The Weekly Feed: Experimentation Edition
Morning Roundup: Change Edition
Former Blade Staffers Launch 'DC Agenda'
D.C. Insurance Dept. Denies Birth Control Coverage Meddling
Controversy Over Rhee Now to Include Sex, Congress
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.
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so, is it gift certificates to big bear, or can you actually win big bear?
(j/k)
Butterface
Silent auctions only make money if you serve plenty of free booze. (yes, I've made that mistake.)
Really a educative and informative post, the post is good in all regards,I am glad to read this post.
worsethanhitler
Sommer: What are your thoughts on the Franklin School and the Mitch Snyder homeless shelter operations, in terms of using them for their current homeless services uses, as compared to having them generate income by offering them to private developers? Do you think their use is a wise use of homeless services funds?
I wish someone (Sommer maybe?) would figure out just how much income these public properties actually generate for the city once they are sold to private developers. I mean, if the city sold them at market rates, instead of giving them away that would be one thing, but Geez Louise, that never seems to happen. Here we had buildings providing services that the city desperately needs. Fenty says, don't worry about it. We're gonna find permanent housing for these folks. Then as soon as they close the shelters down, Fenty's permanent housing program is shut down. Come on!
I guarantee you that these properties would bring in literally hundreds of millions of dollars, both in sale (or long term rental), plus the tax revenue on the developed property. The Mitch Snyder property, in particular, is an entire city block a couple of blocks from the Capitol. Development rights for a 12 story building there would be astounding.
The Franklin School has some limitations, in that it's a historic building and can't be enlarged. But still it's on very high dollar land, and could undoubtedly bring in a huge chunk of change.
Proceeds from these two properties (and the one close to Union Station..... the name always escapes me.... Gales School?) would fund the most spectactular homeless programs that you could ever dream of.
The cost? The politically popular 'in your face' downtown location.
The next time we are decrying a lack of funding for real homeless services, let's at least be honest and admit that we chose a tony political address over actual funding for services.