The Beltway of GivingJune 27, 2012
• June 27, 2012

Each year, nearly 10 million flights circle the globe, carrying passengers to new locales and old stomping grounds alike. Travel comes with the territory in the District ? dignitaries commute to and from home countries, businessmen and women cross continents to close deals and families spend much-deserved vacations to relax beyond the Beltway. I?ve seen passports filled with enough stamps to rival secretaries of state. Most recently, after a return from a world tour, a friend complained that, with too many stamps, he needed a new passport.

While many of us dream of winters in Whistler, British Columbia, and summer cruises off the Solomon Islands, there is a segment of inner-city youth that will never leave D.C. ? or the Eastern Seaboard. In fact, the idea of needing a passport is even more foreign to them than travelling to a national park. But a number of organizations across the city are now working to address this lack of cultural and geographical awareness by exposing inner-city youth to outdoor and cultural opportunities.

D.C.?s City Kids, for one, offers annual backpacking excursions to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where youth learn mountaineering and life skills on a 62-acre ranch. On June, 20 young girls journeyed to Jackson Hole for a summer filled with outdoor adventure and leadership development courses.
?Having the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in Wyoming for the summer has exposed me to a life I did not know existed,? said a past City Kids participant. ?Those experiences have given me a new outlook on life. Through the skills developed at City Kids, I know that my actions matter and what I choose to do or choose not to do has repercussions.?

Like City Kids, Wilderness Leadership & Learning (WILL) is also based in D.C. and provides youths with life skill development tools. Primarily working with high school students from under-served neighborhoods in Wards 1, 6, 7 and 8, WILL expose a group of students to the Appalachian Trail for a week-long trip with Steve Abraham, president and founder of WILL. A former attorney, Abraham created the 12 month long, interactive WILL program providing safe after-school time for kids.

?WILL not only enables teens to become aware of the world around them, but also encourages them to become better stewards of the environment,? Abraham said. ?Our programs include environmental learning and service projects on the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers, scavenger hunts on the National Mall, canoeing on the Anacostia River, a seven-day backpacking Expedition on the Appalachian Trail and three days at the Chesapeake Bay.?

Travel opportunities exist locally, too. Live It Learn It partners exclusively with high-poverty Title I D.C. public elementary schools and their teachers. It offers classroom instruction and trips to a range of recognized museums and memorials; more than 1,500 students from 21 schools across the District benefit.

?We partner with schools in every quadrant of the city, with the majority located east of the Anacostia River,? said Matthew Wheelock, founder of Live It Learn It. ?Despite having world-renowned monuments, museums, memorials and national parks right in their own backyard, the overwhelming majority of our students have never experienced these places. . . It seemed like such a waste.?

For many of the youth enrolled in these D.C. programs, their first entr?e to travel both near and far stems from the commitment of non-profits focusing on education through travel. You can help them on their journey by donating to these organizations to support flights, bus transportation and needed gear for each kid?s adventure. ?

**HOW YOU CAN HELP**

**City Kids** welcomes donations of gear, including hiking books, fleece tops, twin bedding, saddles and horse tacks. Visit its wish list at www.CityKidsDC.org/donors/our-wish-list

**Wilderness Leadership & Learning** (WILL) is always looking for volunteers to help drive students to events and welcomes online donations at www.WILL-lead.org/friends.html

**Live It Learn It** seeks in-school volunteers and welcomes donations at
www.LiveItLearnIt.org/pages/get-involved.php

*Jade Floyd is a managing associate at a D.C.-based international public relations firm and has served on the board of directors for several non-profits. She is a frequent volunteer and host of fundraising events across the District supporting arts, animal welfare and education programs. Follow her on Twitter @DCThisWeek.*

The Beltway of Giving:May 16, 2012
• May 16, 2012

The perfect pairing goes beyond bites and sips as food and wine festivals spring to life throughout the summer, many of them with a purpose of not only nourishing your palette, but also feeding the community. Add to the recipe a dash of music and a charitable endeavor and you have a dish that just might overwhelm the senses.

Celebrity chefs like Tom Colicchio, Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali have all sharpened their knives for a cause and spearheaded their own philanthropic endeavors from pediatric AIDS to anti-hunger initiatives. DC’s own Spike Mendelsohn is joining their ranks, as he hosts “Sound Bites” on May 20th for DC Central Kitchen (DCCK). For more than 23 years DCCK has whipped up meals feeding underprivileged populations across the city, all with the purpose of using food as a tool for empowerment. DC chefs have engaged by mentoring DCCK students, inviting them for internships in their kitchens and judging student cook-offs.

Mendelsohn, along with 9:30 Club, the Thievery Corporation’s Eric Hilton, Brightest Young Things, and 15 noted D.C. restaurants have come together to raise awareness and funds for DCCK. The event mixes charity, food and music with DJ sets by Will Eastman and performances by Bones Fur Feather, The Archives and Nappy Riddem. Participating restaurants include BONMI, Borinquen, Cork, Della?s, Dolce Gelati, Harry?s Smokehouse, Indique, Jackie?s, Mie N Yu, Pepe Food Truck by Jose Andres, Policy, Rappahannock Oysters, Room 11, Shake Shack and Taylor Gourmet. Also part of the festivities is a cocktail competition with DC’s spiciest mixologists from Oyamel, the Passenger, Fujimar and The Gibson.

We are uniquely positioned to take further advantage of the relationships built within the restaurant and hospitality industry through these events, says Paul Day of DCCK. Sound Bites taps into a younger audience with its festival atmosphere, the 9:30 club, and hip beats from local bands.

