Issuu

LifestylePubs.com/Leesburg

DECEMBER 2019

THE

Giving

SEASON

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LIFESTYLE LETTER

DECEMBER 2019 PUBLISHER

Hann Livingston | hann.livingston@lifestylepubs.com EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

Melinda Gipson | melinda.gipson@lifestylepubs.com AD DESIGNER

Matthew Endersbe

Givers HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT EVERY ISSUE OF LEESBURG LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE INCLUDES A "GIVING BACK" SECTION? What may have been too subtle—and the reason I'm calling attention to it in our "Giving" edition—is that our advertisers are themselves largely responsible for our selection of organizations and good works that we spotlight throughout the year. Each and every one of them

LAYOUT DESIGNER

Kelsey Proctor COPY EDITOR

Kate Baxendale CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jim Magner, Michael Callahan CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Celeste Linthicum, Stephanie Zimmermann

are part of what I've started to call the "League for Extraordinary Lifestyles": local business people who are as concerned with doing good as with doing well—and who lead by example! It would be impossible in this small space to call them all out, but looking back on the year, I am particularly struck by The Wine Kitchen's effort to convert the rooftop of the downtown parking garage for a gala fundraiser benefiting Mobile Hope of Loudoun. Matthew Bowe and Paul LaPointe of River's Edge Landscaping both have rolled up their sleeves to help Habitat for Humanity, Tree of Life Ministries and many other causes they're too humble to name. Ketterman's Jewelers more subtly donates 10% of its till on

CORPORATE TEAM

the first day of the month to local charities. The National Conference Center has opened

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt

its kitchen to feed families impacted by government furloughs, hosted countless fund-

CHIEF SALES OFFICER Matthew Perry

raisers in the Black Olive, and dazzled our tastebuds with their contributions to our

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DeLand Shore

charitable galas. Katrina Schlothauer and her team at USHEALTH Advisors delivered

ART DIRECTOR Sara Minor

brand-new, top-of-the-line backpacks to needy schoolchildren. The Bank of Clarke

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Janeane Thompson

County gives generously to sponsor charitable events and, as you'll read in this issue, provides a way for its employees to do the same. All of them, regardless of the work they do in secret, support the efforts of Leesburg

EDITORIAL MANAGER Nicolette Martin AD MANAGER Chad Jensen REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Eric Williams WEB APPLICATIONS Michael O’Connell

Lifestyle magazine to show our readers—many of them among the most blessed in the world—fun and rewarding ways to get involved. In keeping with our company motto, Proverbs 3:5-6, we encourage you to show them your appreciation by patronizing them when your needs call for a product or service they provide. Sculpt, shop, eat, build, design, travel, seek advice and in every way possible share your good fortune with all those wonderful people who are themselves givers, 365 days a year. ARIZONA | CALIFORNIA | COLORADO | CONNECTICUT | FLORIDA | GEORGIA

Melinda Gipson, Editorial Coordinator

514 W 26TH ST., KANSAS CITY, MO

LifestylePubs.com/Leesburg

Proverbs 3:5-6 Leesburg Lifestyle™ is published monthly by Lifestyle Publications LLC. It is distributed via

ON THE COVER “Diggin’ In,” Oil Painting by Nan Bowe 6

Leesburg Lifestyle | December 2019

the US Postal Service to some of the Leesburg areas’ most affluent neighborhoods. Articles and advertisements do not necessarily reflect Lifestyle Publications’ opinions. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Lifestyle Publications does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. Information in Leesburg Lifestyle™ is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed.

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INSIDE THE ISSUE DECEMBER 2019

FEATURES 12 Cozy Wineries Three Lesser-Known Wineries Take the Chill Off

22 Local Gift Guide Keep it Local and Support your Community This Holiday Season

26 For Bahamas, Christmas Comes in a Big Blue Box Chantilly-Based Businesses Help an Eagle Scout Ship Food and Supplies as Part of Bahamian Relief Effort

30 $1 Million and Counting The Bank of Clarke County taps

12 30

12 Charities as Beneficiaries of Holiday Giving

DEPARTMENTS 6

Lifestyle Letter

Good Times

Travel Destination

Giving Back

30 Locally Owned 32 Financial Buzz 36 Water & Woods 38 Legal Compass

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GOOD TIMES 1.

