Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington- We’ve been selected!

In these times, nature, community, love, peace, and unity are so important. All people regardless of culture and background can enjoy the park, it helps you connect with neighbors and different kinds of people, too. I care about the park because I grew up here. Our passion as friends and neighbors of Kenilworth makes us come back and I want all people to share that passion with me. ~Kenya McKeever, lifelong resident of Kenilworth-Parkside, and leader of community and camp outreach for the Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. 

We’ve been selected for the 2020/2021 Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington! Cover photo by Tim Ervin.

The Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens is pleased to announce its selection by the 2020/21 Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington as one of the region’s best small charities.  This is more than an honor, as it brings with it many resources which will help us expand awareness of the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. 

This could not have come at a better time.  2020 will long be remembered as one of the most difficult years our community, nation and world have faced. The global pandemic and recent police brutality against black people have been disorienting.  They have also brought a renewed sense of determination to make systemic change. 

As the Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens look forward to the park’s re-opening in the near future, we find many reasons for hope.  The National Park Service will soon announce its re-opening in the coming weeks, and when it does, we will renew our efforts to bring people together in this beautiful place located within a low resource community. We are planning events for the Fall  that continue our tradition of celebrating black culture through music, art and nature.

We are energized by the possibilities this new partnership brings. The CFP celebrates nonprofit organizations’ work within communities, recognizing their assets and their  challenges. It believes in the power of small nonprofits to create a movement for social good in our region, and to spark big change. 

The Catalogue for Philanthropy seeks to create visibility for our charities, fuel their growth, and create a movement for social good in our region. FoKAG will benefit from training and workshops on a wide range of topics tailored to the needs of community-based nonprofits — development and stewardship, marketing and communications, volunteer management, and more. We will also be included in a range of Convenings on issues of common interest to nonprofits and events that showcase their work.  And, we will benefit from our listing in the Catalogue, a resource many people turn to when trying to identify local charities working in areas of interest to them.

Donors know they can trust the Catalogue to help them make smart decisions about local nonprofits where their contributions will really make a difference, notes Catalogue President Barbara Harman. The Washington, DC region ranks third in wealth disparity in the nation — having one of the most affluent (and well-educated) populations in the country, and also one of the poorest. We are in a unique position to help our neighbors by connecting donors and volunteers to worthy, local nonprofits working to strengthen the D.C. region. The Catalogue makes it easy to learn about community needs and to help meet them.

We look forward to reporting back on what we are learning, and to the possibilities for growth this brings.

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