A Message from Our National Director about the Disaster in Japan

March 18, 2011 at 1:14 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

We’ve received a number of questions about One Brick’s response to the disaster in Japan.

While we are honored that so many people think of us at a time like this, we are not really set up to help directly.  Our focus is on helping our local community.

That said, there are a few of things that we would like to suggest:

  • Check out http://hands.org/. Their focus is providing volunteers to help survivors of natural disasters around the world.
  • If you are thinking of making a financial donation, read this article from The Journal of Philanthropy.
  • Keep doing what you are doing. Volunteering and supporting your local community is still critical. It may not grab the headlines, but for the people we help it’s just as important. If you haven’t volunteered in a while, maybe this is the opportunity to renew your support of your community. Our calendar is here: http://washingtondc.onebrick.org/calendar/

Be prepared to support your community if/when they need you.

  • Get/renew your first-aid certification.
  • Join a Community Emergency Response Team.
  • Be prepared for the next disaster – http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/
  • Lastly, you may want to consider joining us in New Orleans this May.  Katrina was over 5 years ago, and we are still working to fix the problems it caused.

Thanks,
Clive

 

Introducing One Brick to Afghani Teens

January 17, 2011 at 3:37 pm | Posted in people | 1 Comment

Recently I had the privilege to spend my Saturday morning with a group of six teenagers who just arrived from their home in Afghanistan to study in the United States for a semester.  They are here with a mission to break down stereotypes Americans have about Afghanis and to return to their home country with tools to break down stereotypes about Americans.  After spending a week in the District of Columbia, they are heading to small towns in different states to start their program.  Their counselor reached out to One Brick so we could teach the importance of volunteerism and community service in building bridges and in making friends.

As I was talking with these brave young people I was amazed at how easy One Brick makes it for me to find noble non-profits where I know I am making a difference.  These six Afghani teenagers appreciated One Brick’s unique approach to volunteering and felt confident they had the tools to find great places to volunteer in their new host cities.  Unfortunately the six I met with were not going to any of the cities where One Brick currently operates, but other Afghani students in the future will be working with One Brick when they come to San Fran, DC, New York, Chicago, Orlando, Seattle, St. Paul/Minneapolis and Indianapolis!  Thanks again One Brick for making volunteering so easy!!!

One Brick / Bloomspot Raffle for $250 Gift Certificate to Proof!

November 14, 2010 at 3:11 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Thank You One Brick Volunteers!

In recognition of all your great work, Bloomspot would like to buy you dinner (or rather give you a chance to win a dinner worth $250!). We are raffling off a gift certificate to Proof, in Penn Quarter (website, menu, yelp reviews). The great news about this partnership is that, for every entry, Bloomspot will donate $2 to One Brick!

We promise that there are no strings attached. If you’d like to join Bloomspot’s mailing list, they’d love to have you; if not, that’s perfectly OK, too.

Click here to enter!

 

Keep up the good work and good luck!

Thanks,

The DC One Brick Team

My Life As a Cow

November 13, 2010 at 8:51 pm | Posted in events | Leave a comment

Me as a Cow at 'Farm Sanctuary Walk for Farm Animals 2010'

One Brick events have offered me the chance to get involved with lots of different things in every corner of the Washington region, but I have never had to dress up as a cow!

That all changed when I volunteered at a One Brick event to support Farm Sanctuary’s ‘Walk for Farm Animals 2010′ on October 2 this year. Farm Sanctuary are a non-profit dedicated to preventing abuse of farm animals. One Brick volunteers assisted with registering walkers at their annual event. This is a great example of how One Brick can help out a group with extra staff for special events. Most of our volunteers were distributing literature and freebies to the registered walkers, but one extra job needed to be done: somebody had to put on the cow suit, and walk around to promote the event!

Since it wasn’t a very hot day, and I always like to help out, I offered my services as a cow. I had no cow experience, but this was not required. Actually, it was a lot of fun. Everybody loves a 6-foot walking cow, it seems. Apart from dogs…several dogs that I met were NOT happy with me, and made it known with a lot of barking and snarling!