The event is designed to raise funds for the eight programs housed at DCCK, including the Culinary Job Training program that utilizes experienced local chefs to mentor students and guide them towards their culinary futures. DCCK identifies 25 students each semester to participate in 16-week-long culinary immersion courses. Their mission is to prepare unemployed, underemployed, formerly incarcerated persons, and homeless adults for careers in the foodservice industry.? Careers that can land them a position in restaurants such as the ones that have joined forces for Sound Bites. In fact, 90 percent of graduates obtain jobs after graduation and today they serve in reputable places like the Gaylord National Resort and Smithsonian Institution.

Day said that “Events like Sound Bites help us build relationships in the culinary world and find internships, employment and additional training experiences for our Culinary Job Training program students.” In 2011, 78 percent of graduates from the program were formerly incarcerated and nearly 70 percent had struggled with addiction. DCCK goes beyond the traditional roles associated with anti-hunger programs. They train low-income and disadvantaged populations to become productive members of the community.

Tickets for Sound Bites are $40 and are available at www.ticketfly.com or the 9:30 Club and Merriweather Post Pavilion box offices. For more information, visit [www.soundbitesdc.com](http://www.soundbitesdc.com).

**Upcoming Food and Wine Festivals for a Cause**
* DC101 Chili Cook-Off May 21st at the RFK Stadium benefiting the National Kidney Foundation’s programs.

* The 19th Annual Taste of Georgetown takes place June 2nd benefitting
the Georgetown Ministry Center’s services supporting the homeless.

* National Association for the Specialty Food Trade Summer Fancy Food Show on June 17th to 19th with more than 2,400 exhibitors from around the world, presenting more than 180,000 specialty foods. Last year, exhibitors donated 100,000 pounds of specialty foods and beverages – enough to fill eight tractor trailers – to the DC Central Kitchen.

***Jade Floyd is a managing associate at a D.C.-based international public relations firm and has served on the board of directors for the D.C. Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative for nearly five years. She is a frequent volunteer and host of fundraising events across the District, supporting arts, animal welfare and education related causes.***

Beltway of GivingApril 17, 2012
• April 17, 2012

The District is home to the nation?s highest percentage of urban green space. In fact, major parks like Rock Creek Park, the C & O Canal National Historical Park and the National Mall account for nearly 20 percent of the land in the city. Hundreds of Washingtonians will join together to beautify these spaces on global Earth Day on April 22nd. In the last Beltway of Giving, I highlighted a number of upcoming awareness months that give citizens a reason to unite for a cause ? but why limit these good efforts to just one day or one month? Throughout the year you can take the time to reduce our carbon footprint ? from installing a green roof to recycling wine bottles and corks. The Beltway of Giving is not just about donating your money to a worthy cause, but also your time and becoming a well-educated citizen that can be a steward for a cause.

Inside the classroom has proven to be the perfect setting to cultivate those stewards. The D.C.-based National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) is working to increase environmental education within our nation?s schools through programs like Classroom Earth (www.classroomearth.org), an online resource designed to help high school teachers include environmental content in their daily lesson plans, and Environmental Education Week taking place April 15 ? 21st. Through these efforts, NEEF has created a network of teachers working to not only increase learning for their students, but also encourage more youth to explore careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). In fact, this year?s National Environmental Education Week?s 2012 theme is Greening STEM: The Environment as Inspiration for 21st Century Learning.

Part of NEEF?s environmental education outreach in the district includes a ***Be Water Wise*** partnership with 13 D.C. public schools that was launched in 2011. ***Be Water Wise*** engages partners from the public, private and nonprofit sectors to raise awareness of local water challenges and improve water conservation and stormwater management in school buildings and grounds. Diane Wood, President of NEEF, says the program has been a resounding success. ?We want children to be more aware of how they are connected to the environment in the classroom and take those practices home,? said Wood. ?Teachers are being rewarded for engaging their kids in the environment. If you offer something educational and fun to young people it hooks them and they want to learn more.?

Jami Dunham, Head of School at Paul Public Charter School in northwest D.C. agrees. ?Currently schools are emphasizing environmental education in the curriculum of life science classes, through after-school clubs and activities, and by developing community service projects that promote going green,? said Dunham. ?At Paul, we have had a GreenSchools! Club for several years, students have planted trees on campus, built garden beds during a community service day and we have hosted an all-school assembly to inform students about their carbon footprint.?

Dunham encourages parents to focus on increasing their children?s awareness by using their everyday routines to explore environmental education issues.? She recommends taking children to local farmers markets to discuss organic fruits and vegetables and create opportunities for their entire family to volunteer at community gardens.? Consider taking the family for an environmental outing at a D.C.-area park this Earth Day or volunteer your time at one of the many local recycling and clean-up events.

**How You Can Get Involved on Earth Day in D.C.**

On Saturday, April 21st from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. join the Anacostia Watershed Society and other local organizations as they work to cleanup the Anacostia River and its tributaries in honor of Earth Day. Last year, more than 2,000 volunteers helped remove more than 42 tons of trash from the river. More details at [potomacriverkeeper.org](http://www.potomacriverkeeper.org/event/2012-earth-day-cleanup-celebration)

On Saturday, April 21st from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. join the Student Conservation Association for an Earth Day clean-up at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. Volunteers will plant 40 trees and remove invasive plant species at the Gardens, as well as assist with trash removal along the Anacostia watershed. Learn more at [members.thesca.org](http://members.thesca.org/site/Calendar?id=105601&view=Detail)

On Sunday, April 22 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. celebrate Earth Day on the National Mall: Mobilize the Earth. Visitors will hear top musical talent and view renewable energy demonstrations and interactive exhibits . Learn more at [earthday.org](http://www.earthday.org/mall)

***Jade Floyd is a managing associate at a D.C.-based international public relations firm and has served on the board of directors for the D.C. Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative for nearly five years. She is a frequent volunteer and host of fundraising events across the District, supporting arts, animal welfare and education programs.***