Agents at the Springfield, Virginia, office of Long & Foster Real Estate collected toy donations and raised more than $3,000 in support of the Fairfax County Foster Care and Adoption program this holiday season.

Fairfax County’s Foster Care and Adoption program has more than 1,500 children in it and works to place children in stable homes temporarily or permanently and provides numerous related services. Since 1996, real estate agent Beckie Owen has led annual efforts to support the county’s program. This year that included a vendor fair and breakfast that was held Dec. 6 at the Long & Foster Springfield office.

“Fairfax County’s Foster Care and Adoption program has been near and dear to my heart for many years,” Owen said. “These are children and teens that in many cases have experienced a lot of difficulty in their young lives. To be able to work together and help make sure these kids have a happier holiday season means so much to all of us.”

The vendor fair included more than a dozen members of Long & Foster’s Home Service Connections program, which is a directory or pre-screened home service providers. About 14 vendors took part in the event and contributed to the cause, including Rick Galliher who owns a local 1-800-Got-Junk franchise and donated $1,000.

Once donation collection ended, monetary donations were used to purchase additional toys for the Fairfax County Foster Care and Adoption program. Another Home Services Connections vendor, Olympia Moving and Storage, volunteered to deliver all the donations to the county.

“Giving back to the many communities in which we live and work is important to our Long & Foster family, and we’re proud to have Beckie and all the Springfield agents as a part of that family,” said Jeffrey S. Detwiler, president and chief operating officer of The Long & Foster Companies. “These agents, and the many more Long & Foster agents like them, are a fantastic example of how to live one’s values.”

For more information about Long & Foster, visit www.LongandFoster.com.