Ever year, Reston Limousine donates more than $100,000 worth of services to charitable organizations through contributions of transportation service and gift certificates for fund raising events.
Here, CEO Kristina Bouweiri offers her thoughts on her corporate philanthropy strategy:
“We feel it’s important to give back to the community and do what we can when we can for those in need. Fortunately we have a limousine service with buses and vans and sedans. We don’t donate a lot of cash; what we do donate are gift certificates for silent auctions, and we donate buses and limousines for perhaps children that are going to the airport for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, or maybe a group that needs to get somewhere in our slow season. We’re really busy in the spring and fall, and we’re slow in the summer and the winter so when our business is slow, we have 160 vehicles and we try to utilize those vehicles to do good. So in the summer maybe we’re driving 25 kids to camp that couldn’t afford a bus, and in the winter we did a big job for Telos, we gave them three huge buses to take 150 employees down to Arlington National Cemetery to lay wreaths. Those are the types we try and do to be a good corporate citizen.”
Tags: philanthropy
What should we do in Tysons and to ixmamize the value of Rail? We need to get ridership up on Dulles Rail from the day it opens. One approach that Fairfax County reluctantly accepted was to encourage near-rail parking for commuters. The smart growthers hate this because they hate cars. But it makes sense. Put in commuter parking and we will have more Silver Line riders from day one. This also puts more money in the landowners’ pockets, which, in turn, increases the likelihood that we will have the necessary infrastructure. When the land is ready to develop, the parking lots will disappear just like they did in the R-B Corridor.Approve the first rezoning application of the Georgelas Group. It proposes to build 400 rental units, including 20% workforce housing, within the TOD zone. The project also includes paid parking. A tenant will not receive a parking space with his/her apartment. The County also needs to follow the Comp Plan by making sure that density is approved only within the TOD areas. Density creep will result in donut hole development building away from the stations because land is cheaper there, but also less transit usage and more auto traffic.Put the bulk of the infrastructure costs on the landowner/developers, but then work with them to harness and not impede development. The County needs to be flexible on tax districts. Just having one big district will not work. Landowners that will not be developing will not vote for a big district. We need a combination of a Tysons-wide and smaller districts overlays. We also need the GA to approve amendments to the transportation tax district law to enable small districts to contribute to Tysons-wide improvements. The GA also needs to permit Fairfax County to create an Income Tax TIF (tax increment financing) that will allow the County to keep a portion of the added personal and corporate income tax revenues generated by Tysons Corner to help pay for the infrastructure. A Tysons Corner with adequate infrastructure will generate a lot more money for Richmond than it will without the necessary public facilities. Instead of saying silly things about progress, this is what the Gary Nakomotos of this county need to be saying.The GA should also permit Fairfax County to levy a parking tax that can be used for more bus transit, including buses on the HOT Lanes.Do these things and Tysons/Dulles Rail will be more successful than if these things aren’t done. We might even achieve real progress.