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Spring2ACTion shatters record by raising $2.9 million for Alexandria nonprofits and charities

ACT for Alexandria did it again.

Wednesday’s Spring2ACTion fundraiser — the largest single day of giving in Alexandria — broke the record set two years ago by collecting $2.9 million for 182 local nonprofits. The 13th annual event received more than 7,700 individual donations and ACT for Alexandria exceeded its goal of $2.5 million.

“Alexandria is an incredibly generous community,” ACT for Alexandria CEO Heather Peeler told ALXnow shortly after midnight. “People really want to give back and see our community thrive.”

The final tally keeps changing, as stragglers are allowed to donate on the Spring2ACTion website until Sunday, April 30.

Spring2ACTion is the main annual fundraiser for most of the participating nonprofits. The top three recipients are Move2Learn with $170,400, Casa Chirilagua with $167,994 and Carpenter’s Shelter with $91,938.

“They’re not doing the galas or the big events,” she said. “They’re using Spring2ACTion as a way to promote their organization, connect with donors, connect with local businesses, and raise critical funds.”

Peeler said that 75 Alexandria businesses also donated a portion of their proceeds toward the effort.

“It shows that Alexandra’s business community is is very connected to and supportive of the nonprofit community,” she said.

Peeler said that her staff of six employees are tired.

“We’re a little tired, to be honest, but we are super excited,” she said. “We have a tremendous sense of responsibility, because so many nonprofits really depend on Spring2ACTion for those donations to support their work.  It doesn’t happen overnight, even though it seems it all happens on one day. It’s many months of preparation in terms of connecting with potential donors, and providing training and opportunities for nonprofits to learn what they can do to have the best Spring2ACTion possible.”

Spring2ACTion has raised more than $20 million over the last 13 years.

Spring2ACTion Top 10:

  1. Move2Learn | Powered by Runningbrooke raised $170,400 from 174 donors
  2. Casa Chirilagua raised $167,994.79 from 327 donors
  3. Carpenter’s Shelter raised $91,938.53 from 289 donors
  4. Art League raised $83,214.50 from 205 donors
  5. The Alexandria Harmonizers raised $77,674 from 319 donors
  6. ALIVE! raised $74,756 from 423 donors
  7. Alexandria Tutoring Consortium raised $72,952 from 206 donors
  8. Alexandria Seaport Foundation raised $66,602 from 101 donors
  9. Friends of Guest House raised $62,833 from 141 donors
  10. Together We Bake raised $62,683 from 138 donors

Image via Running Brooke/Facebook

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Carpenter’s Shelter gets $2.5 million from Bezos Day 1 Family Fund

Carpenter’s Shelter has been awarded a $2.5 million grant by the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, and plans to use the money to rapidly re-house homeless Alexandrians.

The $2.5 million is the largest private gift in the history of the Fund, which was created by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2018. The fund has given more than $520 million to similar organizations and nonprofits doing “compassionate, needle-moving work” to provide shelter and hunger support for young families around the country.

“The timing of this is amazing,” said Shannon Steene, executive director at Carpenter’s Shelter. “Our vision of eradicating homelessness in our community is big, and this gift is equally large. The waiting list for family shelter is greater than at any time I’ve seen over the last seven years. This grant will be a powerful force for good in our community.”

Carpenter’s Shelter (930 N. Henry Street) is one of the largest homeless shelters in Northern Virginia, and will use the funds for its rapid re-housing program.

“Through our Rapid Re-Housing Program, our case management team focuses on finding permanent housing solutions for eligible individuals within 30-60 days of admission into the shelter,” Carpenter’s Shelter said. “These individuals receive support via housing location and selection, monetary assistance for deposits and rent payments, and continued individual case management support within the community.”

The nonprofit serves more than 270 men, women and children every year, and the average stay at the shelter is two months for individuals and three months for families.

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20 Alexandria restaurants participating in Carpenter’s Shelter Cook-Off Pop-Up

A good cause is around the corner to satisfy your taste buds and conscience.

On August 28, Carpenter’s Shelter will host their biggest summer event — their Cook-off Pop-up at ALX Community (201 N. Union Street). The event will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. and showcases offerings from about 20 area restaurants with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit, which provides temporary housing and support for more than 600 families and individuals every year.

Advance tickets cost $20 for kids and $50 for adults, and at the door cost $25 for kids and $75 for adults.

