Non-profits

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December 22, 2010 | 11:35 PM | By

Tweet of the Day, 12.22

Hi. Consider joining me as a tutor at the Washington Literacy Council for 2K11. It will make you a better speller! http://on.fb.me/ev2wea
December 22, 2010 6:11 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@kristoncapps
Kriston Capps

He had me at “Hello” when I read this testimonial, on The Washington Literacy Council’s Facebook page:

“I have worked at a local hospital for the last twenty one years as a house keeper. I didn’t pick that job for my self; someone picked it for me. My options were limited because of my reading problem. I am now working as a recreation specialist coaching sports. I am telling you this because I know firsthand how it feels not being able to do something you want to do because of your reading problem.” Excerpt from 2010 WLC Graduation speech written by Sandra, a former student.

FILED UNDER: Media, Non-profits, Philanthropy, Social Media, TOTD
December 20, 2010 | 12:55 PM | By

Tripling the Impact of a Donation to WAWF

Flickr: Thomas Hawk

Look at the amazing things you can do with money!

I think sometimes, people don’t give money to charitable organizations because they worry that whatever they give isn’t enough. Charity is for wealthy people, who donate thousands of dollars at a time, right? Alternately, I know people (myself included), who are amenable to the idea of giving and plan to do so, but are especially inspired by offers to have their gifts matched– who doesn’t want to see a gift doubled, or, in lucky instances, tripled?

I just received an email from the Washington Area Women’s Foundation– which works to improve the lives of local women and girls– with exactly that offer:

A generous donor has agreed to match every gift received from our year end campaign with a 2-to-1 match — up to $100,000. That means for every dollar you donate, our donor will give two dollars. A $100 donation will have the impact of a $300 donation. $500 becomes $1,500. And your gift will help fund our efforts to ensure that every woman and girl in our community has the opportunity to attain economic security and reach her full potential.

If the WAWF sounds familiar, it may be because of their Portrait of Women and Girls in the Washington Metropolitan Area, which was released this Fall.

If you know of other local non-profits or charities who have similar offers to match gifts, let us know. A donation in someone’s name may be the perfect gift for a hard-to-shop-for friend or family member (I’m looking at you, Mom).

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Non-profits, Philanthropy, Poverty
December 16, 2010 | 4:49 PM | By

“Start with friends and neighbors…”

Muffet/Flickr

While in the process of learning more about local charities and non-profits this week, I spoke to Terri Freeman, President of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region as part of my research; I wanted to share part of her interview with you, because I think it illuminates a strategy for addressing one of the larger issues this blog was designed to explore– gentrification and the neighborhood tensions that come with it. I was merely asking Ms. Freeman for her take on “How to Help” this holiday season, but as she was speaking, I thought about how her words were just as relevant with regards to the changes that are remaking this city, block by block:

In addition to the five organizations you can give to or volunteer with, I would also suggest that people consider doing something nice for people in their own neighborhood. Be neighborly. If there are elderly people in your neighborhood, bring them something to eat (or help them with shoveling snow).

Believe it or not, in every neighborhood, there is probably somebody who can definitely use your help. You never know who might be watching what you say to somebody and the impact it can have on them.

I’m thinking back to several years ago when it was Christmas eve, and it was snowing. We were hit with Christmas spirit and decided to go caroling in the neighborhood…boy oh boy, did people look at us like we were aliens! And I think that’s because we have gotten away from doing those kind of community activities.

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FILED UNDER: The People, Non-profits
December 15, 2010 | 5:55 PM | By

What Five Local Charities Need, Right Now

Last week I mentioned that my favorite part of Thanksgiving this year wasn’t the eating or the eating– it was participating in the 40th Annual Trot for Hunger, benefiting So Others Might Eat. I know many of you feel the same way about trying to do good, especially around the holidays, so I thought it might be useful to compile a list of what five great local charities need, right now:

1) Sasha Bruce Youthworks. Addressing D.C.’s budget shortfall meant painful cuts which disproportionately hurt “safety net” organizations like this one, which works to help runaway, homeless and at-risk youth and their families. Sasha Bruce Youthworks was one of the first organizations that President Obama visited (and volunteered at!) after his inauguration. Jim Beck, Director of Development, said:

During the holiday season, the types of things we need are warm winter clothes: lightly used winter jackets, hats, socks and underwear of all sizes for young people. We also need gifts or toys for toddlers through teenagers. We are trying to have nice holiday parties for the kids in our care, who are not with their families.

