Citizen of the Year - 2007
Jay Edwards
Fairfax Resolves Chapter is proud to recognize Jay Edwards as the Chapter’s 2007 Good Citizen of the Year. Mr. Edward’s long history of volunteer service, leadership, and achievement, including contribution of over 1200 volunteer hours of work annually make him a deserving recipient.
Mr. Jay Edwards was born in 1935 in New York, NY; graduated from Brown University with a BA in Mathematics in 1957; was commissioned in the Navy; and was employed at both IBM and GE as a computer software engineer/consultant.
Jay Edwards has a long history of volunteer work including Boy Scout leadership; coaching youth baseball, basketball and swimming; and working with sick children at NIH and INOVA Fairfax Hospital for Children. During the past several years Jay Edwards, as a citizen and Commander, American Legion Post 270, McLean, has led a remarkable number of volunteer activities that have benefited the Greater McLean Community, Fairfax County, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and our Country. This exceptional effort started several years ago when Edwards became a member of American Legion Post 270 in McLean. He undertook an effort to make his American Legion Post more involved in the traditional programs of the American Legion: Americanism, Children and Youth, Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation, and Community Support. Jay has shown exceptional leadership in guiding his Post in each of these areas.
When asked what he considers his best accomplishment at the Post, he quickly responds "establishing a program at Post 270 where learning disabled children could learn life-long job skills." Working with counselors at McLean High School, Jay provided the resources so students could learn to send out mailings, set up meeting rooms, and maintain an office environment. In 2006, students from Langley were added to the program. He is also proud that the Post has sponsored alcohol-free graduation parties at both McLean and Langley High School. Annually, Post 270 sends at least 12 rising seniors to the prestigious program, Boys State, to learn about state and local government. Jay helps select those deserving of this honor. The Post pays all expenses for those selected. Edwards is pleased to offer use of his Post rent-free to other non-profits such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and DAR.
Jay’s most significant personal volunteer achievement is the formation of the Angels of Mercy Program in 2003 with his wife Marian Chirichella. Jay and Marian went to Walter Reed Army Medical Center [WRAMC] to become American Red Cross volunteers in support of our Operation Iraqi Freedom [OIF] and Operation Enduring Freedom [OEF] combat casualties. When they saw how little support was available, they used their years of professional project management experience to build the Angels of Mercy program, which is now known and respected, not just at WRAMC, but at Combat Support Hospitals [CSH] in Afghanistan and Iraq; Forward Operating Bases like Camp Korean Village and Q-West; an R&R facility in Qatar; and at several Fisher Houses across the Country.
The scope and depth of Jay Edwards’s impact in his volunteer efforts has been local, national and international. He and the more than forty dedicated volunteers he leads have made life better for our wounded military personnel and their families. They have helped our forward deployed forces with material aid as well as providing them with material to help the children and students of Iraq and Afghanistan. He overcame obstacles by demonstrating initiative, leadership, responsibility, dependability, and creativity. Using the internet and American Legion communications, he contacted the 14,000 Posts and other sources requesting support for the Angles of Mercy resulting in contributions valued at over $1,000,000. Support has come from every state in the union. The Angels website tells the story best Angel's of Mercy.
Because of his long history of volunteer service, leadership, and achievement, including contribution of over 1200 volunteer hours of work annually, the Fairfax Resolves Chapter is proud recognize Jay Edwards as the Chapter’s Good Citizen of the Year Award.