The Jones Point Band will provide live entertainment, and the evening will include raffles and silent auctions.

Participating restaurants include:

Via Facebook

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Winter shelters open to keep homeless Alexandrians warm and safe

Shelter interior, photo via Carpenter’s Shelter/Facebook

Carpenter’s Shelter opened its winter shelters yesterday as a warm refuge for locals experiencing homelessness.

According to a press release from the city, the Winter Shelters are open from 7 p.m.-7 a.m. regardless of the weather. The shelter opened yesterday (Wednesday) through March 31.

There are two shelters: one for individuals and one for families.

The individual shelter at 2355 Mill Street serves individual adults. The family shelter is at 930 N. Henry Street.

There are also transportation options available at three locations:

  • 6:20 p.m. at City Hall (301 King Street)
  • 6:30 p.m. at Braddock Road Metro Station
  • 6:40 p.m. at Christ house (131 South West Street)

The city’s website also has information for directing those experiencing homelessness to city services:

If you have engaged the individual in conversation and learn that they are in need of supportive services, let them know they can call 703.746.5700 or text 703.346.5599 or walk-in for services at 2525 Mount Vernon Ave. during business hours. Staff will support them by identifying the next steps in assisting them with their current situation. Once screened, individuals will be added to the waitlist and referred once a bed is available at Alexandria Community Shelter or Carpenter’s Shelter. During the winter months, let them know about the City’s Winter Shelter Program run by Carpenter’s Shelter (703.548.7500), which is open daily from 7 p.m. – 7 a.m. through March 2021. You can also share with them the Alexandria Community Resources Card, also available as an easy-to-print two-sided flyer.

If you aren’t comfortable engaging in conversion,  contact Alex 311 to report your observations; please refrain from taking photos of residents experiencing homelessness out of respect for their privacy. Your report will be sent to DCHS staff, who will go out and speak to the person within 24-48 business hours and offer available support and resources. DCHS values individual personal choice and does not force services on anyone, but staff work hard to ensure everyone is aware of the supportive services with the City and their right to access them and transition out of homelessness.

For more immediate welfare checks, call the police non-emergency line at 703.746.4444.

Photo via Carpenter’s Shelter/Facebook

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Morning Notes

Alexandria Police Participate in Honoring Fallen Capitol Police Officer — “APD participated in the memorial service for fallen U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. Our officers rendered honors for Ofc. Sicknick, and joined the escort from the U.S. Capitol to Arlington National Cemetery. Our prayers are with his family and friends.” [Twitter]

Free COVID-19 Self-Testing Kiosks Available Around City— “Visit a Curative COVID-19 self-testing kiosk in Alexandria for a free test. Tests do not require government ID; service available in English and Spanish. Make an appointment at Curative.com. Walk up testing also available. For more info: alexandriava.gov/114730.” [Twitter]

Beyer Challenges House Republicans Over Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — “Instead Greene uses her official position to double down on dehumanizing rhetoric. She claims she is a victim, and is raising money off the outrage over her calls for violence. Republicans can reject her violent ideology or accept it. That is the choice they have to make now.” [Twitter]

DASH Says All Riders Must Wear Face Masks Starting Feb. 8 — “Effective Monday, February 8, passengers without a mask will not be permitted on any DASH bus. In accordance with federal law, all passengers are required to wear a face mask that covers both the nose and mouth while awaiting, boarding, traveling on or disembarking any DASH bus to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Passengers who refuse to wear a mask will not be permitted to board any DASH bus. If a passenger removes their mask after boarding, they will not be allowed to continue their trip and must disembark the bus as soon as safely possible. DASH maintains a supply of masks on every bus for passengers without masks who cannot delay their trip to obtain one. If a passenger does not have a mask, they are encouraged to ask the operator for one when boarding the bus.”

