Please be advised the Greater Washington Urban League does not solicit funds door-to-door to pay a person's utility bill or any other bills or for donations. It has recently been brought to our attention that there may be a person or persons fraudulently claiming to represent the League. If you are approached by anyone going door-to-door requesting funds on behalf of the League, please do not give him or her monies, and immediately report the incident to the Metropolitan Police Department, Financial Crimes Division at 202-727-4159, or to your local police department if you live outside the District.
Community Re-Entry and Expungement Summit 2010
There will be a summit on Community Re-Entry and Expungement on June 30, 2010 to provide information about re-entry support services in the DC area. There will also be information on who is eligible to have his/her DC arrest record or conviction sealed. The summit will be held:
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW
Washingtonm DC 20001
For more informtion, contact April Frier, Esq. at 202-824-2835.
The Board and staff of the Greater Washington Urban League
congratulate the 2010 Scholarship Winners
Scholarship Winners announced on March 17, 2010.
During the 38th Annual Whitney M. Young Gala nine scholarships were awarded to local graduating seniors. The scholarships are one year awards for SY2009/2010. Each of the winners had to complete the application process which included writing a 500 word essay on a topic identified by the League and the funding source. In addition, each of the winners had to participate in a video taping which was shown during the dinner. They were also presented by their financial sponsor at the dinner.
Over 130 students in Washington, DC, Prince George's County and Montgomery County Maryland have received scholarships since 2000. More than $775,000 has been awarded to the students. Corporate scholarship sponsors have included: Merrill Lynch, the Rainbow Fund, Safeway/Western Union, Nationwide Insurance Company, Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi Bottling Group, the Gladys General Scholarship Fund, Microsoft, and Coca-Cola.
This year's awardees were:
Safeway/Western Union Scholarship Winners
Dawnesha Coffin Noriel Gorham
Alexandria Ishmell Lauren Lincoln
Ni' Matul-Ain L. Muhammad Celestine Preston
Each will receive a $3,000 scholarship.
Pepsi Scholarship Winner
Jordan Smiley
A $2,200 scholarship will be awarded.
Charlotte Elizabeth Yancey Eights Scholarship
Celestine Preston
A four year award of $8,000 total with $2,000 paid annually for four years.
Thursday Network I Empower Scholarship Winner
Raquel Washington
A $1,500 scholarship will be awarded.
Giant Food Scholarship
A new scholarship was awarded this year sponsored by Giant Food, Inc. The award is for a one-time scholarship of $1,500.
Johnathon Labady
Ward 8 Farmers' Market
The Ward 8 Farmers' Market continues to serve the SE community at a new location:
United Medical Center
1310 Southern Avenue, SE
Tuesdays, 3 pm to 7 pm
Saturdays, 9 am to 2 pm
Senior coupons, WIC and EBT accepted. For more information, visit www.ward8farmersmarket.com.
Utility Assistance for Needy Families
GWUL and the WASA Partnership
In partnership with the DC Water and Sewer Authority (WASA), the Greater Washington Urban League is administering a program to assist needy and eligible families to pay their water bill during times of critical need. Through the S.P.L.A.S.H. Program (Serving People by Lending A Supporting Hand), community residents can apply for up to $350 of assistance once during a program year. The program is funded solely by contributions from the community businesses as well as thoughtful WASA customers. To learn more about the program, contact Yvonne Merryweather at 202-265-8200.
Assistance is based on the availability of funds.
The SPLASH Program can only serve clients through the contributions of friends, neighbors, and businesses. If you are a WASA customer and wish to make a contribution to the SPLASH Program, just check the "Round Up" box on your monthly water bill. Your total will be rounded up to the next dollar figure. Money collected from the "round up" program goes into a fund to assist needy families. If you are not a WASA customer, but wish to support the program, please contact Audrey Epperson of the League at 202-265-8200. As the holidays approach us, lend a supporting hand to those in our community that need it.