High-Heeled Happy Hour Fetes Loudoun Cares, Mrs. Loudoun County

High-Heeled Happy Hour honors a female business professional who, in turn, selects a charity to benefit from event proceeds. The Fall FĂŞte Oct. 15 at Tarara Winery honored Mrs. Loudoun County Erin Lombardi and raised money for Loudoun Cares. Participants also donatedÂ non-perishable food items for Loudoun Hunger Relief as part of Jackson Harlow's annual food drive.

1. Blake Ferrante, MVB Bank; Sally Crosen, Maid Brigade; Misti Lorusso, Maid Brigade | 2. High-Heeled Contestants | 3. Valerie Pisierra, Exec. Dir. of Loudoun Cares | 4. High-Heeled Happy Hour shoe contest winners | 5. Jackson Harlow team | 6. Mrs. Loudoun County Erin Lombardi; Amy Denton, Divine Wine Tours

Expert. Personalized. Guidance. FI N D YO U R C O L L E GE FI T.

Leesburg Lifestyle | December 2019

TRAVEL DESTINATION

C O Z Y

Twin Oaks Tavern Winery, Bluemont

ARTICLE JIM MAGNER WITH MELINDA GIPSON PHOTOGRAPHY MELINDA GIPSON

THREE LESSER-KNOWN WINERIES TAKE THE CHILL OFF

I N E R I E S

Scan this code with your phone to watch the Leesburg Lifestyle Video

LEESBURG LIFESTYLE’S VIRTUAL

and breakfast on the opposite side of

VINTAGE: JOIN US IN AN EXPERI-

the mountain that overlooks Loudoun

MENT IN EXPANDING OUR TALES

County. Originally a California girl, Donna

TO THE WEB WITH VIDEO. Lawyer

bought the winery in 1997 after a severe

and bon vivant Jim Magner takes us

fire and fully restored the tasting room

on a video tour of three nearby “Cozy

and main house. She planted vineyards

Wineries” with the launch of Leesburg

in 1999 and sold her first vintage in 2002.

Lifestyle’s Vimeo channel. Just scan

“Back then, it was just 35 gallons.

the code above to watch, or visit

Now we do upwards of 1,000 cases a

Vimeo.com/user104293659.

year,” Donna says.

TWIN OAKS TAVERN WINERY

part history, two parts “Dubliner pub-

What sets the vineyard apart is one 18035 Raven Rocks Road, Bluemont

lic house atmosphere,” down to an

After a brisk morning hiking the

antique piano adjacent to the tasting

Appalachian Trail last winter, my wife,

bar. The main attraction, of course, is

Audrey, needed to warm up, and—just

its truly luscious wines, particularly the

as travelers from the turn of the cen-

chardonnay, which has a lot of apple

tury might have—stumbled upon Twin

and pear flavors and a nice crisp oak

Oaks Tavern Winery in Bluemont. It

finish. It has won gold medals in inter-

was such a cozy place, it inspired me to

nationally renowned California com-

write about three of my favorite winer-

petitions. Other varieties: a luscious

ies to visit once the weather turns cold.

“Make Me Blush” blend of chardonnay

Naturally, we beat a path back to Twin

and merlot with fruity notes of fresh-

Oaks to start the journey.

cut

strawberries

and

“When the trains started coming

grapefruit; vidal blanc; White Nights,

to Bluemont in 1900, what was then

a chardonnay-reisling blend; cabernet

Twin Oaks Tavern became a kind of

sauvignon; merlot; and the Bordeaux

a tourist destination up on the moun-

blend Raven Rocks Red, including cab-

tain because it was hot in the city and

ernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot

about 8 degrees cooler up here,” says

and petit verdot.

owner Donna Evers.

watermelon,

“I think people also enjoy the view

People would hike up to Bear’s Den

from the back deck,” Donna says. “It’s

and then over to Twin Oaks Tavern,

an experience you can take home with

built in 1893, which served as a bed

you that refreshes you all year round.”

