Appreciation for the Bloomingdale Farmer’s Market!

Each and every Sunday during the growing season, Cornerstone residents take part in a bounty of fresh vegetables from our friends at the Bloomingdale Farmer’s Market. Everything from spring radishes, to summer squash, to fall greens – all are used in cooking classes at Cornerstone, and most often, cooked directly in our residents’ apartment kitchens, adding to the veggies harvested from our own garden. We are so grateful for our local farmers who grow and donate their vegetables, and especially to our wonderful neighbor Ted McGinn, who faithfully brings the produce to and from DASH every week.

Last week in Art Group (https://dashdc.wpengine.com/2013/07/30/art-healing-and-community/) Cornerstone kids created this banner to show our appreciation for this wonderful, and tasty, partnership. Thanks, Bloomingdale Farmers!

Spotlight on Allies in Change Awardees: MOI and Jennifer Lee

DASH’s longtime corporate community partner, MOI, is this year’s recipient of the Keystone award. MOI not only works with DASH to build awareness and support for the cause of safe housing and safe lives through events, they also donate their time volunteering and organizing much-needed drives for DASH’s women and children. MOI has also donated endless amounts office furniture for DASH staff and its staff has helped design our office spaces. Jennifer, Senior Consultant for Commercial Interior Solutions, explains more about this wonderful partnership below, and remember to buy tickets to the luncheon here:

My name is Jennifer Lee, I’m a Senior Consultant at MOI. MOI is a Commercial Furniture Dealership with 30 years of experience providing clients with comprehensive furniture solutions.

I work and play in DC! I first heard about DASH back in 2009 when we hosted an art show that raised funds and awareness for DASH. It also gave members of the industry an opportunity to showcase our artistic talents.

When DASH was renovating the Cornerstone building MOI donated furniture as well as our services for design, labor, and project management for their staff offices.

DASH knows firsthand how large the need is locally for safe housing and support services. They bring vital awareness needed to educate others on the cause and effect relationship between domestic violence and the prevention of homelessness.

Their low barrier policy and the passion that their team has for the mission along with their unbridled resolve to give their residents the tools/skills needed to rebuild their lives with the respect and kindness they deserve. DASH addresses the need for services and local housing for victims and assists with getting them into safe, supportive environments, where they can find success at their own speed. DASH is nationally recognized for their best practice model organization.

I feel passionate that women and children should be protected from violence and sexual abuse. Having a sense of security and safety in your home…this is the most basic need most of us take for granted. All women should have an alternative housing solution to living in an unsafe environment or on the streets.

“We” in the global sense, are ALL affected by domestic violence, sexual abuse, and homelessness.

HELP DASH BUILD A PLAYGROUND FOR OUR CHILDREN

WASHINGTON REDSKINS, WELLS FARGO, SALESFORCE FOUNDATION, DISTRICT ALLIANCE FOR SAFE HOUSING AND KaBOOM! TO BUILD PLAYGROUND IN ONE DAY FOR CHILDREN

On Saturday November 3^rd, 2012, more than 250 volunteers from the Washington Redskins, Wells Fargo, the Salesforce Foundation, the District Alliance for Safe Children (DASH), organizers from KaBOOM! (the national non-profit dedicated to saving play for America’s children by creating play spaces through the participation and leadership of communities), and residents of the Washington D.C. community will join forces to build a new playground at DASH’s Cornerstone Housing Facility, the District’s largest dedicated safe housing program for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and their families.

DASH acts as a safe haven for women and their children by providing long-term safe housing and services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their families as they rebuild their lives on their own terms. We help them move toward not only safety, but also hope, independence, family, peace, and everything that “home” represents community programs. We want to be a place where people can find “help, hope and healing.”

DASH needs the community’s help to make this playground project a success for our children. You can sponsor this exciting project by volunteering on prep or build days (Nov. 1, 2, and 3), making a monetary donation, donating food and/or snacks for the 250 volunteers, or loaning/donating other needed materials such as tents, chairs, tables, coolers, heaters, etc. Please see the detailed list below to find out what is still needed and how you can be involved!

We hope you will be our partner in transforming the lives of children who need our help.

If you have any questions, please contact Dana Arneson at darneson@dashdc.wpengine.com.

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DONATION OPPORTUNITIES

You can help sponsor the playground with a monetary donation by clicking HERE and writing “playground” where it says Designation, or sending a check to P.O. Box 91730, Washington, DC 20090, or contacting Dana Arneson, DASH’s Development Director, at darneson@dashdc.wpengine.com.

You can also sponsor the playground by donating items DASH needs to gather in the next month to build this playground for our children.

