Loudoun County Chamber & Loudoun Cares Join Forces Loudoun County Chamber, Loudoun Cares Join Forces to Collect Donations for National Guardsman Returning to Leesburg Armory...Campaign raises funds and gift certificates to area restaurants and shops, to welcome Guardsmen home and help them reconnect with their families after a year away LEESBURG - One year ago, 180 National Guardsmen assigned to the Leesburg Armory packed their bags and left their families behind to answer our nation's call in Operation Iraqi Freedom. For an entire year, their families also have answered the call to duty, shouldering additional responsibilities in the absence of their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers. In late April, these families will reunite after a year apart, when 150 of the Guardsmen land at Dulles International Airport and return to the National Guard Armory, where their loved ones will be waiting. To "Welcome Home" these Guardsmen, and to thank them and their families for their shared heroic service to America, the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce and Loudoun Cares are working together to raise funds and gift certificates to area restaurants and shops. The Family Resource Group at the Leesburg Armory is also a crucial part of this "Welcome Home" effort. To make an online contribution to the National Guardsman Campaign, click HERE "Working with the Armory's Family Resource Group and the Virginia National Guard, we are soliciting restaurant gift certificates that will provide our Guardsmen a night out to share a meal and reconnect with their families. We are also soliciting contributions to purchase gift cards to offer their spouses or other close family members a special "thank you" for the support and commitment they have made in the Guardsmen's absence," said Tony Howard, President of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce. And from Andy Johnston of Loudoun Cares, "People can have mixed feelings about the war in Iraq, but one thing on which we can all agree is that these Guardsman and their families laid it all on the line. This is a way that any Loudoun resident can say, ‘Thank you for your service and sacrifice.' All financial contributions can be sent to Loudoun Cares, c/o BB&T Bank (101 Catoctin Circle, Leesburg, Virginia 20175; phone (703) 771-7204). Gift certificates and any questions about this campaign may be directed to the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, phone (703) 777-2176. The Chamber and the Town of Leesburg also are organizing residents and businesses to greet the Guardsmen when they return, by waving flags and signs along the route from Dulles Airport. Details of this "Welcome Home" effort will be available as soon as the Guardsmen's return date is confirmed. To donate to the National Guardsman Campaign, click above    NEW Faith Winter Fuel Fund  2008 marks the third year that Loudoun Cares, National Electronics Warranty Inc. (NEW), the Loudoun County Department of Family Services and generous partners from the local faith community have joined forces and resources to keep area residents warm during winter.   This year, as in years past, NEW, helped launch the effort with a generous $7,500 donation to Loudoun Cares and a challenge to the interfaith community and other compassionate donors to match it. Our goal is to more than match the NEW contribution and raise $20,000 this year. Every penny of the funds raised goes to help low-income families pay utility costs. This creative partnership is rounded out by the Loudoun County Department of Family Services which has well-trained staff who take applications and carefully determine the eligibility of families seeking assistance.   Last year the Department of Family Services used these funds to prevent cutoffs or facilitate reconnections for 185 area residents living in 51 households. This amounts to an average payment of $274.00 per family.   This year our generous Interfaith partners include: All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center (ADAMS Center) Beth Chaverim Reform Congregation Christ the Redeemer Roman Catholic Church Congregation Sha’are Shalom Crossroads United Methodist Church Goose Creek Friends Meeting Guru Angad Institute of Sikh Studies Potomac Falls Church Saint Francis de Sales Saint Gabriel’s Episcopal Church Saint James Episcopal Church Saint Peter's Episcopal Church Unity of Loudoun County How to Contribute In order to reach our goal and serve more families, members of the partnership are reaching out to other businesses, faith-based entities and individuals.   Donation checks can be made payable to Loudoun Cares. Please note in the memo section that the contribution is for the NEW Faith Winter Fuel Fund. Send donations to:   Loudoun Cares PO Box 83 Leesburg, VA 20178   For more information, call Andy Johnston at 703-669-4636 ext. 3 or contact us "Ours is the wealthiest county of its size in the country.  We can and should do more for those who are down on their luck and cannot do for themselves.  I have faith that other businesses and religious institutions will step up to help with this." -Fred Schaufeld, Chairman and CEO, National Electronics Warranty