7 Questions – Patricia M. Donnelly (Literacy Council of Northern Virginia)

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Julia Cain

Many Catalogue cheers for today’s “7 Questions” guest … Patricia M. Donnelly, Executive Director of the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia. Serving an area where 120 different languages are spoken, the LCNV offers adult education in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding English to over 2,300 students a year.

Interested in learning more? Read onwards … and, swing by “Reading: A Family Affair” on Saturday, March 19 from 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM in Falls Church. Kids can meet Clifford the Big Red Dog, watch the Bob Brown Puppets, learn origami, write and illustrate their own stories, and then take home a free book!

1. What was your most interesting recent project, initiative, partnership, or event?

The Literacy Council initiated Reading: A Family Affair just a few years ago. Compared to fundraising dinners with live and silent auctions, this event is family-friendly and free, brings books to life with the help of local artists, and (most importantly) open to the Literacy Council’s clients. The event is designed for them. The fundraising comes from Corporate and small business sponsorships, who are willing and eager to see a community-based, free, literacy event in their neighborhood. And it’s a lot of fun!

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In The News …

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Julia Cain

Welcome to the first Wednesday in March and your weekly news round-up!

State Arts Agencies — Over at Createquity, Ian David Moss follows up on this post by pointing to two new, online national resources for arts advocates. At the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, you can find a simple (albeit unpleasant) breakdown of “major restructuring or funding elimination proposal” by state. The State Arts Appropriation Network, an affiliate of Americans for the Arts, even provides a click-able US map where you can access past and proposed budget numbers. Moss also makes a great point: check to see if your state representatives are already “in the tank for arts funding” so that you can reach out to friends and networks elsewhere!

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Quote for the Day

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Julia Cain

I thought that this might be a good final thought for the month of February:

What an artist is trying to do for people is bring them closer to something, because of course art is about sharing: you wouldn’t be an artist if you didn’t want to share an experience, a thought.

- David Hockney

In a sense, art is inevitable because of our fundamental impulse to share. Sometimes, we latch on to things that are terrifying or frustrating or sublime, moments that are too critical to be forgotten or pushed away. So we must give them a form in which they can be discussed, seen, and shared. In that sense, art is not just a personal pursuit. It is inherently a collective one.

So many Catalogue cheers this Monday for our Community Arts non-profits — for bringing us closer every day of the week!

Around Town: February 25-26

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Julia Cain

Welcome to the weekend (almost), Greater Washington! We have an awesome variety of events and opportunities, so just follow your interests …

Ready to Volunteer?

Saturday from 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM in Falls Church marks the first day of volunteer training with the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia and you can sign up right here. From 2:00 – 3:30 PM, For Love of Children also welcomes new and returning volunteers to learn about FLOC’s mission, accomplishments, goals, and tutoring programs; email ntorentinos@floc.org for more info. And definitely call Chess Challenge DC (202.560.1467) to learn more about Saturday’s big intramural tournament for all kids enrolled in their program.

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Picture for the Day

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Julia Cain

Courtesy of DCist:

As much as we like to maintain an exclusive focus on the business of Washington, DC, there’s no denying that our city is inexorably intertwined in international affairs. So when unthinkable bloodshed breaks out across the world, our purview often widens … Take, for example, the current state of affairs in Libya, which drew a group of protesters to the White House on Saturday. Just one example of the local response to events currently transpiring in Tripoli, DCist contributor Kevin Carroll was able to capture some powerful images during Saturday’s gathering.

While we are most aware of happenings on our street and around our homes, those of us in Greater Washington are often profoundly conscience of and connected to the broader world by virtue of where we live.

Similarly, our focus here at Catalogue is certainly local — yet we also are committed to non-profits who are enacting specific and localized change around the world, in the communities that are most in need. Do check them out. No matter how far away we are, we definitely can still reach out.

7 Questions – Nancy Kelly (Health Volunteers Overseas)

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Julia Cain

Good morning-after-the-hailstorm, Greater Washington! Today on “7 Questions,” we’re psyched to introduce you to … Nancy Kelly, Executive Director of Health Volunteers Overseas since its founding in 1986. Now in 25 developing countries, HVO’s healthcare professionals offer medical education to their counterparts, improving the quality and quantity of healthcare where it’s most needed. Want to learn more? Read on!

1. What was your most interesting recent project, initiative, partnership, or event?

We are working with the American Dental Association on an initiative to rebuild 35 dental practices in Haiti. The goal is to raise $350,000 since we estimate the cost to rebuild is $10,000 per practice. We are working with the ADA and the Haitian Dental Association to develop an application process that will serve as a means of identifying the best prospects for support. Those dentists that receive support must commit to paying back to the community by providing free dental care to those in need but unable to pay. This is a new type of project for HVO, one that will be quite challenging as we move into the implementation phase — but I hope that it will be the start for similar initiatives elsewhere.

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Presidents Day

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Julia Cain

Wishing a happy birthday to our first President — and a good Presidents Day to you all! Just for a small technicality, George Washington’s actual date of birth is tomorrow and he would have been 279 years old.

Observe good faith and justice towards all Nations; cultivate peace and harmony with all.

– Farewell Address, 1796

Around Town: February 18-20

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Julia Cain

TGIF! Why not celebrate this absolutely delicious weather with one of our non-profits?

Joy of Motion Dance Center (at Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Avenue, Bethesda)

Where best to leap into the weekend? That would be a free Youth Dance Party with Joy of Motion, Dansez! Dansez! & Imagination Stage Dance Studio from 7:00-9:30 PM on Friday; try out hip-hop, modern, jazz, and tap all in one day. PLUS, at 8:00 PM on Saturday, you can also catch the JOMDC youth company, Urban Impact, performing an exciting fusion of bollywood and hip hop as part of Dance Bethesda.

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