Community Spotlight

2023 Penn Branch Community Service Awards

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PBCA 2023 Community Service Awards

Last month, Penn Branch Community Association acknowledged the outstanding community service of three neighbors during our Annual Holiday Gathering at Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church.

Distinguished Service Awards

President Paul Grant awarded neighbor Thomas Dawes and Chef Moe Garay, Owner of Highland’s Cafe with our 2023 Distinguished Service Awards.

Thomas Dawes recieved our ‘2023 Award for Distinguished Service’ for his outstanding efforts to maintain the edges of Ft. Davis Park along 38th & Carpenter Street

Mr. Dawes has worked tirelessly to remove the litter and maintain the grass at the edge of the Hiker-Biker Trail that borders our neighborhood along 38th Street SE and Carpenter Street SE. Every Friday, he cleans trash from our streets after city trash collection and moves all empty trash cans back into neighbor’s driveways on Texas Ave, Carpenter Street SE.

At our annual holiday gathering, Dawes shared with neighbors that he was honored to received the award and would love to do more to main the park area if the National Park Service is unable to maintain the areas that border our community.

Chef Moe Garay, generously supported our Penn Branch Community Day in August. He and his amazing team from Highland’s Cafe & Grill, came out to kick our lunchtime Block Party, serving over 150 hamburgers, over 40lbs of delicious grilled wings, and a large pot of gumbo.

“I don’t think I have ever received an award before” said Chef Moe Garay.“I am stunned. The people in the neighborhood–Penn Branch, Hillcrest, and Fort Dupont have welcomed us with open arms”.

2023 PENN BRANCHER OF THE YEAR

‘2023 Penn Branchers of the Year’ (From left) DJibril & April Frazier Camara were received recognition for their coordinating and hosting a Juneteenth Celebration & Block Party for our neighborhood

Finally, the highest award for ‘Penn Brancher of the Year ‘ was given to neighbors, April & DJibril Camara for their outstanding efforts in coordinating and hosting a Juneteenth block party along 1500 block on 38th Street SE. The event featured food and fun for all ages and nearly 40 neighbors came out the support the free event. The Camara’s also arranged for and donated the permits for our Penn Branch Community Day.

“We are blessed to live in a community that pours into our children and into us,” wrote April Frazier Camara, who was unable to attend the holiday gathering. “It is an honor to give back to it!”

PBCA President Paul Grant and Chef Moe Garay, Owner of Highlands Cafe & Grill Received ‘Distinguished Services Award’ for his contribution to 2023 Penn Branch Community Day & Block Party

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    Inaugural ‘Penn Brancher of the Year’ and ‘Distinguished Community Service’ Awards presented to Alberta Paul and Former President Stan Benton

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    Penn Branch President Stan Benton Receives award for Distinguished Service-

    “Everybody can serve
    regardless of what your skillset is.”

    -Alberta Paul, 

    Chair, Penn Branch Public Works Committee

    During our December Holiday Gathering, PBCA  recognized outstanding examples of community service in our neighborhood. Alberta Paul, received the ‘Penn Brancher of the Year’ Award for her efforts in securing an $25,000 grant from PEPCO and Sustainable Maryland to continue renovations in 9/11 Memorial Park and the  ‘Distinguished Community Service’ award was given to outgoing President Stan Benton.  Stan will complete his successful two year term as president at the end of January 2023.

    Outstanding community service should never be regarded as a thankless task, ‘ said incoming PBCA President Paul Grant as he presented the first award during PBCA’s Annual Holiday Gathering. ‘We must show those who give back that we also know how to say, ‘thank you’.”

    ‘I am very grateful to my community for recognizing the hard lifting that has been done on their behalf throughout the years,’ said Alberta Paul after receiving her Penn Brancher of the Year award. I’ll continue to do that. Everybody can serve, regardless of what your skillset is. And I encourage you. Step up or step out. Okay. Don’t complain. Please don’t complain. Help us to make this the greatest community in the nation. Not just the district -In the nation.”

    In the future, PBCA members will be able to nominate their neighbors who have shown extraordinary community service throughout the year and vote for awardees.

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    We Need Your Support!

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    Volunteers Needed!

    Our next community meeting will be focused on increased

    community support for PBCA. Join us @ 7PM, Tuesday, Oct 12th

    • Membership Renewals: $20 Individual / $40.00 Family
      • January 1- December 31, 2022
    • Block Captains: We need additional block captains to help us building membership, distribute our monthly newsletters and critical information.
    • Committee Members: Additional support is needed for the following PBCA committees:
      • Benevolence
      • Communications
      • Legislative
      • Membership
      • Hospitality
      • Events
      • Public Safety

    TO LOGIN:

    Join Zoom Meeting

    https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8756147925?pwd=MHlLaEI2dlVqOTI1OHUzenRWVmQ4QT09

     

    Meeting ID: 875 614 7925

    Passcode: 766049

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    Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kyrLcIKmP

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    ’95 and Fabulous’

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    Penn Branch residents came out last week to celebrate the 95th birthday of Mrs. Jacqueline Tatum who lives on Texas Avenue.  PBCA Block captain Lance Holt, who also works for the DC Department of Aging and Community Living, presented her with a special certificate from Mayor Muriel Bowser that acknowledge her long-time service to our community.

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    SAVE THE DATE- AAN WARD 7

    Art All Night (2021)

    Art All Night 2021 is back in person!  Enjoy an evening of art, live music, and food!  The festivities this year

    Penn Branch Oral History Project Officially Underway

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    Last month PBCA Communications Director, Paul Grant was awarded a grant from DC Humanities, Oral History Collaborative Partnership to collect personal narratives from early Penn Branch families. The project, ‘We Are Penn Branch DC’ will focus on the stories of individuals who became residents of Penn Branch between 1945-1968.

    PBCA Communications Director, Paul Grant will serve as Project Director for ‘We Are Penn Branch DC’ oral history project. He is has lived in Penn Branch since, 2012 and is also a member of the Oral History Association (OHA).

    About DC Humanities

    The DC Humanities Oral History Collaborative Partnership funds projects that explore and preserves Washington, DC life, history and culture through interviews with the people who have lived it.  Created in 2016 in response to a growing need to capture unrecorded Washington history, the DC Oral History Collaborative documents and preserves the stories and memories of DC residents as communities experience change and as residents age.  The Collaborative increases awareness of existing oral history recordings and gives residents the training and financial resources they need to conduct new interviews.  HumanitiesDC specializes in working with grantees who want to create new recorded stories or who want to dig into the archives and tell an old story with a new twist.

    Why Oral History is Important?

    Oral history is a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events. Oral history is both the oldest type of historical inquiry, predating the written word, and one of the most modern, initiated with tape recorders in the 1940s and now using 21st-century digital technologies. These personal stories help fill gap between the major historical facts that we know and how real people experienced and understood these moments.  As the Washington, DC area and continues to experience significant political, cultural, and economic change over the past 70 years, it is critically important we preserve the memories  our most senior, and long-time residents and understand how the city’s evolution has impacted them.

    The entire collection of stories will be archived in the permanent collection of the DC Public Library and the PBCA Executive Board is planning to host a public exhibition of the stories, once pandemic restrictions on public gatherings are released.  Interviews will be filmed through October 2021 and participants will receive a $75.00 honorarium for their time.

    To share your story, please contact:

    Paul Grant | E-mail :   [email protected]        Tel.: (202) 888-3236

    To learn more about HumanitiesDC, please visit:

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