Monthly Archives: November 2011

Around Town: November 12-13

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Hey there, Greater Washington! Where would you like to spend the weekend?

The Outdoors

In DC, join volunteers to restore plant beds in Coolidge High School’s rainscape garden on Saturday at 8:30 PM or, in Maryland, help finish the hiker and biker trail re-route at Lake Needwood at 9:00 AM — both with Rock Creek Conservancy. And on Sunday at 10:00 AM, join Potomac Conservancy in cleaning up the land and water surrounding Lock 8, and along miles 8 and 9 of the C&O Canal towpath.

The Theatre and Gallery

An enthralling adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic, The Mistorical Hystery of Henry (I)V, produced by WSC Avant Bard, plays at Artisphere on Saturday at 2:00 and 7:30 PM and Sunday at 2:00 PM; tickets here. Over on Capitol Hill, CHAW presents an all-media juried exhibit entitled “Local Turf,” opening on Saturday at 5:00 PM and running until December 2. At DCAC on Sunday at 5:00 PM, local artist Champneys Taylor discusses his first solo show “The Phono-Graphic Cycle” and its reflection of his interest in color, luminosity, and invented landscape.

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Team Up: KEEN & Johns Hopkins

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New blog feature! Since we’re all about collaborating and teaming up here at Catalogue, we will be highlighting unique partnerships between Catalogue nonprofits and community, educational, and governmental organizations. And to start, we are featuring KEEN Greater DC and its brand new, innovative partnership with Johns Hopkins University.

Committed to serving (at no cost) those so often left out of sports and recreation, KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now) matches young people on the severe and profound end of the disabilities spectrum with trained volunteers to experience basketball, play tennis, enjoy water activities, play soccer, bowl, and simply enjoy themselves. The volunteer corp has exceeded 10,000 — and now it is now bound to keep on growing.

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In The News …

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DCPS needs more than money to attract top teachers (Greater Greater Washington): “DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown plans to draft a bill that focuses on recruiting teachers to teach in high-poverty, low-performing schools. However, the incentives he proposes may not be enough to recruit highly effective teachers to work in these schools […] In addition to monetary incentives to recruit teachers to low performing schools, districts must also motivate effective teachers to stay in these schools through other factors like strong school leadership, access to high-quality professional development, career mobility, and comprehensive induction for new teachers.” Do you agree? Are these intangible benefits in fact more effective in the long-term?

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What Inspires You?

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From yesterday’s “Inspiration to Action 2011” at the Harman Center for the Arts:

Here we are. YEAR NINE. To the 2011-12 charities featured in our new Catalogue and to those of you being re-featured on our website this year, it is truly an honor, and a pleasure, to see you here today. I hope you are already feeling inspired by what we are doing together. […] Here at the Catalogue we believe in the power of telling stories — and in the hard work that makes it possible for donors and volunteers to tap into the in-depth information and guidance that is the foundation of our work. We want people who read the Catalogue and visit us on the web, to explore their own philanthropic interests and find what matters to them — knowing that we have already done the hard work that makes meaningful personal choice possible.

— Barbara Harman, President, Catalogue for Philanthropy

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Inspiration to Action 2011

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Today … is maybe the most hectic and exciting day of the Catalogue year. Not only do we launch the new print Catalogue and welcome the new “class,” but we have the awesome opportunity to have 600 members of the Catalogue community all in one room.

And this year, our audience will get a unique glimpse into ten of our non-profits — from a dance company to an after-school tutoring program — and discover just why they are irreplaceable parts of Greater Washington. And in experiencing their inspiring work, we will all gain a stronger sense of the importance and vitality of every Catalogue nonprofit and of the strength of our community.

So in that spirit, let us know — right here or on Twitter — who and what in your neighborhood inspires YOU?

 

 

 

 

 

 

City Year DC performs in I2A 2010.

Around Town: November 4-5

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Welcome to November, Greater Washington! So, what would you like to do this weekend?

Enjoy Great Music …

On Saturday at 8:00 & Sunday at 3:00 PM, National Philharmonic presents an “All Beethoven” evening; tickets over this way. Enjoy an afternoon of exquisite solo virtuosity from the Washington Bach Consort on Sunday at 3:00 PM at the National Presbyterian Church (tickets here) or catch the American Youth Philharmonic‘s “Orchestral Brilliance,” also at 3:00 PM.

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First Vote

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“The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.”

— President Lyndon B. Johnson

In 1961, the 23rd amendment was ratified, assuring the District of Columbia the same number of electoral votes granted to the least populous state. Today, in 1964, DC residents were able to vote in a presidential election for the first time.

Interested in learning more about District voting rights and enhancing advocacy efforts in Congress? Today is a great time to check out Catalogue non-profit, DC Vote.

In The News …

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Nation’s report card: Kids showing a bit of improvement in math, but many still not proficient (Washington Post Local): “The nation’s report card on math and reading shows fourth- and eighth-graders scoring their best ever in math and eighth graders making some progress in reading. But the results released Tuesday are a stark reminder of just how far the nation’s school kids are from achieving the No Child Left Behind law’s goal […] Just a little more than one-third of the students were proficient or higher in reading. In math, 40 percent of the fourth-graders and 35 percent of the eighth-graders had reached that level.” According to the article, Maryland students in both grades showed reading improvement; according to WAMU, “Virginia’s scores in reading and mathematics remain higher than nationwide averages.”

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Early Economics

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Back in April, we talked about Elmo’s take on financial literacy for all ages. Namely, should (and how could) financial literacy be taught alongside traditional literacy to Sesame Street’s target demographic? Today, here’s another take from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (not a furry red monster), “Teaching kids financial literacy? Don’t forget entrepreneurship:”

You teach them the value of hard work and the importance of telling the truth, how to be a loyal friend and a good citizen. But you might be overlooking one of the most important lessons you can teach your children to help ensure they do well in life — financial literacy. […]

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