Mayor Tours Shuttered Power Plant Before Community Meeting — “Next week (the 11th), the new owner of the former power-plant site on Alexandria’s northern waterfront will be holding a community meeting to discuss redevelopment plans. I had an opportunity to walk the site and discuss the future of this important location.” [Twitter]

City Says Essential Workers Should Pre-Register for Vaccine Waitlist — “Individuals in the Phase 1b frontline essential worker categories should pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine waitlist by filling out this form. Those who have already completed the form should not fill it out again. Duplicates require additional staff time to clean and sort, and will not result in faster vaccination. AHD is simultaneously vaccinating those who are ages 65 and older and Phase 1b frontline essential workers.” [City of Alexandria]

Fish Market Gets Help from Barstool Fund — “The Fish Market, a family-owned business restaurant and raw bar in a centuries-old building, has been in business on lower King Street for 45 years. After submitting a video to apply for the Barstool Fund, the restaurant was chosen as one of the small businesses to receive money to help keep it open.” [Patch]

City Wins Award for Carpenter’s Shelter Development — “The City has received the 2020 Audrey Nelson Community Development Achievement Award for supporting the construction of The Bloom/Carpenter’s Shelter, an innovative project that co-locates 97 affordable housing units with a homeless shelter.” [Twitter]

Today’s Weather — “Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High 48F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph… Cloudy with occasional rain after midnight. Low 37F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.” [Weather.com]

New Job: Professional Dog Walkers — “As a Dog Walker with Fur-Get Me Not you can expect flexible scheduling, paid training, 24/7 support from both our office staff as well as our on-call managers– and more. Most dog walks are between the hours of 10:00am and 4:00pm, typically on a recurring schedule Monday-Friday. We compensate at $8.75 per 25-minute visit, and offer two walks per hour to maximize your earning ability — and all of our walks are one-on-one so you can develop great relationships with the dogs on your route!” [Indeed]

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Morning Notes

Alexandria Restaurant Preps 15,000 Meals for National Guard — “We will be closed today, Saturday January 16th through Thursday, January 21st. Last week, we were honored to be selected to provide meals to the National Guard during inauguration week. Our kitchen will be used to prepare 15,000 meals per day this upcoming week. We will re-open on Friday, January 22nd. We appreciate your continued support!” [Alexandria Living]

City to Host COVID-19 Vaccine Panel Discussion — “The City of Alexandria will co-host a recorded panel of local medical experts, civic leaders and community leaders to answer questions about COVID-19 vaccines. A premiere of the panel discussion will be available online in English, Spanish, Amharic and Arabic at 5 p.m. on January 27.” [City of Alexandria]

Alexandrians Describe Experiences During Capitol Siege — “They ended up gaveling out and Lankford’s staffer ran right up to him and his mic was still hot. He said something like, ‘They’ve gotten in the building.’ At that point, I was like, ‘Woah, what did I just hear?'” [Alex Times]

Alexandria Winter Shelters are Open — “As a reminder, the Winter Shelter is open 7 p.m. – 7 a.m. in two locations: Lee Center (1108 Jefferson St) serves single adults and @CarpentrShelter (930 North Henry St) serves families. Learn more about services: alexandriava.gov/49636.” [Twitter]

17th Annual Alexandria Warehouse Sale Returns Next Month — “The 17th Annual Alexandria Warehouse Sale returns this year in a different format and will take place over two days the weekend of February 6-7, 2021. Deemed in the region the longest-running boutique driven warehouse sale, the popular mid-winter event will convert to a walkable sale and will take place throughout Old Town with nearly 40 independent boutiques participating.” [Visit Alexandria]

Today’s Weather — “Generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds. High 52F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph… Partly cloudy skies in the evening. Low 33F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.” [Weather.com]

New Job: Valet — “We are looking for Valets for our busy Sales and Service departments. Duties include parking and washing/detailing vehicles. Must have a valid driver’s license, a good driving record and be at least 18 years old. Must also be able to drive a manual transmission. Both full time and part time positions available.” [Indeed]

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ALXnow’s Top Stories this Week in Alexandria

Big things are in the works in the city. The proposed police review panel is coming back to the City Council in January, but discussions still rage in the community over what authority it should have. New plans are also moving forward for Potomac Yard, while the question of whether or not the Virginia Tech initials will be added to the name remains up in the air.

What stories impacted you this week? Let us know in the comments.

Here are our top stories this week in Alexandria.