Need more information? Call 202-675-9340.

2) Miriam’s Kitchen tweeted this wishlist, yesterday:

ON OUR WISH LIST: Sleeping bags, winter boots, coats, gloves, and socks. It's very cold outside for our guests, thank you for your help!
December 14, 2010 2:55 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@miriamskitchen
Miriam's Kitchen

If you have questions about donating clothing, call (202) 452-8926 or check out their site.

3) Bright Beginnings is a “nationally-accredited child and family development center” which helps homeless families with children. Right now, they need two things, according to Joan Woods, Director of Development and Communication:

Grocery store gift cards or Metro cards in 20 or 25 dollar increments. Recent metro fare increases have hit homeless families especially hard, and we try to help these families get their kids to school. We can give a grocery gift card to a family in crisis, so they can buy medicine, formula, diapers, whatever they need.

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FILED UNDER: Around the City, Non-profits, Poverty
December 10, 2010 | 12:05 PM | By

How to put the “Happy” in our Holidays

DCentric

SOME's 40th Anniversary Thanksgiving Day Trot for Hunger

I had a lovely thanksgiving. I rarely get to see my only sibling on that day which is dedicated to families, but this year, I spent it with her, eating pizza. That’s a tradition she unwittingly created while serving in the Air Force, overseas. Like me, she’s a strict vegetarian, and when she was stationed in certain countries, the biggest treat she could find was pizza, so every year for almost a decade, that’s what she ate. I’m proud to continue that tradition with her, because of the poignant story behind it.

So that’s how I spent my Thanksgiving– with family, eating cheese, introducing everyone to the wonder that is “Boardwalk Empire“. We even indulged in some eye-roll-worthy retail shenanigans at midnight. But what stands out to me most about this Thanksgiving–even more than the Gino’s pizza which was lovingly carried here from Chicago for us to enjoy– was how we started that morning; we were up by 6 and on the Mall by 7am, looking for parking so that four of us could participate in the So Others Might Eat 5k. I am embarrassed to admit that aside from being excited about naming our team (“Pilgrim and Wrong Indians”), I was grumbling about my lack of sleep and the lack of sun (or warmth) at such a cold, early hour.
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FILED UNDER: Media, Non-profits, Philanthropy, Poverty, WAMU
December 2, 2010 | 1:03 PM | By

Giant Food: “No Comment” on Salvation Army Limits

jimmy_best

Bell ringers for The Salvation Army.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about how Giant supermarkets had planned to limit the amount of time The Salvation Army’s bell-ringers could stand outside their stores and bring attention to the iconic red kettle, which many of us associate with giving during the holiday season. The story was widely-reported, because in the past, The Salvation Army would collect half of its total haul from Giant patrons. Limiting “kettle time” to one week in November and one week in December would drastically affect how much money could be raised.

The reactions of local shoppers have been divided; some are angry or saddened at the move, others applaud it, because they don’t care for the “pressure” to give or because of their disagreements with The Salvation Army (specifically with regards to the LGBT community).

I tried to contact someone at Giant because I had several questions about this change in policy. An email sent to Jamie Miller, who manages Public & Community Relations for Giant yielded this prepared statement, which was shared with local media:

Giant is committed to supporting the communities in which we operate, and
we allow non-profit organizations and community groups to solicit outside
our stores. We receive hundreds of requests from groups requesting
permission to use the areas outside of our stores for fundraising,
education purposes, and to collect signatures. Because of the increased
needs in our communities, we felt it essential to create opportunities for
as many community groups as possible.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Non-profits
November 30, 2010 | 11:30 AM | By

Building a Playground in Southwest with Kaboom!

