June 23, 2020

Please see coronavirus.dc.gov for the latest District updates & resources on COVID-19

If you know someone who would like to receive these updates directly, he or she may sign up through marycheh.com or by emailing [email protected]

Events DC Expands Community Grant Program

Additional Funding Available - Events DC is increasing grant funding for their Community Grant Program from $200,000 to $500,000. The program provides financial support to qualifying non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting children through sports, performing arts, or the cultural arts in the District of Columbia. Funding will be made available in two grant cycles, with applications for the first grant cycle due no later than August 1, 2020.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to attend an upcoming virtual information session to learn more about the program.

Upcoming Virtual Information Session Dates:

• Tuesday, July 7, 2020
• Friday, July 21, 2020

To RSVP for a virtual information session, email [email protected]. For Community Grant eligibility criteria, application links, and additional information, please see the Events DC Community Grant Program page.

The DC Community Loses Allen Lew

An Update on DMV Operations

DMV Service Update - The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is expanding services available to residents during Phase II:

• All service centers, adjudication services, and the Brentwood Commercial Driver License Office have reopened and will operate on an *appointment only* basis
• The inspection station will operate on a first come, first serve basis with modified hours (7 a.m to 3 p.m) Tuesday through Saturday
• The Self-Service Vehicle Emissions Inspection Kiosk will reopen with 24/7 access

Road Testing - Road testing will resume by *appointment only* on June 30th. When customers call to schedule their appointment they must provide their learner’s permit number, first name, last name, social security number and the date they wish to schedule their appointment.

Making an Appointment - To schedule an appointment online, please see DMV Appointment Details. To schedule an appointment by phone, call 311 or (202) 737-4404.

Online Services - Most DMV services are already available online.

Expiration & Penalty Reminder - The expiration date for all documents expiring March 1 through the duration of the public health emergency (including driver licenses, identification cards, vehicle registrations, inspections, ticket payments and ticket adjudication responses) has been extended until 45 days after the health emergency concludes. Right now, the public health emergency is scheduled to extend until July 24th, but may be extended.

• All tickets will remain in their current status for the duration of the public health emergency and no additional penalties will be added during this period

Metro to ReOpen15 Stations

15 Metro Stations to Reopen - Metro has announced that the 15 rail stations that were closed as part of the transit agency’s coronavirus response will reopen this Sunday, June 28. This includes Cleveland Park Metro Station in Ward 3.

Bus Service Modifications - Beginning Monday, June 28, buses will be added to the system’s 14 busiest bus lines to provide greater capacity and more frequent service as the region reopens. Among the bus routes that will receive additional vehicles are the 30N and 30S buses that service Ward 3. For additional bus route modifications, please see Metro.

Enjoying Outdoor Spaces

ReOpening Outdoor Spaces - As the District enters into Phase II, many public and private outdoor spaces will also reopen under modified operations and hours. Below are some outdoor spaces for residents to enjoy:

• The Sculpture Garden - The National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden has reopened to the public and is operating under reduced daily hours, 11 am to 4 pm, with limited capacity. The Pavilion Café will offer prepackaged salads, sandwiches, and beverages for credit card-only purchase just outside the doors of the restaurant.
• The National Arboretum - The U.S. National Arboretum is open to visitors Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 1 to 5 pm. Car access is only available from the New York Avenue entrance while visitors arriving on bike or foot should enter via the R Street NE gate. All buildings, including the National Bonsai & Penjing museum, are closed and restroom facilities are extremely limited. There is no access to water or food services.
• Rock Creek Park Reminder - Consistent with the previous weekend closures, segments of Rock Creek Park are closed to vehicle traffic from now through the end of the public health emergency. To continue the promotion of walk, runner, and cyclist use of these spaces, Councilmember Cheh recently sent a letter to the National Park Service requesting that this closure extend through the District's economic recovery period.
• Oak Hill Cemetery - The grounds of the Oak Hill Cemetary are open for visitors during normal operating hours, however the business office will remain closed at this time.
• Hillwood Museum Offering Free Entry to Frontline Medical Workers - The Hillwood Museum and Gardens is open to members and offering free admission to frontline medical workers. On June 27th, Hillwood will expand entry to the public. Entry is by ticketed reservation only.

On Wearing Masks From NPR

From National Public Radio -

Yes, wearing a mask helps. Here's why

"Researchers emphasize there are two main reasons to wear masks. There's some evidence of protection for the wearer, but the stronger evidence is that masks protect others from catching an infection from the person wearing the mask. And infected people can spread the virus just by talking...a study published in Nature Medicine in April that looked at people infected with the flu and seasonal coronaviruses. It found that even loose-fitting surgical masks blocked almost all the contagious droplets the wearers breathed out and even also some infectious aerosols — tiny particles that can linger in the air."

Read the Full Story

This Week: DC Water Virtual Town Hall

Volunteer Opportunities: Fighting Food Insecurity

Join the DC Food Project - If you are interested in helping children, families, and seniors who are struggling with food access during the coronavirus pandemic, the DC Food Project has amassed an extensive list of volunteer and donation opportunities across the District.

The following is a list of organizations who may be looking for item and food donations, financial donations, or are in need of volunteers:

• 30-Second Thank you - Create a 30 second or less video message expressing gratitude to our healthcare heroes. Once you create a video, send it by an email to [email protected] along with your first name and the state that you live in. This project was started by high schoolers in the District of Columbia to show healthcare workers across the country how much they are appreciated.
• Black Swan Academy - Providing toiletries and other items to young people and their families in Wards 7 & 8. Donations are needed.
• Bread for the City - Accepting monetary donations for groceries, diapers, and medical supplies to give clients during open hours. Please consider making a donation to support their efforts here.
• Capital Area Food Bank - They are experiencing a shortage of volunteers and are in critical need of help sorting and packing food in their warehouse and assisting at their offsite food distributions. To learn more and sign up, visit: volunteer.capitalareafoodbank.org.
• DC Central Kitchen - Financial contributions are needed to ensure that they can continue to serve the community during the pandemic.
• DCPS Meal Site Operations - Volunteers needed! Please complete their short survey and someone from the DCPS meal site operations team will contact you.
• Food it Forward - Martha’s Table has teamed up with Clyde’s Restaurant Group, among others, to deliver meals to those in need while helping keep restaurant workers employed.
• Food Rescue US D.C. - This organization delivers healthy food from businesses, to people who have too little. Volunteers needed.
• Food & Friends - Provides free meal and grocery delivery available to people living with life-challenging illnesses. They are in urgent need of extra volunteers throughout the coming weeks. There are two volunteer opportunities: food preparation and packaging and meal and grocery delivery. More information is available: here. 
• Grace’s Table - Looking for volunteers to help feed the homeless each Saturday.
• Shopping Angels -A program designed to provide services to those populations deemed especially at-risk for COVID-19. They are volunteering to deliver groceries or other necessities to those who may need to stay home. To volunteer, please see: https://shoppingangelsglobal.org/volunteer/. To request services, use the following link: https://shoppingangelsglobal.org/order/.
• We Are Family - Volunteer to deliver groceries to seniors.

For a full (and growing) list of donation and volunteer opportunities, please see the DC Food Project's Emergency Food Access website.

Support the Van Ness Main Street's Online Auction

Our Office is Open!

Connect with our staff - While Councilmember Cheh's physical office is closed during the public health emergency, she and her staff are teleworking and will remain accessible for residents.

You may continue to email the office directly or reach us via phone through our main line at (202) 724-8062 with legislative ideas, budget requests, and constituent services requests.

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