Abe PollinToday is Abe Pollin Day.
D.C. continues to mourn the legendary sports team owner and local philanthropist, who died last month at age 85. The big memorial service for Pollin will take place tonight at 7 p.m. at, where else, the Verizon Center. The memorial, titled “Remembering Abe,” is free and open to the public, and will feature speakers including D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Ward 2 D.C. Council member Jack Evans, Wizards Captain Antawn Jamison, and NBA Hall of Famer Earl Monroe.
In conjunction with the service and in an homage to Pollin’s charitable work with local kids, there’s a related holiday toy drive happening all day at the Verizon Center. New, unwrapped toys can be donated in Pollin’s memory at the arena’s F Street entrance until 7 p.m. today.
And in no small coincidence, this morning also marked the ceremonial ground breaking for Pollin’s most recent affordable-housing development in Northeast: the 125-unit Linda Joy and Kenneth Jay Pollin Memorial Community Development, to be located at the intersection of Anacostia Avenue and Hayes Street NE. The Washington Post’s J. Freedom Du Lac has a moving interview with Pollin’s son Robert in today’s paper, discussing the late Pollin’s history with philanthropic housing projects (the former Linda Pollin apartments in Southeast) and his passion for this latest endeavor.