  1. Police: Three Children Safe After Being Found in ‘Deplorable’ Conditions in West End Home
  2. Mayor: Household Contact Primary Source of COVID Transmission in Alexandria
  3. Restaurants and Other Businesses for Sale in Alexandria
  4. Poll: Should the Police Review Board Have Subpoena and Disciplinary Power?
  5. Carpenter’s Shelter Plans Virtual Ribbon-Cutting for New Braddock Shelter This Week
  6. Planning Commission Approves Potomac Yard Park Expansion
  7. Women’s Clothing Store LOFT Closes in Old Town
  8. ACPS Faces Reopening With Around Half of Staff Still Unwilling to Return
  9. After CARES: City Plans for Looming Collapse of Food Security and Housing Funding
  10. Southern Towers Residents Protest Eviction Amid Pandemic

Staff photo by Jay Westcott

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Carpenter’s Shelter Plans Virtual Ribbon-Cutting for New Braddock Shelter This Week

Carpenter’s Shelter has invited the community to a ribbon-cutting on Thursday (Dec. 10) for the new shelter for people experiencing homelessness.

“This ribbon-cutting will be held in conjunction with with the Alexandria Housing Development Corporation, who will be celebrating the opening of 97 affordable apartment units named The Bloom at Braddock,” the nonprofit said in a press release.

The new facility will have 60 beds available and ten of the homes in The Bloom will be available for chronically homeless adults. Those saying in the supportive housing units above will have case managers to assist with chronic issues like health, employment and education.

“It’s with pride that we open the doors on this purpose-built space to help Alexandria’s population that is homeless,” said Shannon Steene, executive director of Carpenter Shelter. “But more importantly to be able to work with a great organization in AHDC to also increase the city’s affordable housing supply. It’s great to be a part of this dynamic collaboration and we are looking forward to working together.”

Image via AHDC

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City Opens Winter Shelter for Homeless in Alexandria

As anyone going to vote in-person today can attest, winter’s bitter chill has started to set in. Temperatures are expected to hit a low of 41 degrees tomorrow. For the city’s most vulnerable populations, however, shelter has opened to help locals experiencing homelessness get through the winter.

“A shelter at Lee Center (1108 Jefferson) is serving single adults and another at Carpenter’s Shelter (5701 Duke St., Suite D) is serving families,” the city said on its website. “The Winter Shelter program, also called hypothermia shelters, is operated by Carpenter’s Shelter to ensure that guests have a warm, clean and safe environment to retreat from the elements of winter at night.”

The locations are open 7 p.m.-7 a.m. daily through March 31. The Lee Center was added as a location this year to allow for more social distancing between guests as prescribed by CDC guidelines. Areas will also be set aside for isolation in the event that either a guest or staff becomes ill. Guests and staff at the facilities will also be screened for COVID-19 before entry, the city said.

Transportation is available both to and from the shelters to locations throughout Old Town.

“Residents interested in supporting their neighbors experiencing homelessness are invited to join the Partnership to Prevent and End Homelessness (PPEH),” the city said. “The PPEH strives to ensure the planning, coordination and implementation of an effective and efficient continuum of care to prevent and end homelessness in the City of Alexandria. Email [email protected] for more information or find PPEH online.”

Photo via Google Maps

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Morning Notes

Alexandria Man Has Washington Football Team Name Trademarks — “Phillip Martin McCaulay, 61, has made dozens of submissions to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for almost a dozen potential names and other iterations of them.” [WTOP]

Police Department Celebrates 150th Birthday — “150 years of exemplary service to the citizens of Alexandria! Happy anniversary to the Alexandria Police Department founded on this day, July 15, 1870.” [Facebook]

Alexandria, Arlington Apply for Grants to Fund MV Trail Widening, King Street Improvements — “Arlington County and the City of Alexandria are applying for a pair of grants that would bring significant changes to the Mt. Vernon Trail and a portion of King Street near Fairlington.” [ARLnow]

The Heritage Development Gets Smaller — “The original proposed plan included 842 new units with parking underneath the park area. After receiving feedback and concerns about the height and mass of the original plan, the proposed number of units has been reduced to 777, with 774 parking spaces underneath the new structures.” [Alexandria Living]

Carpenter’s Shelter Gets $15K Donation — “Carpenter’s Shelter has not stopped serving the homeless during the pandemic. Recently, the organization received a $15,000 donation from the nonprofitAmerican Water Charitable Foundation and Virginia American Water.” [Zebra]

New Job: Team Member — “Toastique in Old Town, Alexandria and is seeking team members to help create smoothies, gourmet toasts, and run the POS system. Employees will be joining a team to create a fun, clean, fresh environment for a gourmet toast and juice bar in bustling Old Town! No specific skills or experience needed, but applicant must be excited to interact with customers and serve healthy, fresh food to the community.” [Indeed]

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