Results tagged “charity”

Arriving in D.C. today is Chris Cuddihy, a multiple marathon runner (and, full disclosure, a friend from my hometown) who set out Saturday to run from New York City to D.C. in order to raise money and awareness for Wounded Warriors, a group that provides services and programs to help the most seriously wounded returning soldiers and their families.

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.

The Save WEAVE campaign may have allowed that domestic violence assistance non-profit to stay open, but with the start of the new fiscal year today, other local groups are facing similar financial problems. House of Ruth, the District's largest nonprofit aimed at helping homeless women and children, most of whom have been victims of domestic violence, this week found out that it has lost nearly $500,000 in city funding, as the Washington Post's Susan Kinzie reported today.

Last week we told you about the Save WEAVE initiative, an effort to prevent local non-profit Women Empowered Against Violence (WEAVE) from being forced to permanently close its doors as it faced the loss of nearly all of its funding from the District. Today the group, which offers assistance to victims of domestic violence, announced that it has already brought in $85,000, its initial target, two days ahead of schedule, and is now turning its eyes on raising an additional $100,000 by the end of the year. The Save WEAVE folks also say they are now "in serious talks with foundation and government stakeholders to cement WEAVE’s leadership role in the DC domestic violence community." All of this hopefully means that WEAVE will not have to close its doors on Sept. 30 after all, but it doesn't mean the organization is out of danger. You can still contribute to WEAVE's ongoing campaign through the Save WEAVE web site.

Local non-profit WEAVE (Women Empowered Against Violence) is on the verge of shutting its doors. The group, which has helped literally tens of thousands of local women and children escape domestic violence over the last decade, has lost more or less all of its city funding this year, and WEAVE's board of directors were recently forced to move ahead with the process of shutting down. The Post ran a big story about WEAVE's plight last weekend, and buried at the bottom is mention of a last-ditch effort to raise $85,000 by Sept. 30. The money wouldn't solve all of WEAVE's problems, but it would let them keep their doors open for another month while they try to convince larger funders to step up as well. Impressively, the Save WEAVE web site has already managed to bring in over $53,000 since last weekend. If you can afford to make a small (or a large) donation to their cause, click through and find an online method to chip in. There will also be a fundraising happy hour at Topaz Bar in Dupont on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 5-7 p.m. that will benefit WEAVE, so you can stop by there to make a donation as well. If WEAVE doesn't manage to meet its goal, they say all money will be returned to donors.

Just a little straight up feel good PR from grocer Giant Food. The company sent out word today that it donated the $100,000 commission it received from the D.C. Lottery as a result of selling that winning $144 million Powerball jackpot ticket to the Capital Area Food Bank. The winning ticket came from the relatively new Giant on Alabama Avenue in Southeast. The Food Bank plans to use the money to support the renovation and construction of a new, bigger food distribution center.

Local non-profit Miriam's Kitchen, which provides meals and services to D.C.'s homeless population, is kicking off its annual 100 Bowls of Compassion fundraising effort this year with a chance to play an amusing prank on someone you know. All you have to do is click on this link and nominate any individual (presumably, someone you know with deep pockets would be preferable) who will then have their office, bedroom or car and plastered with styrofoam bowls, as pictured in the video above.

It wasn’t a football field, but freshly minted Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens was comfortable and confident in the spotlight at the Sixth Annual National Alzheimer’s Gala, hosted by the Alzheimer's Association Wednesday at the National Building Museum.

Some of us on staff here at DCist are unrepentant video game nerds, so we couldn't help but notice this posting yesterday on the gaming site Penny Arcade about Marissa, a 9-month-old Annandale, Virginia, resident who was diagnosed with a rare pediatric condition called Infantile Spasms (IS). Marissa's dad, being a gaming fan like us, sent the guys at Penny Arcade an e-mail asking if they could take one of Marissa's three stuffed bunnies named Fairfax — a tool Mike is using to spread awareness of IS — to their upcoming convention in Seattle to spread the word about her condition. They agreed, of course.

Blogger Jeff Simmermon (he of the Murky Coffee iced espresso saga and a former DCist contributor) is asking people to help him gather some much-needed cash for the family of Marisol Caceres. As you'll recall, Marisol was found strangled in her apartment in Northeast last week, and her father has since been arrested for her murder. Jeff is a friend of Marisol's brother, Jose Andrade, and says the family is in desperate need of assistance.

