As we gear up for the second and final May work-a-thon, here’s a highlight from the May 4 event, which was covered in the DuPont Current. Check out the front page photo of our volunteers!

Thank you to the Current for coming out and for the fantastic photo!

Thank you to everyone who helped make our May 4 work-a-thon such a success! We had a beautiful, sunny spring Saturday. Hundreds of volunteers were in schools across the city, tackling murals, stairwells, landscaping, and more. Here is just a sampling of the projects from that day:

• Capitol Hill Montessori School
• Francis Stevens
• Stuart Hobson
• Maury
• Tyler

1. You’ve been meaning to add to your cotton t-shirt collection.
2. When’s the last time you were allowed to draw and paint on walls?
3. Who doesn’t get nostalgic when eating a pizza lunch in the cafeteria?
4. You know that paint color you’ve been contemplating for your apartment? Nothing affirms if it’s a good color like seeing it on a gym wall.
5. Paint by number. You’re hooked! The murals are trace and sketch, allowing anyone to channel their inner Picasso.
6. Your Mr./Mrs. Right (or just a date for next weekend!) could be the stranger you meet over a day-long landscaping project. Nothing says love like some perennials.
7. The after party is fantastic.
8. In a town known for Congressional gridlock and bureaucracy, it’s nice to give back at such a local level and see the immediate impact your time and energy has made.
9. Hands on DC is one of the best volunteer groups in DC. <obviously>
10. There is nothing better—at the end of a beautiful spring Saturday—than knowing you made a difference in the education of a DC public school student.

Register to volunteer by emailing volunteer@handsondc.org

On a more serious note, reasons to consider a fiscal donation in addition to your time and energy (all GREATLY appreciated):

1. Support Hands on DC’s scholarship work! Over 18 years, Hands on DC has awarded more than $700,000 in scholarship funding to DC public school students. 
   What good are volunteers if we don’t have the materials? Fiscal donations help cover the materials we need to undertake the very ambitious to-do list. Hands on DC provides all labor and materials, and your donation helps keep the ‘hands’ in Hands on DC busy.
2. All donations are tax deductible. It’s a two-for-one: feel good when you donate now, and again next April when you file your taxes!
3. That money burning a hole in your pocket? Hands on DC can put it to good use. Donations to Hands on DC last….the paint on the wall will be there for years; that new planter box will bloom again next spring.
4. “That’s $50 for a T-shirt, right?” Seriously, it’s more than a line in a current pop song: donating $50 not only bolsters all the reasons listed above; it also gets you your very own Hands on DC t-shirt, with our awesome logo!
5. Please take a moment to make a donation, whether $5 or $500, to support Hands on DC, the work of our volunteers, and our scholarship program. Donating is easy: Visit our FirstGiving site.

Hands on DC’s annual May events are just around the corner. Sign up today for one of the TWO work-a-thons Hands on DC is coordinating in May: Saturday, May 4 and Saturday, May 18. For both days, Hands on DC will be in multiple schools across the district.

Twice as many events means we will need twice as many volunteers to cover all the schools. In fact, we expect enough school-based projects–from painting murals and hallways to doing landscaping and playground projects–to keep upwards of 1,000 volunteers busy over the two days.

Help us meet our goal of 1,000 volunteers and spend a sunny spring Saturday making a school a little bit brighter. Grab a friend (or 7!) and sign up today.

You can register as a volunteer by emailing: volunteer@handsondc.org

Hands on DC is ready to kick off its annual May Work-a-Thons! Join us for our inaugural Fun Run Week, where Hands on DC hosts fun-runs in conjunction with local run clubs. It’s a great way to combine the socializing and fitness of running with the chance to learn more about Hands on DC and how you can get involved.

Tuesday April 16: Shirlington Run Club: Join us at the Bungalow in Shirlington, VA for their summer 5-k route, where the emphasis is as much on running as it is on socializing and having fun. The 5k route starts and ends at Bungalow, which offers its happy hour drinks and menu after the run so you can re-fuel. Grab your friend, your roomie, or your coworker, and make it a fun Tuesday night! Details:

• Bungalow (2766 S Arlington Mill Dr, Arlington, VA)
• Fun Run Starts at 6:30. Be on-site and ready to run by 6:20.
• The Bungalow/Shirlington location is NOT metro accessible, but parking is free and ample.
• Plan on attending? RSVP my April 15: http://goo.gl/5JY79

