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Around Town: April 6-7

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With the nicer weather (and cherry blossoms!), Catalogue nonprofits are getting busy! Check out all of the great things that are going on Around Town this weekend!

Saturday, April 06, cheap essay writing services 2013

Red Shoe 5K Run & Walk

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington, DC
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington D.C.’s Red Shoe 5K Run & Walk helps children heal faster and better. April 6th. Race starts 9:00am Kids Fun Run at 8:45am. Registration 7:00am. Family friendly Red Shoe 5K is for racers, leisure walkers and runners. Prizes, awards & surprises. Kids can get community service hours. Team & Family discounts. Kids in strollers free. Sign up on-line now at www.redshoe5K.org or call 703.698.7080.
When: Saturday April 6, 2013 (09:00 AM)
Where: Dulles Station, 2303 Dulles Station Boulevard, Herndon, VA 20171
Fee: Yes, Adults $35 until March 6; Kids $25; Adults $40 until March 31; $45 after March 31.
Volunteer Info:Volunteers needed?for our Red Shoe 5K April 6th. 2 shifts 6:30AM – 8:30AM & 8AM -11AM. Water and food stations; Set up, registration, Greeters/Parking Directors, Floaters, making sure our guests have fun. Volunteers get the much-coveted dri-fit 5k shirt for free and snacks and beverages are provided throughout the day. Contact Rachel: rachel@rmhcdc.org or at 703.698.7080.
Contact: Rachel, (703) 698-7080 ext 220

Help Clean Up Rock Creek Volunteer on April 6

Rock Creek Conservancy (formerly Friends of Rock Creek’s Environment)
It’s time to give Rock Creek and its beautiful parks a spring cleaning. Sign up for the Rock Creek Extreme Cleanup this Saturday! Rock Creek Conservancy is mobilizing volunteers at over 60 Rock Creek locations. Visit rockcreekconservancy.org to find a spot near you. Most of the cleanups will take place on Saturday, April 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Check the site you are interested in for details. Register today! Some of the sites are highly popular and filling up quickly with volunteers. This is a fun, worthwhile opportunity for people of all ages to work together to make a real difference for our parks. Student Service Learning credit is available. The fifth annual Rock Creek Extreme Cleanup is part of the larger Potomac River Watershed Cleanup. Rock Creek Conservancy works in partnership with Montgomery County Parks, the National Park Service, and the Alice Ferguson Foundation to field volunteers for the event. Bring your friends and families and join your neighbors in working for a clean Rock Creek! And please help spread the word to others who might be interested.
When: Saturday April 6, 2013 (09:00 AM – 12:00 NOON)
Where: Rock Creek Watershed, 4825 Cordell Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814
Fee: No
Volunteer Info: We will be cleaning up the entire Rock Creek Watershed from the headwaters in Laytonsville, MD to the Mouth of Rock Creek in Georgetown.
Contact: Karen Zeiter, (301) 775-2960

Outreach Visits to Low-income Seniors

We Are Family Senior Outreach Network
We Are Family will be coordinating outreach visits to isolated, low-income seniors in their homes.
When: Saturday April 6, 2013 (10:00 AM – 1:00 PM)
Where: Metropolitan Community Church, 474 Ridge St. NW, Washington, DC 20001
Fee: No
Volunteer Info: Volunteers will receive a brief orientation and then go out in pairs or groups to visit with seniors in their homes.
Contact: Mark Andersen, (202) 487-8698

I, Jack, am the Knave of Hearts

District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC)
I, Jack, am the Knave of Hearts takes the audience on a journey of discovery and reckoning as Don Juan bursts through the fissure that separates mortality from eternal damnation and tries desperately to remember who he was, discover what he is doing here now and uncover why he has been allowed to escape. “You want to know what Hell is like? Hell is to be aware when there is nothing to be aware of and nothing to be aware with but your own desire? Hell is the end of hope.” John Carter, a local poet who has turned his hand to playwriting over the past fifteen years, deftly merges lyrical language with narrative as he delves layer by layer into the complex nature of Don Juan’s reflections on a life he would have lived in no other way; even with the full knowledge of the resulting punishment. His last play, Lou, based on the life of Lou Salome received critical acclaim in the New York Fringe Festival last year.
When: Saturday April 6, 2013 (7:30 PM)
Where: DC Arts Center, 2438 18th St Washington, DC 20009
Fee: Yes, $25.00
Contact: B. Stanley, (202 ) 462-7833

Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion

Dance Place
Inspired by the 1991 film, Boyz N The Hood, and the early writings of W.E.B Dubois, New York based Kyle Abraham investigates the rich history of urban culture and the rise and fall of community. Set to a mix of operatic scores with the sounds of an urban city, the work blends bold imagery with subtlety into a tapestry of visual and emotional depth. Co-presented with Reston Centerstage. Funded in part by the NEA, MAAF ArtsCONNECT and NEFA.
When: Saturday April 6, 2013 (8:00 PM)
Fee: Yes, $22 General Admission; $17 Members, Seniors, Teachers and Artists; $10 College Students; $8 Children (17 and under)
Contact: Carolyn Kamrath, (202) 269-1608

ETC/ArtStream OnStage present The Final Showdown and Lights, Camera, Chaos.

Educational Theatre Company
Inclusive Theatre Companies are directed by trained theatre professionals and feature actors with intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities and on the Autism Spectrum. An original script is developed during the rehearsal process through improvisation techniques. A play is scripted and then blocked, memorized by the actors and performed for the public. The final production is designed to showcase each actor?s unique talents.
When: Saturday April 6, 2013 (8:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
Where:Gunston Theatre One, 2700 South Lang Street, Arlington, VA 22206
Fee: no
Volunteer Info: ArtStream,Inc is producing two original musical comedies featuring actors with and without cognitive disabilities and WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! We need 3-4 people to help run simple sound cues or help our actors backstage.
Contact: Jennie Lutz, (301) 565-4567

Sunday, April 07, 2013

Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion

Dance Place
Inspired by the 1991 film, Boyz N The Hood, and the early writings of W.E.B Dubois, New York based Kyle Abraham investigates the rich history of urban culture and the rise and fall of community. Set to a mix of operatic scores with the sounds of an urban city, the work blends bold imagery with subtlety?into a tapestry of visual and emotional depth. Co-presented with Reston Centerstage. Funded in part by the NEA, MAAF ArtsCONNECT and NEFA.
When: Sunday April 7, 2013 (7:00 PM)
Where: Dance Place, 3225 8th Street NE, Washington, DC 20017
Fee: yes, $22 General Admission; $17 Members, Seniors, Teachers and Artists; $10 College Students; $8 Children (17 and under)
Contact: Carolyn Kamrath, (202) 269-1608

Raising the Bar for College Access in DC

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by Barbara Harman, Catalogue President and Editor

I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about a new initiative called RaiseDC and it’s something of which all of us should be aware. In its Baseline Report Card, the organization puts the problem succinctly: “Too many children are still entering school not fully ready to learn, are academically off-track, fail to graduate from high school on time, are inadequately prepared to succeed in the workforce and higher education, and are out of school and out of work.”

Quite a few Catalogue nonprofits (see list below) are already participants in this important initiative — as members of what RaiseDC calls its “change networks,” and others may wish to consider adding their voices and expertise to the cause. I’m planning to join myself as someone who cares deeply about the fate of our young people here in the District, and about educational outcomes in particular — both because research shows what a powerful impact they have on economic futures and because I believe that education is fundamental to full human development. Both should matter. RaiseDC wants to use data to establish benchmarks and track results, direct resources to the most effective programs, and coordinate work across academic and nonacademic programs. The focus is on what is now called the “cradle to career” continuum, so it begins with pre-kindergarten and ends with “disconnected” youth in the 20-24 age range.

In a city with one of the most highly educated populations in the country, educational outcomes for low income children are dismayingly poor — whether one looks at test results for 3rd and 8th graders, or high school completion rates, or college-going and college completion stats. The in-school and out-of-school services that might come to the aid of our young people and make it possible for them to succeed in school and in life — more effective schools, better enrichment programs, appropriate family support services — are often uncoordinated, dispersed, duplicative, or absent. Working to bring them together, and identifying specific targeted outcomes that will make it possible to track success in achieving them, are laudable goals.

