Many people may not know it, but the largest ear, nose, throat, head and neck surgery organization’s headquarters is right here in Old Town, Alexandria. For more than 20 years, the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery was located at One Prince Street, on the banks of the Potomac River. Last August the Association moved headquarters up to Diagonal Road facing the King Street Metro station. With their new central, easy-to-reach location, they hope more people will stop by and find out about the organization and what they do for physicians and their patients. They are easy to spot – just look for the bright red awning.

Besides getting settled and meeting new neighbors, the Academy has been continuing their involvement in the local community. Last April they took part in “Spring for Alexandria,” a three-day, city-wide event to raise awareness about local causes. This year’s drive produced 2,000 volunteers who devoted 10,000 hours to more than 70 community projects in Alexandria. The dedicated staff contributed in several ways – painting the donation room of the local Red Cross chapter, and participating in “Lemon-aide,” when parents and kids set up lemonade stands to raise money for local children’s charities. In June they hosted a book drive to benefit the Heart of America Foundation, which provides books and literacy programs to children in DC and Alexandria.

In November they launched a neighborhood food drive to support the Capital Area Food Bank in helping the more than 633,000 residents of the DC metro area who suffer from hunger. For this project, they have partnered with one of their new neighbors, the Washington Speakers Bureau.

During the holiday season, they will be collecting toys to donate to Dr. Bear’s Closet, a program that brings toys to sick children at Children’s National Medical Center.

The AAO-HNSF invites other local organizations to join them in serving our community. Contact Alissa Parady at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you and your business are interested in working together on a project.

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