Marisol’s family needs money now. They need it badly. Her mother works with a temporary work permit, as I mentioned earlier. This does not make her eligible for the sort of jobs that have generous bereavement benefits. Cell phone bills still need to be paid, laundry needs to be done, and people still need to eat. And above all else: they have to move as soon as possible. Imagine having to come home to that same apartment every night.

The local music community has come together several times over the past year and a half to support Callum Robbins, the son of local music mainstay J. Robbins and Janet Morgan. Cal was diagnosed with a genetic motor neuron disease called Type 1 SMA, or Spinal Muscular Atrophy. As explained on the DeSoto records page supporting Cal,

The disease affects the brain's ability to communicate with the voluntary muscles that are used for activities such as crawling, walking, head and neck control, breathing, and swallowing. Type 1 SMA is usually fatal; most Type 1 babies will die before their second birthday. Those infants who survive into childhood are in for a long road of occupational therapy, wheelchairs, and assistive devices. Despite years of work on its treatment and "ongoing promising research," it has no cure.

Cal is doing very well for the moment. J., like any proud parent, is always relating stories of amazing things Cal does and how resilient he has been throughout his young life. According to the literature on SMA, a huge milestone for an afflicted child is his or her second birthday. The mortality rate is very high prior to that time, so the fact that Cal has passed that age is a huge deal. However, even during relative "good times" life with SMA is extremely difficult due to the limited mobility it creates, the need for constant assistance supervision for the child, and the amount of physical therapy involved to keep the child's muscle strength and motor skills from declining. This is why doing a benefit show like the one on Friday can actually make a difference, because the day to day cost of care for a child like Cal really piles on top the normal expenses any family must endure. Every little bit friends can do to help offset that expense helps Cal lead a healthier and happier life.

       

Team DCist came out in force for Saturday's 2008 Servathon, presented by Greater DC Cares and Fannie Mae. About 3,200 volunteers spent the day painting, cleaning and pruning the campuses of 39 D.C. public schools. Team DCist was dispatched to Harriet Tubman Elementary in Columbia Heights, and we all had a blast sprucing up the courtyard, repainting the playground, and brightening up some dull brown lockers in classrooms. Thanks to everyone who participated, especially our top fund raisers: Jeffrey Young ($535), Elena Tsougranis ($240), Kathryn Warnes ($230), and our own Kelly Rand ($220). All told Team DCist pulled in $3,350 that will go to support all the great work that Greater DC Cares does all year long. Way to go, everyone!

It only took three hours for the five alarm fire in a Mt. Pleasant apartment building to displace roughly 200 tenants. It didn't take much longer for Ryan Wakeman and Chris DeWitt to come up with a way to help. Under the moniker "The Queen of the Water Dolphins", Wakeman and DeWitt organized a benefit concert to raise donations for victims of the fire.

This Saturday you can find all 50 members of Team DCist out at Harriet Tubman Elementary School in Columbia Heights, landscaping the grounds, painting the windows, and fixing up playground games for Servathon 2008. We're thrilled so many of you stepped up to volunteer this year, and can't wait to meet you all somewhere other than a comment thread.

Civic-minded young Washingtonians have a chance to be a part of something bigger than just D.C., while at the same time helping their neighbors. Thousands of young people will give back this weekend as part of Global Youth Service Day (each individual project is one day, but the event runs from April 25-27).

It's a rare day in the non-profit world when you have to ask people to stop volunteering, but alas, Team DCist has no more room for additional members at our Servathon project site, Harriet Tubman Elementary School. We now have 50 volunteers, almost double last year's participation. There are still plenty of spots available at other schools, so eager volunteers can still sign up, but you'll be assigned a different DCPS location.

Sincere thanks to all of you who have volunteered to join the DCist team for this year's Servathon. Forty-six of you will be rolling up your sleeves and getting dirty with us on May 3. The good news is Team DCist finally has a site -- Harriet Tubman Elementary School at 3107 13th Street NW. The school was chosen primarily because it was one of the few places that could fit our massive numbers of volunteers, as well as its convenient location just one block from the Columbia Heights Metro.

In today's sad reminder that terrible people are out there walking among us, there is news today that an Alexandria charity, ALIVE (Alexandrians InVolved Ecumenically), has been the victim of a warehouse burglary, in which thieves made off with more than 1,000 pounds of food intended for the needy. ALIVE, which according to their website, "serves over 12,000 Alexandrians annually," works with community volunteers to provide Alexandria's less fortunate with a full spectrum of services, from financial assistance and donated goods, a child development center that targets health and education, and a massive effort to help the hungry.