GWUL Energy Assistance
For the second year, the League has partnered with PEPCO to provide assistance to community residents needing help to pay electric and/or gas bills. Through the program, needy residents can apply for up to $500 once per year to help pay their utility bill(s). To receive assistance, each applicant has to provide the required paperwork and be approved for the assistance. For more information on the program, call Debbie Clark at 202-265-8200 ext 260.
Assistance is based on the availability of funds.
GWUL Employment Opportunities
Are you unemployed? Under-employed? Seeking a job upgrade? Interested in changing careers? If you can answer yes to any of these questions, please contact the GWUL Career Center. Staff may be able to help you make a positive employment change. Resources and opportunities available include pre-apprenticeship screening, resume preparation, employability training workshops, and general personal growth and development workshops. In addition, the League also host dedicated job fairs for various employers. Information can be obtained on when those events will be held.
For more information about the services of the GWUL Career Center, call Ursula Higgins at 202-265-8200.
US Census Bureau Employment Opportunities
Interested in working on the up-coming US Census? Visit our employment page for information on the available jobs.
Construction Training Program for Women
Goodwill is offering a 9 week Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program. The program is free and open to women residing in DC Wards 7 and 8 and Prince George's County, Maryland. Assessment sessions are conducted every Tuesday at 9:00 am at the Goodwill Campus located at 2200 South Dakota Avenue, NE, Washington, DC. For more information or to register, contact Joe Mitko at 202-715-2654 or by e-mail at joe.mitko@dcgoodwill.org.
Also, visit our online calendar for workforce development listings.
Teenage Curfew
Teenage curfews in the District of Columbia began September 1, 2006. Children and teenagers under the age of 17 must be home by 11 pm Sundays through Thursdays and by midnight on weekends.
Exemptions are permited for children and teenagers working, attending school, religious, civic or organized recreational events. Those violating the curfew laws could face 25 hours of community service. Parents of the violators could face fines up to $500.
For more information, call 202-265-8200 ext 250.
2010 National Urban League Conference
100 Years - Acentennial Celebration
July 27 -31, 2010
Walter Washington Cenvention Center
Contacts: Janice Smith
Queen Gladden
202-265-8200
GWUL 13th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament
September 28, 2010
Lake Presidential Golf Cource
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Contact: Queen Gladden
202-265-8200 ext 266
e-mail: qgladdenQgwul.org
GWUL Decades Party
October 30, 2010
"Music from Yesterday and Today"
Walther E. Washington Convention Center
7:00 pm to 12 midnight
Contact: Claudette Perry
202-265-8200 ext 290
e-mail cperry @gwul.org
United Way of the National Capital Area
The Greater Washington Urban League is a member of the United Way of the National Capital Area. During this donation period, please consider making a contribution to the League to help us better serve our constituents. The League's United Way Designate No. is 8214 and the Combined Federal Campaign No. is 17794.
Visit our web calendar for important school year and community activity dates and/or information on activities. The calendar has been up-dated thru August 2009 with school postings from the DC Public Schools, Prince Georges County Public Schools, and Montgomery County Public Schools. Other League and community listings will be posted on a monthly basis.
GWUL Awarded the Commodity Supplemental Food Program Grant
The GWUL has been awarded a one year grant to administer the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. Funded by the DC Department of Health, the program provides supplemental food for women, infants, children, and senior citizens. The program only serves residents of the District of Columbia. Eligible residents include: pregnant women, women who have delivered a baby in the past year, breast-feeding mothers, children age 1 to 6, and senior citizens age 60 and over.
You must be certified to participate in the program. To be certified, you must bring a picture ID, a birth certificate for each child under the age of six, proof of DC residency ( voter registration card, picture ID with address on it, utility bill, etc.), proof of date of birth for seniors, and proof of income (low income - 185% of federal guidelines; senior citizen - 130% of federal guidelines). Certification and distribution sites are:
2217 14th Street, NW (202-535-1980)
5601 East Capitol Street, SE (202-645-6087
3720 Martin Luther King, Jr., Avenue, SE (202-715-7695).
All sites are open Monday thru Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. No appointment is necessary. If you are interested in enrolling in the program, please call the site or visit the site to get more information on the program and the certification process. Once certified, if you are unable to pick up the food for yourself, you may designate a relative or friend to pick it up for you.