You can check out more photos of the event here.

Bloom Times at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

October 31, 2010 at 5:12 pm | Posted in events | Leave a comment

What a difference a few months can make. In June at Kennilworth Aquatic Gardens the lotus were in full bloom – a sea of beautiful pink flowers. Now in October they have died back allowing the fall leaves to take center stage.

I have volunteered at Kennilworth a few times, now and I really enjoy seeing the gardens change through the seasons and getting outdoors to help to keep the place beautiful has been a pleasure. The first time I went it was with a little trepidation – I’d never visited this part of DC before, but that is one of the things I like about One Brick – it gives me an excuse to explore. And Kennilworth was a nugget worth finding. In fact I have to confess it is the only One Brick event I have attended more then once. What is the Kennilworth magic that keeps me coming back? First, it is unique; where else do you get to dress up in chest high boots and head out on a boat guided only by your trusty rake? Second, the people – the Kennilworth volunteer coordinator, Alan Spears (and his mom) are dedicated and passionate about the gardens and the One Brickers who I meet out there have literally gone that extra mile to get involved. But I must admit the best part was the satisfaction of seeing the lotus in bloom and knowing that in some small way I had contributed to this amazing spectacle.

Nina Peel

Less Than One Week Away: Our Biggest Party of the Year!

October 13, 2010 at 3:09 am | Posted in events, people | Leave a comment

Attention One Brick Volunteers!

We’re less than week away from “Celebrating the Stars of One Brick: Rolling out the Orange Carpet” and we have some exciting news for you!!! As part of our Annual Campaign Kickoff Party on Saturday, October 16, 2010, we will be raffling of some awesome prizes, including:

  • Box seats to the Washington Caps game on 10/23! That’s right, box seats, with several parking passes, too!
  • Fantastic gift certificates to some of the area’s best restaurants and shows
  • White water rafting adventure for two
  • Full car details, valued at $200 each
  • Much, much, more!

These prizes are just PART of the 5 “movie-themed” raffle prize packages, ranging in value from $350 to over $1,100!!! (And several of the packages include multiple Caps tickets!) Interested in the James Bond raffle prize package? Perhaps you’ll want “The Hangover” themed gift set? Come and see if you can win! The box seats include comfortable seating, access to the Acela Club, your own private bathroom…you’ll get to live the life of a celebrity for an evening.

You can’t win the prizes if you don’t attend the party, so RSVP and purchase your tickets today, before they sell out!! OPEN BAR, hors d’oeuvres, music by The DJ’s Ball – this is an event you don’t want to miss!

See ya at the party!



Rolling Out the Orange Carpet – An Evening with the Stars

October 3, 2010 at 1:32 pm | Posted in events | Leave a comment

The Washington, D.C. chapter of One Brick is kicking off its annual campaign Hollywood-style with its biggest party of the year, slated for Saturday, October 16 at Tonic at Quigley’s Pharmacy in Foggy Bottom.

The evening will be devoted to honoring the true stars of One Brick DC – its volunteers. These volunteers made it possible for the local One Brick chapter to provide more than 8,500 volunteer hours within the community during 2009.

The event will begin at 8 p.m. with two hours of open bar. There will also be celebrity photo opportunities, guest speakers, and raffle prizes from DC Impov, Modern Hair & Nail Studio, Gordon Biersch, Mexicali Blues, Whitlow’s on Wilson, LA Boxing, Red Mango, and Washington Sports Club, to name a few. The DJs Ball, an East Coast DJ collective, will keep beats fresh throughout the evening.

Tickets are limited to the first 100 registered guests.Tickets are $35 until October 15th. Tickets the day of the event or sold at the door are $40. Complete event details are available on the One Brick calendar. http://washingtondc.onebrick.org/event/?eventid=8106

Choose Your Own One Brick Adventure

September 21, 2010 at 2:31 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

This weekend is a busy one for One Brick! We’ve got a whopping 7 awesome volunteer opportunities scheduled for this Saturday, and we’re absolutely sure that one of them has YOUR name written all over it! Don’t believe us? Check them out for yourself…

Want to help the needy in your community? Take your pick of events!

