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Catalogue Blog

Around Town: January 20-22

Wishing you a good weekend, Greater Washington! We’ve got some great events coming up …

The Snowy Day at Adventure Theatre (Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo)

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first American picture book to feature an African-American child as the main character. The simple tale of a boy waking up to discover that snow has fallen is brought to life in the magical world premiere, starting this Friday at 7:00 PM and continuing on the weekend at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Tickets right here!

Decadent Delights at Neediest Kids (Carnegie Institution of Science, 1530 P Street NW)

Enjoy an afternoon of “Decadent Delights” to benefit thousands of children in need in the DC Metro area this Saturday at 2:00 PM — you won?t be able to resist the sumptuous treats from a variety of notable confectionaries in the region. Family and individual tickets .
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Around Town: January 13-16

Have a good Friday, Greater Washington! We have some great events, particularly volunteer opportunities, coming up for this Martin Luther King Day weekend.

Weekend Events

Head to Capitol Hill Arts Workshop on Friday at 7:00 PM for a free tango practica, open to dancers of all experience levels. Also at 7:00 PM, the semi-finalists of the DCAC decathlon will exhibit their works, all exploring the significance of being an “unspecialized” working artist. On Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra presents Masterworks Concert #4, featuring cellist Sergey Antonov, at .

Monday Service Opportunities

Join Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment at 10:00 AM in Bancroft Park (Arlington) to clean up a section of the Four Mile Run road and keep trash out of the County’s largest stream watershed. Starting at 10:30 AM, Volunteer Fairfax invites you to its third annual Give Together: A Family Volunteer Day, expanding this year to Fairfax City, Herndon, and Alexandria; all service projects are targeted towards elementary-aged children and geared toward the involvement of the entire family. Last but not least, Rock Creek Conservancy will offer seven projects in Aspen Hill and Redland, MD, and around the DC area: tidy up community gardens, save large trees, and remove invasive plants, all starting at 10:00 AM (two events are already full).

Wordless Ceremony

“And what is so strange about that memory is that everybody seems to be floating on those sweet sounds, moving rhythmically, languorously, in complete isolation; responding more to the mood of the music than to its beat. When I remember it, I think of it as dancing. Dancing with eyes half closed because to open them would break the spell. Dancing as if language has surrendered to movement — as if this ritual, this wordless ceremony, was now the way to speak, to whisper private and sacred things, to be in touch with some otherness. Dancing as if the very heart of life and all its hopes might be found in those assuaging notes and those hushed rhythms and in those silent and hypnotic movements. Dancing as if language no longer existed because words were no longer necessary.”

Dancing at Lughnasa by Irish playwright Brian Friel (born today in 1929)

And in this spirit, get to know our dance nonprofits today.

Around Town: January 7-8

Welcome to the first “Around Town” of 2012! Looking forward to many more …

Fairfax Court Appointed Special Advocates (4103 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA)

Fairfax CASA will be welcoming new volunteers begins this month! For those already accepted into the program, training starts on Saturday. For those interested in applying, the first information session is on Monday at noon. A CASA is a crucial advocate for children whose families have been cited for abuse and neglect.

National Philharmonic (Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD)

At 3:30 PM on Saturday, experience Bach’s unaccompanied cello suites from Zuill Bailey, widely considered one of the leading cellists of his generation. And at 8:00 PM, enjoy works from Beethoven, Hayden, and Mozart (with a lectured offered at 6:45 PM). Tickets this way!
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Esperanza

She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow. I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldn’t be all the things she wanted to be. Esperanza. I have inherited her name, but I don’t want to inherit her place by the window.

Because the way you grow old is kind of like an onion or like the rings inside a tree trunk or like my little wooden dolls that fit one inside the other, each year inside the next one. That’s how being eleven years old is. You don’t feel eleven. Not right away. It takes a few days, weeks even, sometimes even months before you say Eleven when they ask you. And you don’t feel smart eleven, not until you’re almost twelve. That’s the way it is.

The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, born today in 1954

And in this spirit, learn more about our literacy charities right here.

