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December, 2008
e-newsletter | |
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About The William Penn House
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| Upcoming Events |
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Potluck - Coming up on January 4, 2009 - Helena Cobban will be at William Penn House to talk about her work over the years as a reporter and writer. She will be talking specifically about her latest book, "Re-Engage: America and the World After Bush".
Sunday, February 8, 2009, Pat Schenck (Annapolis Friends Meeting) and Elizabeth DuVerlie (Stony Run Friends Meeting) will present a program on Being White in a Multicultural Society. After viewing the documentary film "Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible" about white privilege and racism, there will be opporunities to reflect on how "whiteness" is experienced in ourselves or in others, regardless of our own race. (NOTE: this potluck is the second Sunday, to accommodate the Super Bowl on Feb. 1).
Potlucks start at 6:30; presentations at 7:30. All are welcome. |
| Yoga at William Penn House |
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All people are invited to join us for Yoga every Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:45. Elizabeth Goodman, a certified yoga instructor, leads this class. Cost is $15 per class ($12 for public interest workers, WPH guest, students and seniors. A portion of this supports WPH work. Bring yoga mat and any props such as blanket, strap or block. |
| Visiting DC? |
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There is no better place to start your visit to this amazing city than right here at William Penn House. In addition to comfortable and affordable lodging, we have easy access to all the major sites either on foot or by Metro.
Although we are booked for the Inauguration, we welcome weary visitors to come warm up during the day. |
| Not on our list? |
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A Special Message from Byron
In our Annual Report, we shared with you the work of this past year and the joy that we experience through our service to those who seek a better world. To continue our work, we need your help. Even with our record occupancy and an increase in programs, the cost of providing services continues to increase. Each year we depend on donations to meet 25% of our annual budget.
These statements from staff members illustrate how the work of William Penn House touches their lives:
"Being an intern at the WPH has allowed me the time to reflect on what my gifts are, how I can best serve the Religious Society of Friends and what work means in my life. My coworkers encourage living into my
calling and doing the projects that are both meaningful to me and fit within the unique mission of the House. ... I most cherish the skills of reflection, discernment and self-awareness that have been cultivated in me." -Faith Kelley, Hospitality Intern
"... William Penn House has both given me the opportunity and challenged me to look more deeply at connecting some of my inner beliefs ... with
social action. The core beliefs are that there is goodness in all people, and ... when we come together with love and openness, we can engage in finding creative and often previously unforeseen solutions. The opportunity to nurture this in others through our programs and events, and to see the works spread beyond has been immensely
rewarding." -Brad Ogilvie, Program Coordinator
"This job... allows me to fulfill a dream of designing and leading service projects for people of all ages. When I was 15, I attended my first Workcamp and the experience changed my life. ... I try to create a
transformational experience for all the Workcamps participants." -Greg Woods, Washington Quaker Workcamp Coordinator We offer programs that enrich and nurture and service learning opportunities through the Workcamps that transform lives. Now more than ever, youth will need the support of the community to continue to participate in these programs. In addition, we provide affordable accommodations to those who lobby our elected officials. We provide these services with a dedicated staff in one of the nation's most expensive cities. To retain staff and programs of this quality that are affordable requires donations. William Penn House is a separate non-profit corporation that relies not only on our fees for service but your donations. You can donate securely on-line, or call or mail us. Thank you for your financial support, Byron Sandford Executive Director |
| Happy Holidays! |
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This month, we are keeping the newsletter short as we prepare to close doors for the Holidays. We will be closed from December 23 to January 1. We are looking forward to an exciting 2009, although we now there are many challenges ahead. We are glad to take this time to pause, reflect and be thankful for all the gifts of this world, and know that each challenge is also an opportunity.
In early January, we will send out our next newsletter with a calendar of events and programs for 2009 that are open to all people. We hope you will take advantage of them and join us at some point.
In the meantime, you can stay in touch by checking out our Pennmanship blog. In addition, many of us are on facebook, and are using it to stay connected when we cannot be in each others presence. We welcome Friends to be our "facebook friends".
We wish all of you a peaceful, simple Holiday season, and look forward to seeing all that 2009 has to bring. | |
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It is a pleasure, an honor and a charge we take seriously to be a presence for Quakerism in this powerful, exciting and troubled city. In the true tradition of Quakerism, we know that our ability to provide the opportunity to bear witness to what is and what can be in our world and to make a difference through all of our programs is exciting. We hope you will join us along the journey
Sincerely,
Byron, Patricia, Brad, Greg, Faith, Ben, Kelli, and Lynette
William Penn House |
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