Leesburg Lifestyle | December 2019

Flexible

ASPEN DALE WINERY AT THE BARN 11083 John Marshall Highway, Delaplane Back in the late 1770s, what is now Aspen Dale Winery at the Barn in Delaplane was primarily a cattle farm. The first 20th-century

Health Coverage

family refurbished the house and out buildings in 1906. It was vacant through the 1990s, purchased in 1999 and planted in vines in 2005. The barn was converted to the cozy tasting room as it now appears, which opened to the public in May 2009. Larry and Kelly Carr bought the place in August 2012, leaving behind their “white-collar” lives. Larry says he thinks what makes his

Individuals | Self-Employed Business Owners | Families

winery unique is “the historical nature of the property. Audrey and I just like the fire—and the loft, a converted hayloft overlooking the downstairs tasting bars. It’s just the coziest place on a cold day, and you can’t beat the winery’s Smokehouse Red for warmth; it’s a rich and robust mouthful made from petit verdot.” The barn itself dates to 1812, and the pastures on the 50-acre farm are home to miniature horses and Nubian goats. Each of the winery’s six wines is paired with small nibbles of food that, in Larry’s words, “represent where we thought the wine might fit in your dining.” In that vein, Larry is hesitant to pick his favorite white wine but says his viognier is their “go-to” white wine. With just 1% residual sugar, it’s great for larger groups or gatherings when you might not know the tastes of your guests.

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“It’s kind of in the middle of the palate, just sweet enough for sweet wine drinkers and not so sweet that the dry wine drinkers find it too much for them.” The Smokehouse Red is in its third bottling and has won a silver medal in the Virginia Governor’s Cup the last two years. “It’s our steak and burgers wine,” Larry says.

CONTINUED >

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December 2019 | Leesburg Lifestyle

TRAVEL DESTINATION

(CON TI N U ED)

“OTIUM MEANS ‘ TRANQUILIT Y ’ IN LATIN, AND IT ’S A GREAT DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE WITH WIDE ROLLING MEADOWS”

OTIUM CELLARS 18050 Tranquility Road, Purcellville What I like about Otium Cellars in Purcelleville is that it’s not just a great, cozy winery, but it has some unique wines other local wineries don’t. “We do pride ourselves on our varietals,” says General Manager Chris Monroe. “Our owner, Gerhard Bauer, is from Bavaria, and we have some wines that are native to that area—our Blaufrankisch, Dornfelder and Gruner Veltliner.” Gerhard picked the wine grapes he liked from home and discovered that they would grow well in Virginia. When he bought the property, he wanted to use half as a horse farm for breeding and training and half to grow grapes. When he tried to sell the fruit to other winemakers, they passed, not being familiar with the varieties. Left with little other choice than to produce his own wine, he put his son in charge, and the property opened to tasting and sales in 2012. “He thought he had a two-year surplus of wine, and we ran out in 8 to 10 months,” Chris says. “So they had to go back to the drawing board and grow on a much different scale for production, and it has been steady ever since. There’s a steady crowd, and it’s amazing how many people want to speak German when they find out where Gerhardt is from. Otium means “tranquility” in Latin, and it’s a great description of the place with wide rolling meadows, outdoor fire pits, a rustic Bavarian Room that can seat 50 to 75 people, depending on how it’s configured and even a four-sided fireplace in the separate pavilion. In the summer months, they open the doors to that building, providing a nice breeze through the vineyards and shade from the hot sun. Asked to recommend just one glass of white or red wine, Chris says he’d go with the Gruner Veltliner, Otium’s bestselling white. “And for red, definitely the Blaufrankisch reserve. On the cold winter nights just sitting with a glass by the fire, it’s just amazing.” On the weekends, there’s live music, food vendors and many locals who stop by just to enjoy the fireplaces or some of Chris’ chili. “February is actually our busiest month,” he says. People are always stopping in to speak German with Gerhard, and he’s happy to oblige.

