Looking for a way to volunteer in the Fall, or curious to know about some of the partnerships that help our nonprofits thrive? Check out this week’s #whatsupwednesday for details!
Generation Hope (Don’t forget to check out Generation Hope’s back-to-school supply drive! Details can be found in our most recent blog.) 
Looking for a way to help local students and their families kick off the school year on the right foot? Consider supporting one of the back-to-school supply drives from the following Catalogue for Philanthropy charities (click the image to visit the supply drive homepage — and please, don’t forget to tell the charity that you found it through the Catalogue!).
To wrap up Parks and Recreation month in July, we welcome Jeff Kelble, President of Potomac Riverkeeper, to 7 Questions. Before joining Potomac Riverkeeper, Jeff worked for 8 years to build a private small-mouth bass guiding business and a bed and breakfast. After years of fish kills devastated the Shenandoah River’s fishery, he decided to put down his oars to join the fight for the river and its health. Potomac Riverkeeper works to protect the public’s right to clean water in Greater Washington’s rivers and streams.
This week, we’re excited to highlight two of our nonprofits, 2Seeds Network and The Reading Connection! Read on to find out “what’s up” at these organizations this week, and how you can get involved to support them.
2Seeds Network
This week, 2Seeds said goodbye to one of its staff members, Cam Kemp. Thanks for all your hard work!
Fun fact: Did you know that for just $100, you can provide business training to a Tanzanian farmer?This invaluable training helps farmers become creative and productive agricultural entrepreneurs locating new markets, forming cooperatives, finding alternative farming opportunities, and generating an income for the farmers’ families. Click on the image above to find out more!
The Reading Connection
The Reading Connection’s summer reading program, We are Readers, is in full blossom. This week, Alexandria Police Officers read with kids at ARHA.
Fun Fact: Did you know that for just $100, you can provide a parent workshop to help adults increase their confidence about reading to their children? Click on the image above to donate!
“We have a chance to learn from our friends on the West Coast and re-engineer our water systems, to clean up the Anacostia, the Potomac, and the Chesapeake waterways, all the while saving money and reducing carbon emissions.”
In honor of Parks and Recreation Month, we welcome Jim Foster, President of Anacostia Watershed Society. Anacostia Watershed Society protects and restores the Anacostia River and its watershed communities by cleaning the water, recovering the shores, and honoring the heritage.
Which Catalogue charity has a freshly-painted play room, thanks to local volunteers? Which one took its summer academy students to one of the city’s top museums, or shared a record-breaking produce bounty with local seniors? And finally, which Catalogue charity saw female small business owners in Tanzania set a monthly profit record? Find out below in this weeks #whatsupwednesday!
Bethany House of Northern Virginia
This week, Bethany House had a volunteer team from TheTransit DC who came and painted a play room at one of their shelters. Wow – it looks great with the new bright red and yellow walls!
Higher Achievement
Field trips happen every Friday at Higher Achievement’s Summer Academy! The photo in this week’s slideshow is from Higher Achievement’s recent visit to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, thanks to partner Mayer Brown.
Iona Senior Services
This season has been record-breaking for our Farm to Table program, which brings fresh produce from local markets to older adults in our Active Wellness Program at St. Alban’s — for free! We’ve had 2,275 lbs so far this season (and counting)! Special thanks to our partners New Morning Farm, FRESHFARM Markets (’13-’14 Catalogue charity!), DC Greens (’14-’15 Catalogue charity), and Licking Creek Bend Farm.
2Seeds Network
Mama Asha from Tabora Project calculated monthly profits this week in the group’s newly built storage building. The group of women cooks and sells packaged foods around Tanzania, and June was their highest monthly profit to date!
After a brief summer hiatus, #WhatsUpWednesday is back, refreshed, and excited to share “what’s up” at Catalogue charities this week! Take a look at photos in the video below, and be sure to check out our charities’ Catalogue pages to learn how you can donate or volunteer.
Global Kids
Global Kids has been having an incredible summer. Global Kids Summer Institute visited the South African Embassy. The youth met with a South African diplomat with whom they discussed racial justice issues in their local communities and in South Africa. In August, many of these students will be traveling to South Africa with Global Kids-DC through a generous grant from the DC Department of Employment Services.
2Seeds Network
Mzee Mcharo from Kwakiliga Project and Mama Tatu from Bombo Majimoto Project met this week to calculate business profits and share ideas with Jeremy, the Kwakiliga Project Coordinator.
Crossroads Community Food Network
Wednesday was market day at Crossroads Farmers Market, operated by the Crossroads Community Food Network! Today was salsa day at market – they served up free samples of summer peach salsa while enjoying salsa music. Market is open each Wednesday from 11-3 until November.
