This past spring, Spur Local hosted two Communications and Civic Engagement interns from the UCDC program, including Blanca Melchor. Here, Blanca shares her internship experience.

Where Growth Meets Purpose: My Time at Spur Local
Written by Blanca Melchor

Interning at Spur Local has been one of the most transformative experiences of my professional journey so far. What makes this place so special is not just the work itself–though that’s powerful–it’s how the organization creates a space where you can grow, explore, stumble, and rise at a pace that honors your well-being.

Spur Local offers something that’s rare, especially for young people just entering the professional world: the chance to step into the realm of corporate life–managing deadlines, juggling communications, being part of campaigns and real deliverables–but without the burnout that too often comes with it. The pace here is intentional. You’re allowed to take breaks. You’re encouraged to check in with yourself. And most importantly, you’re reminded that your voice and your health matter just as much as your productivity.

And yet, that doesn’t mean the work is any less impactful. In fact, it’s the opposite. Every single day, I got to be part of work that’s truly trying to change the world–starting at the local level. The nonprofits Spur Local partners with are doing extraordinary work: helping refugee families find housing, providing arts education in underfunded schools, offering legal aid to those who can’t afford it, feeding seniors, mentoring students, and building economic power in marginalized communities. It’s easy to assume that local work only has local impact, but this experience shattered that notion for me. What I’ve learned is that local work is national work. It’s global work. These small but mighty actions spark change that ripples across cities, states, and even countries. They create pathways that others can follow. They become blueprints for equity and justice.

Working here helped me see how much is happening behind the scenes–how many people are out there, fighting every day for things we often take for granted: safety, opportunity, dignity, access. I got to witness and uplift stories that rarely make the headlines but hold deep meaning and power. These are the kinds of stories that change perspectives, that humanize policies, that move people to act.

Through all of this, I was surrounded by a team that really embodied what it means to support and uplift one another. When I struggled, they were patient. When I had an idea, they listened. When I needed guidance, they offered it. That kind of environment gave me the courage to take initiative and trust myself more. It gave me the room to lead–and the safety to learn when I didn’t have all the answers.

This internship taught me that professional development doesn’t have to come at the cost of personal care. That the best work happens when you’re seen as a whole person, not just a role. And that small teams, doing intentional work, can move mountains.

And that truly profound, movement-building work often comes from the places you least expect–not only massive organizations with endless resources, but also small, focused teams driven by purpose and heart. Spur Local has never strayed from its values. Here, the mission stays rooted in community, the work remains people-centered, and the impact is felt far beyond what their size might suggest.

Spur Local didn’t just teach me skills–it reshaped how I see myself, my community, and my responsibility to the world around me. I’ll carry that with me wherever I go next.

Announcing Spur Local’s 2025 Nonprofit Class

Spur Local (formerly the Catalogue for Philanthropy) is excited to announce the 143 nonprofits in our 2025 class, our 23rd class of local nonprofits!

This has been a challenging and uncertain year for many. Yet, local nonprofits continue to prove our resilience as a region. This year, Spur Local received a record number of nonprofit applications to join our network. We know the need for community is high.

The 143 organizations in our 2025 class were chosen for their critical local impact by some 150 volunteers who live and work in the region, many of whom know these nonprofits as their neighbors. After our volunteer community advocates read their applications, the Spur Local team conducted financial reviews and site visits.

As a Spur Local nonprofit partner, each of them will now have access to capacity-building support to strengthen their organizations, network-building opportunities to foster relationships across our local sector, and professional development resources to grow as nonprofit leaders. Every partner in our network gains this access at no cost for four years.

These nonprofits care for our young and elderly residents, welcome our immigrant newcomers, keep our rivers clean, and support our local artists. You may know several of them as the theater or museum down the street, the people who grow food in the garden around your block, or the nursery where you pick up native plants. The work they do matters now and for our long-term futures. Their stories are powerful and show a vision for our region that is only possible when our communities come together.

We look forward to highlighting their vital work and impact in our flagship print catalog and its digital companion, on our website, and through emails, social media, media partnerships, and more. Today, we invite you to learn about the nonprofits in our 2025 class and join us in celebrating them by giving them a shoutout, donating, volunteering, or finding a different way to engage! We all play a part in making the Greater Washington region, our home, a better place for everyone.

86 of these nonprofits will be featured in Spur Local’s annual print and digital catalog. Add your name to our mailing list to receive a free copy when it is released in November. And save the date to meet these organizations in person at our annual Community Changemakers event on November 5, 2025, at Hook Hall in NW DC.

