Thanksgiving Care Packages for 100 families

Making the holidays special! The giving season has arrived. The DDA Love Foundation has assembled and given away 100 Thanksgiving meals to individuals that needed a lift and were anonymously nominated by their community. The packages included 100 gift cards to a grocery store for them to select the perfect main dish and final touches to make their holidays even more special!

Blood Drive

Every drop counts! There are many why we should donate blood and help save lives. In October of 2022, the DDA Team gladly donated blood in partnership with INOVA Blood Donor Services. Their BloodMobile came to our parking lot to collect blood and many agents and members of the community showed up to help!

Cleaning Up the Potomac River

Helping the community also means helping the environment! In 2022’s Day of Service, our team took a boat out to the Potomac River and cleaned up all the trash they could find. We’re proud to be Earth’s partners!

Clothing Drive

In October 2022, we collected gently used clothes to donate to The Lamb Center and Women Give Back. Temperatures have already started to drop and with it comes the demand for coats, warmer clothes, and a special call for professional clothes. Women's, men's, children's clothes and shoes are accepted. Together we can make sure our community stays warm another year.

Food for Others 5k

A few of our team members participated in the 5k to help support Food for Others in September 2022.

Annual Fundraiser

Our annual DDA Love Foundation Fundraiser took place in August of 2022 at Coyote Grille in Fairfax. It was a fun-filled way to raise money for our adopted local charities while bringing the community together.

Participants enjoyed food, music, a chance to win top-notch prizes as part of our raffle, and lots of laughs during the talent portion of the evening. The DDA’s Got Talent Competition showcased our team’s talent as they competed to help raise money for the cause.

Thanks to our partners and sponsors that donated amazing raffle prizes, we successfully raised funds for Food For Others, Phillips Programs, The Lamb Center, Second Story, and Feed More. All proceeds from the evening will go directly to these charitable organizations that work to directly impact our community.

Volunteer at Food for Others

We took some time off in July 2022 with our DDA Love Foundation to volunteer at Food for Others. We are always grateful for the opportunity to help and give back to our community, especially to our wonderful local food pantry. Thank you to everyone who came out to support your neighbors and everyone who volunteered their time and effort.

Debbie Dogrul Resilience Scholarship Recipients

Congratulations to seven winners of our 2022 Debbie Dogrul Resilience Scholarship. The $3,000 one-time scholarship is awarded to a student who has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity and is on an upward trajectory, academically and personally. This year we are granting scholarships to seven students at seven different local high schools. We are so proud that we get to be a small part of their journey and support their success.

Metro DC HorizonWALKS

We were honored to be an official sponsor of the Inaugural Metro DC HorizonWALKS this year. Several of our team members participated in the walk on June 2022, at the National Harbor to help raise the funds needed to support Horizon Day Camp! HorizonWALKS is an annual walkathon event that raises critical funds and awareness for Horizon Day Camp – Metro DC, the world’s first full-summer day camp for children with cancer and their siblings, offered completely free of charge. https://www.sunrise-walks.org/metrodc

Phillips Programs Spring Gala

We’re honored to be a sponsor of the Phillips Programs, a local nonprofit that serves over 500 children and their families annually (phillipsprograms.org). Carolyn, Geoff, and Trish attended their Spring Gala in April 2022 and had a wonderful time.

Food Drive for Food for Others

There are few things in life more gratifying than helping those who can do nothing for you. In July 2021, we collected a whopping 500 pounds of food to donate to our wonderful local food pantry, Food for Others.  Thank you to all who showed up and contributed in support of your neighbors, and all who volunteered their time and effort.

Turkey Care Packages for 75 families

In November 2021, DDA Love Foundation provided FREE Thanksgiving Care Packages to 75 nominated families. In addition, a $25 gift card will be included with the care package!

Adopt A Family drop off x3 Families

In December 2021, we delivered our gifts to the three Adopt a Families! We took in three families and bought bikes, toys, games, and other Christmas gifts for the children. We loaded the truck and delivered it to the organization.

