Silent Auction for Street Sense on Thursday
City Desk recently ran an item about how Street Sense, D.C.'s homeless newspaper, was one of the only local publications thriving during the recession. As a volunteer member of the board of directors of Street Sense, the piece made me cringe just a little bit, even though I get what reporter Chris Lewis was trying to say: more and more people are turning to jobs selling the paper, so circulation is up. But make no mistake, this has been an incredibly shaky year financially for Street Sense, just like every other non-profit in town. Grants and donations are down across the board, and the board has had to make difficult choices to keep the organization, which employs almost 100 area homeless men and women, afloat.
All of this is to explain is why I'm shamelessly promoting Street Sense's annual silent auction fundraiser, Bidding for Change!
This is Street Sense's major fundraising effort for the year, and it's deliberately scheduled just before the cold weather sets in, so the paper can make sure it will continue to be able to keep its vendors employed through the difficult winter months.
Please consider coming to the auction and supporting Street Sense's vital mission. The details are as follows:
Street Sense's Bidding for Change Silent Action
Thursday, October 8
7-10 p.m.
WVSA Arts Connection
1100 16th Street NW
Tickets start at $30 in advance (purchase them here), or $40 at the door. Also be aware that there is a coupon included in this week's Street Sense which offers half-off the door price, so you can pay only $20 at the door if you purchase a paper from a vendor this week. Included in the price of admission: food, drinks, access to the auction, and entertainment in the form of really excellent spoken word performances from some of Street Sense's vendors.
Some of the auction items include: Tickets to Washington Wizards and Capitals games, tickets to the Strathmore and Studio Theater, a vacation in Bethany Beach, gift certificates to Brassiere Beck, Big Bear Cafe, Busboys and Poets, and Café Saint Ex, signed photographs of Alexander Ovechkin and Antawn Jamison, and much more.
There's also still time to donate items to the auction. Contact Laura Thompson Osuri at laura[at]streetsense.org to make a donation.