What’s all the buzz about???

Georgetown Ministry Center has been chosen by Georgetown University as the recipient of 2,000 pairs of donated socks for men and women experiencing homelessness in DC from socially-conscious sock label, Bombas! That’s 2,000 pairs of specially-engineered socks designed to specifically meet the needs of people who don’t have the luxury of putting on a clean pair of socks every day. An antimicrobial treatment ensures they don’t need to be washed as often, and reinforced seams and darker colors give them greater durability with less visible wear.

How did this happen?

Georgetown University’s involvement with and support of GMC dates back to GMC’s founding over 30 years ago. This year, the University will honor as their Entrepreneur of the Year Randy Goldberg, a Class of 2000 Business School graduate who is the Co-Founder of Bombas.  Inspired by a Salvation Army press release quote that said that socks are the most requested clothing item at homeless shelters in the U.S., Randy and his co-founder David Heath started Bombas, with the goal of donating a pair of socks for every pair sold.

As part of Georgetown’s Sponsorship of the Salesforce Higher Ed Summit at the Gaylord National Harbor on March 21-23, Georgetown University Information Services and their implementation partner, Appirio, will be giving away Bombas socks to highlight the plight of those experiencing homelessness and together, they have donated 2,000 pairs of socks to GMC to be distributed via our street outreach program, our winter shelter program and in our Center to men and women experiencing homelessness in the DC area!

GMC is incredibly grateful to Georgetown University for its ongoing support of our mission to end homelessness and to Bombas for its commitment to making an impact in our local community!

‘Best Spirit Ever’ Raises Unprecedented Amount for Georgetown Ministry Center

Spirit of Community Shines Bright at Annual GMC Benefit

In a watershed year for Georgetown Ministry Center, Thursday evening’s Spirit of Georgetown benefit was, fittingly, one for the books! GMC would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all those who attended this year’s benefit and to all those who have aided GMC’s work in other ways throughout the year — with your generous support, we raised a record-setting amount of $137,373 for our Center operations! This feat was only possible through the incredible support and commitment of our generous donors. Thank you!

This year’s event was an embodiment of the spirit of community so vibrantly alive in Georgetown, exemplifying what is possible when a group of individuals come together for the common good. More than 200 GMC supporters gathered in the stately Georgetown home of consummate DC hostess, Sally Quinn, to commemorate 30 years of GMC service in our community.  Guests spent the evening mingling from room to impeccably decorated room, spilling onto a wraparound back porch perfectly suited for the mild October temperatures. While there was plenty of DC star power in attendance — including honoree Mayor Bowser, Deputy Mayor HyeSook Chung, Councilman Jack Evans and our gracious host, Sally Quinn — it was truly the spirit of community that shone brightest throughout the evening.  Retiring GMC Executive Director, Gunther Stern, aptly described his final Spirit after his nearly 3-decades-long tenure as the “best Spirit ever” — and we couldn’t agree more!

A special thanks to this year’s honorary hosts, Carrington Tarr and Amy Tercek, and our event sponsors, Washington Fine Properties, Kilpatrick, Townsend, Stockton, Walker & Dunlop LLC, John D. Richardson Company and Martin’s Tavern.

Whether you were there in person on Thursday, or just in spirit, we hope you’ll recognize the profound impact your support has on the lives of our community’s most vulnerable. American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead’s famous quote resonates as much today as it did upon GMC’s founding 30 years ago: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Thank you for helping us end homelessness — and change the world! — one person at a time.

View all event photos on our Facebook page.

Exciting renovation plans are in the works at Georgetown Ministry Center! Last fall, the Share Fund offered to help GMC drastically improve its space. With additional support from the Arcana Foundation and Georgetown University’s Office of Campus Ministry, construction plans are approved and the renovation will begin in early October.

This idea came about because every day, 50 to 70 vulnerable homeless people visit our well-worn space. Our 13-year-old shower has a cracked floor, our hot water heater doesn’t keep up with the demand in the winter, our roof leaks during heavy rainstorms, and the center is often standing room only.

To improve the quality of our services, an architecture firm came up with a plan to expand our space in an ingenious way. Their plans include the installation of higher efficiency equipment, the ability to do more loads of laundry and offer warmer showers in the winter, the addition of one bathroom, the improvement of storage space for supplies, and the transformation of an office into a medical clinic for our consulting psychiatrists and doctors.

While this project will dramatically improve our program, it will require us to close for about 7 weeks. We can’t thank the Share Fund enough for making this possible. We look forward to keeping you updated on the progress and are eager to return to an improved day center!