TalkMediaNews

The Kaboom! Van

Yay for playgrounds! By next year, there will be a new one in Southwest, but they need 80+ volunteers to help build it (in a single day). I learned about this via Southwest: The Little Quadrant That Could:

It looks like the effort to bring a centrally-located children’s playground to SW has paid off and one is now planned for the park space adjacent to the Southwest Branch Library at 3rd & I Streets. If you recall back in April, I caught some flack from commenters after expressing my opinion (which I rarely do on this blog) about one of the proposed locations for a playground – the District-owned northeast parcel of Waterfront Station. I’m glad the selected location for the park is not on this parcel, which will cause less angst (and unnecessary expense) when the District eventually decides to allow developers to build housing and ground-floor retail on the site, and a new location for the playground would need to be found…

According to the project website, there are currently 14 volunteer members (myself included) and $5,000 has been donated so far, which is 10% of the $50,000 needed to build the park. The goal is to build the park by this time next year – November 29, 2011.

The playground is being developed with the help of KaBoom!, a neat non-profit which is headquartered in D.C. More on the group, via Wiki:
Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Children, Non-profits
November 29, 2010 | 10:55 AM | By

A Drop in the Bucket

DCentric

Salvation Army Red Kettle, Social Safeway, Washington, D.C.

Last week, for the first time this holiday season, I put money in a Salvation Army red kettle– at a Safeway, not Giant. However, whatever I or my fellow shoppers have been dropping in that nostalgia-inducing red bucket isn’t enough to make up for Giant Food’s new policy which limits the charity’s access to its shoppers:

One of the Salvation Army’s most recognizable fundraisers — the Red Kettle campaign —isn’t performing well in its first week and representatives are pointing toward a new Giant Food policy as the reason.

The National Capital Area Salvation Army reported today that the campaign — where volunteers and paid personnel stand outside shopping centers during the holidays ringing a bell to draw attention to the large red bucket next to them — has seen a $74,000 drop in donations compared to the same week last year…Area Commander Major Steve Morris, reported today that “the economy’s tight hold on family budgets” and a new policy instituted by Giant Food account for the decrease. The grocer’s policy reduced the number of days the Salvation Army can be at the grocery stores to one week in November and one week in December for four hours each day.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Money, Non-profits
November 24, 2010 | 3:32 PM | By

Turkeys on Obama’s Plate, Today

Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy

Courage the Turkey was the lucky recipient of the 2009 Pardon.

After the President partakes in the Thanksgiving tradition of pardoning two turkeys at the White House, he has some nice plans for the rest of the day:

Later Wednesday, Obama and his family were delivering two turkeys less fortunate than Apple and Cider to Martha’s Table, a local charity that feeds the hungry and provides other community services. A Pennsylvania turkey farm donated the birds.

The Obamas visited the charity last year, also on Thanksgiving eve, and helped hand out frozen turkeys, stuffing and other fixings to people standing in line.

FILED UNDER: Delightful City, Non-profits, Obama
November 23, 2010 | 3:42 PM | By

Giving Thanks by Giving Back

Mozul

Washingtonian has a great roundup of opportunities for giving back, this Thanksgiving. I’m doing the first event on the list, the Thanksgiving Day Trot for Hunger which benefits So Others Might Eat. It’s a 5K which supports “services for the homeless and hungry, including the thousand-plus meals served on Thanksgiving Day”.  Here are three more ways to volunteer or make a donation:

Central Union Mission
We know that time is precious during the holidays—help Central Union Mission with the click of your mouse by sponsoring a table for only $1.98 per meal or $19.80 for a “table” of ten people. Click here to make a donation.

Capital Area Food Bank
Donate to Bringing in the Birds With Bucks, which provides Thanksgiving meals to low-income seniors. Each meal ($15) contains turkey, cornbread mix, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, green beans, and corn. The group hopes to serve 2,500 people this year. Click here to make a donation.

Martha’s Table
Martha’s Table is hosting a community Thanksgiving dinner Sunday, November 21. There’ll be turkey, mashed potatoes, fresh veggies, and more. Call 202-328-6608 to ask about volunteer opportunities. The next day is the annual Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway, where the Obamas put in some time last year. To learn more or to donate food, click here.

More information is here.

FILED UNDER: Media, Hunger, Non-profits, Poverty