Sharing The Love
Shante Woodland and her 2 children was 1 of the families that G.O.A.D. surprised with some cheer this past holiday season.
When G.O.A.D. found out that Shante could use some kitchenware, we provided her with some new items so that she could create delicious meals for her family. When G.O.A.D. member Diane Beale-Tydings delivered the items to the family, Ms. Woodland was extremely appreciative You can tell by the smile on her face.
We hope that Shante enjoys the new items and wish the family a safe and blessed year.
Spreading Christmas Joy!
Tis’ the Season of Giving
On Tuesday, December 20th, G.O.A.D. Outreach member Diane Beal-Tydings met with Ms. Shante Woodland and her family to present a $500 check as a donation for the Christmas holidays. Ms. Woodland’s son, Donte, was shot by a stray bullet while playing video games in his home.
It is always a pleasure to bring a little joy into homes during the Christmas season and the smiles on this family says it all. Merry Christmas to the Woodland family.
Merry Christmas to the Gordon family
On Tuesday, December 27th, Ms. Renee Gordon received a $500 check by certified mail from G.O.A.D. as a donation for her family during the Christmas season. Although the check was a few days late, God is always on time. Ms. Gordon is raising her two grandchildren as a single parent after the passing of her daughter Shannon. She said it’s been hard at times but God keeps sending her blessings and they are managing.
Holiday Cheer!
The Glenarden Housing Authority gave a beautiful Holiday party for the youth and their parents on December 21st. The affair was hosted by the Resident Services Director, Ms. Cherelle Silue, who made sure every young child walked away with a toy or two for Christmas. Kim Frazier, former chairperson for G.O.A.D. outreach committee, was in attendance and presented Ms. Silue with twenty $15 gift cards to popular restaurants and coffee shops, on behalf of G.O.A.D., to give to the teens who were in attendance. G.O.A.D. was happy to be a part of spreading some holiday cheer! Happy holidays to all!
G.O.A.D. Supports A Pre-Halloween "Trunk or Treat"
Some of you may remember the childhood Halloween chant; "Trick or Treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat." That rhyme was on the lips of the many trick-or-treaters at the Trunk or Treat Pre-Halloween event, on Main Street in Upper Marlboro MD.; sponsored by the Town of Upper Marlboro on October 22, 2022.
G.O.A.D. members Pat, Dyone, Lawan, and Kim wore costumes for the event, and hosted a spookily decorated car trunk full of spiders, pumpkin heads, eyeballs, bats, skeletons, and most important; buckets and buckets of candy; and boy did we need it.
According to the organizers, there were approximately 1,500 people who attended the outdoor event, which translates to about 500 children. Those little monsters, ghouls, princesses, superheroes, and goblins were absolutely adorable; too cute for words, as were the family dogs, who were also in costumes for the occasion. Some of the kid characters on parade were; Black Panther, Batman, Superman, Captain America, werewolf, minions, Ghostbusters, dinosaurs galore, Minecraft, Yoda, Mirabel, mermaids, Pikachu, Buzz Lightyear, Captain Marvel, the scream character, Jason, Disney characters, and the twins-Thing 1 and Thing 2 from The Cat in the Hat, to name a few.
For two hours straight, the line of kids and their parents just kept coming. Even with our reserves, we ran out of candy. Lo and behold, the event planners brought extra candy to make sure all the kids received sweets and treats and were able to truly experience Halloween. GO.A.D. members took photos and networked with Sarah Franklin, the Mayor of Upper Marlboro, other local politicians, and many of the parents in attendance. It was a great community event, a lot of fun for everyone, and a great way for G.O.A.D. to be visible in the community, supporting parents and children in small and large ways.
Special Thanks!
Special thanks to Mr. Joseph Jackson who packed hundreds of small bags of candy for the event and to Mr. Charles Mitchell, who assisted our members on location. Photos are provided with permission.
Care Bags for Homeless Men and Women
On September 22, 2022, G.O.A.D’s Outreach Committee members Roberta Coates and Kim Frazier, met at So Others Might Eat (S.O.M.E.) on O Street, in N.E. Washington, D.C. They were there to deliver care bags for homeless men and women, who were receiving meals at the S.O.M.E. organization.