Give Greater DC Day: 150+ Local Nonprofits to Celebrate the DMV on May 28th

On May 28th, Spur Local is hosting the region’s first Give Greater DC day to celebrate people making a meaningful difference for local communities and neighborhoods in the DMV.

Amid regional and national uncertainty, local organizations play a major role in educating our children, creating art that inspires us, cleaning our rivers, feeding those who lack access to healthy food, and so much more. They are creating change every day, and meeting needs that continue to increase. On May 28th, over 150 local nonprofits will engage the community to drive support for their critical work.

“We know the DMV is strong, and even stronger when we come together,” said Matt Gayer, Executive Director of Spur Local. “Give Greater DC is not just a day for raising funds. We want everyone to show up and use their voice to let nonprofits, and our whole region, know that people care.”

Residents can visit GiveGreaterDC.org to hear stories about what these organizations are doing in our communities right now, and to share their support. This May 28th, we ask that you celebrate our region, show up for each other, and give local.

About Spur Local

At Spur Local, we are building the CASE for community — creating connections, advancing advocacy, strengthening capacity, and elevating awareness to support the DMV. As the region’s only locally-focused guide to giving, we believe in the power of small nonprofits to spark big change together. Since 2003, Spur Local has raised more than $65 million from thousands of supporters for its network of over 500 critical local nonprofits. Through its capacity-building programs, Spur Local has trained 30,000+ nonprofit professionals, strengthening their skills as individuals and their relationships as organizations.

Story Tapestries Shows that Art is Brain Magic!

Written by Jamie Cowan, Early Childhood Program Director, and originally published on Story Tapestries

Peek into an early childhood classroom at any given moment you’re likely to find music and movement. You’ll probably see educators singing classic children’s songs and nursery rhymes like BINGO or The Itsy Bitsy Spider. We all do it, but do you know why we do this? What magical power do these bring to the classroom that makes us use them week after week and year after year?

The magical power is art.

Art is brain magic!

As technology improves and we learn more and more about the brain, we can see exactly how art not only supports learning, but it is learning.

Take The Itsy Bitsy Spider for example. I bet it’s already playing out in your head!

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout.

Down came the rain and washed the spider out!

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,

And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.

Rhythm and Rhyme

You remember this song after all these years because brains love rhythm, rhyme, and repetition. They also love positive emotional connections, multi-sensory experiences, and movement — and this one hits all the marks for the brain to take notice of the activity, and save the information for later. When we sing this song, we use rhythm, rhyme, and repetition because, of course, we’ll have so much fun the first time so we will sing it twice!

Rhythm and rhyme are proven through research to be foundational skills necessary for learning to read. When we sing this with children we hear the song (auditory music) and move our hands to act out the story of the spider (kinesthetic, drama.) By acting out the song lyrics we enhance vocabulary and comprehension, which is valuable for speaking at a young age and later for reading and writing. When we sing this song with children they feel a positive emotional connection, both to the spider who tries again and succeeds, and to the adult they are joyfully singing with.

Children engaged in singing about the itsy bitsy spider learn a valuable social-emotional lesson through the story of resilience, one they can use later to help them persevere when playtime presents challenges. That’s a lot of skill development for a quick song!

“Art in the classroom not only spurs creativity, it also inspires learning.” — Mickey Hart

Sing it Together

A cautionary tale — Before you choose to watch a video of the song instead of sitting and singing together, consider this: When you sing and act this out together the part of the brain that needs to imagine things to understand them (sometimes called visualization or the mind’s eye) activates to create a picture that helps make sense of the words and ideas. This is a skill children need to develop before they learn to read, so that when books no longer have pictures, text still makes sense. However, if you watch a video instead, the brain will not practice this important skill.

Ultimately remember this: Art is brain magic! The next time you feel like you need to amp up your lessons for learning, take a closer look at what you are already doing, and ask yourself what arts are we engaged in, and how many developmental skills are included in our daily routines of song, dance, and movement? Then, look for small moments to get those children’s brains practicing rhythm and rhyme and much more through music and movement that goes along with your topic of study or storytime book, and see the learning magic happen right before your eyes!

Story Tapestries addresses vital community issues for millions of people of all ages and abilities using collaboration and the arts, in all forms, to create and deliver tailored, accessible programs. Learn more and support their work by visiting their website.

