July 2024 Roundup
Spur Local
Strengthening local communities is our life's work. Formerly the Catalogue for Philanthropy.
There's lots going on this summer, so we're sharing our July monthly roundup a week early! Read on for volunteer opportunities (including board positions), events, local nonprofit news, and job openings! If you have thoughts or feedback you'd like to share, don't hesitate to email Amanda Liaw at [email protected].
Volunteer Opportunities
?? Volunteer as a mentor with Spark the Journey and pass along your knowledge and skills to a DC student! They are looking for mentors with diverse backgrounds, professions, and interests to match with their students in the High School and Year Up programs. Mentors commit to either 6 months or 1 year, meeting and checking in with their mentees, participating in ongoing training and community events, networking with fellow mentors, and ultimately increasing opportunity and economic mobility for Spark the Journey's young people. Learn more and apply today! (Mentors of color are especially encouraged to apply.)
Open Board Positions
Looking for a more in-depth volunteer opportunity? Consider serving on a local nonprofit board! Read about the why, what, and how in Spur Local's blog post and check out these open positions.
BroadFutures champions neurodiversity by creating access, cultivating skills, and revolutionizing the workplace. They are recruiting board candidates to help create more inclusive and accessible workplaces and impact their ability to serve more neurodivergent young people. Visit their website to learn more about them and reach out to Board Vice Chair, Earle Jones, at [email protected] if you're interested. (Applications encouraged by July 11!)
HumanitiesDC is the state-level humanities council for Washington, DC, using humanities as a tool to help Washingtonians deepen their relationships with the city and each other. They are seeking passionate individuals committed to promoting the humanities and enhancing the cultural landscape of DC to join as new board members. Their nomination period is open until July 25. Learn more about the position and how to apply.
Court Watch Montgomery ensures safety and access to justice for survivors of intimate partner violence in Montgomery County. They are expanding their board and seeking applications from people of all backgrounds and communities, especially those with lived experience and skills in fundraising/resource development, finance/accounting, or advocacy/policy. Learn more about them and how to apply.
Interested in joining a board? Spur Local runs a Board Connections portal that easily facilitates matches between interested board members and local nonprofits seeking board members. We also conduct training for new board members to cover the 'in's and 'out's of joining a board. Express your interest here!
Events
??????? Join Community Forklift for family fun at the reuse warehouse on Friday, July 5! On First Fridays, they'll be open late for live music, have food and drinks for sale, local artist and vendor booths, discounts on salvaged and surplus home goods and building materials, as well as a material donation drop-off bay.
???? BroadFutures is hosting monthly info sessions where neurodivergent young people can learn more about their internship programs! They provide training, mentorship, and paid internships, as well as support services and training for employers on creating accessible and inclusive workplaces. Attend their next virtual info session on Thursday, July 25.
???? The Barker Adoption Foundation has a new summer program for rising 4th to 8th graders! For one week starting Monday, July 29, children can connect with other adopted children, engage in fun outdoor and indoor activities, as well as arts & crafts and thoughtful adoption-focused exercises. Learn more about their Summer Fun Kids Day Program, which costs $475/week.
News & Happenings
Tucked away near some railroad tracks between Hyattsville and Bladensburg in Maryland is a giant reuse warehouse called Community Forklift, filled with household goods, where budget conscious “do-it-yourselfers” go to save a few bucks on whatever they need.
"You will not find most of the stuff in a big box store," said Trey Davis, the executive director of Community Forklift. "If you like treasure hunting, there’s always something cool, different, vintage and interesting. We have very inexpensive common everyday items. We also have some cool antique light fixtures. We get material from people’s estates as well. We have household goods, plates, dishware, furniture and that sort of thing as well."
Read more about local nonprofit Community Forklift from John Domen on WTOP!
A commission to study reparations for Black Washingtonians descended from enslaved people or affected by Jim Crow-era institutional racism is about to move forward after securing funding in the D.C. Council’s 2025 budget, meaning the District is likely to join localities nationwide in searching for concrete ways to reckon with slavery’s generational harm.
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Patrice Sulton, executive director of the DC Justice Lab and a supporter of McDuffie’s bill, said it was huge to see the council set aside funds to get the ball rolling on the commission. She said she viewed the potential of reparations as not only a way to address staggering economic inequalities — but also as a way to promote community safety, noting that economic inequality can drive crime.
"It’s a really important time to be looking at this," Sulton said. "It’s related to a lot of things people are looking at nationally in terms of the importance of understanding Black history and culture and the mistakes of the past, and it’s really a giant step forward that the council has said, 'This is important.'"
Read more from Meagan Flynn in the Washington Post!
In Washington, DC, learn-to-ride classes are offered across the greater metro area by the nonprofit Washington Area Bicyclist Association. Like Bike New York’s classes, WABA’s are attended mostly by women and African Americans. The courses are funded by local jurisdictions and the District Department of Transportation, and available at a subsidized rate of $10 to residents and $85 to everyone else.
WABA outreach director Renée Moore learned to ride a bike as an adult, during a date on the DC waterfront in her 20s. "I was just elated, like, oh my God, I finally learned," she says. Moore says most of WABA’s participants learn within the three-hour session. "I think if cities are going to invest in something, it's something to think about in addition to infrastructure," she says. "Not that they shouldn’t do infrastructure. But I think the idea that just building a bike lane and people will ride it is great for people who are already riding, but for people who would like to ride and don't know how to, it's never going to get them on a bike."
Read more from Alison Griswold in Bloomberg!
Job Openings
Spur Local collates job openings from local nonprofits as a resource for our community, with the majority of these positions at nonprofit partners in the Spur Local network. For more information or to apply for the positions listed below, please reach out to the appropriate organization directly.
Full-Time Positions
Director of Operations | Anacostia Watershed Society | $95,000 - $110,000. Contact [email protected].
Program -- Chief Strategy Officer | Main Street Connect | $74,000 - $88,000. Contact Tara Owens at [email protected].
Membership & Volunteer Manager | Main Street Connect | $62,000 - $74,000. Contact Tara Owens at [email protected].
Entry-Level | Program/Operations -- AmeriCorps Client Outreach Coordinator | Rebuilding Together Montgomery County | Pay range available at website through AmeriCorps. Contact Chloe Bernardi at [email protected]. (See other AmeriCorps Rebuilding Together positions available here.)
Entry-Level | Operations -- Farm Manager | Field 4 Valor Farms Inc | $5500 per month. Contact [email protected].
Part-Time Positions
Entry-Level | Program -- Experiential Learning Educator | Live It Learn It | $22-29 per hour. Contact Sierra Morris at [email protected].
Entry-Level | Development Administrative Assistant | Anacostia Watershed Society | $20.20-23.08 per hour. Contact [email protected].
Missed last month's roundup? View more news, ways to get involved, and opportunities from June 2024.
Thanks for including our board openings
Thank you so much for sharing our event and news, Spur Local! We appreciate it!
Thanks for including us, Spur Local!