Leesburg Lifestyle | December 2019

Otium Cellars Back Patio

December 2019 | Leesburg Lifestyle

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GIVING BACK

ARTICLE MELINDA GIPSON | PHOTOGRAPHY CELESTE LINTHICUM

Todd R. Laverty, an employer with Janellia. "ECHO employees care about their jobs and enjoy coming to work every day. Who doesn’t love that?"

giving the ‘dignity of a paycheck’ WORKING WITH ECHO TO EMPLOY THE DISABLED

Leesburg Lifestyle | December 2019

Becky is in ECHO's day support program. "I’ll be spending the holidays with my sister. I’m grateful for my family and some friends to get together with."

Brian works at Janellia. "My mom does most of the cooking for the holidays. I’m thankful for another year at ECHO and another year living."

Scott works at River-Sea Chocolates. “My favorite part is spending time with family. I’m thankful for all the opportunity to work at different job sites."

OU’VE UNDOUBTEDLY SPOTTED ECHO’S VANS

to weather delays or closings. This is quite the opposite

GOING TO AND FROM WORK IN LOUDOUN

reaction I get from my other employees.”

COUNTY. Many of the nonprofit’s 40 buses and vans

He adds that his other staff also benefit.

now sport advertising, just like their counterparts in

“They have more time to spend helping scientists like

public transportation. These vans are just the most

Janelia make new discoveries.” Plus, he adds, “The ECHO

visible means of support ECHO offers disabled workers

employees put a smile on my face and enlighten many oth-

and their families, providing disabled workers a ride to

ers on campus. My day-to-day challenges are put into per-

and from their own daily jobs. Last year, the fleet drove

spective when I see ECHO employees contributing to the

more than 356,000 miles!

work being done. Many of my colleagues tell me the same,

But the charity provides much more than a ride.

whether they have a brother or sister with special needs, or

“We provide skill building, job placement and day

they just appreciate that [we are] involved in giving back to

support as well as transportation. Our services empower

the community in a way they can see on a daily basis.”

[more than 200] individuals to be active members of the

Besides Janelia, workers contribute to the corporate

community,” says Erica Lengermann, ECHO’s director of

culture at Stryker Spine (formerly K2M), Inova Lansdowne

marketing and communications.

and Leesburg and Loudoun County Public Schools.

Its stated mission is “to empower individuals with dis-

The group says its business partners benefit from

abilities to achieve their optimal level of personal, social

being more competitive and having low turnover, as well

and economic success.”

as becoming known in the community as having a strong

“ECHO believes in the dignity of earning a paycheck.

ethic for corporate citizenship. ECHO handles all the

We strive to find meaningful employment opportunities

human resources and hiring red tape as well as training

suitable for each individual’s capabilities, interests and

and quality control. A job coach steps in to help workers

desires,” Erika says.

find the best job fit, fill out applications, prepare for inter-

One such employer is the Janelia Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Center.

views, engage in job training and even shadows workers providing support as needed. The business does the actual

“The ECHO and Janelia relationship is a win-win for

hiring. Examples of jobs the workers have filled include

everyone involved,” says Todd R. Laverty, manager of

dishwashing and restaurant services, packaging and kit-

Drosophila and Media Prep Shared Resources with

ting, sorting and tagging, and grounds maintenance.

Janelia, who manages one of three ECHO teams who work there. “ECHO employees care about their jobs and enjoy

Such jobs always are in high demand. If you think you have a job

coming to work every day. Who doesn’t love that? They

for a local ECHO worker, contact Lana Heaslip, director of Busi-

are genuinely disappointed when they cannot work due

ness Development, at 571.707.8245 or LanaH@ECHOWorks.org.

