While outdoor Eastern Market vendors set up outside – on the first Saturday since the dreadful inferno – DCist writers and friends were just across the way, pretty-ing up Hine Junior High. After a whole month of reminding and re-reminding you, Servathon 2007 finally came! Not only did we paint the gym a brand-spanking-new shade of off-white, but we owned the fundraising. Since our original $2,000 goal proved easy as pie, we dared readers to bring us to $3,000. They accepted, and then some. Special recognition goes out to Sylvie Nguyen, who wowed us with her chart-topping $506 contribution.

For almost four hours, we covered the worn-out and marked-up beige walls with fresh paint, along with other volunteer teams from McGraw-Hill, Métier consulting group in Georgetown and Hine’s Principal Willie Jackson. He arrived in his gray sweat suit, ready to present his charming PowerPoint slideshow of his faculty and student body to get us pumped up. There were paint rollers to share, and even a cherry picker for the hard-to-reach spots. Let’s just say, the Hine students in Phys. Ed today, shooting hoops and avoiding sit-ups, had a pretty snazzy gym.

Thank you to the entire DCist community for supporting our volunteer efforts, and especially those who came out Saturday. All of you who went home with splatter painted clothes – or were dirtied up at different project sites – we salute you.

The one-day event gave us a month full of butterflies in anticipation, but Greater DC Cares hosts 70 volunteer projects every month, year-round. Attend just one hour-long orientation, held at their Eye Street offices, and you’re set to help. Waking up early and gussying up Washington’s public spaces felt good. We say, let’s make this a more regular thing.

Photo by Thomas Nguyen