A Day in the Life of a One World Academy Student

One World Education is the largest writing program in DC. They serve 5,000 middle school, high school, and adult students annually through their in-school and afterschool programs. Their afterschool program, the One World Academy, enables high potential but underperforming students to research a social justice issue, write an argumentative essay, and prepare a presentation for the citywide student showcase, the One World Challenge, at the end of the semester.

Meet Mahir, a 6th-grade student who’s part of the One World Academy. His day starts like any other with classes and tests, but it’s what happens after school that truly sets him apart. At 4pm, Mahir walks into the One World Academy, greeted by peers, pizza, program managers, and teacher-leaders. The room buzzes with energy as students settle in and get ready to dive into an evening of fun learning.

Today’s session is focused on finishing the final essay draft. Students choose their social justice research topic at the beginning of the semester, and spend eight weeks refining, writing, and editing their work. Mahir chose to write about air pollution in Bangladesh. When asked about why he chose his topic, Mahir said, “I was watching CNN one morning and heard that Bangladesh has the worst air pollution in the world. We need to do something about it.”

Students work with experienced teachers in small groups to receive individualized attention and constructive feedback. With his teacher-leader’s support, Mahir edits his essay and is ready to submit his final draft. The rest of the program will center around preparing an oral presentation for their research project to show at the One World Challenge. This Challenge is hosted biannually in December and April.

The One World Difference

One World’s mission is to transform students into confident communicators, critical thinkers, and persuasive writers. When their founder and CEO, Eric Goldstein, started teaching in DC public schools, he realized that his students struggled to express their ideas in their writing. He developed the One World curriculum to center students’ voices and equip them with the tools needed to communicate effectively.

Since 2007, One World has served over 50,000 students through their in-school and afterschool programs in Washington, DC. Their in-school program trains teachers in partner schools to implement the One World curriculum in their English classes. 90 percent of partner schools report making significant gains in student writing after one semester of their program.

Interested in supporting One World? They encourage volunteers to serve as feedback coaches and presentation judges during the end of the Fall and Spring Academies. Contact One World to get involved with volunteering, donate so they can expand and provide their services to more DC public school students, and learn more about how they empower student writers to find their voice and communicate effectively, transforming students into writers with voice, knowledge, and purpose.

NNV Program Plays Small Role in Solving the Mystery behind an Iconic Photo

Written by Stephanie Chong, originally published on Northwest Neighbors Village

It’s not all that unique to hear stories about members and volunteers making connections from the common threads they’ve discovered from getting to know one another. But it is not every day that these connections make it to the front page of the Washington Post! Such was the case when a Northwest Neighbors Village (NNV) program became the catalyst in solving the mystery behind an iconic photo taken 50 years ago.

“Five decades ago, a dozen friends gathered here, on the National Mall, for breakfast. They wore morning coats and floor-length dresses, dined on oysters, drank champagne, and danced together as a string quartet played in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial. The extravagant scene on July 19, 1974, drew in a Washington Post photographer, who captured the moment in an image that would ricochet around the country in newspaper reprints,” reported the Washington Post.

“But the people and circumstances at the center of that famous picture remained a mystery… until Joyce Naltchayan Boghosian — the daughter of late Post photographer Harry Naltchayan, who captured the original image — met one of the participants a year ago and began to put the pieces together.”

“I was one of the ‘diners’ at the breakfast.” Betsy saw NNV’s promotion for Joyce Boghosian’s program Photos from Beirut to the White House: A Father-Daughter Legacy. Upon seeing the award-winning photographer Harry Naltchayan mentioned, Betsy signed up. She knew of Harry. He had taken the photo that hangs in her dining room. The one of her and her friends at a birthday breakfast on the National Mall. Betsy reached out to NNV with an email that included the image and a note to share with Joyce informing her that she was in the photo that Joyce’s father had taken. This moment of serendipity led to the telling of a beautiful story about friendship and legacy.

“I can’t tell you how amazing this has been ever since the NNV event that you invited me to.” Joyce had been captivated by the photo, and had always been curious about the story behind the image. After the NNV talk, Joyce and Betsy got in touch and the story began to unfold. The extravagant breakfast on the Mall, which included engraved invitations, a meal catered by Avignon Freres (the premier caterer of the time), and the guest of honor’s arrival by horse and carriage, was coordinated by a group of friends who had a penchant for organizing elaborate birthday parties for one another. This particular event was in honor of their friend Janet. It was such an unusual site that it caught the eye of Washington Post photographer Harry Naltchayan. To the great surprise of this group of friends, the image of their breakfast made local and national news!