December 2019 | Leesburg Lifestyle

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ARTICLE HANN LIVINGSTON WITH MELINDA GIPSON PHOTOGRAPHY CELESTE LINTHICUM

L O C A L G I F T G U I D E

DOING YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING LOCALLY DOES MORE THAN HELP YOU GET TO KNOW SOME OF THE GREAT PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY; BUYING FROM THIS PARTICULAR GIFT GUIDE SUPPORTS ALL THOSE “GIVING BACK” STORIES YOU ENJOY IN LEESBURG LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE ALL YEAR ROUND! Not coincidentally, they also happen to be some of our favorite merchandise because, well, obviously, those are the first people we asked to come alongside us in this venture! So, here, with a lot of love for you and yours this holiday season, are some of OUR favorite gift giving ideas:

Leesburg Lifestyle | December 2019

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G I F T S

F O R

Fun

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1. Fine Foods & Favorite Restaurants of Northern Virginia by Sandrine Brubaker with Jennifer Chatman. The book features stunning photos and favorite recipes from our best local chefs. Think The National Conference Center’s lobster risotto and The Wine Kitchen’s torta palla and you’ll get the idea. $19.95, available at The Wine Kitchen at 7 S. King St. in Leesburg. Proceeds benefit Tree of Life Ministries.

2. A local, custom-made table adds to any dining room. Pick your wood and style. Shenandoah Kitchen & Home, 201 N. Maple Ave., #E, Purcellville 3. The Shaker Set from Crafthouse by Fortessa is designed by world champion bartender Charles Joy. Sterling Restaurant Supply, 20412 Bashan Drive, Ashburn 4. Schott Zwiesel glassware sets add a contemporary accent and are available in a variety of sizes. Sterling Restaurant Supply 5. A 16-piece dinnerware set for when you’re “adding a place.” EverGourmet Essentials by Fortessa, Sterling Restaurant Supply

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CONTINUED >

December 2019 | Leesburg Lifestyle

LOCAL GIFT GUIDE

(CON TI N U ED)

G I F T S

F O R

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5. The Vado e-bike from Specialized is great for commuting or cruising. Bicycles and Coffee, 609 E. Main St., Unit O, Purcellville 6. Keep your accessories and glasses organized in handmade luxury by OYOBox. $165-$300, Eyetopia

7. DO UBUNTU Bracelet – $20 donation provides a living wage to a woman in Africa and food, clothing and shelter to an orphaned child. Eyetopia

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Pets

2. 1. The Arctic Shag Bed from Jax & Bones is the ultimate in warmth and comfort. $179-$289, Happy Hound, 19352 Promenade Drive, Leesburg

2. Dog toys from Fluff and Tuff are durable and soft. $9-$28, Happy Hound 3. Foggy Mountain Dog Coat keeps your dog warm and stylish. $29-$100, Happy Hound 4. Grandma Lucy’s Gingerbread Treats – organic, crispy and full of holiday cheer. $7.99, Happy Hound

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ARTICLE MELINDA GIPSON PHOTOGRAPHY STEPHANIE ZIMMERMANN

FOR BAHAMAS, CHRISTMAS COMES IN A BIG BLUE BOX CHANTILLY-BASED BUSINESSES HELP AN EAGLE SCOUT SHIP FOOD AND SUPPLIES AS PART OF BAHAMIAN RELIEF EFFORT WHEN HURRICANE DORIAN FAILED TO HIT PUERTO RICO, RAFAEL BABILONIA, CEO OF NONPROFIT UNITED-DMV (AKA UNIDOS POR PUERTO RICO-DMV)—WHICH HAD ALREADY SENT 72 SHIPMENTS WITH MORE THAN A MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD, MEDICAL AND JANITORIAL SUPPLIES TO THE ISLAND OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS—INITIALLY BREATHED A SIGH OF RELIEF. Then, when the extent of the disaster in the Bahamas became clear, the organization pivoted its whole operation to help. Aided by donated recycled plastic boxes from LEND a BOX in Chantilly and My Guys Moving in Sterling, a 13-year-old prospective Eagle Scout from Falls Church also pitched in to make a difference. Between Oct. 10 and 23, Talan Flynn of Troop 681 in Falls Church drove the collection of donations to Kenmore Middle School in Arlington. He created and distributed hundreds of flyers, asking for non-perishable food, first aid, pet supplies, baby products, household cleaning supplies, hygiene products, tools, hardware and shelter—things like generators, basic tools, nails screws, duct tape, caulking, shovels, extension cords, tents, tarps, batteries, can openers—all to replace what you might think of as everything in your garage that you’d need to survive with no power. Staging area for the pallets.