Are you…

In Virginia?

Head out to Alexandria to help at monthly the ALIVE! food distribution. You’ll be sorting and distributing canned goods as well as fresh produce and meats. This event is loads of fun and typically serves between 250 and 300 families.

RSVP here: http://washingtondc.onebrick.org/event/?eventid=7377

In DC?

There’s no need to cross the river to do some good on a Saturday morning. You can join us at the Capital Area Food Bank in Northeast to sort donations (some of which may even end up at the ALIVE! event next month!). CAFB is an integral hub to food distribution in the DC region, and One Brick volunteers love doing their part to help out.

RSVP here: http://washingtondc.onebrick.org/event/?eventid=7387

In Maryland?

Rockville Interfaith Clothing Center provides clothing, shoes, and household items to more than 15,000 individuals each year. Sign up for one short shift, and you can help provide basic necessities to 5,000 low-income and homeless families, who can then use their financial resources for other pressing needs.

RSVP here: http://washingtondc.onebrick.org/event/?eventid=7413

Looking to get a little dirt under your nails?

Join us at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, and you’ll have ample opportunity to help with a variety of park improvement projects. You may find yourself removing invasive species, planting, weeding, or any number of other invigorating outdoor projects.

RSVP here: http://washingtondc.onebrick.org/event/?eventid=7381

Interested in chatting up a ton of new folks in a single day?

Head on out to the first 17th Street Festival, and you could be helping with setup, selling tickets, or pouring drinks in a beer garden! (Bonus: You don’t have to wake up early for either of these shifts!)

RSVP for 1st shift (12-4) here: http://washingtondc.onebrick.org/event/?eventid=8160

RSVP for 2nd shift (4-8) here: http://washingtondc.onebrick.org/event/?eventid=8161

Sign up for a shift at the CitySolve Urban Race, and you’ll be helping with organization, setup and registration.

RSVP for 1st shift (9 a.m. to 12:45) here: http://washingtondc.onebrick.org/event/?eventid=8195

RSVP for 2nd shift (12:30-5) here: http://washingtondc.onebrick.org/event/?eventid=8196

Team Member of the Month: AprilH

September 16, 2010 at 2:35 pm | Posted in people | Leave a comment

AprilH just celebrated her one year anniversary with One Brick. Currently, she is on a mission to try all the recurring monthly events, but she also enjoys volunteering at festivals where she gets to do fun tasks like making snocones or lemonade. She especially enjoyed the Sweet Charity event, because “there was chocolate everywhere!”

Aside from going to events themselves, April is the elf who puts the events on the calendar. “I’m always looking for new events as well that people would be interested in,” she says, “and sometimes the best way to find those is word of mouth from our volunteers, so I am always open to event suggestions and opinions about events to help make an awesome calendar each month!”

When not volunteering, April enjoys cooking, yoga, scrapbooking, and travel. A native Kansan, she loves DC’s “endless restaurant options” and the monuments.

In this photo, she is ready to dispense financial advice to young people in the game of Choices!

September Happy Hour at Modern

September 9, 2010 at 12:47 pm | Posted in happy hour | Leave a comment

Get ready to have a blast at the next One Brick happy hour at Modern, next Thursday, September 16!

This month we’ll be doing things a little differently. We’ve partnered with the 20s & 30s Going Out Group as their designated charity for September, which means we’ll see a whole lot of new faces AND receive 80% of the money raised at the event.

On top of the usual drink specials and some extra giveaways, we’ll be treated to DJ Saam’s loungy, groovy beats. We’ll also be mingling with a diverse crowd from the DC area, so be prepared to chat about why you love One Brick!

If you want to take a more active role than just mingling, Chrissy A is looking for some event managers and coordinators to sign up for short shifts staffing the entrance table. These folks will help greet people, collect donations, and, of course, promote One Brick! If you’re interested, please email Chrissy A as soon as possible.

For more info, check out:

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