By Theo Blair
Howdy, neighbor! Turkey Day has come and gone, which means the holiday season is officially underway! While there are plenty of great things to celebrate over the coming weeks, there are a few events we’re so excited about that we’re dedicating this entire edition of A Wider Community to them! This week we’ll be talking about:
- How you can help us make the most of Giving Tuesday!
- Your chance to join us for tours and tacos next month!
- And more!
So if you heard enough hot takes and sports talk over the holiday to last you ’til next year, we’re here to help you switch gears! Let’s look at what’s happening around our circle!
Fuel our Fleet this Giving Tuesday!
You may see our trucks around town picking up donations, delivering goods to partner organizations and neighbors, and moving supplies between our Center for Community Service in Silver Spring and our Ward 8 Hub in SE DC. This year for Giving Tuesday, we are once again asking you to Fuel Our Fleet!
Your gift tomorrow helps support the following:
- Increasing furniture deliveries to clients and finding other ways to address transportation access issues
- Providing regular maintenance to our entire fleet of trucks and vans
- Covering the ever-increasing cost of gas
- Supporting the team who get these donations from one home to another
And, thanks to some generous friends, all gifts made on Giving Tuesday will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $25,000!
By investing in our trucks and in turn, our Essential Support program, you can help us widen the circle of compassion, making sure children have a bed on which to sleep, parents have a table around which the family can gather for meals and homework, and families across our region can focus on taking the next steps on their journey to a place of stability.
Tomorrow, join the rest of our community and help support the effort to keep our trucks on the road, our showroom fully stocked, and our community supported!
Tours, Tacos, and Talks with the Staff of A Wider Circle!
December is one of our busiest times of the year as we kick our Good Karma Holiday Program into high gear, continue all of our regular services, and begin our end-of-year fundraising push to ensure we can keep saying yes to those who call on us for help into the new year and beyond! With all the action and interest in our work, it’s a great time to stop by and learn how you can become a bigger part of our wider community!
That’s why we’re hosting multiple tours throughout the month of December, and we’d love for you to join us!
AWC Grant Writer Peter gives community members a tour during Neighbor to Neighbor Day earlier this year.
Tour dates and times include:
- Saturday, December 9:
- 12:00-1:00 pm
- 2:00-2:45 pm — this tour time is recommended for elementary-aged youth and their families to learn about poverty and our work in an age-appropriate manner.
- For both tour times on December 9, Trippy Tacos food truck will also be onsite at our Center!
- Saturday, December 16:
- 12:00-1:00 pm
RSVP for any of the above tour times here!
Rounding out the circle
Upcoming events in the community:
- 11/28/23 Giving Tuesday! All gifts made to A Wider Circle will be matched, up to $25,000!
- 12/2/23 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Community Cleanup, AWC’s Ward 8 Hub
Join us as we clean the Washington Highlands community. Gloves, trash bags, and pickers will be provided.
400-A Atlantic Street SE Washington, DC 20032 (Entrance on Condon Terrace), SE Washington, DC - 12/2/23 12:00 – 4:00 pm College Prep and Career Readiness Fair 2023, Raymond Recreation Center, Registration required, NW Washington, DC
Ways to get involved:
There are plenty of ways you can support the work of A Wider Circle right now!
- Spend some time volunteering with us!
- Schedule or drop off an in-kind donation
- Support our Market Bag program
- Help restock our food pantry
- Give the gift of community via our Holiday Giving Guide!
- and more!
Staff Recommendations:
This week our recommendation comes to us from Executive Assistant, Mary Lauritzen! Mary shared Martin Scorsese’s latest blockbuster, Killers of the Flower Moon. A Western crime saga based on the story of the Osage nation, Mollie Kyle, and Ernest Burkhart at the turn of the 20th century.
Mary shared that she felt the film was a masterpiece that would see award nominations for its masterful performances, and that the movie was well worth the watch!
Furniture Finds:
Just a couple of purple people seaters spotted in our showroom!
Delightful dining chairs with a unique feel strike a pose and hope to find a new home soon as they sit in our showroom!
That’ll do it for this week! Be sure to keep an eye on your inbox later this week for First Fridays, our monthly e-newsletter, and we’ll see you in two weeks with the next edition of A Wider Community!
