Three weeks initially seemed like a long time to be in DC. 听The first week we were learning how to navigate the city, open ourselves to a history of African Americans that most of us had never heard before, and realize that there are many perspectives about economic development, affordable housing, homelessness, mass incarceration, education and gentrification that we would have to sort through personally. 听By the end of our time together we reflected on how much we had learned, how easy it was to find our way to the next event and that the time actually flew by. 听Here are some of our highlights and significant moments over the three week period we lived on听Taylor Street, NE at the Washington Community Scholar鈥檚 House.
Statistics:
Miles Walked听– Approx 120 miles per person
Hours at Local Rec Center听– 3 hours every day ~ 63 hours
Basketball games played听– Over 130 games.
Service Hours at Capital Area Food Bank –听210 hours
Kids Meals packed- 407 boxes
Seniors Packets – 2160 boxes?
Sorted 1 huge pallet of 50 lb bags of potatoes
Different Types of Restaurants- Peruvian, Ethiopian, Greek, French, Chinese, South African, Thai, Italian.
Non-profit Visits and Advocacy Day
Capitol Area Food Bank –听We spent 15 hours volunteering at the Capital Area Food Bank, which was within a 10 minute walk from the WCSC house. At these volunteer sessions, we packed over 400 boxes of meals for children to take home with them for weekend nutrition, and about 2160 boxes of meals for seniors which would be delivered to supplement their food supply. These meals went to people in the surrounding D.C. area, as well as in Maryland and Virginia.
MANNA – was one of the many non-profits that we visited during our time spent in Washington D.C. 听On our very first day in DC we joined with MANNA and many other non-profit housing groups for Advocacy Day sponsored by the Coalition for Non-Profit Housing and Economic Development (CNHED) in the DC Council Chambers. 听We were surrounded by an ocean of yellow shirts. 听During advocacy day, we learned about the different city budgets for the various affordable housing programs and how these non-profits were meeting with council members to encourage them to support and increase funding for affordable housing. 听While DC is experiencing tremendous economic growth many long-time residents are being displaced because of rising housing costs. 听Many units of affordable housing have been lost to redevelopment of upscale housing. 听After advocacy day, we went to MANNA to learn more about what they do. 听We learned that MANNA is a non-profit program that buys and renovates houses and then sells them to lower-income families for an affordable price. 听All throughout the trip, we met people who are involved in MANNA and also people who have purchased housing from MANNA. 听MANNA is one of several non-profits that are committed to help solve the D.C. homelessness problem.
Sitar听–听Sitar Arts Center offers after school and summer programs for children around the city. They offer different kinds of classes to take that help them improve their art skills and express their creativity. Some of the courses that are offered include dance, writing, music, visual arts, digital arts, improv, and many more. Sitar gives students a safe place to go after school or in the summer where they can be in a positive learning environment.
Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys听–This school focuses on helping educate low income boys, mainly African American, grades K-6. The school is funded by donations from people and organizations in the community. The school’s curriculum is unique because the first six weeks they do not follow a strict lesson plan. The first six weeks, the boys learn to know each other, develop relationships with their teachers, work on basic respect and getting along. This school is special because they require the parents to be active in their child鈥檚 education by attending required PTA meetings and helping them at home with homework. The teachers and staff all have a passion for not only making sure the boys get a good education, but also are concerned with helping them deal with situations outside of the school.
Joseph鈥檚 House – On May 18, we were able to visit Joseph鈥檚 House, a live-in home for those who are homeless and suffering from terminal illness. 听It was truly inspiring to see how passionate and committed the staff are to providing community and support to those who are suffering and in need. 听Although Joseph鈥檚 House is not a large organization, it has been able to touch many lives, most often in the most vulnerable moments.
Christ House –听On the first day of our cross-cultural trip, the group was split into three smaller groups and sent on a scavenger hunt around the city. One group took a walk by Christ House and figure out what the statue was that was outside. On Wednesday May 28th, the whole group visited Christ House to learn more about what they do and their mission. Christ House was opened in December 1985 as the first 24-hour residential medical facility for homeless men and women. Patients are sent to Christ House from area hospitals, shelters, and clinics when they are suffering from a variety of illnesses like cancer, hypertension, kidney failure, diabetes, amputees, etc. Patients tend to stay at Christ House for roughly 45 days. Some leave sooner, and some stay much longer depending on their health condition. Several days during the week, Christ House provides services to other homeless people, like allowing them to come take showers and also providing them with clothing. Christ House focuses on the holistic aspect of nursing by really trying to get to know the people and gaining that nurse-patient relationship while also providing medical care that they need. The mission of Christ House is to provide comprehensive and compassionate health care to sick, homeless men and women in the District of Columbia, and to assist them in addressing critical issues to help break the cycle of homelessness.
Restaurants
We have been to numerous of restaurants around the District of Columbia. The foods here in the city is really great! For example, one of the Ethiopian restaurant called Keren Cafe and Restaurant is an utensils-free sort of place, and the food is so good! The food variety is amazing from Ethiopian to Greek to French, Chinese, South African/Portuguese, and other diverse foods. We have stepped out of our comfort zones and tried something new and we loved it! The places to check out in Washington, D.C. are Keren Cafe and Restaurant, Chinatown Express, Tsim Yung, Sala Thai, Zorba鈥檚 Cafe, and Nando鈥檚 Peri-Peri.
Turkey Thicket Community Recreation Center – 1 block from WCSC house
After class for the day, majority of the group would go to the Turkey Thicket Recreation Center. At the recreation center, some members of the group were involved in numerous basketball games with members of the community. The most popular games played on the court were 2 v. 2, 鈥淧ig鈥� and 鈥淗orse鈥�. Brian, Travis, Kim, and Bailey were so competitive with the game, that they kept a running scoreboard at the house. The girls were able to hold their ground and were able to bring home the win. Throughout the three weeks, the students became friends with some of the children and learned about each other. Other students played other sports, including soccer, football, and Whiffle ball. The Recreation Center became a part of our everyday routine and we enjoyed getting to spend time there with the neighborhood children.
Highlights – Nationals Game, Pentagon, Shaw Tour (S. Street), Armor of Light, Time with David, Trial of the Big Bad Wolf.
Nationals Game 鈥� Friday, May 13th we attended a Washington Nationals baseball game at Nationals Park against the Miami Marlins. 听The weather was absolutely perfect, sunny and seventy-four degrees! 听The game was a very low scoring game with a final score of 5-3, Nationals. 听Almost everyone in our group sported the Nationals with different t-shirts and hats. 听Everyone enjoyed watching the game, taking pictures of the field, eating the usual ballpark food such as hamburgers and hot dogs, catching baseballs during batting practice and of course everyone left the field happy with a Nats win!!