Phillips School Donation, Lamb Center & Food for Others

Our team here at DDA is big on community involvement. With our DDA Love Foundation, we focus on making a meaningful impact by serving and volunteering in our community which has given us so much! Our foundation's goal is to raise awareness for those in need and distribute funds in an impactful way.

In December 2021, we are proud to have raised $6,000 for each of our adopted organizations listed below:

PHILLIPS Programs for Children and Families

The Lamb Center

Second Story

Food for Others

What a great way to wrap up the year!

Snack Packs

In November 2020, Carolyn and Monica packaged and dropped off 150 😱 snack bags for the  Lorton Community Action Center (LCAC). We are happy to support such an important organization in our community.

Since the pandemic hit, the LCAC has been supporting record numbers of the community. They continue to distribute food, clothing, and other supplies to people in need. Thank you, LCAC for all that you do!

Food Drive

With the wonderful team at Shoppers on Main Street and neighbors supporting our efforts, we brought over 700 pounds of food to Food For Others in October 2020. 

Online Auction Fundraising

Partnering with local businesses and real estate colleagues, the DDA Love Foundation hosted an online auction in the summer of 2020.  Many businesses donated services and items, while other colleagues purchased gift cards and items from other businesses to show support for the big adjustments that were made in 2020.  With these items up for auction, the DDA Love Foundation was able to support not only our local business community but raise over $4000 to support organizations giving back to the community.  The organizations that will receive the funds are Food For Others, Second Story, Phillips School, and the Lamb Center.

Scholarship Awards

As the graduating Class of 2020 experienced a unique end to their High School careers, 6 local High School students were awarded the Dogrul Resilience Scholarship, awarded by the DDA Love Foundation. Recognizing not only academic merit but perseverance, determination, and promise for an exceptional future.  These 6 wonderful students will have the opportunity to use the scholarship funds towards a degree program, trade school, or other professional development programs. We are excited to see what these wonderful members of the community do next!

Free Meals for Health Care Workers

Throughout the second full month of COVID-19's impact on our community, the DDA Love Foundation connected with Hamrock's Restaurant in Fairfax City to raise funds towards and contribute over 250 meals to support the health care workers working tirelessly at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

Food Drives

In March and April 2020, as we all navigated the changes with COVID-19; The DDA Love Foundation mobilized to aid our neighbors with multiple Food Drives.  With the help of our friends at the Kings Park Giant and the wonderful community who donated, we were able to donate over 2,000 pounds of food to contribute to Food For Others.

Spreading Christmas Cheer

The DDA Love Foundation and Debbie Dogrul Associates spread the holiday cheer in December 2019 with multiple events to connect with the community.  Hosting a Toys for Tots collection, arranging for Santa to visit neighbors in Springfield, adopting families for holiday gift shopping, and delivering poinsettias to neighbors throughout the area are just a few of the ways we made the holidays sparkle a little brighter for our friends, neighbors, and community. 

Thanksgiving Giveaway

In November 2019, the DDA Love Foundation wanted to make sure that our neighbors in need had a helping hand to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday.  From donating 40 Thanksgiving dinners to nominated families and delivering food to our friends at Food for Others, we reached out to fill the bellies of families in our community.

Volunteer at the Lamb Center

The DDA Love Foundation and the team at Debbie Dogrul Associates spent shifts at the Lamb Center in October 2019, helping our neighbors with chores around the center from laundry, to yard work and inventory to keep them comfortable and well-fed during their days at the center.   Our on-site volunteering in October also extended to the Food for Others warehouse, where we helped keep their shelves stocked and organized and packed care packages for the guests who visit the facility. 

Annual Fundraising Event

The DDA Love Foundation hosted the second annual Guest Bartender night in August 2019 with our friends at The Auld Shebeen in Fairfax City.  Thanks to generous donations from our vendor partners, friends, and other small businesses in the area; our raffle to benefit Building Veterans helped raise over $10,000 to benefit Building Veterans.  It was a fun-filled, emotional, and wonderful evening with food, camaraderie, and giveaway - we look forward to hosting another benefit soon!