The Outreach Committee members delivered 50 bags for men and 30 bags for women. For the men, Kim packed bags which included an all-season poncho, a tee shirt, underwear, socks, toothpaste and brush, hand sanitizer, Vaseline, sweat towels, personal cleaning wipes, toilet paper, deodorant, and baseball caps. In the ladies’ bags, Roberta packed deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, lotion, petroleum jelly, body wipes, incontinence pads, sanity pads, toilet paper, wash cloths, soap, plastic rain gear, and woolen hats and gloves. As well each bag contained a G.O.A.D. card or pamphlet.
It was so rewarding to see the recipients immediately change their shirts to put on the new shirts they received or to change their socks or to put on the new jackets or ball caps they received. Some told us how thankful they were and blessed us for doing "God’s work."
Outreach is so very appreciative of the help and support received from Carl Coates and Robert Magruder in helping with distribution, taking pictures, and providing for member safety. The Outreach team spoke with S.O.M.E's outreach program coordinator and he invited G.O.A.D. members to come inside the S.O.M.E. facility to distribute the care bags in the future; as opposed to distributing them on the street, which could have safety concerns. Overall, it was a very successful event for the Outreach Committee and G.O.A.D.
G.O.A.D. Supports 2022 “Back To School” Efforts With A Coat and Backpack Giveaway
On Saturday August 20, 2022, G.O.A.D. Outreach members were on site at the Glenarden Housing Authority's (GHA) Back to School kick-off event in Glenarden Md. It was a wonderful community event that included a G.O.A.D. sponsored coat and backpack give away. School supplies were provided by GHA. In addition a moon bounce for the children; and hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, drinks and music were provided.
An estimated 150 people attended the event and G.O.A.D. was able to provide coats and backpacks to approximately 100 GHA resident children. We are beyond grateful to G.O.A.D. members Mary Jo Blount, Doris Anderson and Diane Beal-Tydings; and to our volunteers (Sherry McDaniel Thomas and Myra Morgan Martin) who did the leg work, sorted and organized the items and helped the kids make their selections. Nadene Peters Jones took photos of the kids and of the overall event. It was so exciting to see the children select their back packs and coats and then light up as they put them on, especially when they found that perfect fit. There was applause and cheers when the kiddies struck a pose for the camera. This is the second year G.O.A.D. has participated with GHA with coat and back pack donations. Both G.O.A.D. and the Glenarden Housing Authority, GHA staff took appropriate protection/precautions in lieu of Covid.
Special recognition and thanks to Ms. Cherelle Silue, the GHA Resident Manager, for hosting such a wonderful, successful event and in turn, helping G.O.A.D. accomplish its outreach mission.
Outreach was also able to support Amidon- Bowen Elementary School located in Washington, D.C. On Monday September 12th, G.O.A.D. delivered 252 items to Ms. Brock, the afterschool program coordinator at Amidon-Bowen which included 30 coats, 122 pairs of socks, 32 pairs of underwear and 100 school supply items. She was very appreciative and expressed how happy she is to continue to partner with G.O.A.D. in the future.
2022 Fox 5 DC Zip Trip Finale - National Harbor, MD
Left to right, Roberta Coates, Pat Nabinett, Fox 5 Anchor. the 1 & only Tucker Barnes, Paulette Brown-Watts, Mary Jo Blount, and Doris Anderson.
Some of our G.O.A.D. members attended the 2022 Fox 5 Zip Trip Finale at National Harbor on September 2. We had a great morning meeting the Fox 5 anchors, taking pictures, sharing our business cards, and talking with other attendees and businesses about our nonprofit.
The icing on the cake was taking a group picture with District 8 Councilman, Edward Burroughs, III. It was personal for us to be able to thank him for all that he's done thus far in our District. Pictured to the right from left to right, Roberta Coates, Mary Jo Blount, Councilman Burroughs, and Pat Nabinett
In addition to G.O.A.D. members Doris Anderson, Mary Jo Blount, Pat Nabinett, and Roberta Coates attending the event, former member, Paulette Brown-Watts, Diane Simmons, sister of member Pat Nabinett, and our generous donor Vivian Garland-Montague also attended the event and helped to represent G.O.A.D.
Thank you to the Fox 5 personalities and Mr. Burroughs for taking pictures with us. We look forward to Zip Trip 2023!
#Fox5DC #EdwardBurroughs #TuckerBarnes #KevinMcCarthy #MarissaMitchell #Fox5ZipTrip #RedstoneAmericanGrill
Top left Pat and Anchor Marissa Mitchell; Bottom right, our favorite Entertainment Reporter, Kevin McCarthy, Diane Simmons, and Pat.