The Power of Connection
As we begin the holidays and season of celebrations, we will revisit the traditional appeals for hope, peace, love, and forgiveness. These virtues are centuries old and at their very core, are all rooted in connection. “Deep human connection is … the purpose and the result of a meaningful life – and it will inspire […]
This is who we are …
I just had a striking realization, an epiphany of sorts. This extraordinary and brutal reality that grips us daily with its twists and turns, consistently providing something else for us to worry about, as well as new concerns and challenges, and never ending adjustments, including personal losses. One can become distracted, and not see that […]
Congratulations to Brandon Rapp!
Brandon Rapp has a lot going for him these days. He seems like any young man about to embark on the next chapter of his life. A recent graduate of Maya Angelou Public Charter School with a full scholarship to study Cyber Security and Defense at Barry University in Miami. But Brandon has worked harder […]
An April Mother’s Day at the Kennedy
It was just a normal day at The Kennedy, NCCF’s Short Term Family Housing program in D.C.’s Ward 4. The Kennedy, which serves as a temporary home for homeless DC children and their parents as they transition to stable housing, can be a busy place in the mornings with residents heading off to school, work, […]
Mr. Hossein Ejtemai: Community Builder
Mr. Ejtemai joined this community in 1973 when he, accompanied by his wife Guitty, arrived from Iran to attend graduate school. Shortly after their departure, a revolution broke out in Iran making it particularly difficult for adherents of the Baha’i faith, to which he belongs, to practice their religion safely in their homeland. In the […]
The Christmas Bird: A Blog
Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark – Tagor I look down and meet her eyes. They dominate her petite face, deeply brown, and heavy. Overburdened with a penetrating sadness. Tears move slowly down her cheeks as if they also are held back, restrained by her intense grief. […]
When skepticism turns into the strongest voice for a community
Listening to Traci Powell’s excitement as she talks about being a Parent Advocate and a mentor for the students at JC Nalle Community School in the District, it’s hard to believe that she was once reluctant to get involved in the Southeast (Ward 7) neighborhood where the public elementary school is located and where Traci […]
Our Redemption
The homeless mothers sit before me, dressed in their best clothes, well groomed, cautiously, hesitantly returning a smile to me. Ranging widely in complexion, height, and shape, their commonality is very striking. They are young (under 25), single, and have children. They are poor and live in a transitional housing program. They are the objects […]
The Reunion
Dragging my carry-on baggage onto the plane heading for Nebraska, I was a little disconcerted. First, I was not fully recovered from the jet lag after a trip to the beaches of Dakar, Senegal and then the return to a snow bound city. Second, the mysterious disappearance of a Malaysian plane had thoroughly shaken my […]
This is America
“There’s something evil in our society that we as Americans have to work to try and eradicate. I would like you to put my trauma center out of business. I really would. I would like to not be an expert on gunshots. Let’s get rid of this. This is not America.” – Dr. Janis Orlowski, […]