Around Town: December 17-18

Still making weekend plans? First, we suggest that you check out the awesome City Paper feature on our 2011/2012 nonprofits — very cool. Second, we have some indoor & outdoor events coming right up …

The Child and Family Network Centers (116 South Alfred Street, Alexandria)

Tea with Santa at the Morrison House on Sunday at noon! Kids will also enjoy holiday crafts and story time. Purchase tickets, and support CFNC, right here.

Dance Place (3225 8th Street NE, Washington)

Usher in the holiday season with Dance Place’s annual Kwanzaa Celebration, featuring Coyaba Academy, Coyaba Dance Theater, and special guests to celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Performances throughout the weekend; learn more here.

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In The News …

Little known about DC’s young homeless, except that numbers are growing (Washington Post): “Though relatively little else is known about them, the number of homeless youths in the District has jumped, according to numbers released Tuesday by the National Center of Family Homelessness […] In 2010, 4,309 children were found to be without stable housing in a city where 27% of households pay more than 50% of their income for rent.” According to the State Report Card on Child Homelessness, “Virginia and Maryland ranked 18th and 22nd for risk for homelessness;” and the DC Alliance of Youth Advocates finds that a growing number of homeless individuals are also parents under the age of 24.

Foundation Funding for Hispanics/Latinos (Philanthropy News Digest: PhilanTopic): “Our colleagues here in the Research Department have just released a new report that examines foundation giving to Hispanics in the U.S. and for Latin America over the last decade […] Foundation Funding for Hispanics/Latinos in the United States and for Latin America found that over the past decade, U.S. foundation giving intended to benefit Latinos remained steady at about 1% of total foundation giving, even as the Latino population in the US grew significantly.” The report, which gave particular focus to the 2007-2009 period, also found that the greater Los Angeles area received the largest share of both grant dollars (17%) and grants (13%) of any US metropolitan area in that time.

Theaters’ Fiscal Outlook Improves Slightly (Chronicle of Philanthropy): “The latest round of an annual survey of nonprofit theaters’ finances offers some optimism […] Theater Facts 2010, compiled by grant-making and advocacy outfit the Theater Communications Group, found total assets, including box office, gifts, and endowment earnings, exceeded expenses last year for the 113 organizations that have participated in the study for each of the last five years.” TCG head Teresa Eyring points out that rising attendance, at readings and workshops as well as full productions, also “bodes well for the health of theater overall.”

Around Town: December 10-11

Making weekend plans? Check out what’s happening at our nonprofits …

Gifts that Give Hope (Trinity Presbyterian Church, 5533 North 16th St., Arlington)

From 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturday, a dozen nonprofits will provide a unique, stress-free holiday shopping experience. Looking for a good holiday gift? Consider making a contribution in honor of a family member of friend. Half of the participating nonprofits hail from Catalogue network: Arlingtonians Meeting Emergency Needs, A-SPAN (Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network), Borromeo Housing, Inc., Doorways For Women and Families, Homeless Children’s Playtime Project, and Just Neighbors.

Anacostia Watershed Society (Bladen Woods Condos, 5208 Newton Street, Bladensburg, MD)

Join a neighborhood clean-up near the Quincy Run tributary on Saturday at 8:00 AM; all supplies and instructions will be provided on site!
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Around Town: December 2-4

First events blog of December! Plenty of ways to meet our non-profits coming up …

Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (545 7th Street SE)

Free Tango Practica! Tango dancers of all levels have an opportunity to practice, collaborate, and learn in a collective space on Friday at 7:00 PM.

WSC Avant Bard (at Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA)

Last chance! The one-evening adaptation of Shakespeare’s enthralling history plays Henry IV: Parts 1 and 2, closes this weekend. Catch it on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 PM. Tickets right here.
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Around Town: November 19-20

Have a good weekend, Greater Washington! We have a bundle of events coming right up …

Help the Homeless Walkathon (National Mall between 9th and 12th Street)

On Saturday morning, join in the nation’s largest walk and benefit a Catalogue nonprofit: Samaritan Inns, The Dwelling Place, Miriam’s Kitchen, and Bright Beginnings are all taking part. Register here — it’s a great way to give back just before Thanksgiving.
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