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FOOD & PAPER GOODS

PAPER GOODS, UTENSILS FOR 250 PEOPLE

Prep Day 1—Thursday, November 1^st

Breakfast (for 30 volunteers)
Lunch (for 30 volunteers)
Drinks-non water (for 30 volunteers)
Snacks (for 30 volunteers)

Prep Day 2 –Friday, November 2^nd

Breakfast (for 30 volunteers)
Lunch (for 30 volunteers)
Drinks (for 30 volunteers)
Snacks (for 30 volunteers)

Build Day—Saturday, November 3rd

Breakfast (for 200 volunteers)
Lunch (for 200 volunteers)
Drinks (for 200 volunteers)
Snacks (for 200 volunteers)

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EQUIPMENT

Tables
Chairs
Large Tents
PA System
Coolers for food
Space heaters

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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Volunteers do not have to be trained, skilled or have any special tools!

1. DJ: for Build day Saturday, November 3^rd

will be present on site throughout build from 8am-2:30pm to play music for the volunteers and keep the energy level high.

Certified First Aid Provider for Build Day: Saturday, November 3^rd

will be present on site throughout build from 8am-2:30pm

3. Build Day Captain (16-20 needed)

will be assigned 10-20 volunteers, attend training on Prep Day, and arrive very early on Build Day morning to help set up the site

Volunteer for Prep Day 1—Thursday, November 1^st: 8:00am-5:00pm (30 needed)

Volunteer for Prep Day 2—Friday, November 2^nd: 8:00am-5:00pm (20 needed)

Build Day Volunteer—Saturday, November 3^rd:

8:00 AM: Registration and Breakfast

8:30 AM: Kick-Off

11:30-1:30 PM: Lunch in shifts for all volunteers

2:30 PM: Ribbon-Cutting and Dedication Ceremony

Registration Volunteer to oversee registration for Build Day November 3^rd: 7:30-2:30pm (4 needed)

Food Service Volunteers to staff food service area, set up and serve breakfast and lunch

Saturday, November 3^rd: 7:00am-2:00pm (8 volunteers needed)

New ‘Bright Space’ Provides Children Displaced by Domestic Violence A Unique Learning and Play Environment to Help Them Thrive

Grand Opening of Bright Space at DASH

Today the District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH), Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, P.A., and the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children officially opened our Bright Space® learning and play facility for children living in the emergency-to-transitional housing of DASH’s Cornerstone Residence. The children living in this special residence have been displaced by domestic or sexual violence, along with their mothers, and the Bright Space will provide a dedicated safe, warm, enriching area to play, learn, and thrive.

Studies have shown that children of all ages flourish when they have a safe place in which to explore the world around them, filled with books, toys and activities. Children experiencing stress associated with witnessing violence and experiencing homelessness especially need access to these kinds of child-friendly spaces that are key to social and emotional development.

“We hope this Bright Space will bring comfort to families and children during an especially difficult time” said Bright Horizons Center Director Rebecca Weiss who led the team of child care employees in charge of creating the Bright Spaces room within the shelter.

This Bright Space will provide a place for children to play. Children like five-year-old Mary who came to Cornerstone with her mother, who was battling drug addiction, had been incarcerated, and experienced violence at the hands of a former partner. Mary’s mom credits her daughter as her inspiration to heal and get back on her feet, often referring to her as a “gift from God,” and a second chance to live her life in a positive way.

Bright Space Learning and Play Facility at Cornerstone Residence (DASH)

“This Bright Space will offer many of the families who enter our program every year a comfortable place to play and simply experience the joy of being a child or parent,” said DASH Executive Director Peg Hacskaylo.

The center’s construction and opening was largely made possible by a donation from the law firm of Shulman Rogers located in Potomac, Md. The firm is celebrating its 40th anniversary through A Special Year of Giving in which they have dedicated themselves to civic engagement and giving back to the community that contributed to their success. The donation to Bright Spaces is just one in a series of 12 volunteer projects the firm will lead during their anniversary year.

“For 40 years, we have dedicated ourselves to not only serving our clients, but to also serving the community we call home,” said Lawrence A. Shulman, founding partner of Shulman Rogers. “As we celebrate our 40^th Anniversary, we continue our dedication of service, philanthropy, and support.”

DASH Executive Director Peg Hacskaylo and Board Chair Julia Wright

The Bright Space was also made possible through the generous donations of Bright Horizons Division 2, Hoppmann Audio Visual, Capital Commercial Flooring, James G. Davis Construction, Diamond Contracting, Inter-American Development Bank, and DASH Board Chair Julia Wright.