Thursday April 18: Three Pacers Store Run Clubs: Join us at one of three local Pacers locations for their Thursday night fun run route (Pentagon Row, Alexandria, or Clarendon). The runs all start at 7 pm and vary between 3-5 miles. Grab your friend, your roomie, or your coworker, and make it a fun Thursday night! Details:

• All three Pacers locations are metro accessible and have limited street parking.
• Pacers Arlington (3100 Clarendon Boulevard, Arlington VA; Clarendon Metro)
• Pacers Alexandria (1301 King Street, Alexandria, VA; King Street Metro)
• Pacers Pentagon Row (1101 South Joyce Street, Arlington VA; Pentagon City Metro)
• Fun Runs start at 7 pm. Be on-site and ready to run by 6:50.
• NOTE: There will be a Hands on DC Happy Hour after the Fun Run in the Clarendon neighborhood.
• Plan on attending? RSVP by April 15: http://goo.gl/Pljp3

Curious about Hands on DC, who we are, what we do, how we engage in our local DC schools and communities? Interested in learning how you can engage through sponsorships? Then check out our Hands on DC 2013 Sponsorship Proposal.

Have you considered becoming a Site Coordinator? Volunteering as a Site Coordinator (SC)  is a great way to increase your involvement with Hands on DC while still getting to roll up your sleeves and work on event day! NOTE: SC training is as early as this weekend. Email our sites co-chairs as soon as possible to ensure you can attend an SC training!

Site Coordinator responsibilities include: 

• Responsible for managing projects and volunteers at a particular schools (site) on the day of the work-a-thon
• Visit school to meet with school point of contact and discuss/visit potential projects
• Work with sites chairs and logistics committee to develop projects, coordinate details with the school and handle pre- and day-of logistics
• Communicate in the weeks before the events with volunteers assigned to site school
• Arrange supplies and assign volunteers to projects as they arrive on event day
• Overall time commitment is 5-10 hours beyond the actual work-a-thon

If the Site Coordinator opportunity seems like a good fit for you, please email our Sites Co-Chairs Stephanie and Samantha at sites@handsondc.rog.

Site Coordinator Training:  Site coordinator (SC) training is available this weekend and next week. Sign up today to get the ball rolling! SC training will be offered Sunday afternoon and Monday evening.

Full information on our spring events (March Mural Madness and the May Work-a-thons) can be found in our earlier blog post.

Our friends at Booz Allen Hamilton are sponsoring a fundraiser/happy hour for Hands on DC later this week. Join us at Ri Ra Irish Pub in Clarendon, VA this Thursday, February 28 from 5:30-8 pm.

Profits from this event will be shared with Hands on DC. Make your happy hour mean something more: meet new friends, get to know more about Hands on DC, and help raise funds to support the organization. Don’t forget to bring a friend; it’s a great way to recruit new volunteers!

Ri Ra Irish Pub is located at 2915 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington VA.

Did you volunteer in the November 2012 or February 2013 work-a-thons? As part of our ongoing effort to improve Hands on DC and to be responsive to our volunteers and friends, we have revamped our volunteer survey. Please take a few moments to complete the survey for the event in which you participated:

• November 2012 Event Volunteer Survey
• February 2013 Event Volunteer Survey

Looking for ways to explore new parts of the city and help improve public schools? Hands on DC has the opportunities for you.

We have three events-one in March and two in May-that will let you roll up your sleeves and get your volunteer on.

March 9 is Mural Madness. Volunteers welcome, art skills optional. Most of the murals are ‘trace and paint’, not much beyond the paint-by-number pictures of our childhood.

New! May Work-a-thons: The annual May work-a-thon is actually TWO separate events in the same month. The Work-a-thons will be held May 4 and May 18. We’re looking for volunteers for both events. Looking to step up your involvement with Hands on DC? Become a site coordinator! Here’s a brief job description:

• Visit potential schools to scout out needs and suitability for Work-a-thon events
• Work with school administrators and Site Co-Chairs to develop project plans, coordinate details with the school, and handle logistics
• Manage projects and volunteers at a particular school (“site”) on the day of a Work-a-thon.

 How to Register: Interested in volunteering (by yourself or as part of a team) for either Mural Madness and/or the Work-a-Thons? Please email volunteer@handsondc.org.

Anyone interested in working as a site coordinator for the May events should email Sites Co-Chairs Stephanie and Samantha at sites@handsondc.org.