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President's February Message

CELEBRATE WINTER AT THE CHILI COOKOFF THIS MONTH

We kicked off the year with a bang as Gather at the Table brought together 44 members for a fun and memorable afternoon. Thank you to those who graciously opened their homes and to Nancy Matteson and Cathy Coratola for creating a delicious menu, including a show-stopping Bananas Foster finale.

As we celebrate Valentine’s Day, we are reminded of the friendships and sense of community that make the Vale Club so special. We hope your day is filled with warmth and time spent with those you hold dear.

February’s winter weather offers a perfect opportunity to stay active and connected through Vale Club activities. Join us for our annual Chili Cook-Off on Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. at the Schoolhouse. Barb Autrey and Virginia Hintermeister have been busy planning a fun and flavorful evening, with Chip adding to the festivities by mixing up his famous margaritas. Please be sure to sign up on the SUG, and note there are plenty of opportunities to earn volunteer hours for those who need them.

Trivia Night was another highlight and a successful fundraiser. Teams tackled a wide range of questions, all hoping to claim the infamous trophy. Congratulations to Team #7 for taking home the prize (Rita Perre Davis and Mark Davis, Georgia Koliopoulos, Paul Iacovino, Ray McGraw, and Sonny Ellis).

Thank you to Lee Ellis and her team for organizing such an enjoyable event, and to everyone who attended. Trivia Night raised $720 for the Club’s charity, The Vale Schoolhouse.

Our next General Meeting will be held on Feb. 10 at 9:15 a.m. at the Schoolhouse. We hope you will join us, as an entertaining speaker has been arranged. As we conclude, we remember Flossie Delaney Nix, a former member of the Vale Club and a two-term Club president. A friend to many, her dedication and leadership left a lasting impression on the Club. She was an accomplished bridge player whose skill was greatly admired, and she will be sincerely missed.

Thank you for being part of the Vale Club. We look forward to seeing you.

Warm regards,
Kathy Sullivan
Vale Club president

FVS History Highlights: “A Place to Tie To” 

‘Honoring Fred Ricci and the Men of Vale’

The Vale Club is a women’s organization. The original Vale Club consisted of about 12 women who purchased the schoolhouse for use as a community center. Today the Vale School building and the property are, of course, managed by women. But make no mistake, men have always played a role in the preservation.

Today, our trustees often hire professionals to work on the building and grounds but for the first 50+ years of ownership, our male family members and friends took on important tasks of upkeep. We lost one of our Men of Vale last July: Fred Ricci, husband of MaryJo. This issue of History Highlights honors Fred and his role in preserving our school.

Fred and MaryJo moved to Oakton in 1969. A neighbor enticed MaryJo into attending a Vale Club meeting. At her very first meeting, when she mentioned the musty smell and unopened windows, she quickly became the Building Chairman! The necessary tasks could not be done by MaryJo alone, so she convinced Fred to get involved. Thus Fred’s relationship with the club and the building began. The building was in a sad state of disrepair. Some of the first tasks involved cleaning up the inside of the building. Then the windows were repaired. Other husbands joined Fred to add electrical wiring and replace boards on the porch.

Unfortunately, the building was vandalized, and the vandals stole the heater. This led to adding shutters to the windows and getting Virginia Power to install a light pole. When this work was completed, Fred put up a sign that said, “Vale Community Center.” Fred was a pioneer and a workhorse in improving the school building. Fred and MaryJo continued with Vale Club activities attending social events, most notably Wine Tasting.

Fred’s smile, his kindness and his generosity will be long remembered, and we want to be sure that Fred’s role in preserving our school building is not forgotten. A commemorative plaque for the Men of Vale is being created and will be part of our history display. We honor Fred by placing his name at the top.

Darlene Williamson
Historic Preservation Chair

Vale Club

Vale Club is dedicated to enriching the lives of women in the Vale community. Our goal is to provide our members with a variety of social, educational, and volunteer opportunities throughout the year. The majority of our members live within the Oakton community. We have multiple member activities each month, primarily scheduled from September through May, with a few Special Interest Groups meeting during the summer months ...
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Vale Club Winter Community Outreach Programs

HHK AND FAMILY PASS DIRECTORS THANK VALE CLUB FOR ITS GENEROUS HOLIDAY DONATIONS

Once again, the women of the Vale Club have demonstrated their goodwill and generosity through our Outreach projects—Helping Hungry Kids and Family PASS—providing extra food to kids living with food insecurity, and warm clothing and generous gift cards to families experiencing hard times. Although we may not see it, the needs are greater than ever!

Looking back…In support of Helping Hungry Kids, over the last few months Vale Club women collected and distributed 2,393 granola bars, 1,424 oatmeal packets and 76 other food products to Helping Hungry Kids!

The HHK co-directors greatly appreciate the generosity of Vale Club women! In support of Family PASS, we wrapped up a very successful Winter Giving Project! Vale Club women provided 66 new beautifully wrapped winter coats and $100 in gift cards to every Family PASS client from infant to adult ($6650 in total) as well as a packet of essential toiletries, and hats, gloves and other items to keep warm. Family PASS directors have expressed their sincere gratitude for all the effort Vale Club women put into buying, wrapping and bagging all the gifts, as well as their extreme generosity!

Looking forward…It’s not too soon to start talking about our Spring Project! We will be providing food bags filled with all of the items (11 recommended food items in all). HHK provides weekly to each child living with food insecurity across eight local elementary schools. These food bags will coincide with spring break, when kids are out of school and in even greater need of a backup supply of food. We will be collecting money to purchase the food items needed. No amount is too small! As we have in prior years, we will be setting up an assembly line at the schoolhouse to fill bags and pack crates for delivery to the participating schools. Please keep your eyes open for a SUG sign up.

Vale Club Outreach projects are entirely voluntary. 100 percent of your donations go to Helping Hungry Kids and Family PASS.
Remember: Volunteering for Outreach projects is unrelated to and does not satisfy your two-hour volunteer commitment to the Vale Club.

Stay warm,
Patti and Nancy

Vale Schoolhouse

A brief history of The Vale Schoolhouse as recorded by the Fairfax County Public Schools of Yesteryear and Today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUOCcwvqBB0

Vale Schoolhouse, at the corner of Vale and Fox Mill Roads in Oakton, VA, was built c.1884 as a one-room public school. A second room was added in 1912. The school closed in 1931 when many Fairfax County schools were consolidated ...read more

Friends of Vale Schoolhouse, Inc. is Vale Clubs 501(C)3 charity for the maintenance and preservation of the historic Schoolhouse property which was placed on the VA Landmarks Register and the National Register ...read more