Georgetown Ministry Center’s 25th annual Winter Shelter kicks off on Sunday, November 19. Teams of volunteers will gather each night to prepare and serve a hot, nutritious meal, and to help foster a sense of community among staff, volunteers, and shelter residents.
GMC started the shelter on a pilot-basis for six weeks during the winter of 1993 to create a safe, friendly and low-demand environment to appeal to our most vulnerable homeless guests. Today, the Winter Shelter serves ten people experiencing homelessness for six months from November through April, rotating between twelve congregations in Georgetown.
To get involved or for more information, you may contact the Winter Shelter Manager, Sabrina, at sabrina@gmcgt.org.
On Thursday, October 11, the 2018 Spirit of Georgetown Benefit drew over 100 people together at the home of local Georgetown residents in support of people experiencing homelessness. We honored the Rev. John Graham of Grace Episcopal Church for his dedication to GMC’s mission and compassion for our neighbors in need.
We want to thank all those who donated and attended this year’s event — with your generous support, together we raised over $120,000! This allows us to continue to serve and build trusting relationships with our guests.Thank you!
This event embodies the spirit of generosity in Georgetown and showcases what is possible when a group of individuals comes together for the common good. Whether you were there in person on Thursday, or just in spirit, please know that your support improves the lives of our community’s most vulnerable.
Thank you for helping us end homelessness, one person at a time. We hope you will join us next October for the 20th annual Spirit of Georgetown!
Location: Christ Church, Georgetown, 3116 O St NW, Washington, DC 20007
Founded in 2004 by artistic director Richard Scerbo, the Inscape Chamber Orchestra seeks to redefine the boundaries of classical music through riveting performances that reach across genres and generations, and transcend the confines of the traditional concert experience. With a flexible personnel roster and unique brand of programming, this critically acclaimed, GRAMMY-nominated ensemble has quickly become one of the leading chamber orchestras in the Washington, DC, region and beyond.
Inscape’s first Georgetown appearance of the 2018-2019 season will feature Johannes Brahms’ monumental Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115, and Arthur Bliss’ imaginative Oboe Quintet, Op. 44, as well as The Scherzo of the Fools, by noted American composer James D’Angelo. All proceeds from the free-will offering will benefit Georgetown Ministry Center and a reception will follow.
Dedicated supporters of Georgetown Ministry Center (GMC)’s mission to end homelessness, will gather for the 19th annual Spirit of Georgetown benefit this fall.
The fundraiser, co-chaired by Sara Stone-Psihas and James Blue, will be held on Thursday, October 11 from 6:30 PM-8:30 PM at a local Georgetown home. It will raise a great share of funding for Georgetown Ministry Center’s programs and honor the Rev. John Graham for his long-time devotion to GMC and his leadership on the board of directors.
Rev. Graham serves at Grace Episcopal Church. Under his leadership, Grace Church has served as a spiritual refuge and source of community to people experiencing homelessness, many of whom frequent GMC. Grace Church hosts a weekly meal program for the homeless, Grace’s Table, which also includes an optional Bible study.
The Spirit of Georgetown fundraiser was created as an effort to unite the Georgetown community around GMC’s mission to end homelessness and to celebrate continued service to the neighborhood’s homeless community.
Benefit committee sponsorship levels range from $500 to $5,000 and individual tickets can be purchased for $225, or $100 for young professionals between the ages of 21 and 40. Those interested in attending, can donate online at spiritofgeorgetown.org or mail a check made payable to Georgetown Ministry Center at 1041 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20007.
Update The GMC guest featured in the story below received housing in the summer of 2018!
It could have been anyone. Joe Biden or Joe Schmoe. But it was Joe Biden — and so the photo went viral — andnow we have an opportunity to talk about something important.
The photo that went viral, taken by Caleb Baca
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It was the photo that went viral within hours of being posted on Facebook last week: former VP Joe Biden’s well-known face captured on a bystander’s cell phone camera as he shared an exchange with a man experiencing homelessness on the steps of a Georgetown movie theater. Within days, the image was shared by media outlets across the globe and the social media sphere went into a frenzy as the picture racked up hundreds of thousands of reactions online.
The stark juxtaposition displayed in the photo — a man, who for 8 years called Number One Observatory Circle home, showing compassion toward a man who has no home — tugged at the heartstrings of many. And while it is a powerful thing for Americans to see elected leaders exhibit traits like kindness, decency and compassion, there is another, perhaps even greater takeaway to the story, if we’ll pause long enough to receive it.
Who is the other man in the photo, the one sitting on the stone steps of the theater that chilly evening whose face is almost completely shielded by the hood pulled over his head?
His name is Rashid and he is sometimes a guest at Georgetown Ministry Center, frequenting GMC for services like showers and laundry. Like Biden, he has also served his country; an Air Force veteran, he traveled the globe during the Vietnam war, drawing maps and bomb plots to support US troops in the heat of battle. “I was honored and proud to serve,” he says of his time in service.
Rashid has experienced homelessness for some time now and when he saw Biden exiting the movie theater last Thursday evening, he asked him for some money so he could buy a sandwich.
Biden obliged — and then he stayed to talk.
“He didn’t think I recognized him,” Rashid said of the former dignitary. As they spoke, Rashid shared of the struggles he has been experiencing in receiving assistance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, specifically with procuring a housing voucher that would enable him to receive decent, safe and sanitary housing — leaving behind a life on the streets.
It was then that Biden went back into the theater for a pen and paper and jotted down a phone number. It was a personal contact who could assist in facilitating help for Rashid. As he handed him the slip of paper, a bystander snapped a photo on his phone’s camera — and the rest, as they say in our digital age, is recent history.
It’s wonderful that a person — whether they be Joe Biden or Joe Schmoe — would take the time to help another in need; we all need to do more of that. And it’s inspiring to see a public figure displaying compassion and generosity; we also need to see more of that. But what if we forced ourselves to sit with this story a little longer? What if we looked past the famous face and the warm-and-fuzzy feeling we get from seeing the good deed captured on camera and asked ourselves: what happened after the marquee lights went out?
Chronic homelessness is a plague on our modern-day society. In the city of Washington, DC, alone, there are over 7,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given day. Every person has their own story and reason for experiencing homelessness, and no matter what the stories or reasons may be, every person deserves the dignity of a home — especially those, like Rashid, who have served valiantly to allow the rest of us to enjoy the safety and security of our own homes each day and night.
What will it take for our communities and our governments to stand up and fight valiantly for the most vulnerable among us? What will it take for the rest of us to serve those like Rashid?
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then this viral photo is an opportunity for a 1,000-word conversation-starter. It’s now up to all of us to lean in and join the discussion.
— Carolyn Landes, GMC Communications Manager
Rashid, outside Georgetown Ministry Center, days after his now-famous interaction with former VP, Joe Biden. Photo by Carolyn Landes
