The DC Bar Foundation’s inaugural DC Walk for Justice 5K event will occur on Thursday, October 24, at 4:00 p.m., at Nationals Park. With the walk happening in 30 days and registration closing on Thursday, October 10, I wanted to take this final opportunity to discuss the importance of the walk and encourage those who have not yet registered to sign up for this event, which will help support services related to housing, disability, domestic violence, consumer law, health, and other critical issues.
Our 5K walk has three goals: 1) Increase awareness of the significant civil legal needs in the District of Columbia, 2) Expand the network of individuals and organizations committed to supporting legal aid, and 3) Raise significant funds for the Foundation’s work.
I want to focus on point No. 3 and the impact these funds will have on the Foundation’s grantee partner organizations and DC residents. Funds raised through the 5K will be unrestricted, meaning they can be used for General Support grants that help cover operational costs such as rent, technology, equipment, and staff salaries, which often cannot be covered by other grants these organizations receive.
Through our restricted Access to Justice and the Civil Legal Counsel Projects Programs, grantee partners help DC residents seeking assistance with housing, employment, public benefits, and a host of other civil legal issues. However, the Foundation is committed to ensuring grantee partners also have funding to help support non-programmatic organizational needs. These funds are an essential part of grantee partners' ability to continue the work they do to support DC residents.
Understanding how vital these funds are to our grantee organizations, I encourage you to register for the walk and create a team or join an already established team. With this being our first walk, I encourage participants to do this with a team. Some benefits of walking as a team include:
Building team spirit and collaboration at your job. This is an excellent opportunity to bring a team from your organization together for a team-building event, which can serve as a new opportunity for collaboration.
Connecting with peers within legal aid and beyond. One purpose of the walk is to expand the community of people committed to legal aid. This is an opportunity for your team to meet other members of the larger community and make purposeful connections.
Increasing fundraising capacity. As a team, you have the power to raise more funds and make a greater impact. You can have a friendly competition within the team to see who will raise the most funds.
Creating a memorable experience for a first-time event. With this being our inaugural walk, I would like to see everyone have a memorable first-time experience with others who share their dedication and commitment to legal aid. Walking beside others who are just as passionate about our work is encouraging, supportive, and motivating—a collaborative team accomplishes that goal.
We currently have 14 teams registered, and you can check out the full list here. Will you help us reach our goal of 25 teams?
So far, we have raised $82,113 through the support of 18 corporate and individual sponsors. Adding in donations from walkers, we have a total of $89,245.
I am grateful that this community continues to support DCBF’s efforts to create an equitable civil legal aid system in DC. You can register for the walk here and create your team here. (Please note that creating or joining a team does not register you for the walk). If you want to sponsor the walk, you can find more information in the Sponsorship Packet. The deadline to register as a walk participant closes on Thursday, October 10.
I look forward to seeing you at Nationals Park.
With gratitude,
Kirra L. Jarratt
Chief Executive Officer
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