One thing that I find interesting is that the higher education focus is on two years of post-graduate study. While this is clearly an improvement over zero years, it seems like a less ambitious goal than others (for example, raising the high school graduation rate to 75% by 2017). While many two-year programs, including credential and certificate programs, vastly improve the opportunities for employment, and while even two years of college can make a difference in a young person’s life, a 4-year college degree should still be the gold standard, at least for those who, though under-resourced, are eager and motivated. (The current four-year college completion rate in the District is 9%, so targeting even 25% would be a dramatic improvement; the national average is 55.5%.) Don’t get me wrong: increasing the percentage of students who complete four years of college is one of RaiseDC’s goals; it just doesn’t appear to be a central goal of the initiative. It should be.

I was also struck by the fact that data collection that informs the work of RaiseDC comes from “government agencies and national data sources,” and does not include information from community-based nonprofits who are working to address these cradle to career issues. RaiseDC is totally open about this, and eager to learn “how many out-of-school youth are served by community-based education and employment training programs,” and which ones are the most effective. But that is why Catalogue nonprofits should join the appropriate Change Network and make their voices heard. Perhaps there will emerge a method of collecting information and best practices that might inform the work of this initiative.

Even more, an excellent outcome would be a clear idea of how organizations, including community-based nonprofits like those in the Catalogue, might work more effectively together — sharing information about what works, collaborating across disciplines, partnering with each other to add value to the work they already do.

It is a daunting task, indeed. But there is a lot at stake — and we can’t afford not to take up the challenge. Let’s keep our eye on the work that RaiseDC is poised to do and let’s think together about how we can help make it happen. What’s the alternative?

Catalogue nonprofits currently participating in RaiseDC Change Networks: AppleTree Institute, DC Appleseed, Capital Partners for Education, College and Career Connections, College Bound, For Love of Children, Higher Achievement, Hope and a Home, Mentors Inc, New Community for Children, New Futures, The Next Step Public Charter School, Posse Foundation, Reach for College!, Urban Alliance, Youth Build Public Charter School

Around Town: March 9-10

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Where are you heading this weekend, friends? Might we suggest …

We Are Family Senior Outreach Network (at Metropolitan Community Church, 474 Ridge Street NW)

On Saturday at 10:00 AM, volunteers will receive a brief orientation and then go out in pairs or groups to visit with seniors in their homes. You can sign up right here.

Volunteer Fairfax (at The Greene Turtle Fairfax, 3950 University Drive #209 Fairfax, VA)

Compete for prizes at VolunTrivia this Saturday at 1:00 PM!

Play solo, form a team, or join a team; sign up right this way.

Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington (St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church 4700 Whitehaven Parkway NW)

The Spring Gala, coming up on Saturday evening, features both a live and silent auction and will honor the legacy of the late Rt. Rev. Jane Holmes Dixon. All details right here.

Dance Place (3225 8th Street NE)

On Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday at 7:00 PM, ClancyWorks Dance Company will combine physically demanding, powerful movement with the sensitive portrayal of cultural nuances and personal emotions. You can nab tickets this way.

Washington Bach Consort (at National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Avenue NW)

Rich sonority, sublime harmony, and complex instrumentation characterize this Sunday’s “Honor and Remembrance” program (3:00 PM), which features choral and orchestral music by Schutz and Bach. Buy tickets right here.

Hidden Issues

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Yesterday, in The Daily Wrag (Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers), President Tamara Copeland explored “What sequestration means for philanthropy:”

I want to focus on the hidden issues. Much of the impact connected to sequestration will be far less overt. The social worker in me says that as already stressed individuals deal with this reality, mental health-related incidents will also increase. There may be increased incidences of domestic violence, more emergency room visits and falling school performance as home environments become tense. Consider this article about the recession’s impact on our region’s mental health, written when our local economy was actually faring better than the rest of the country.

“The Recession’s ‘Silent Mental Health Epidemic,’ the October 2011 Business Insider article to which Copeland points, discusses a Rutgers University study of “the long-term unemployed,” which found that “32 percent were experiencing a good deal of stress” and “at least 11 percent reported seeking professional help for depression.” Moreover, many more did not have the insurance benefits or financial resources to seek such help, despite potentially needing it.

