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Our 2009 Accomplishments

In 2009 the ECAC activities continued to grow and expand.  Still working with a low-overhead, streamlined operation, we increased our partnerships with local arts and educational organizations, which in turn increased the number of participants to almost 3,000, up 36% from 2008.  80% of our activities were offered free or for a small donation and were communicated monthly door-to-door and weekly via email to over 2,800 contacts.  We hosted a wide range of activities including:

• The Arts: Bellydance, Knitting/Crochet, Yoga, Capoeira Angola,  Weekly Open Mic, Jewelry Making, Modern Dance
• Education: Alternative Diet, Aromatherapy, Family Constellations, Fitness, HPV Awareness, Hypnotherapy, Meditation, Natural Childbirth, Self Defense
• Civic Engagement: ANC Committee Meetings, Neighborhood Meetings, Free Tax Preparation, Developer Meetings
• Support Groups: Al Anon, Codependents Anonymous, Women’s Support Circles
• Social Events: Neighborhood Socials, Swap Meets, Thanksgiving Dinner, Cookouts
• Environmental Awareness: Gardening, Composting, Rain Barrel Installation, Weekly Meetings
• Heritage Education: Children’s Summer Heritage Program, Building Exhibit with free booklet, Neighborhood History Sessions

A few of the highlights of 2009 were:

• Inauguration Day – January 2009 provided an opportunity to open the ECAC up to travelers for the historic Inauguration of President Barack Obama.  As options for lodging in Washington DC for the event dwindled for all but the very rich, ECAC hosted 30 people for $30 per night for four nights.  The gathering pulled together groups from New Orleans to Oakland, New York, Boston, Florida and many other parts of the country.  The sense of solidarity was truly overwhelming as all became a part of history.
• The Children’s Summer Heritage Program - Building on the research collected for the GAPP Heritage Trail, ECAC conducts one day workshops for children ages 5-12 to teach them local history and the African Brazilian martial artform of Capoeira Angola.  Both of these workshops highlight very important aspects of learning for young children.  As part of the workshop the children do artwork about the history they learn which further reinforces their connections.  The Capoeira Angola sessions connect the children to traditional African culture through movement, music and singing.  Almost 200 children participated during the summer of 2009.  Their artwork was truly inspiring, and all of the groups shared how much they learned from these workshops.
• Ecolocity DC – ECAC’s role as a model for green initiatives was enhanced by Ecolocity DC, who met weekly at the ECAC.  Ecolocity’s goal is to raise our consciousness about our carbon footprint, and find ways we as a community can reduce our consumption of oil.  With funding from Washington Parks and People, they conducted workshops in building square foot gardens, installing rain barrels, and composting using the ECAC greenspace as a model.  ECAC was also a drop site for Vanguard Ranch, a CSA provided servicing the community.

We had many volunteers who contributed a total of 611 hours to ECAC in 2009, including an eighth grade class at Capital City PCS, the Freshman Service Experience at American University and CSOSA volunteers.

Some snapshots of our 2009 programs

© 2009 ECAC    |    (202) 462-2285    |    733 Euclid St. NW Washington, DC 20001    |    info@campaign.ecacollective.org