Supplies find room in container ships on numbered pallets. Pallets must contain individually sorted and weighed supplies that are then wrapped with plastic. LEND a BOX’s lightweight crates have already been reused several times in this process, helping to streamline the operation and organize supplies without adding materially to their weight. For those not familiar with the company’s value proposition, it supplies plastic boxes and moving logistics to anyone undergoing a

Leesburg Lifestyle | December 2019

Did you know? Clothes are NOT something relief agencies are seeking! There’s a full list of requested items here: Bahamas.com/Relief.

move in and around the DMV. Instead of having to buy the boxes, pack them, then throw them away, families or businesses just call to have recyclable plastic boxes delivered, fill them, then the company takes them to their final destination. In this case, that destination was a shipping port in Miami, with the intended destination of the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency. “Stephanie Zimmermann [co-founder and owner of LEND a BOX] has helped me so much, and I could not be at this point in my project without the help she has provided,” Talan says. “The company provided 130 crates and 30 dollies to pack and move the supplies in. I’m also getting help from My Guys Moving. They are transporting the supplies from my

LEND a Box donated crates help protect loose medical supplies.

school to United-DMV’s sorting center.” Unity-DMV shirts left over from the first relief effort credit a host of other local area businesses. Rafael wedges the last pallet into the back of the truck Oct. 19.

But for all concerned, Rafael is the acknowledged “heart” of the operation. With the help of a couple dozen volunteers, one full-container-sized truck was loaded Oct. 19 from United-DMV’s donated warehouse space, with Sydney Collie, ambassador of the Bahamas, looking on. (He even autographed a pallet on its way to the island nation!) You can reach United-DMV through the group’s Facebook page,

Sidney Collie, Ambassador of the Bahamas to the U.S. autographs a pallet

Facebook.com/UnidosDMV. December 2019 | Leesburg Lifestyle

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LOCALLY OWNED THE BANK OF CLARKE COUNTY NAMES A DOZEN BENEFICIARIES FOR HOLIDAY GIVING

$1 MILLION AND COUNTING GIVING SEEMS TO BE AN IMPULSE WE GLEAN FROM OUR PARENTS—OR GRANDPARENTS, IN THE CASE OF JOHN MACINTOSH, WHO APPROACHED THE BANK OF CLARKE COUNTY A QUARTER CENTURY AGO ABOUT ESTABLISHING A CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT IN THE NAME OF HIS GRANDFATHER, AMMASHADDI MOORE JR., the bank’s first president in 1881. “That’s a great idea,” said John Hudson, now Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of the bank, headquartered in Berryville. “We’ll call it the Moore Cup!” Since then, the tournament has raised more than $100,000 for local charities, the most recent recipients of which took home checks last August. In the bank’s Berryville lobby to receive their donations were Cabell Angle of the New Eve Maternity Home for women and children at risk of homelessness and Chris White of Lord Fairfax House, a residential halfway house for men and women recovering from substance abuse that helps recovering individuals with employment and other skills. Both facilities are in Winchester. The third recipient was Dr. David A. Goodwin, a neonatologist and medical director of Inova’s expanding neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Inova Loudoun Hospital, for which funds are being raised by Inova Loudoun’s Hospital Foundation through the Loudoun Rising campaign. The expanded NICU, opening next April, will be nearly triple in size and include 24 beds, private rooms with overnight accommodations for parents and two “pods” with four incubators each for babies who need constant observation. The bank’s giving programs have expanded with its

The Moore Cup

branches in Loudoun County, one each in Purcellville, Leesburg and Ashburn at One Loudoun. This year, John tapped the bank managers in all 12 local branches with choosing the charities that will receive donations from

ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY

fundraising lobby displays encouraging all its customers

MELINDA GIPSON

Leesburg Lifestyle | December 2019

to donate what they can. In Loudoun, the

Fire and Rescue, Longbranch, The George

charities they tapped are:

C. Marshall House, Loudoun Symphony

+ Loudoun Literacy Council, which promotes

reading

and

learning.

