Happy hour for a good cause on June 23

We don't typically post news or event items related to Adams Morgan (unless, of course, it relates to warnings of 14th Street or U Street becoming the next iteration of that cesspool of drunkeness and debauchery), but today we're making an exception.

One of the 14thandyou's favorite nonprofits, Community of Hope, is hosting a "Happy Hour for Hope" next Thursday, June 23 from 5p - 8p. Community of Hope provides some tremendous and much-needed services to individuals and families in central DC. More details about the event are below. If you're planning on being out in Adams-Morgan that evening, please consider stopping by one of the establishments listed below and supporting this very worthwhile organization.

Community of Hope will be joining forces with six Adams Morgan restaurants to host Happy Hour for Hope, an event to raise awareness, volunteerism, and funds for our continuing efforts to provide healthcare, housing, and supportive services to low-income and homeless families and individuals in Washington, DC.

Happy Hour for Hope will be held on June 23, 2011 from 5 to 8 p.m. A portion of proceeds from food and drink sales from participating restaurants will go to Community of Hope.

Participating restaurants are Bardia’s New Orleans Café, Bukom Café, Madam’s Organ, The Reef, Savour, and Sutra Lounge.

For more information, check out our website at: http://www.communityofhopedc.org/news-and-events/happy-hour-hope.

Out and About: DC SCORES Annual Inspired Arts Benefit

If you're looking for an opportunity to meet local artists in a fabulous setting while supporting a worthwhile organization, you'll have an opportunity to do just that tomorrow evening.

Wednesday, May 19 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, local after school nonprofit DC SCORES is hosting their annual benefit, the Inspired Art Gala, featuring works by numerous local artists. Artists submitted work for auction that was inspired by the creative writing output of DC SCORES students, as well as pieces that compliment poetry provided by the students. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the artwork will benefit DC SCORES.

One artist who is participating is U Street-based Isabelle Spicer, who originally hails from Paris but now spends her days studying at the Torpedo factory and painting urban landscapes, many of them in and around the U Street and Logan area. More information about Ms. Spicer, as well as a portfolio of some of her work, is available here.


In all, more than 50 local artists are participating in the $200-per ticket gala. Additional information about the event can be found here. To learn more about DC SCORES and their unique after-school programs for DC youth, please click here.

Giving Back on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving means time with family and friends, good food and relaxation. It's also a time of year that presents an opportunity to volunteer at many of our city's charities and community organizations. For those of you who may be dining alone, or have some time available on Thanksgiving Day (who needs to watch the Lions and the Cowboys anyway?), we present a brief and far-from-exhaustive guide to volunteering your time at one of these many worthy causes.

A bit of a disclaimer: if you are interested in volunteering with any of the organizations listed below, it's wise to give them a call or send them an email. It's not uncommon for volunteer spaces to fill up quickly.

One final note: while many people's minds turn to charity and volunteering during the holidays, most if not all of these organizations require year-round volunteer efforts and donations in order to be able to continue to serve a needy populace. Thus, with that in mind, we present a few ideas for spending your Thanksgiving Day:

Over at the Whitman-Walker Clinic, SaVanna Wanzer is looking for volunteers on Wednesday at 4 PM to assist in the preparation and cooking of a charity Thanksgiving dinner. Give her a call at 202-797-3509 if you are interested.

Emmaus Services for the Aging: Every year on Thanksgiving, Emmaus coordinates the delivery of over 150 Thanksgiving meals to needy seniors throughout the city. This year, they will be delivering meals from 10a - noon, and they could use some help. Although their website is out of date (at this point, I've given up hope on the October 2007 newsletter "coming soon") I've been told on good authority that you contact Patricia Hughes at 202-745-1200 if you are interested in volunteering.

