Not Eating Candy Has a Sweet Reward!

Martha’s Table received a letter from one of our youngest donors yesterday – seven-year-old Andrew Kaleigh was donating some hard-earned money. He participated in the Candy Challenge 2008, giving up eating candy for an entire year! He made a deal with his parents, and earned money for each day that he did not eat candy. This ties right in with our healthier initiative for McKenna’s Wagon! At the end of the year, Andrew divided the money he received equally among savings, spending money, and a charity of his choice. We are very honored that he chose Martha’s Table!

In his own words:

"I chose Martha’s Table for the charity that I would like to help. My little brother and I have visited Martha’s Table before when we dropped off sandwiches and bagged lunches that we have made with my family and sometimes with my neighbors. I think that Martha’s Table is a good place for kids. You help a lot of people and I think it’s a good thing to do. I hope that the boys and girls who come to Martha’s Table before and after school will like what we brought."

Thank you, Andrew, for all your help!

Puppet Show!!

Today the Children and Bridge Program enjoyed a special guest from the Blue Sky Puppet Theatre. Here are some pics and clips from this afternoon.

Teen Program Open House Part One

Martha's Table's Teen Program hosted an open house this past Friday to highlight the completion of projects they have been working on. The Teen Program provides life skills, career skills and personal growth workshops to 37 teens from our community.

Debates
February was Black History Month, and for a final project, the teens focused on the topic "Is a Minority President Enough?" The teens debated using philosophies and history they had studied such as past black liberation struggles, the history of Martin Luther King, and Black Nationalsim.

Art and Media
Some of the teens focused on creating a "Debut Album" and built a story behind their album. They worked in our IBM Lab to create unique cover albums using graphic design. Who knows maybe they will be designing for Jay-Z's next album

When the Cops Come a Knockin'

The children in our after-school programs are on spring break! That means all day programming at Martha's Table. Today the kids put their dancing shoes on and rocked out to the DC Police Department band "When the Cops Come a Knockin'"
Check out some of the dance moves below

"I Know I Can Change"

Last month the Elementary and Bridge After-School Programs put on a Black History Month Performance. We captured the kids from the Elementary program perform a step routine in honor of the first our 44th President, Barack Obama.

This week at Martha's Outfitters

Caitlin Welch, our dedicated intern from The Washington Center helps out with the referral process @ Martha's Outfitters twice a week. Martha's Outfitters opens its doors to clients from partner organizations on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10-12pm. These individuals receive free assistance from Martha's Outfitters, which could include clothing for an upcoming job interview, blankets for their new born baby, or household items. Caitlin shares her story below.

"While helping out with referrals one day at Martha's Outfitters, I happened to notice that a woman had been wondering around the store for about an hour and was struggling to find clothing. I asked if she needed help and she gladly accepted my offer. She described what kinds of items she was looking for and as we discussed her desires, I got to know a little bit about who she was as a person. The woman had just gotten out of prison and in order to get back on her feet, needed an outfit for a job interview. She explained how she had searched and searched, but wasn't sure what kinds of items looked nice together. I found a skirt and professional, yet feminine jacket that I thought would suit her well. After she tried on the outfit and looked at herself in the mirror, a huge smile came across her face along with a sigh of relief because it was exactly what she was looking for. The woman was so grateful to have her new and well fitting job-interview outfit that she gave me a big hug and thanked me for helping her."