As soon as we realize the weather is getting (slightly) warmer and we're going to be outside a lot more, we also realize that, geez, it's a real pigsty out there. Although the annual Keep America Beautiful cleanup this weekend was canceled due to severe weather predictions, the die-hards behind Saturday's 20th Annual Potomac Watershed Cleanup won't let "possible lightning" stop them.

There's motivator for your spring cleaning waiting for you in Capitol Hill on Wednesday. As part of Dress for Success' annual S.O.S. — Send One Suit — Week, Fed Ex Special Delivery will be collecting professional attire and accessories from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. by the Capitol South metro station. You may remember them from previous years; it's their third time soliciting assistance from the local community. These drives have managed to collect more than 1,000 items for the D.C. Dress for Success store.

There's good news: DCist is already one of the leading teams as far as recruiting volunteers and fundraising for this year's Servathon. But we need five more volunteers by Sunday, March 16, to get our team name printed on our shirts for free. (Don't you want a Team DCist shirt to wear to the gym? You know you do.)

Even with Mayor Fenty's re-organization plan of D.C. public schools, we all know they're still struggling, and not just academically. That's why DCist is organizing another team this year to participate in the annual Servathon, organized by Greater DC Cares and their sponsor Fannie Mae, which is focusing only on fixing up school facilities this year. The date to roll up your sleeves is May 3.

Calling all foodies and would-be good citizens: It's never been so easy to donate to a good cause. This Thursday, area restaurants will be participating in the annual Dining Out for Life event, where over 130 restaurants have agreed to donate between 25-100 percent of their night's sales to benefit Food & Friends.

Aside from donating to charity or saving for your child's college fund, the best use of $6.75 is the quarter-chicken platter with fries and salad at Skorpios Maggio's Family Restaurant (affectionately known as Skorpios) in Vienna.  Hot rotisserie chicken, dusted with a lemon peppery spice blend, served to you on a divided plate with thick cut steak fries and a simple lettuce salad covered generously in feta and dressed with oil and vinegar, and a side of pita to mop up the juices that ooze out of the end of this delicious run-on sentence.  Rice pilaf and spinach rice are suitable side substitutes, if you're so inclined.

NBC4 reported last night that food banks are not the only local charities feeling the holiday crunch this year: the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program in D.C. also says it is suffering from a decline in donations compared to last year. So we are posting this photo of a crying baby we found to make you feel bad -- bad enough to donate some toys to needy local kids, that is. There are something...

Many people only think to donate non-perishable food items to food banks during the holiday season, but it seems this year in D.C., not enough people have gone even that far -- on Saturday the Post reported that area food banks are critically short of food donations at the very same time that demand for free and discounted food is going up. The Capital Area Food Bank reported that it only had about 230,000 pounds...

Still in the office, D.C.? Yeah, us too. We hope you're only sticking around because you don't need to travel this holiday season. If so, enjoy the empty halls, bask in the quiet, and call it a day early. If not — well, good luck on the roads and at the airport. It sounds like they're going to be predictably nasty. There Seems To Be Some Sort of Holiday Occurring: And consequently you can...

The name may be unfamiliar, but the players behind Club Tiger Promotions are highly recognizable to any one who follows the D.C. music scene. Local artists Carol Bui and Jay Smith of Middle Distance Runner have started an all-ages venue, The Lab in Alexandria, which will both give under-age bands a place to play with their more seasoned peers and serve as an environment where, as Bui puts it, "kids feel totally comfortable and safe...

If you're not looking forward to setting your Thanksgiving or Christmas table with your best Ikea acrylic, you might want to take a short road trip this weekend to get some new wares. The Valley Craft Network, a 26-year old association of professional artisans and craftspeople, is holding its annual holiday studio tour this Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nestled in the Middletown and Pleasant Valleys west of Frederick, Maryland, the...

Washington has a ton of good things, but also a lot of problems. One we often hear about is a general lack of customer service in some local businesses — sometimes people are slow, rude, forgetful, or a combination of the three. We've seen it all over, from fancy joints to Mickey D's, but it seems to be worse here than elsewhere on the East Coast. Somebody could make a lot of money by renting...