Burgundy Crescent Volunteers are going to be busy throughout the day on Thanksgiving. They need volunteers from the ungodly hour of 4:45 am - 7:00 am for "unspecified duties". From 10:30a - 2p they will be serving dinner to the needy at Rosemary's Thyme, located at the corner of 18th and S. From noon - 2p, they are organizing a clothing drop-off, also at Rosemary's (if nothing else, it's a perfect opportunity to clean out your closets). Finally (whew) they will be serving lunch from 10a - 3p at the Green Door Clubhouse, a home for those with mental disabilities. Interested in volunteering for any of these events? Contact Jonathan at jonathan@burgundycrescent.org.

Food and Friends needs volunteers to deliver meals throughout the day on Thanksgiving (shifts are available on the hour from 8a - 11a). They also need volunteers to assist with meal preparation and to coordinate activities on what promises to be a very busy day. Click here to learn more about volunteering on Thanksgiving Day.

The Community for Creative Nonviolence, the nation's largest homeless shelter, is preparing to serve Thanksgiving meals to over 2,000 needy individuals on Thanksgiving Day. If that sounds like a formidable task, that's because it is--and they could use some help with all that needs to be done. Specifically, they could use some assistance preparing food, serving meals and spending time with their guests. No sign-up is necessary, but those who are interested should call 202-393-1909 in advance for information.

Finally, while not specifically Thanksgiving related, while we're on the subject of food, the Capital Area Food Bank is always looking for donations in time and goods to help them fulfill their mission--now and throughout the year. Click here to learn more about what you can do to assist them.

And with that, we would like to wish everyone a safe, happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving. 14thandyou is going to take a bit of a break in order to spend some time with family over the weekend, and we hope you will get an opportunity as well.

Make a Difference and Help StreetSense

Most if not all of you have seen the vendors for StreetSense--"Washington DC's only paper by and for the homeless"--selling their papers on street corners in our neighborhood. StreetSense is one of those institutions in our community who truly do strive to make a difference for the less fortunate out there--and they need your help in order to further their mission.

Tomorrow evening from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM, StreetSense will be hosting a charity silent auction at the WVSA Arts Connection at 1100 16th Street. Auction items have been donated by numerous business, restaurants and individuals throughout the region and include some really cool stuff (including Caps tickets and a Bethany Beach getaway).

For more information, visit StreetSense's website, or send an email to info@streetsense.org.

Local Restaurant Hosts Benefit to "Save the Seals"

14thandyou rarely ventures into the world of activism, but we did want to make our readers aware of a recent event held in the neighborhood that supported a worthy cause.

This past Tuesday evening at 14th Street restaurant and lounge Policy, entertainment stars and a number of representatives from the DC area's top restaurants--including Policy's Omar Miskinyar--held a benefit for the Humane Society of the United States to launch "In Our Hands," a campaign to end Canada's commercial seal hunt.

250 attended the benefit, with proceeds going to the HSUS and their effort to curtail the Canadian government's continued allowance of an annual seal hunt in which hundreds of thousands of seals--many of them mere pups--are clubbed to death for their fur. In spite of a decimation of the seal population due to melting ice shelves, the government has allowed the seal hunt to continue--and the HSUS has been on hand to document the activity and embark upon lobbying efforts to have the hunt discontinued.

In addition to packing the space and raising money for a just cause, the event attracted a noteworthy crowd: British photographer and America's Next Top Model judge Nigel Barker was in attendance, as was Real Housewives of New York star and chef Bethenny Frankel. Playing DJ for the evening was none other than Joel Josh Madden, brother of Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden.

Guests were treated to dishes made by chefs from some of DC's most popular restaurants, including Restaurant Eve, Equinox, Vidalia and Citronelle, plus others.

"It was great to be part of something so special here on U street," exclaimed Miskinyar. "This event was held to start awareness about the brutal seal hunt, the largest slaughter of marine mammals on the planet, and to increase appreciation for these creatures. It has changed my perspective on so many things on so many different levels."

Those interested in learning more about the Humane Society's efforts to curtail Canada's seal hunt can be found here. If you feel like getting involved, the Humane Society has also put together some tips for what individuals can do to help the cause.

Photo of the event are included below.