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Join Us for City Year Washington, DC’s Graduation on Friday, June 19

Corps member Chrissy Balz gives a speach at Graduation 2008.

Please join us on June 19 as we honor the 2008-2009 City Year Washington, DC corps for their service to the community. At graduation we will celebrate these young idealists for their 140,000 hours of service in Washington, DC and recognize the impact they have made on more than 6,000 DC children. Ward One Councilmember Jim Graham and AED Vice President and Director of the Center for Youth Development Dr. Andy Munoz will also be there to share their words of advice and congratulate the corps members on their year of service. CLICK HERE for more information.

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2009 @ 6:30 PM
AED Conference Center
1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20009

Featured Speakers:
Councilmember Jim Graham
District of Columbia Council

Dr. Andy Munoz
Vice President and Director of the Center for Youth Development
Academy for Educational Development

PLEASE RSVP to Stephanie Lloyd at 202.742.7361 or slloyd08@cityyear.org.

HIGHLIGHTS

Don’t Miss the 2009 Celebration of Service on June 13

Corps member Brian Yoo paints a mural at a 2009 service day.

On June 13, City Year Washington, DC will partner with Corporate Executive Board and the DC Department of Parks and Recreation to put on a large-scale service event for the Washington, DC community. To be held at Barry Farms Recreation Center (1230 Sumner Road, SE) in Anacostia, the service day is the culmination and celebration of the 2008-2009 City Year Washington, DC corps year. The day will begin with registration at Barry Farms at 8:30am and service will last until 12:30pm. Corps members and volunteers will spend the day painting murals, landscaping the grounds, and building benches. The Celebration of Service will continue in the afternoon with a block party from 2-6pm at Barry Farms Recreation Center. Interested in volunteering at the service day or attending the block party? RSVP at cydcvolunteers@cityyear.org.

Governor Frank Keating Honored at the 2009 City Year Washington, DC Idealism in Action Gala

Fifth grade student Lionel R. Jackson, Jr. sings the national anthem at the 2009 Gala.

On Thursday, May 14, more than 300 guests attended City Year Washington, DC's 6th Annual Idealism in Action Gala at the Ronald Reagan Building. The evening celebrated the achievements of the 2008-2009 City Year Washington, DC corps, recognized the 2009 Idealists of the Year, and honored Governor Frank Keating with City Year Washington, DC's 2009 Lifetime of Idealism Award.

The evening began with an inspiring presentation by the corps members - including a demonstration of City Year's signature Physical Training, or PT. Then, to officially kick off the evening, Francis-Stevens Educational Campus fifth grade student Lionel R. Jackson, Jr. sang the national anthem. Following Lionel, Executive Director Jeff Franco thanked all of the 2009 Gala sponsors and shared City Year Washington, DC's exciting new growth plan. Later, corps member Kelly Kuerzi provided moving remarks about her journey to City Year and the impact that she has made on the students she has worked with this year. After Kelly's testimonial, we presented the 2009 Idealist of the Year awards to 12 corporate volunteers for their service to the community (see below). The evening concluded with ABC News Contributor Sam Donaldson presenting the 2009 Lifetime of Idealism Award to Governor Frank Keating for his outstanding career in public service, highlighted through a video generously donated by Comcast. Before the evening came to a close, City Year corps members presented Governor Keating with City Year's highest honor: the signature red jacket.

2009 Lifetime of Idealism Honoree Governor Frank Keating poses with corps members after receiving  City Year's signature red jacket.

One highlight of the evening was recognizing 12 outstanding corporate volunteers for their service to the community through the 2009 Idealist of the Year Awards. These idealists have made a difference in the community through volunteerism and outstanding community service. Congratulations to the 2009 Idealists of the Year: Jay Berkowitz (Horning Brothers), Justine Chiou (Corporate Executive Board), Richard Congo (DC Housing Authority), Sanya Coulter (Comcast), Matthew Engler (Morrison & Foerster), Leanne Grilli (Calvert), David Hoppe (Quinn Gillespie & Associates), Peter D. Horst (Capital One), Brian Josef (CTIA), Alex Sadler (Crowell & Moring), Brian Sasscer (The Case Foundation), and Amy R. Wolverton (T-Mobile). Look for the 2009 Idealists of the Year in the June 6 issue of National Journal!

Special thanks to Gala Co-Chair Tom Sugrue, Vice President of Government Affairs at T-Mobile, and all the sponsors of the 2009 Idealism in Action Gala!

City Year After-School Program Presents Peter Pan

Students at Browne Gibbs Young act out a scene of Peter Pan.

On May 22, students in City Year's after-school program at Browne Gibbs Young Educational Campus performed Peter Pan for more than 140 fellow students, friends, and family members. This performance was the culmination of a spring-long theater initiative started by the Comcast Team serving at Browne Gibbs Young. Earlier this year, the corps members on the Comcast Team received a grant to fund a new theater initiative during after-school time. The program sought to help students better their communication skills and gain confidence in their reading abilities. The grant also helped bring local theater companies to the school to run workshops and give performances.

Led by City Year corps members, the newly formed theater group had 31 participants, ranging from 1st to 4th grade. The students and corps members at Browne Gibbs Young worked all spring long on the Peter Pan performance. Following the performance, the Comcast Team threw a pizza party for the entire cast and their family members. Also, to recognize their hard work, students in the performance received flowers, a certificate, and a personalized medal with their name on it. Thank you to all the students, teachers, staff, and community members who helped make the performance a success!

IN THE NEWS

Turner at Green Elementary and City Year Featured in East of the River

In the May 2009 issue of East of the River, Turner at Green Elementary School was featured as a school successfully navigating the merging of two separate schools - Turner and Green. Principal Gregory was praised for his leadership and City Year was mentioned as one of the programs at the school that is contributing to student success. Several City Year corps members were also featured in one of the photos that accompanied the article. CLICK HERE to read the full article.

American University Website Highlights City Year Executive Director Jeff Franco

On May 19, City Year Washington, DC Executive Director and American University alumnus Jeff Franco was featured in an article on the American University website. The article featured Jeff's current work at City Year, as well as his extracurricular volunteer efforts. CLICK HERE to read the full article.