Containers

BreadBreakers is a community where we can discuss hard things while keeping sight of each other's humanity. What better way to practice that than a community forum on immigration? **The [Northern Virginia Returned Peace Corps Volunteers](https://novarpcv.org/) (NOVA RPCVs) has invited the BreadBreakers community to partner with them on a community forum they are hosting to talk about immigration** — history, current issues, and potential solutions. Come and be part of a nuanced, curiosity-first conversation on this important issue! Immigration experts Kamana Mathur and Tom Carroll will provide an overview of the current immigration landscape, take questions, and lead a discussion across diverse viewpoints. The goal is constructive dialogue, improving understanding, and identification of common ground where it exists — and after the session, the hosts will compile the discussion into a white paper outlining suggested reforms. ***New to BreadBreakers?*** BreadBreakers is a community that, in a time of division and isolation, come be part of the community that's rebuilding the town square, one table at a time. At our main monthly gatherings, we use the common space of the dining table to have conversations where neighbors can **hear, be heard, and know one another.** If you're hungry for good conversation and deeper community, check out [our next community dinner on May 28th](https://www.meetup.com/breadbreakers/events/314435661) and help blaze the trail to a healthier, more connected society and democracy. BreadBreakers is a collaboration between [Restoration United Methodist Church](https://restorationreston.org/breadbreakers) in Reston, VA and the wider community where people of all faiths, beliefs, and “stripes” can create a shared town square together. Our leadership and community is a blend of people who attend Restoration, and people who don’t. We are a place where those of all walks of life can hear and be heard, without trying to convince or convert.

Let’s meet again to share the joy of fountain pens with each other! Bring your spare inks to swap samples, if you enjoy that sort of thing. Journaling and art is welcome as well. Please Note! We are not affiliated with this location, we will be sharing the space with other visitors and we don’t have a reservation, so let’s be mindful!

Join us for a fun experience with conveyor belt sushi and robots that serve drinks at **Kura Revolving Sushi Bar** (Tysons location)! ***NOTE: We'll be seated in 3 groups of 4 people. Each group will have their own tab - and should be able to split the bill using the ordering tablet. In the event that is not the case, please be prepared to calculate / split the tab with your table group (include 10% tax plus 20% tip). While some may be inclined to tip less due to the high tech nature of this experience, please be mindful that tips are shared between the restaurant and kitchen staff. Thanks in advance for your consideration.*** ***Patch:*** Shoppers at Tysons Corner Center may be familiar with the revolving sushi bar on the lower level of the mall. Just minutes away from the mall, there's a standalone restaurant serving sushi and other Japenese dishes moved by a conveyor belt and drinks delivered by robots. Kura Sushi is a Japanese restaurant concept established in Japan in 1977 and expanded to the U.S. in 2008. The restaurant brand helped establish the revolving sushi concept, which features sushi plates circulated around the restaurant by conveyor belt. There's also an express belt where kitchen staff can send dishes customers order by tablet at their table. The menu features over 140 Japanese dishes free of artificial sweeteners, seasonings, preservatives and coloring. One of the restaurant brand's technological features has been drink orders delivered by Kur-B the KuraBot robot. Staff typically receive orders, place beverages on the robots and program it to deliver to a specific table. Diners place orders directly on the tablet at their table and check out on their mobile phone. The restaurant offers prizes once certain numbers of dishes are ordered. These prizes could include keychains, cable protectors and stickers. The prizes are usually available for purchase at the restaurant while supplies last. Diners can also join the Kura Sushi Rewards program, which provides a $5 reward for every $50 spent, allows diners to see live wait times, join the waitlist remotely, and receive special promotions. The restaurant brand has hundreds of locations in Japan, Taiwan and the U.S. The Tysons location is the 40th U.S. location and was the first in Virginia. Check out Kura menu [here ](https://kurasushi.com/menu/) **WAITLIST:** Meetup does not allow a waitlist for paid events. If this event fills and you are interested in adding your name to the waitlist, please send host a message through the app. To enhance the opportunity for great conversation, we would like to keep the group small. Please feel free to sign-up to meet us along with up to 2 friends. In the future, we will vary the days of the week, geography and the cost of restaurants so that we can attract many different types of diners. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE COMMITTED TO GO WHEN YOU RSVP FOR THIS EVENT. In the event our group incurs a fee for no-shows / late cancellations, your ability to RSVP for future events will be restricted. Thank you in advance for your understanding.Feel free to make suggestions for future meet locations. All diners will have their own tab to avoid any confusion. \*\* The small non-refundable registration fee helps us share the cost associated with Meetup platform ($360/year) and reduces the likelihood of no-shows, allowing us to better plan our events and accommodate attendees. Thank you in advance for your understanding!\*\* If you are unable to join us in June, we hope you'll stay interested and join us for a meal in the future. Looking forward to seeing you at Kura in Tysons!

