Greetings Ward 8 Residents,

Imagine a student starting the school year without a new backpack or even basic school supplies. Many parents will struggle to afford these items when preparing to send their children back to school. We need your help to support a student start the year off with confidence and the basic classroom essentials.

This year my office has partnered with FiveBelow to provide 2,000 backpacks and school supplies to Ward 8 scholars. We hope to provide supplementary resources such as uniform vouchers, tennis shoes, hygiene kits, barbers & braiders, gift cards, tablets and more. Ward 8 youth will enjoy water slide inflatables, moon bounces, outdoor obstacle courses, food and a live DJ.

Here is how you can help:
* Donate School Supplies: Backpacks, pens, pencils, glue, markers, notebooks, erasers, 3-ring binders, crayons, index cards, line paper, disposable masks, hand sanitizer, kleenex boxes, tape, pencil pouches, rulers, scissors, folders, etc. Schedule a pickup or delivery with Kimberly Harper at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
* Volunteer at the Back-to-School Event:Volunteer opportunities are also available to sort and pack supplies on August 28th. Use this link to sign up to become a volunteer: [link removed] ([link removed]) .
* Vendors/Partners: We are looking for braiders, barbers, nail technicians and related vendors to help us by sending a child back to school with confidence. Use this link to sign up: [link removed]. ([link removed])
* Make a Monetary Donation: Checks should be made payable to the “Do Something Constituent Services Fund” and cannot exceed $500 or purchase a visa gift card. As a sponsor, your logo will be included on all marketing materials, landing page, posters and press releases.
Email Jules Jessie at: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

I look forward to working alongside you to make this event possible for our scholars.

Regards,

Trayon White, Sr.


** Quick Links
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* Need a Test? Get a Test: Learn more about COVID-19 testing sites ([link removed])
* Vaccination Registration: [link removed]
* Hospital Coming to Ward 8: See Plans for New Hospital ([link removed])
* Behind on rent due to COVID-19? [link removed] ([link removed] )
* Need Help With Utility Bills? [link removed]
* Check out the 2020 Ward 8 Progress Report ([link removed])


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STAY DC

Through STAY DC, the District will:
* Pay unpaid rent going back to April 1, 2020
* Pay forward rent, up to 3 months at a time
* Pay for water, gas, and electricity expenses on your behalf

We encourage anyone who is struggling to pay their rent or utility bills to visit stay.dc.gov ([link removed]) or call 833-4-STAYDC from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Zoom Meeting :[link removed]

Meeting ID: 929 0380 9066

Passcode: 643594
This link is for organizations to announce their summer activities which will be included in a master calendar.

CLICK HERE TO ADD YOUR ACTIVITY ([link removed])
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On June 2nd, KIPP DC honored Councilmember Trayon White for the "Community Leader of the Year" award.

See the full video here: KIPP DC Honors: All Staff Virtual Celebration 2021 ([link removed])
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June 4th · Confirmation Hearing on the Nomination of Donella Brockington

The Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs held a confirmation hearing on the nomination of Donella Brockington as a Trustee Board Member of the DC Public Library.

Ms. Brockington has decades of experience in corporate affairs, including serving as Vice President at Xerox and Lockheed Martin. The District of Columbia Public Library was created in 1896 by an Act of Congress. It was set up as an independent agency that would serve as the “people’s university.” Congress established a Board of Library Trustees to set policy for the library to maintain that independence.

The Board of Trustees of the Library is comprised of nine unpaid District residents from wards around the city. The mayor appoints board members. They are confirmed by the D.C. City Council for a maximum of two five-year terms.

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June 7th · Budget Oversight Hearing: Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

The Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services is charged with providing court involved youth with the opportunity to become more productive citizens by building on the strengths of youth and their families in the least restrictive environment that is consistent with public safety.

The agency has made vast improvements in developing tools for a stronger tools for a trauma based approach for committed youth and their families. This is best evidence by the removal of the Jerry M consent decree that agency had been under for decades.

At the performance hearing earlier this year, the committee heard from a number of public witnesses, advocates, credible messengers, youth, and staff.

Some of the areas of concern that were raised was the need for stronger connections to mental and behavior services for DYRS youth, the need to reduce staff assaults, reducing the number of out of state transfer of DYRS youth, increasing the standard of educational provisions, and ensuring that reforms made in the Comprehensive Youth Justice Amendment Act are being adhered to.

We must commit to address these issues, as we maintain our focus on what is best for the District’s children.

This hearing is on the DYRS budget and how the agency spent and will allocate dollars for the services that our youth need to succeed.

Week of June 7 -11 Budget Oversight Hearings
Click here to watch: [link removed]

On June 2nd, the Constituent Services team participated in the John Hayden Johnson Middle School Beautification Day, Senior Field Day, and Ice Cream Social.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention Linda Harllee Harper announced $750,000 will be available for community grants to individuals and local organizations to address gun violence.

The announcement was part of the mayor’s press event Tuesday ([link removed]) highlighting her budget’s broader $59 million investment in what the administration describes as a comprehensive public health approach to reducing gun violence. Much of that will be through Building Blocks D.C ([link removed]) ., a cross-departmental D.C. government initiative aimed at addressing gun violence where it is concentrated in the city

At the press conference, Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White thanked the mayor for her leadership and said funding was long overdue to address gun violence in the community.

“We are in crisis mode,” White said. “And the same amount of time, energy and resource we put into the pandemic, we need to put into ending gun violence right here in Washington, D.C.”

Read Full Article at dcist.com ([link removed])

WASHINGTON (7News) — The founder of an iconic youth center in D.C. was honored in a big way Saturday in Southeast, a day before what would have been her 82nd birthday.

Legend has it that, when Hannah Hawkins came across an unoccupied Ward 8 building, she went in there with a broom and a dustpan and ran out the raccoons and the drunks, and created the Children of Mine. That was in 1981.

It was D.C. Councilman and Ward 8 representative Trayon White who first introduced the bill to recognize Hawkins ([link removed]) with the street name two years ago.

Read Full Article at wjla.com ([link removed])
Hours of operation:
Monday - Friday from 9:00am - 5:30pm
CLOSED Saturday, Sunday & Holidays
Wendy Glenn: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
Director, Constituent Services
Department of Employment Services
Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
DCACL
ERCPCP/ACC Faith Leaders

Louise Thorne: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
Constituent Services Specialist
DC Public Schools
DC Housing Authority
Department of Human Services
Utilities: PEPCO, DC Water, Washington Gas
Office of the State Superintendent of Education

Eric Cleckley: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
Constituent Services Specialist
District Department of Transportation
Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
Department of Energy and Environment

James Wood: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
Constituent Services Specialist
Department of Motor Vehicles
Department of Public Works
Senior Related Issues

For all other constituent services concerns, please contact Wendy Glenn.

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Ward 8 Outreach

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