Community Corner

Photos: Locals Spend MLK Day Lending Their Artistic Talents For a Good Cause

Members of the Jade Philanthropy Society and elected officials decorated artistic bowls to benefit Our Daily Bread on MLK Day.

Giving back to worthy causes always makes one feel good—but when it's as fun as gathering with other local friends to make some works of art, it feels even better.

Herndon Town Councilmember Grace Han Wolf and many members of the Jade Philanthropy Society (JPS) recently spent Martin Luther King Day as their Asian American Day of Service, painting more than 60 ceramic bowls to be auctioned off at local nonprofit Our Daily Bread's (ODB) Empty Bowls fundraiser.

The event was hosted by Clay Cafe Chantilly, a local paint-your-own-pottery studio.

Wolf, one of the founders of JPS, along with the owner of Clay Cafe Chantilly, plan to donate 100 ceramic bowls to the event, and many guests from throughout the area will be donating their time and energy to decorate them for auction.

Wolf expressed her enthusiasm for “this family-friendly event as a simple and fun way to volunteer and make an impact," she said. "We invite our local Asian American community to get involved with volunteering and set an example for our young people to encourage them to engage the broader community and its concerns.” 

"Adults, teens and children of all ages created vibrant and beautiful bowls for Empty Bowls; it was wonderful to see neighbors working together to help others in our community," Wolf added.

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The finished pottery will be donated for ODB’s sixth annual Empty Bowls event, scheduled for Feb. 27 at the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center in Fairfax City. Guests get to pick out a one-of-a-kind ceramic bowl, created by local artists, students and studios such as Clay Café Chantilly, and then enjoy a light dinner of soup, bread, and dessert.  

This family-friendly charity event brings together great food, great music, artists and entertainers, all to fight hunger in our community," Wolf said.

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Local elected officials, including new Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid, also attended and painted "celebrity" bowls. City of Fairfax Mayor Scott Silverthorne and other members of the Herndon Town Council are also expected to paint bowls this week, along with Fairfax County Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Sharon Bulova. The bowls will all be donated by Clay Cafe Chantilly for the event's silent auction.

Our Daily Bread Executive Director Lisa Whetzel said, “We are honored that the Jade Philanthropy Society is focusing their Martin Luther King Day of Service volunteer efforts on helping our families. Many of the Fairfax County residents we serve are working parents who make $22,000 a year and are struggling to pay the rent and put food on their table."

"It is always exciting to see caring community members come together to help their neighbors in need, and this is a fun and creative way to make a difference," Whetzel added. "I would especially like to thank Grace Wolf and Clay Café Studios of Chantilly for supporting our Empty Bowls event this year—and every year since its inception in 2009. We are so grateful to her for recognizing the need in Fairfax County and giving so generously to help us address that need.”

Clay Café Chantilly is a locally-owned, paint-your-own-pottery studio, and its staff is proud to have supported ODB’s Empty Bowls event every year since it started. Over the past five years, the cafe has donated over 350 bowls, said Wolf.

For more information on Clay Cafe Chantilly, visit the website at www.claycafechantilly.com.

For more info on the Jade Philanthropy Society, visit http://jadephilanthropy.org or find them on Facebook.

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