Join us for MORE Women's MTB Ride at the Cabin John Trails in Potomac, MD. Beginner-level riders are welcome and encouraged to join in the fun! A mountain bike in good condition and helmet are required. **Sign up at Golden Volunteer here:** [https://x.gldn.io/e/jgkrtQUn21b](https://x.gldn.io/e/jgkrtQUn21b) ***Please do not sign up on Meetup! If you do, you won't be alerted if the ride is cancelled!*** **Meet** at 6:00 PM with wheels down at 6:10 PM. We will not ride if the trails are wet or muddy. Check your email from Golden Volunteer in case the ride is cancelled due to weather/trail conditions. **Description** \- The event is open for women age 18\+\. You must sign a waiver on the Golden Volunteer link\, wear a helmet\, and be able to comfortably ride your mountain bike\. We expect to ride about 4\-5 miles on single track natural surface trails\. Bring your mountain bike\, helmet\, and drinking water\. This ride is **not suitable for hybrid bikes**! As space is limited, please update your RSVP if you cannot attend. **And support your trails and join MORE! www.more-mtb.org** **Where** – Meet at the parking lot for the Cabin John Group Picnic Area at 7701 Tuckerman Lane, Potomac, MD. Follow Google Maps at: https://goo.gl/maps/aumXoQnD2qAp3iNp9

## 1 Million Cups Loudoun – Business Presentation ### Featuring Mary Hartshorn, Founder of Craft Alchemy **Wednesday\, June 10 \| 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM** **Venture X Loudoun** Join us as we welcome **Mary Hartshorn**, founder of **Craft Alchemy**, to the 1 Million Cups Loudoun stage. *** ## About the Presenter Mary Hartshorn is an Army Veteran, entrepreneur, and founder of Craft Alchemy. With a background in communications and logistics and an MBA earned in 2016, Mary spent years developing expertise in e-commerce, digital products, automation systems, Shopify, Etsy, and customer-focused product development while raising her family and navigating military life. In 2024, a personal moment of crisis inspired Mary to create a tool that could help others facing similar challenges. What began as a resource for veterans quickly evolved into a broader solution designed to support individuals and families navigating autism, mental health challenges, caregiving responsibilities, medical conditions, and other situations where communication can become difficult during times of stress. *** ## About the Business Craft Alchemy has developed the **Anchor Tag Support System**, a personalized QR-based support hub that helps individuals quickly access calming tools, emergency contacts, support resources, and personalized information when they need it most. Designed to bridge the gap between physical and digital support, Anchor Tags provide a practical, accessible tool for Veterans, First Responders, autism families, caregivers, mental health advocates, schools, healthcare providers, and organizations focused on community well-being. Rather than creating another app, Craft Alchemy offers a real-world solution that can be carried, accessed quickly, and utilized during moments when support and communication matter most. *** ## Who Mary Is Looking to Hear From Mary would especially value feedback and connections from: * Veteran support organizations * First responder support groups * Mental health professionals and advocates * Autism and disability support organizations * School administrators and special education professionals * Healthcare and caregiving professionals * Nonprofit leaders * Community outreach specialists * Government contracting and partnership advisors * Local leaders focused on community impact initiatives *** ## Current Business Focus & Challenge Craft Alchemy is currently in its early growth and partnership stage. Mary's primary focus is building awareness, establishing strategic partnerships, and expanding opportunities within organizations and community-based networks. She is seeking feedback around: * Building strategic partnerships * Scaling awareness organically * Expanding into schools, nonprofits, and community organizations * Navigating government and organizational opportunities * Growing a mission-driven business without relying heavily on paid advertising She would also appreciate introductions to individuals and organizations connected to veterans, first responders, mental health advocacy, autism support, caregiving, education, and community health initiatives. *** ## Why Attend? * Learn about an innovative solution designed to support people during moments of stress and crisis * Provide valuable feedback to a mission-driven entrepreneur * Connect with community leaders, advocates, and professionals across multiple industries * Be part of a meaningful conversation around accessibility, support, and community impact *** ## About 1 Million Cups 1 Million Cups is a national program that brings entrepreneurs and communities together to learn, connect, and grow through presentations and discussion. Loudoun’s chapter meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays each month. Join us on **June 10** for coffee, connection, and a conversation about creating practical solutions that strengthen individuals, families, and communities. We look forward to seeing you there.