Financial Education Grant Awarded
The League has received a 2nd year renewal for a $30,000 grant from the National Urban League to administer a year long program designed to increase the financial awareness of 50 youth and young adults. The program is financed by Chrysler and is a Financial Life Skills Education Program that will provide education/training on basic money management and credit.
Program participants will be youth ages 12 to 14 and 18 to 21. Each will be provided with a minimum of 3 hours of financial education instruction and a field trip to a financial institution in the community. The goal of the program is to help the students increase their understanding of the purpose and value of money in their lives, develop the saving habit, and increase their ability to use money wisely. Information will also be provided on selecting the best financial institution for their needs.
In addition to providing services to youth, training will also be provided to 10 young adults, ages 18 to 25. Focus for the young adults will be the same as the youth; however, there will be added attention given to helping the young adults budget and manage money.
Healthy Eating Grant Award
The Greater Washington Urban League has been awarded a special grant by the Care Frist BlueCross BlueShield to conduct a community campaign in Ward 8 on its status as a Food Desert and childhood obesity. The grant permits the League to reach out to a broad spectrum of the community to provide information on both subjects and solicit the recommendations of various community stakeholders on how to begin to solve the problems. Over the next few weeks, specific events will be held in Ward 8 to present information on Ward 8 as a Food Desert and childhood obesity. These special activities will include a mini health fair, a mini town hall meeting and a food demonstration for seniors. Please visit the web calendar for date, time, and location of events.
HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign
The Washington, DC community has one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the country. To help combat the epedemic in the city, the League was awareded a mini grant of $4,000 from the National Urban League to conduct an awareness campaign to encourage people to get tested and practice safe sex. As a part of the grant, the League has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation to provide information to the community and to co-sponsor the foundation's mobile HIV/AIDS testing unit at select events in the community.
Workforce Development Grant
The League has been awarded a grant for the 5th year by Walmart to help it enhance its capacity to offer employment assistance and guidance to community residents. Through the grant, the League will sponsor job fairs, conduct staff development activities for its employment staff members, sponsor and/or conduct work readiness workshops for clients and offer an introduction to apprenticeship programs in the community. It will also upgrade its employment pages on its web site.
Did you know?
Did you know that thousands of dollars are available for college. Visit the League's partial listing of some of the scholarships that are available. Go to the Community Guides listing in the menu. Once there, click on College and Scholarahio Info. For additional information, please call Gladys General at 202-265-8200 ext 264 (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday).
Did you know the SAT test has been changed? Did you know the first administration of the NEW SAT test took place in March 2005? Changes to the test include the addition of a writing section. There will be an essay requirement as well as multiple-choice questions. The new math section will focus on topics from 3rd year college prep classes; the critical reading section will no longer include analogies. The highest possible score a student can make on the test increased from 1600 to 2400 for all three sections.
Now is the time for you and your child to obtain information on the new test. Go to www.collegeboard.com to get a more in-depth description of the new test. Also talk to the school counselor about the new test and what the school might be doing to prepare students to take the test.
READ AND RISE: Preparing our Children for a Lifetime of Success
The National Urban League, in collaboration with Scholastic Books, has produced a guide to help parents assist their young children read and rise. The guide provides parents with information and ideas that will help them support the child as he/she becomes a reader. The guide and the magazine are free to the public while supplies last. To obtain a copy, contact Yvonne Merryweather at 202-265-8200 or at e-mail epperson@gwulparentcenter.org.
VALUABLE RESOURCES
> For information on the District of Columbia's Caregivers Pilot Program, click on Parenting then Grandparents as Primary Care Providers.
> To obtain a free copy of the Read and Rise Guide or Magazine, contact Mrs. Yvonne Merryweather at 202-265-8200 ext 258.
Check Out Our Calendar To See What Is Going On!
