Tag Archives: volunteer

The Daily Feed
By

Nation’s Tri Needs Volunteers Next Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_5440’
courtesy of ‘photopete’

The Nation’s Triathlon is Sunday, September 12, and it will shut down many roads downtown.  So since you can’t really won’t be able to go anywhere Sunday morning, why not volunteer to help out with the race?  Volunteers are needed Thursday through Sunday for a variety of roles.

What do you get out of it?  Well, aside from the knowledge that you’re helping others have a great race experience, the race organizers have really sweetened the deal.  For volunteering, you’ll get a Nation’s Tri shirt and hat, a volunteer gift, complimentary food and drink, and a Volunteer Appreciation Party on Sunday night.  Sign up today!

The Daily Feed
By

SOHO – A Space of Her Own

Photo courtesy of
‘Butterfly Girl’
courtesy of ‘katieharbath’


You are cordially invited to join The Art League & The Alexandria Court Service Units SOHO’s celebratory art exhibit this Thursday, June 10th at 5:30.

SOHO – Space of Her Own is an art-based program that serves 5th grade girls “by providing yearlong mentoring through engagement in creative art activities and meaningful community service projects”.  At the end of each year, each girl’s bedroom is renovated, “HGTV-style”, as a way to provide them their very own safe haven to thrive.

I had the fortunate opportunity to serve as a mentor two years ago and truly can’t encourage your attendance and support enough.

For more information about SOHO, or to learn how to become a volunteer, call 703-519-1741.

The Art Leagues’ Duke Street Annex.  One Duke Street (Corner of Duke & South Union Streets).  Old Town Alexandria, VA.

Adventures, Fun & Games, People, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors, The Mall
By

Volunteer at DC Triathlon

Photo courtesy of
‘Triathlon Bike Transition Area’
courtesy of ‘Dru Bloomfield – At Home in Scottsdale’

The 2010 Washington DC Triathlon is looking for a few good men and women to sign up for a variety of volunteer positions, Thursday, June 17 through Race Day, Sunday, June 20th.

This is a great way to get first hand experience with Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons and feel the pulse and spirit that these events bring with them. Did I mention that volunteers get a free t-shirt? Woot!

Dupont Circle, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District, The Great Outdoors, We Green DC
By

Clean-up Rock Creek Park

Photo courtesy of
‘Artistic Trash – Unheeded Words – 03-27-10’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Looking for a trashy way to spend your weekend? We’ve got a suggestion.

WeLoveDC is partnering with Trail Voice in two weeks (April 10th) to host a cleanup site in conjunction with the annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup event hosted by the Alice Ferguson Foundation. Our cleanup site is at the P Street bridge over Rock Creek – about 4 blocks west of Dupont Circle. 

Register on Trail Voice’s site to volunteer your time.  We encourage you to participate in this event to help spruce up a well-used portion of our inner-city landscape.

The trash clean-up should last from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon, but we’re teaming up with a few local vendors who have offered everything from morning yoga stretching to baked goods to help make this environmental sweep a little more fun.

Clean-up site is just west of Dupont Circle in Rock Creek Park from 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon on Saturday, April 10. There is no cost for you to participate. It is recommended that you bring your own work gloves, although some will be available on-site.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
By

Miriam’s Kitchen Begins Dinner Service

Photo courtesy of
‘090924-G-4159B-936.JPG’
courtesy of ‘aclintonb’

As of yesterday, DC’s homeless can now have a healthy, home made dinner at Miriam’s Kitchen.  Up till now, this local soup kitchen had only served breakfasts but has now expanded its service to include an evening meal, as well.  This is good news for the philanthropically minded late-risers.  If getting up around 5am isn’t your style, you can now volunteer in the evenings from 4pm-6pm. If you’re interested, check out the MK website and sign up. Those that want to be really cool  should sign up for breakfast service on either the 2nd or 4th Thursdays of the month.  That’s when the really awesome people volunteer, if you know what I’m saying.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
By