**The Neural Revolution Is Happening Right Now — Are You Plugged In?** Imagine typing with your thoughts. Steering a robotic limb with a neural signal. Lifting depression by stimulating a single brain circuit. Loading a skill straight into memory. This isn't science fiction. It's happening in labs, clinics, and startups around the world — and the DC region, home to NIH, the BRAIN Initiative, and DARPA's neural-interface programs, is one of the places it's being funded and built. **This Event Is for You If…** * ✅ You're a **technologist** curious about the computing paradigm beyond screens and keyboards * ✅ You work in **healthcare** and want to see how neural interfaces will reshape patient care * ✅ You're an **entrepreneur** hunting the next real opportunity in deep tech * ✅ You're a **researcher** looking to plug into the broader BCI ecosystem * ✅ You're simply **fascinated** by where neuroscience and technology collide * ✅ You **missed our last meetup** and want to reconnect with the community **Why That List Makes Us Unique in DC** Read it again. A technologist, a clinician, a founder, a researcher, and the merely curious — in the same room, on the same afternoon. That mix is the whole point, and it's what no other event in the region offers. Neuroscience conferences are built for neuroscientists. AI meetups are built for engineers. Healthcare summits are built for clinicians. Each one serves a single silo. Brain computing doesn't live in any one of those silos — it lives in the overlap. So we built the one community in DC dedicated to that overlap: a place where the person decoding neural signals can talk to the person who'll commercialize the device, who can talk to the clinician who'll put it in front of a patient. **What You'll Walk Away With** This isn't just another tech meetup. Because of who's in the room, you get: * **Frontline insight** from people actively decoding neural signals * **Direct access** to the scientists, engineers, and founders pushing BCI forward — not a panel behind a rope line * **Hands-on work** with real neural data and BCI systems * **Career connections** in one of the fastest-growing fields in tech * **First looks** at breakthrough research before it reaches mainstream media **The Stakes Are Real** We're at an inflection point. The next decade decides whether brain-computer interfaces *expand* human potential or *deepen* inequality — whether they're built in the open or behind closed doors, whether the benefits are shared or hoarded. Your voice, your expertise, your perspective shapes which future we get. **Join the Minds Shaping Tomorrow** This is your entry point into the neural-interface revolution — your chance to stand alongside the researchers reading neural code, the engineers building the interfaces, the clinicians treating patients, and the founders bringing it all to market. **Saturday, June 13 · 12:00–3:00 PM** isn't just a meetup. It's the one place in DC where all of those people come together around brain computing. **Come curious. Leave connected. Return transformed.** Because the future of human-computer interaction isn't happening *to* you — it's happening *with* you.

Join us for a peaceful and inspiring Saturday morning at Glenstone on Saturday, June 20 at 10:00 AM! Nestled in Potomac, Maryland, Glenstone is a unique destination where art, architecture, and nature blend together in a beautifully designed space meant for reflection and exploration. **Admission tickets are reserved; please only RSVP if you are committed to attending and arriving on time. The ticket entry time is 10 AM.** We’ll spend the morning wandering through the indoor galleries, outdoor sculpture installations, serene walking paths, and landscaped grounds. Expect a relaxing mix of modern and contemporary art, peaceful scenery, and thoughtful conversation with fellow attendees. The campus is quite large, so comfortable walking shoes are highly recommended. Many visitors spend 2–4 hours exploring the grounds and exhibits. If people are interested, we can go to lunch afterward.