“A day when no other news occurred.” Betsy shared that friends and family from all over the country sent newspaper clippings to the group that was photographed that day. Janet created scrapbooks for her friends, compiling the news stories, the invitation, the National Park Service permit that allowed them to host the affair, and even a letter from the head waiter, Mac. The material in the scrapbooks would provide invaluable in helping to recreate the photo 50 years later where the friends sat in their respective seats. Sadly, some seats were empty, including the one at the head of the table that belonged to Janet who died of breast cancer at a young age.

“Thank you for your friendship and celebrating this beautiful story.” Joyce was there for the recreation of the photo, including other new participants like the head waiter Mac’s daughters. With the table set and everyone in their places, Joyce Boghosian recreated her father’s iconic photo 50 years later. The breakfast attendees in the photo have remained lifelong friends, celebrating birthdays and Thanksgiving for decades.

“The impact of the Village is beyond what anyone could have imagined!” We were in touch with Betsy and Joyce after the story ran in the Post. Having played a small role, NNV was humbled to be mentioned. Both women felt that the connection made through the NNV program was pivotal in retelling their story. Betsy said, “It wouldn’t have happened without you.” Our sincerest thanks to Betsy and Joyce for sharing their story with us, and to NNV volunteers David Cohen and Jan Solomon whose role in planning the program sparked a series of events that led to something very special.

Northwest Neighbors Village is a local nonprofit and member-driven organization that envisions a generous, supportive, inclusive community where all older adults are valued, age with dignity, and enjoy opportunities for growth and engagement. Learn more about the programs, resources, and volunteer support they offer to empower older adults in Washington, DC. You can also watch a recording of their program that started this one-year journey to bring Harry Naltchayan’s image back to life.

Is recent legislation making DC safer, and for whom? A new report by the Council for Court Excellence digs in.

Earlier this year, the District of Columbia passed the Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024 (“SECURE DC”) in response to an increase in violent crimes, like homicide and carjackings. This permanent legislation included changes to D.C. law that had been part of emergency legislation first passed last summer, as well as several new provisions. While the public continues to express community safety concerns, response to SECURE DC remains controversial in a city where the costs of incarceration and policing have reached over $1 billion for the first time, and where a disproportionate number of Black people are justice-involved, including as victims of crime.

The Council for Court Excellence (CCE), a local nonprofit that works to enhance the justice system in DC to serve the public equitably, just released its fourth report offering a snapshot of our criminal legal systems. Among the questions this report addresses, the two biggest are arguably: Is SECURE DC effective? And who is most impacted by DC’s justice systems?

Since this legislation passed in the Spring of this year, the impacts of these significant policy changes are not yet clear. However, CCE’s new data analyses will be critical in providing a baseline to any changes in crime and incarceration that may be related to the law’s provisions. Both before and after its passage, CCE finds several encouraging changes in preliminary public safety data, namely carjacking and fare evasion rates on the decline.

Read CCE’s full report to learn more, and visit their website to support them in creating a safer, healthier, thriving DC.

The Council for Court Excellence was founded in 1982 by a group of leaders in the civic, legal, and business sectors to support the modernization of D.C. courts. Over the next few decades, the need for an independent voice on D.C.’s criminal, youth, and civil justice systems — beyond just the courts — became clear. CCE stepped in to fill that gap, keeping their model of interdisciplinary alliance but expanding their mission to include all aspects of our justice system. Today, CCE identifies and proposes solutions by collaborating with diverse stakeholders to conduct research, advance policy, educate the public, and increase civic engagement.

New Futures Believes in Young People

The first time Katie Bodie, a New Futures Scholars Program Advisor, met her Scholar Ahnaf, she could tell immediately that it was the start of a fruitful advising relationship. “He was very open to collaborating with me,” she said. Despite being one of the youngest Scholars in the cohort that year, Ahnaf was “eager to take note of any little piece of advice I had to offer… and act upon it.”

Katie’s determination to learn about Ahnaf made him feel comfortable opening up to her and move past the initial nervousness he felt as a first-time Scholar. “One thing I enjoy about her is her dedication to helping the Scholar. She really listens to every single minor detail a Scholar mentions in every meeting, and she becomes like a detective putting all the clues together and helping me achieve my goals,” Ahnaf said. “That inspires me and makes me feel like someone always has my back, and I feel very supported.”

