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Center News
MCC celebrated Pride Month with a rainbow display in June.
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NEW MEMBERS ELECTED TO MCC GOVERNING BOARD
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (BOS) appointed five new members to MCC’s Governing Board on Tuesday, June 8. Five residents of Small District 1A-Dranesville won seats on the board by getting the highest number of votes. The League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area acted as tellers. New adult members, Lisa Mariam, Rasheq Rahmen and Shivani Saboo, will serve three-year terms. Ivy Chen was reappointed for a second term as the Langley High School boundary area member and the new McLean High School Boundary area member is Max Blacksten. Teen members will serve one-year terms. For more information, call MCC at 703-790-0123, TTY: 711, or visit www.mcleancenter.org.
ADULT WINNERS YOUTH WINNERS
LISA MARIAM RASHEQ RAHMEN SHIVANI SABOO IVY CHEN MAX BLACKSTEN
LANGLEY HIGH SCHOOL M c LEAN HIGH SCHOOL
MCC BOARD HOLDS TWO OPEN MEETINGS ON FY2023 BUDGET
The McLean Community Center (MCC) Governing Board invites residents of Small District 1A-Dranesville to attend two meetings and to submit comments and/or suggestions on the Center’s fiscal year 2023 budget. The first meeting, the Finance Committee Meeting of the Whole, will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7. A second meeting, the Public Hearing on the FY2023 Budget, will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 22. The center is located at 1234 Ingleside Ave. All meetings of the Governing Board are open to the public. These meetings will be held in-person and online using Zoom video conferencing. The FY2023 budget year begins July 1, 2022, and ends June 30, 2023. Finance Committee Chair Shivani Shaboo will chair the Finance Committee Meeting of the Whole on on Sept. 7, when the full board will work on the FY2023 budget. The departmental and consolidated budget proposals will include a review of FY2021 year-end actuals, the current year’s budget (FY2022) and new proposals for FY2023. The preliminary consolidated budget will be posted on the Center’s website, www.mcleancenter.org, and will be available at the Center’s reception desk a week prior to the public hearing. The FY2023 Budget Public Hearing on Sept. 25, will give residents a second opportunity to review and comment on the budget proposal. Residents of Small District 1A-Dranesville who wish to speak at the public hearing are asked to call 703-790-0123, TTY: 711, to have their names placed on a speakers list. In addition, written comments can be sent to the Governing Board by mail (address to: McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean VA 22101) or email to MCC Executive Director Daniel Phoenix Singh at daniel.singh@fairfaxcounty.gov. Residents may continue to submit written comments after the public hearing through Monday, Oct. 25. The Board will approve the FY2023 budget when it meets at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 27. The final budget will be approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in spring 2022. For more information, call the Center at 703-790-0123, TTY: 711, or visit the Center’s website, www.mcleancenter.org.
The McLean Community Center (MCC) Governing Board has appointed Daniel Phoenix Singh as the center’s new executive director. Singh is replacing George Sachs, who retired on Friday, May 7, after 11 years of service.
In his previous position as Division Chief of Tourism and Cultural Arts for Baltimore County, Singh led countywide initiatives in coordination with the Tourism Commission and the Arts and Sciences Commission. Singh is also Artistic and Executive Director of Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company, which he founded in 2003. The multi-genre dance company has won national acclaim and was lauded by DC critics as one of the top three local dance companies in 2012. Singh has earned two master’s degrees in subjects that are highly relevant to his new position: a master’s degree in Business Administration from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Maryland. MCC Board Chair Suzanne LeMenestrel said of Singh, “On behalf of the Governing Board, we are thrilled that Daniel will be leading the MCC. His expertise in the arts, technology and recreation and his commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion will serve our community exceptionally well. We are looking forward to working with Daniel as the MCC welcomes the public back to the center.”
MCC GOVERNING BOARD APPOINTS DANIEL PHOENIX SINGH NEW MCC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MCC STAFFERS SHOWED THEIR APPRECIATION FOR McLEAN TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS IN MAY
In May, MCC sta ers led by Old Firehouse Afterschool Program Manager Aaron Greene, visited several McLean area schools to present teachers and administrators with gifts of appreciation in recognition of Teacher Appreciation Month. OFC and Alden Theatre sta ers delivered more than 125 boxes of donuts, 70 boxes of co ee and 700 "Thank You" cards with handwritten notes of gratitude and appreciation. Gift cards were also left for those sta ers who were still working virtually. The schools visited included Chesterbrook Elementary, Churchill Road Elementary, Franklin Sherman Elementary, Cooper Middle School and Langley and McLean high schools.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!
MCLEAN DAY DRIVE-THRU 2021
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Dave Craig Graphic Designer & Webmaster
For MCC Graphic Designer and Webmaster Dave Craig, delivering messages through visuals created by hand or the click of a mouse is more than what he does for a living. It’s his passion. A sta member at MCC for the last three years, Craig comes from a strong design background. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa. before taking on freelance jobs and ultimately accepting a position with Whole Foods Market as a store graphic artist where he designed pieces for the entire Mid-Atlantic region. “When Amazon purchased Whole Foods, they eliminated my position, but it had a happy ending,” he said. “Without losing my job, I never would have discovered MCC.”
As the artist behind much of MCC’s marketing material, Craig helps lead the e ort of reaching the Center’s patrons and local residents through a variety of mediums. He is responsible for creating ads, logos, posters, flyers and other marketing materials for the Center, The Alden Theatre and the Old Firehouse Center. He also designs the program and camp guides, as well as the Alden’s season brochure.
As if that wasn’t enough, Craig is also responsible for maintaining and updating the Center’s website, mcleancenter.org, and occasionally photographing MCC-sponsored events. His favorite part of all of it? “Helping the incredibly talented sta at MCC deliver new, innovative ideas into the eyes and hands of our patrons.” In his free time, Craig enjoys writing and performing music on the guitar, playing video games and writing graphic novels. He lives with his girlfriend who is the lead cheetah-keeper at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. They have two dogs, Theodore, “Master of Mayhem,” and Stanley, “Captain of Chaos.”
A selection of Craig’s hand-drawn art (Clockwise from top): Pizza chalk 1 (2018); Coquilles I (2020); Chocolate (2018) A photo of Craig can be found on the Staff Spotlight page at mcleancenter.org
McLean Community Center’s MISSION
OUR CORE PURPOSE
The mission of the McLean Community Center is to provide a sense of community by undertaking programs; assisting community organizations; and furnishing facilities for civic, cultural, educational, recreational and social activities apportioned fairly to all residents of Small District 1A-Dranesville.
VISION
The McLean Community Center is a “hub” for McLean’s Community!
LIVING OUR VALUES
STEWARDSHIP: We recognize the role entrusted to us to be good stewards of MCC’s funds, resources and assets. ACCOUNTABILITY: We are accountable to create services of value to our tax district residents. RESOURCEFULNESS: We make good use of all available resources.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: We constantly seek out new ways to do things faster, better or more economically. RESPECT: We show respect to each other and to the residents we serve.
TEAMWORK: We work together as one team to accomplish our goals. QUALITY: We strive to provide high-quality services in a courteous and friendly manner. TRANSPARENCY: We give residents clear and understandable reports on MCC’s financial and programmatic a airs.