Thanksgiving Pie Sale Benefits Food & Friends

Photo courtesy of
‘Pumpkin Pie’
courtesy of ‘Bethany Ann Khan’

At the DC foodie happy hour last month, I found out about this great holiday pie sale to benefit Food & Friends, called Slice of Life.  While I’ve never volunteered for Food & Friends, it is a great organization with a great reputation. And we all know that it’s going to be a particularly rough holiday season this year…

If you purchase a pie for Thanksgiving and take it home for you and your clan through the Slice of Life program, 100% of the cost of the pie goes to the foundation. Or, you can donate the pie and the funds directly to the families who need them most.

All the information you could possibly be interested in can be found by clicking this link.

Let me know if you have any questions or, you know, what your favorite pie is. Orders must be completed by this upcoming Thursday, November 19.

You have the choice of five pie flavors: Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
By

Be A Part Time Superhero

beextra-loc.png

Via my friend Jane McGonigal today came this sweet little web app/iPhone app that allows you to help your favorite plugged-in online organization without having to set aside hours at a time to go down to their offices. The Library of Congress is looking for help with tagging their immense photo collection for faster and better search, and Smithsonian is doing the same with parts of their museum collection. Now, while you sit in (the passenger seat while in) traffic you can help out LOC or Smithsonian with some valuable taxonomical work. I suspect there will be more work in the near future from other deserving DC-area and worldwide non-profits who need a hand with translation, evidence gathering or other features.

Check it out As an iPhone App or go there from your mobile browser and you can give it a whirl. Make your commute something good.

The Features, The Mall
By

Giving Back: Honoring Tremendous American Heroes

Honor Flight 9/19
All photos courtesy of Karl Johnson

There was something noticeably different about Reagan National Airport on Saturday, September 19th. Outside, it was an absolutely gorgeous fall day in DC with the sun shining as brightly as it possibly could. But the sun, in all of its glory, was not the brightest part of this memorable Saturday; not even close. Inside of the “A” terminal, at gate 9, the red, white and blue balloons and streamers were hung. A three piece band, assembled behind the check-in desk, played one proud patriotic song after another, including the official song for each branch of the U.S. military. Nearly a hundred people of all walks of life gathered around the jet way, excitedly cheering and clapping, waving American flags, and anxiously awaiting their arrival.

But who were they? Who could possibly deserve such dramatic fanfare on a Saturday morning at DCA? Maybe Colin Powell and Bill Clinton decided to take a commercial flight into DC just for kicks? Nope. Way Better. These people, volunteers, airport employees, passengers and even U.S. Senators, were there to welcome a group of absolutely tremendous American heroes. They were all here to welcome almost 400 heroes to the home of their very own memorial. The one they fought for. The one their friends gave their lives for. After almost 65 years, these World War II veterans were getting the chance to see America’s ever-lasting symbol of recognition of their service, dedication and ultimate sacrifices.

Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, People
By

Giving Back: A Guide to Volunteering in DC

Photo courtesy of

‘Here’s Art again…’
courtesy of ‘IndyDina with Mr. Wonderful’

Some of us do it because we have to. Some of us do it because our friends do. Some of us do it because it’s how we were raised. And some of us just don’t do it – but we should. Giving back. It’s what makes the world go round and what helps those less fortunate than our selves have a chance at a better life. It’s about taking a few hours of your free time to help feed the hungry, clean your local park, rescue abandoned animals, rake the yard for your elderly neighbor or even help a young child learn and improve their chances at a brighter future. It doesn’t take much, but it goes a long, long way. For you business types, this is what we call a solid ROI for your time.

In today’s article, I’m going to focus on a wrap-up of volunteer organizations in the DC metro area and the people, animals or places that they benefit. Not an exhaustive listing by any means, but a combination of do-gooder motivation with some tips on how to get started. With a little help from you, we hope to continue this piece as a showcase of important volunteer events throughout the city on an ongoing basis. So let’s start with a simple question: What do you care about most?

Continue reading →