In addition to personalized advising, Ahnaf received a financial scholarship, skill-building workshops, and networking opportunities. After a year and a half under his belt, he’s about to graduate early from Northern Virginia Community College as an Information Technology major and plans to attend George Mason University.

Ahnaf receiving his New Futures scholarship at Scholar Award Celebration in February 2023.

“A lot of students in college have the burden of getting extra class materials paid for, different services that different professors ask for,” Ahnaf shared. “The financial support New Futures provides me allows me to solely focus on my academic work and worry less about the school supplies.”

Twice a year, New Futures invests in systemically excluded young people in the Greater Washington region who plan to pursue an associate degree or professional certification. As the economy and workforce change, half of all positions filled in the next five years will require some postsecondary credentials but less than a bachelor’s degree. New Futures is the only organization in this region with an intentional focus on postsecondary credentials outside the traditional four-year college model, building a pipeline to high-growth industries and financial well-being.

After a rigorous recruitment cycle, selected applicants join a cohort of Scholars comprised of young people from the entire DMV region. Advisors like Katie welcome and celebrate them at the Scholar Award Ceremony, help them understand how to take advantage of New Futures programming at Orientation, and continually support them throughout their journeys. Upon completing their initial postsecondary credential, Scholars graduate into an alumni community with access to further career advising and professional development.

Ahnaf and fellow Scholar, Ahmad, at Scholars Weekend in 2023.

“One of the most memorable experiences I’ve had with New Futures is Scholars Weekend,” Ahnaf said. “Once a year, our new Scholars get [this] truly special experience where they come with us for a weekend and focus on team-building and other opportunities to grow different skills,” Katie added. Out at the Claggett Center in Adamstown, MD, a group of 75 Scholars and advisors meet each other, learn together, and have fun. The activity that pushed Ahnaf out of his comfort zone most? His first time ever doing a zipline.

“Something I love about being an advisor is that I have the chance to work with Scholars in different capacities,” Katie said. “We meet them where they are… When I know a Scholar has an important thing coming up, like the start of an internship, I’m noting that, and I’m celebrating them on the first day of their internship.”

That kind of advocacy and relationship-building is invaluable. To sum up his whole experience with New Futures in a few words, Ahnaf chose — Friendly. Growth.

You can get a Taste of New Futures on October 4, 2024, by attending their rooftop cocktail reception, featuring global cuisines and cultural exhibits from countries in the New Futures community. Visit their website to learn more and support.

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How BroadFutures Creates Neuroinclusive Workplaces and Why It Matters

As workplaces continue evolving to become more diverse, inclusive and accessible, workers–and society–benefit from increased flexibility, creativity, and a breadth of new and unique skill sets and perspectives. Look at BroadFutures, a DC-based organization that has been supporting and training neurodiverse young people and employers through innovative internship programs for over a decade.

“We desperately need different kinds of minds, people with different strengths, different abilities,” Dr. David O. Black, neuropsychologist, told BroadFutures in a previous interview about mental health. “I think one of the things BroadFutures does is it recognizes the importance of a diverse workforce, not just from the standpoint of diversity… [but the] range of cognitive abilities as our society gets more and more complex, as the work needs get more and more complex.”

Every young person participating in BroadFutures Internship Programs enters a paid internship aligning their interests, skills, and passions with their employers’ needs. Before the internship begins, they join a cohort of peers for a week-long professional training that includes arts-based and peer learning, individualized coaching and mentoring, and stress reduction techniques to prepare for a workplace environment. Training continues throughout the internship semester once a week. Employers, in turn, receive dedicated education, coaching, and training to create and sustain neuroinclusive workplaces.

100% of interns, parents, and employers rate the program a success, with over 70% of employers returning to partner with BroadFutures and over 90% of interns continuing to a different workplace or higher education.

“My favorite part of my internship has been meeting all my new coworkers and trying new ways of taking photos and videos at Easterseals,” said Jeremy Hasson, a BroadFutures DC intern and recent graduate from McDaniel College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Writing and Publishing and a minor in Food Studies. This past summer, he worked as a marketing intern at Easterseals, a nonprofit providing disability services, with additional support areas serving veterans and military families, seniors, and caregivers. “I also look forward to contributing to the digital media efforts of Easterseals to promote their organization online.”

BroadFutures is currently the only nonprofit organization across the country with this innovative model that provides two-pronged support to both neurodiverse interns and employers. Young people need and deserve supportive environments in which they can grow their self-confidence, independence, resilience, and practice communication skills. Too often, young people with learning and related disabilities find these doors closed to them. But as BroadFutures founder Carolyn Jeppsen advocated back in 2016, “Opportunities for people of all abilities–of DIVERSE abilities–need to be the priority.”

