When Hurricane Sandy struck the coast at the end of October it did damage that hit the news channels around the globe. The 80 mile per hour winds took lives, did billions of dollars in damage, and left thousands of people homeless. Many people are aware of the human impact of this tragedy, but few know about how the animals were in impacted in the area. As it turns out, many pets were lost, displaced, injured, and separated from their families.

“There is an element of tragedy here that many people have not even heard about and it is all the animals that have been impacted,” explains Robert Misseri, president of Guardians of Rescue, an organization dedicated to helping animals in need. “What we try to do is help raise awareness and to help as many animals as we can, but we really need the support of others in order to be more successful at our mission.”

Metropolitan Fine Arts Center (MFAC) of Alexandria and Fairfax Station, Va. will host their annual Breakfast with Santa on Sun., Dec. 16 at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Hotel Monaco, 480 King Street in Old Town Alexandria. Tickets range in price from $35 to $45 per person. All tickets can be purchased online at www.metrofinearts.com.

Frosty Follies’ performers will join Santa for the annual Breakfast with Santa. The family-event offers Sunday brunch at the Hotel Monaco in Old Town Alexandria, complete with a live jazz performance from Metropolitan Fine Arts Center dancers, interactive song and dance workshop for the kids, special goody bags and visits from Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Suzy Snowflake and her International Dolls.

Metropolitan Fine Arts Center (MFAC) of Alexandria and Fairfax Station, Va. will present their annual Nutcracker performances on Sat., Dec. 1 and Sun., Dec. 2 at the Northern Virginia Community College, Ernst Cultural Center at the Annandale Campus. All tickets can be purchased online, with $1 of every ticket going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in memory of MFAC’s former dance student, Emma Jordan, who lost her battle with cancer.  Nutcracker tickets can be purchased at www.metrofinearts.com.

The dance studio will also offer free Frosty Follies performances at:
            Sat., Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. - Reston Town Center,  Reston Va.

            Sat., Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. – Kingstowne Towne Center,  Alexandria, Va.