As Copeland suggests, while our region’s funders should of course ensure that basic needs are met, “it is critical that we keep in mind the less obvious needs a failure to support those, particularly mental health care, can lead to dire consequences.” She also points out that, as much or more so than sequestration, tax reforms could have a critical and perhaps longer-term effect on the national and local nonprofit community.

What are your thoughts? What might be the more “hidden” effects of sequestration?

Around Town: March 2-3

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Just a few cool ideas for your weekend, coming up at …

Dance Place (3225 8th Street NE)

Accompanied by a live accordion and violin-driven score, this world premiere (“Ruth Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”) sweeps across an array of metaphorical hints and extravagant fabrics. Buy tickets for the Saturday or Sunday show here.

Building Bridges Across the River t/a THEARC (Ritz-Carlton, 1150 22nd Street NW)

The “Wacky & Whimsical Tea to Benefit THEARC” is a fun-filled Sunday afternoon (2:00 PM) that will include high tea, a silent auction and creative games for kids of all ages and their families. Learn more here.

(Martin Luther King Memorial Library, 901 G Street NW)

Free Minds members will join with the Carpe Diem choir in a concert combining spoken word poetry, hip hop, world rhythms, and songs of hope and freedom on Saturday at 3:00 PM.

DC Youth Orchestra Program (THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Avenue SE)

Come see the passion and talent of some of the DC area’s most gifted young musicians when DC Youth Orchestra Program’s top ensemble (the Youth Orchestra) returns to THEARC on Sunday at 4:00 PM. Check out the press release here.

Coming up: Be sure to catch Washington Bach Consort‘s FREE Noontime Cantata Series concert this Tuesday from noon to 1:00 PM at the Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G Street NW.

In The News …

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White House estimate spells out tough road for Washington region economy (Washington Post): “… the upcoming automatic spending cuts the Obama administration detailed Sunday would strike a tough blow, with nearly 150,000 civilian Defense Department employees facing furloughs and an estimated average loss of $7,500 in pay […] funding for elementary and secondary education across the region would be slashed by $29 million.” Economist Anirban Basu (Sage Policy Group) points out that sequestration will have a deeper effect on this region than the nation as a whole, as DC, Maryland, and Virginia are “among the most reliant communities in the nation on federal spending.”

Nonprofit Branding 2013: What Has Changed? (Nonprofit Quarterly): “First, we needed to see information technology not as a peripheral function within our organization but central to our mission pursuits. Second, we needed to see our identity less as an extension of our mission statement, but more as a link between the public perception of the impact we create and our higher calling to strengthen communities.” Carlo Cuesta, founder of the Saint Paul-based firm Creation in Common, goes to point out that “We have access to the tools and resources needed to build meaningful relationships with our stakeholders, what we lack are the capabilities to do it in a way that advances authenticity and mobilizes the public will.” Do you agree?

Gray aims high with sustainability plan; can agencies deliver? (Greater Greater Washington): “Last week, the Gray administration unveiled its sustainability plan, which sets some very ambitious, yet very important objectives for 2032, like attracting 250,000 new residents and making 75% of trips happen by walking, biking, and transit.” GGW argues that “to achieve these goals, agencies will have to push forward not just on their existing laudable initiatives, but go beyond.” For example: “it would be better to focus more new housing near Metro stations, streetcars, and high-frequency bus corridors. To do that, though, some administration will have to modify the Comprehensive Plan and zoning to create denser areas somewhere.”

Universal Pre-School

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The Washington Post points out that, “In DC, public school for 3-year-olds is already the norm:”

In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama called for a dramatic shift in early childhood education: free public preschool for all low- and moderate-income 4-year-olds. […] The District is already doing something more ambitious. Nearly 13,000 of the city?s roughly 15,000 3- and 4-year-olds are attending public preschool. […]

So as national and state leaders consider a major expansion of public education, the city offers an example of how that that can play out on the ground.

Says Jack McCarthy, Managing Director of the AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation (a Catalogue nonprofit), “Here is a place where funding is in place, universal preschool is policy” […] If the quality could be improved and ensured for all, “we could close the achievement gap here in five years.”