LoudounLiteracy.org

John Hudson in his Berryville bank office.

Re-writing 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' with Twelve Charities

Orchestra,

Loudoun

First

Responders,

the Purcellville Cannons and Tree of Life Ministries and Mobile Hope.

+ Loudoun Hunger Relief, which provides

“The number of requests we get are phe-

fresh groceries for families in need and

nomenal and non-ending, because there

networking for other goods and services.

are a lot of organizations that operate in

LoudounHunger.org

these markets, and we have a formalized

+ Carver Community Center, providing

process so none of these requests fall

programs for all ages, but especially adults

through the cracks,” John says. “Our record

55 and older to stay active and engaged.

is in having 14 requests for sponsorship in

Loudoun.gov/1143/Carver-Center

one day,” he adds. “Every two weeks my

It’s not the first year Bank of Clarke

digital strategist and I sit down and we

County’s lobbies have sported donation

go through them. Our ratio of approved to

boxes. Last year, one bank also overflowed

denied is probably four to one.”

with dog and cat food requested by a local

All are “quality organizations that deserve

animal shelter in addition to financial sup-

our support.” The only other criteria John

port. It is the first year that each of the bank’s

prefers with the lobby promotions are that

192 employees will have the chance to des-

the charities “partner with us to get the word

ignate their own favorite charity to receive

out that we’re collecting for them; that just

a $25 donation in their names. (And, yes,

increases the success we have.” Boy Scout

that’s nearly another $5,000 into commu-

Eagle projects benefiting the community find

nity causes.) Since 1992, the first year John

a particularly receptive ear.

began keeping a running tally of the bank’s

“It’s not forced or done begrudgingly, and

donations, monetary contributions alone

I think that’s the key. You know we do very

have totaled more than $1.1 million.

well. The bank is very successful. Could we

As the bank grew, it adopted a philosophy

be more successful if we didn’t do this? Yeah,

that “a bank is only as good as its commu-

on paper. But we wouldn’t be as successful

nities,” John says. “If a community is strug-

as a community.”

gling, there’s less business for a bank. That’s

Where did John learn to give? You could

a win-win for everybody. The stronger the

say it started with his mom, who worked at

community, the stronger the bank.”

Bank of Clarke County for 38 years before

Nonprofits will approach a community

retiring in 1996. She began the very popular

bank before a large national institution for

habit of giving dog biscuits to customers who

donations because they can more read-

brought their dogs to the bank window. “She

ily reach decision makers. “I think that’s

said, we have people who treat their dogs

extremely valuable for local charities to be

like their kids, so she asked management

able to do that. As we grew, we became a

if she could start giving out dog biscuits

huge community supporter in the Winchester,

and they said, ‘Well, sure, we can try that; it

Frederick County market, and in 2010, when

probably won’t catch on.’ Now you wouldn’t

we moved into the Loudoun County market,

believe the dog biscuits we go through!”

we immediately started seeking out the organizations that we would like to support.” The list of such organizations is closing in on 150—all listed on the bank’s website. This year’s budget for giving is around $160,000, and Loudoun beneficiaries have included The Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, Loudoun Boy Scouts, Ashburn Volunteer December 2019 | Leesburg Lifestyle

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Leesburg Lifestyle | December 2019

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RESOLVE TO BE MORE PROSPEROUS IN 2020

TAX STR ATEGIES

Shift Income/Expenses, Gains/Losses

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doesn’t mean they are not good at what

free savings of thousands per year per

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they do). Meet with another CPA, pay

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Leesburg Lifestyle | December 2019