the City Manager, the Planning Commission, the Architectural Advisory Board, and other officials and bodies.
Falls Church Recreation and Parks Advisory Board (City Boards and Commissions): https://www.fallschurchva.gov/374/Recreation-Parks-Advisory-Board
Advises the City Council and the Director of the Recreation and Parks Department on matters concerning use of City-owned land, acquisition of land for recreational use, and recreational programs and funding.
Falls Church Women’s History Group: https://sites.google.com/view/fc-womens-history-walk/home/womens-history-group
The Falls Church Women’s History Group organizes the annual Falls Church Women's History Walk; researches the stories of the women featured on the Herstory Stations; records oral histories; works with community groups to preserve and present the history of Falls Church; and selects the Honorary Grand Marshals, Young Activists, and Women Making a Difference.
Schools and Youth Assistance:
Falls Church Education Foundation: http://www.fcedf.org/
Falls Church City was founded on a commitment to quality education, and that commitment creates a strong bond amongst citizens, teachers, elected officials and businesses in our little city. The Falls Church Education Foundation (FCEF) was created in 2004 as a 501(c)3 to raise, manage and distribute supplemental funds to enhance the educational experience of Falls Church City Public School (FCCPS) students.
Aurora House (City Boards and Commissions): http://www.fallschurchva.gov/543/Volunteer-Opportunities
Aurora House is a residential counseling center for girls ages 13-20 and certified by the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice. Aurora House offers short- and long-term community-based treatment to a group of up to 12 girls. Aurora House provides at-risk females the nurturing, structure, and support necessary to help them through the difficulties they experience, offering the girls and their families the opportunity to make positive changes toward a brighter future.
Girl Scouts Council of Nations Capital, Service Unit 50-14: https://www.gscnc.org/
Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them.
Boy Scouts of America:
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®” The Scouting organization is composed of approximately 2.2 million youth members between the ages of 5 and 21 and approximately 800,000 volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories.
Local packs/troops:
Cub Scout Pack 657: https://www.pack-657.com/
Cub Scout Pack 681: https://sjpack681.wordpress.com/
Boy Scout Troop 349: https://troop349.us/
Boy Scout Troop 895: https://bsatroop895.net/
Boy Scout Troop 1996: https://www.troop1996.com/
Falls Church Elementary PTA: https://www.fcepta.org/
Mary Ellen Henderson PTA: https://www.mehmspta.org/
Meridian High School PTSA: https://www.meridianhsptsa.org/
Falls Church City Band Boosters: https://www.bandboostersfcc.org/
FCCPS Choral Boosters: https://fccpschoralboosters.org/
Immigrant Advocacy/Social Justice:
Welcoming Falls Church: http://welcomingfallschurch.org/
“Welcoming Falls Church is building a community of neighbors. Their goals are hospitality toward immigrants and refugees and opportunity for us all.”
Legal Aid Justice Center: https://www.justice4all.org/get-involved/volunteer/volunteer-falls-church/
“The Legal Aid Justice Center partners with communities and clients to fight for racial, social, and economic justice by dismantling systems that create and perpetuate poverty.”
Falls Church Social Justice Committee: https://www.tinnerhill.org/social-justice-committee
The Social Justice Committee of Falls Church and Vicinity is a network of community members, civic organizations and faith groups exploring how to create a local culture united in diversity. The Committee’s vision is to “honor the diversity reflected in the many faces of our one community” with a mission of engendering hope, respect and healing. Operating under the auspices of the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, Committee membership remains open to all. A network of more than 100 interested community members stands ready to respond rapidly to community challenges by linking them with possible solutions. A working group meets more regularly to work to turn ideas into reality.
Homelessness/Food Scarcity:
Falls Church Housing Commission (City Boards and Commissions): https://www.fallschurchva.gov/344/Housing-Commission
Maintains awareness of housing needs and opportunities; proposes housing policy initiatives and changes; investigates and conciliates fair housing complaints; mediates conflicts relating to the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; offers reconciliatory services in conflicts relating to other housing laws.
Falls Church Human Services Advisory Council (City Boards and Commissions): https://www.fallschurchva.gov/HSAC
Reviews existing human services policies and resources to point out deficiencies in services, service overlaps, and/or potential program improvements for City Council consideration. Additionally, members are responsible for making funding recommendations to the City Council regarding the Community Services Grant Fund which provides grants to nonprofits serving City residents. They also approve applications for the Rent Relief program for income eligible seniors and those disabled.
Falls Church Homeless Shelter: https://fcshelter.org/
The Falls Church Homeless Shelter’s mission is to serve our community by providing shelter, food, and counseling services for adults in need during the winter season and by offering access to housing placement services to empower our guests and help break the cycle of homelessness.
Homestretch: https://www.homestretchva.org/
For more than 30 years Homestretch has helped homeless families in Virginia become self-sufficient by giving them the skills, knowledge and hope they need to become productive participants in the community.
Columbia Baptist Food Pantry: https://www.columbiabaptist.org/FoodPantry
Welcome to Columbia's Spend Yourself® Food Pantry and Gardens. We provide food to hungry people in our community. Our goal is to help the hungry and build relationships in a warm and welcoming environment.
Animal Welfare:
Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation: https://www.lostdogrescue.org/
The Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation helps homeless pets find their way into loving homes through rescue and adoption.