Hiring teachers with college and advanced degrees to create preschool centers of excellence in language and literacy, and guaranteeing the necessary training and professional development, is central to AppleTree’s mission. You can catch a glimpse inside an AppleTree classroom here.

Around Town: February 22-24

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Apologies for the delay, friends! Check out some fun and local weekend ideas at …

Educational Theatre Company (AHC Hunter’s Park:, 2021 N. Nelson Street, Arlington, VA)

This year, ETC launched a new intergenerational model where seniors and college students participated in theatre exercises together to create a strong ensemble. Come check out the results this weekend! More information here.

Joy of Motion Dance Center (Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street NE)

On Friday at 10:30 PM, enjoy DCypher Dance’s hip hop fusion: contemporary hip hop theatre to the latest, hottest new school moves. Only one performance tonight — so be sure to nab tickets.

Dance Place (3225 8th Street NE)

On Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday at 4:00 PM, Israeli choreographer Idan Cohen presents an ecstatic piece set to the sound of W.A. Mozart’s Solo Piano Sonatas. Learn more this way.

Anacostia Watershed Society?(Huerich Park, 2916 Nicholson Street, Hyattsville, MD) — Cancelled

AWS is working to restore a section of streambank along the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River on Saturday at 10:00 AM. Volunteer sign up right this way.

In The News …

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Plan to close VA institutions stokes worry for families of the developmentally disabled (Washington Post): “Virginia is among the last states to begin dismantling its large institutions for the developmentally disabled, a decision that was made as part of a year-old settlement agreement with the Justice Department […] All but one of the commonwealth’s five training centers, as the state calls them, are to be shuttered by 2020.” Judith Korf, the mother of a resident of the Northern Virginia Training Center, points out that “I think the past has shown that is the only thing that works.” While Virginia officials remain “confident that the training centers’ residents can be properly cared for in the community, [..] there is deep concern that the state is rushing the process to meet unrealistic, arbitrary closure deadlines.”

Leaders of metro counties urge Congress to act on budget (Gazette: Prince George’s): “Impending federal sequestration could damage the fiscal stability of Maryland’s metro counties and leaders of those counties are urging congressional action […] county executives Isiah Leggett, Rushern L. Baker III and Kenneth S. Ulman gathered Tuesday to call on Congress to compromise and stop sequestration.” Montgomery County executive Leggett argued that “the the federal job loss piece alone could cost the county as much as $500,000 a day in local income tax revenue” for his county and Prince George’s county executive Baker “said about 10 percent of Prince George’s jobs are federal.”

Gates, Buffett push Giving Pledge international (Seattle Times): “British billionaire and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and his wife Joan are among the newest philanthropists who have pledged to give away half their wealth to charity.” This year, the Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett-initiated Giving Pledge, has grown to include “its first international members, including 12 wealthy individuals and couples from Russia, South Africa, Australia, Germany, India, the United Kingdom and Malaysia.” Since 2010, over 100 individuals and families have signed the Pledge.

Around Town: February 15-17

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Happy day-after Valentine’s Day! We certainly heart our local nonprofits …

Dance Place (3225 8th Street NE)

SpeakeasyDC returns to Dance Place to celebrate Valentine’s Day though hilarious and moving true stories about romance, relationships, and sex. Nab “Sucker for Love” tickets right here; performances on Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM.

We Are Family Senior Outreach Network (at Metropolitan Community Church, 474 Ridge Street NW)

Volunteers will help assemble and deliver grocery bags to low-income seniors near North Capitol Street and Shaw on Saturday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Sign up here (scroll down a bit).

Constellation Theatre Company (at Source, 1835 14th Street NW)

Final weekend! Zorro, the masked avenger, is born when quiet, bookish Diego must find a way to fight corruption and injustice. Catch performances on Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday at 2:00 PM.

Washington Bach Consort (at National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Avenue NW)

In honor of the 35th Season, and by popular demand, WBC presents “Bach for All Seasons,” all-Bach program built around the “Great Eighteen Chorales” on Sunday at 3:00 PM. Purchase tickets right here.