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Since the first week of July 2020, the CORE Foundation and Cornerstones have collaborated on an initiative to provide support to local seniors who have faced additional challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative came about as a result of discussions between senior executives at CORE and Cornerstones looking to identify ways to provide additional assistance in the community during this crisis. Cornerstones identified its senior population of close to two dozen seniors throughout Reston and Herndon as a population who might benefit from some additional care and connection while quarantined as a result of the virus.

Every two weeks, a group of volunteers from Cornerstones and/or CORE make a delivery to approximately half a dozen seniors in the Reston/Herndon area which includes food, gift cards, and PPE, all provided by Cornerstones. The seniors have been very appreciative of this additional assist during a challenging time and are always happy to hear from our volunteers. More importantly, this initiative has ensured that this group stays safe and healthy during the ongoing crisis.

The community can help by making a donation to Cornerstones or during upcoming CORE events. For additional information, please contact info@corefoundation.org.

With creative entrepreneurship and partnership with local businesses seeking a way to give back to their community and attract new customers, The Eat with Purpose Restaurant Card program was developed. This is no ordinary discount card. We aimed high to be different and offer a valuable Restaurant Card that offers $10 off a $20 spend.  This is more like a gift card than a discount card as it represents a 50% savings if you spend $20 on your meal. This is our first introduction of the program.

• • Currently offered in Chesterfield County Virginia
  • Card consists of six locally owned Midlothian, Virginia area restaurants
  • Six different food cuisines
  • Each restaurant has their own limited restrictions listed on the back of their individual key tag for clarity of the offer
  • This Year’s card is Valid thru 9/30/2020.
  • Sales can begin any time after September 30, 2019.

Please feel free to order your cards here and we will fulfill your order by mail. If you have any questions about the program please email our Director, Phil Vera at pvera@corefoundation.org.

We are so happy to have been featured in the Reston Connection. Mercia Hobson wrote a beautiful article about our second annual Reston Superhero Splash and Dash held on Aug 18th with a highlight about our wonderful Superhero volunteers.

Please read Reston Connection Aug 21 – 27 issue, page 8 to read more. Many thanks to all.

I’ll TRI to honor the memory of my late father who taught me I could do anything!

One of my most cherished memories growing up is of taking bike rides with my dad. I grew up in Reston, and on Saturday mornings my dad used to take me, my brother, and sister on long bike rides. We would ride through Reston along the tree-lined bike paths (sometimes stopping for ice-cream at Baskin Robins) and then back home again. These bike rides were our beloved Saturday morning tradition.

Another fond memory I have is my dad teaching my siblings and I to swim. My dad, who grew up near the water in Nigeria, learned to swim at an early age and he was shocked that my mother, who grew up in Ohio, had never learned. Determined to make sure his children would know how to swim, my mom claims that he taught us all in one day by taking us to the pool and having us jump in the deep end. I can’t recall if it happened quite like this, but I do know that once we learned how to swim, it was hard to get us out of the pool.

While my love of biking and swimming happened at an early age and accounts for some of my favorite memories with my dad, my love of running didn’t happen until almost 30 years later. I started running in 2010 as a way to deal with personal hardships that were hindering me from thinking clearly and being at peace. I loved the feeling of physical accomplishment and mental clarity I had after a long run and I got hooked on that feeling. After years of causal running, I decided to take on the challenge of a sprint triathlon.

After about four months of training, I completed my first RST on June 4, 2017 with my dad, mom and other family members all cheering me on. I remember the overwhelming sense of pride I felt for not only conquering this new goal but knowing that I had impressed my dad, who had been very athletic all his life, with an athletic accomplishment of my own!

In early 2018, as I was struggling to train consistently for my second RST, my dad was struggling through intensive chemo

treatments for his cancer. I was considering dropping out of the race due to my lack of preparation, but I remembered a conversation I’d had with him recently where he was lamenting his inability to do the physical activities he once enjoyed like bowling, cycling, and kayaking. So instead of quitting, I decided I was going to do the race in honor of him. Due to his illness, he couldn’t watch my 2018 race, but I swam, biked, and ran faster than I had the previous year. Despite the rainy conditions of 2018 and my insufficient training, racing to honor my dad fueled my performance.

On May 12, 2019 my dad lost his five-year battle with multiple myeloma. We will be celebrating his life and funeralizing him the weekend of the 2019 RST, so I will have to take this year off from racing. However, I am determined to come back stronger and faster than ever for the 2020 RST and race as a tribute to the wonderful man, athlete and encourager my father was. Because he taught me how to ride a bike, showed me how to swim, and told me I could do anything I put my mind to, my dad is the reason why I TRI!

CORE Foundation thanks Evelyn Momplaisir for sharing her inspirational story. Our hearts and prayers are with her this weekend as she and her family celebrate the life of her wonderful father. Peace be with you Dad!

I have a good friend, Kim Truitt that has been doing triathlons for quite a while. She would sign up to Tri and I would go along to watch and join the after party.  After watching her Tri a few times I had to get in on the fun.  My first Tri was the Reston Sprint 2009 or 2010. I downloaded the 12 week training program and started to prepare. I was well prepared and really enjoyed the Reston Sprint. Everyone that volunteers could not be more helpful or kind. I am not in the Tri to win, rather to finish. I enjoy being able to be around like minded people and the enthusiasm of the event. I will admit, I most enjoy riding my bike around Reston, not worrying about traffic or stopping for lights or cars. It is also fun to train for an event, there is a date and goal!

I guess I talked about the tri a fair amount, so my dad wanted to tri. When he did his first tri he was 72 years old. It was a sprint Tri. He came in 2nd in his age group and everyone applauded when he crossed the finish line. It was quite emotional. My kids came to watch him finish and ran with him over the finish line.  (There was only 2 people in his age group, we usually leave that out of the story)