Bethany House of Northern Virginia
Bethany House of Northern Virginia, Inc. is participating in Macy’s Shop For A Cause on August 29th. You can purchase a shopping pass good for 25% on almost everything including sale items. Contact Brad Womble, 703-658-9500 for more information!
Higher Achievement
Summer Academy is underway at Higher Achievement! Six weeks of full school days. Core subjects and electives Monday – Thursday and fun/interactive field trips every Friday!
The Reading Connection
At The Reading Connection, BB&T Lighthouse Project volunteers donated their time to participate in monthly Book Club mailing. They mailed out new, beautiful kids books to 210 at-risk families who are enrolled in Book Club program through home visiting agencies. BB&T Lighthouse Project also made a $1,800 donation to the Book Club.
Calvary Women’s Services
Calvary has a new garden area, and women are already enjoying produce that they’ve grown!
Summer is officially here: School is out, the beach is “in”, but while many in Greater Washington begin to wind down for the season, the Catalogue team is just getting started with production of our 2015-2016 guide to giving!
After thoroughly vetting more 200 charity applicants in areas of financials, programs, and impact, last month we proudly announced our list of charities to be included in the upcoming Catalogue. So what happens until the November 1 release of the 2015-2016 Catalogue for Philanthropy? Read on to find out!
Last year’s Catalogue: Hot off the press!
We begin by working with each of our charities to collect the very best photos they have of their programs or volunteers in action, or…anything that represents what they do. Fun fact: Nearly all of the beautiful photos in our Catalogue come from our charities (which is one of the many reasons we think the Catalogue is so special)!
While collecting photos, we also begin turning each charity’s 3000-word application into a compelling 170-word story that will represent that charity in the Catalogue. We convey, in a human voice, the need that a charity meets, the programs that are at the core of what they do, and the impact they have on the community. Most small nonprofits don’t have the communications staff to do this work for them, so telling their stories, in words and images, is what we do! After many round of proofing, we’re off to the printer, and then mailing center, where the Catalogue is mailed to more than 25,000 households across Greater Washington.
Of course, as we put together the Catalogue, we always want to ensure that we incorporate the feedback of our supporters in the community. Do you have 5 minutes to spare, and a desire to help make this next Catalogue our best one yet? Help us understand how you use the Catalogue and how we can improve our work in the future by filling out our user survey! Your feedback will influence the ways in which we make the Catalogue an even more valuable resource for donors and charities in Greater Washington.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of “Creating the Catalogue”, when we introduce you to the people who work hard to bring the Catalogue to life: our staff!
At the Catalogue, we LOVE hearing stories of inspiration and collaboration, and this week’s #whatsupwednesday gives us a glimpse into two organizations doing just that: DC SCORES and 2Seeds Network. Have a story of your own to share? Send it to us so we can feature you on our blog! In the meantime, read on to see what these great organizations were up to this week:
This week, DC SCORES student Nohemy (left) was on a panel about girls in sports with Washington Spirit star Crystal Dunn! Want to keep up with DC SCORES on social media? Follow them on Twitter or Facebook.
Today, 2Seeds Network’s US-based staff met with the team from 2 Seconds or Less (an organization dedicated to ending childhood malnutrition) to share ideas, lessons learned, and dreams of ways to make their organizations stronger and more effective. Want to keep up with 2Seeds Network on social media? Follow them on Twitter or Facebook.
Be sure to check out each of these organization’s nonprofit pages in the links above to find out how you can support them!
In this week’s edition of #WhatsUpWednesday, we have volunteer opportunities to uplift young girls, a recipe that is both delicious and nutritious, and snapshots of our nonprofits in action: celebrating the joy of reading in schools, ensuring the safety and health of those living on the street, and showing off agricultural achievements!
Girls on the Run – DC
Girls on the Run – DC relies on amazing volunteer coaches to help our teams of 8-15 girls recognize their inner strength! Apply today to be a GOTR-DC Fall 2015 coach!
Georgetown Ministry Center
Gunther and Dr. Crosland from Unity Health Care Inc. were doing street outreach and bringing healthcare to people who live on the street. Whether it’s 10 degrees or 100 degrees, they are out there making sure people are okay!
Reading Partners DC
Reading Partners celebrated reading and the end of the school year, and took a great picture from Wheatley Education Campus (see that photo in the video above!).
Crossroads Community Food Network
The Crossroads Community Food Network is serving up Swiss Chard Wraps at the Crossroads Farmers Market’s weekly nutrition education lesson, in partnership with University of Maryland Extension! Want the recipe? Get it here: http://eatsmart.umd.edu/recipe/swiss-chard-wraps. Come visit the market each Wednesday from 11-3 in Takoma Park for healthy produce, tasty lunch offerings, great music, activities for kids, nutrition education and more!
2Seeds Network
Mama Tatu from the Bombo Majimoto Project proudly showed Anderson from the Masoko Project the group’s greenhouse and newly planted garlic!