“I think there is a lot of room for growth and it is an opportunity for me to take interest in other areas of experience,” said Nadia Dennis, another BroadFutures DC intern. During her internship this past summer, she supported various types of project management projects and initiatives at CBRE, a global leader in commercial real estate services and investments, and also a long-time BroadFutures supporter and employer partner. “One thing I have learned so far at my internship is the logistical details of leasing and property management tasks, and I like that because it is not my area of interest or studies… I look forward to taking [these] skills into future workplaces.”

Since 2013, BroadFutures has directly served over 500 young people and partnered with over 70 employers. You can help them create life-changing early career opportunities and cultivate more inclusive, accessible workplaces. Learn more about their fall gala, Voices for Change, on October 19, where they will share more about their ambitious strategic growth vision for the next three years.

Cultivating Peace: Insights from a DC Peace Team Member

“De-escalation skills are something that anyone can learn,” Carol, a dedicated member of the DC Peace Team (DCPT), is adamant about this. Her simple yet profound statement underscores a powerful truth: every individual can contribute to community safety and harmony.

Since 2011, DCPT has been a beacon of hope in the DC area, teaching civilians how to de-escalate tense situations and providing unarmed civilian protection when necessary. Its Community Safety Unit aims to protect civilians in situations of violent conflict, imminent violence, and post-crisis situations–and create space for local peace initiatives.

Carol first joined to make a difference by engaging with residents who are often marginalized. “I feel like that is a part of my community too,” she said, “and it gives me the opportunity to connect with my neighbors.” She emphasized how important it is to acknowledge and support them by providing a listening ear and connecting them with necessary resources whenever possible.

Carol has been part of DCPT’s unarmed civilian protection efforts for several years, spending time at the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza (where FRESHFARM operates a farmers market), a bustling area that can become tense due to the diverse mix of people who converge there. Additionally, Carol plays an important role at local protests and demonstrations, particularly those that encounter significant resistance and backlash.

Her experiences go beyond merely recognizing the difficulties faced by her neighbors; they allow her to forge meaningful connections with those who might otherwise be overlooked. Each individual has a story, with struggles and triumphs, strengths and resilience. By taking the time to listen and understand these stories, she is able to address people’s immediate needs and offer support in a more personalized and impactful way.

“It’s heartbreaking just hearing people’s stories like that, but I can at least accompany people and help them to feel like they’re not alone.”

Carol recounted her recent conversation with a man experiencing homelessness who had been the victim of a car accident–his motorcycle was destroyed, he lost his wallet during the accident, and his injuries resulted in his job being terminated.

“He doesn’t have his job, he doesn’t have his ID, and now he’s hungry. He wanted to know how God could let this happen. If God is so powerful, how could He let this happen? So, I’m here at the Columbia Heights Plaza, suddenly having a theological conversation with someone who’s gone through some real trauma.”

Carol and DCPT cannot solve these issues alone–no single entity can. Addressing such challenges requires a collective effort from multiple sectors of society. But every encounter and moment of empathy creates a deeper shared understanding, transforming passive observers into active participants. DCPT plays a major role in this larger effort by empowering community members like Carol to engage in meaningful work and by sparking collaboration with other organizations that drive tangible, systemic change. Such change comes through DCPT connecting people to resources, including housing, de-tox, treatment, and jobs, often with local nonprofit partner District Bridges. Such change also comes through DCPT’s Community Forums, hosted to identify root causes and collaborative opportunities to shift structures, resources, and government policies.

“Maybe sometimes people think, well, why haven’t you fixed it yet? Fix the drug problem, fix the problems that have led to this situation,” she shared. “But we’re just a few people.”

There are currently around 10-12 people in the Community Safety Unit. Despite operating with limited resources, with around 10-12 people currently in the Community Safety Unit, 15-20 residents (and counting) have transformed their lives by completing detox and treatment, getting housing or a job, and finding community. At the same time, new people and different drugs have recently moved into the plaza area, simply being displaced from other areas in nearby neighborhoods.

As a vital piece of the puzzle, DCPT relies on the participation of its professional Community Safety Unit members like Carol, volunteers, and supporters to create positive change in our community. You can join them in making a difference! Visit their website to learn more about their trainings, donating, and getting involved with their Community Safety Unit.

Hear Carol’s story in the video below!

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