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About DASH

DASH is an innovator in providing access to safe housing and services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their families as they rebuild their lives on their own terms. We seek to strengthen and expand the local safety net for survivors by providing high quality, voluntary services that are responsive to their individual needs and by engaging lawmakers, community members, service providers, and survivors in the movement to make safe housing more accessible in the short-term and less necessary in the long-term.

DASH’S Cornerstone Program is our emergency-to-transitional housing program, and the District’s largest dedicated safe housing program. It provides 43 units of safe housing where residents may live for up to 2 years. In the year and half since opening, DASH has housed more than 150 women and children at Cornerstone. More information is available at https://dashdc.wpengine.com/

About Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Bright Horizons Family Solutions is the world’s leading provider of employer-sponsored child care, early education and work/life solutions. The company operates child care and early education centers across the United States, Europe and Canada. The Bright Horizons Foundation for Children was founded in 1999 to help forward the vision of Bright Horizons Family Solutions to brighten the lives of children, youth, and families in crisis. Bright Spaces is a program of the Foundation, creating dedicated play areas in shelters and community agencies that serve children in crisis. There are currently more than 260 Bright Spaces open in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, and Ireland that serve more than 10,000 children and families every month. More information is at www.brighthorizonsfoundation.org.

About Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker

Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, PA is the largest independent law firm in the Washington Metropolitan suburbs. Founded in 1972, the firm and its attorneys and staff are committed to client service, a relentless focus on problem solving and an underlying compassion for its clients and community. The firm has a general practice with experience ranging from corporate law, to real estate, to litigation to estate planning and family law. Additional information on Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker and its practice areas is available at www.shulmanrogers.com.

Spotlight on Allies in Change Awardees: Jamila Larson

On March 28th, DASH will hold its Allies in Change luncheon, honoring individuals who have supported and amplified the organization’s work to provide relief to survivors of domestic and sexual violence,through emergency and long-term safe housing, and innovative homelessness prevention services. We are doing a series of interviews of our awardees beforehand to share a bit more about them. This blog focuses on Jamila Larson, who has brought her work with the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project to DASH’s community. Remember to buy tickets to the luncheon here!

We are pleased to introduce Jamila Larson. Ms. Larson came to D.C. in 1996 from Wisconsin and has been running the Playtime Project as a volunteer since its founding in 2003. She assumed the role as first fulltime Executive Director in September 2009. Her experience as a licensed clinical social worker running a mental health and after school program and as a policy researcher at the Children’s Defense Fund helped inform her leadership of the Playtime Project. “We are fortunate to have the most amazing volunteers and dedicated supporters s who recognize the unlimited potential in the children and families we serve and make a commitment to protecting a child’s right to experience joy.”

Below is the interview we conducted with Ms. Larson. We are grateful to have her as a partner and friend, and are looking forward to honoring her and others March 28th!

Jamila Larson and Lars from Homeless Children's Playtime Project

“My friend from the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless told me about this great group of women starting DASH and recommended we consider bringing our Playtime Project model to their new housing program. I jumped at the chance because we know many of the children we serve in family shelters have experienced domestic violence, but to be able to partner with an agency that specializes in this population is something we’d really like to do.

I grew up in rural Wisconsin but moved to DC in 1996 right out of college to work for the Children’s Defense Fund on national policy issues effecting children and families. Discovering how many local needs there are in this city made me passionate to stay and learn about the needs of children and families locally and serve here.

I think there should be a domestic violence fatality review team, similar to child fatality review teams, that analyzes what was done and what was not done by the authorities and service providers in order to fine tune interventions in high risk cases. More police escorts and relocation assistance is needed especially around the time protection orders are filed to ensure families survive dangerous transition times. Education for teen girls and boys in middle school and high school is also critical to help break the cycle as young people are experiencing their first relationships.

We educate our volunteers about the likelihood that many of the families we serve in non-domestic violence shelters have experienced domestic violence, and we work to create a safe environment for all the children we serve. It’s important to give children an environment that gives them therapeutic tools to work through their feelings and experiences (like doll houses, play doh, puppets and art supplies). We want to equip all of the children we serve with coping skills against violence and to make sure they feel safe to relax and express themselves.

Jamila and her newborn

I am a new parent to a darling 5-month-old boy, and it makes me think a lot about how to raise a wonderful man in this world. I read something recently about how respecting children when they tell us “no” helps teach them to respect others who tell them no. This makes a lot of sense to me, to help relatively powerless children find their voice. Check back with me in a year…I will put this consciousness to the test when he starts talking back!”

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WASHINGTON REDSKINS, WELLS FARGO, SALESFORCE FOUNDATION, DISTRICT ALLIANCE FOR SAFE HOUSING AND KaBOOM! TO BUILD PLAYGROUND IN ONE DAY FOR CHILDREN