Culmore families come together for Unity in the Community

Free toys for kids, resources for adults, and free food for everyone: that’s the concept of the Unity in the Community event in Culmore.

George Mason University’s Place-Based Initiative and the Mason Police District sponsored the event, which took place on Aug. 10 just a few hours after an ICE raid in Culmore.

The Unity in the Community event celebrated the launch of PBI’s Culmore Community Health and Wellness Hub at the Culmore United Methodist Church, said Katie Wilson, director of community engagement at the George Mason University’s College of Public Health, said Katie Wilson, director of community engagement at George Mason University’s College of Public Health.

Related story: Health & Wellness Hub offers services under one roof

MPO Stacy Sassano and her colleagues at the Mason Police Station handed out toys to children, while the Sheriff’s Office created ID cards for kids, which could be helpful if the children get lost or involved in an emergency.

The event distributed 300 hot meals (compliments of Chef Benny at Food4Thought, the SevaTruck, and the Asian American Community Center), over 2,700 diapers, dozens of books, and plenty of fun giveaways and activities for the kids offered by PBI’s partners.

Bubbles, a 5-year-old K9 explosives-detection black lab, greeted the guests. She can detect up to 19,000 odors, said her handler, FCPD bomb technician G. Ramirez. If she finds something suspicious, she lets Ramirez know by sitting down.  

Several agencies and nonprofits hosted tables at the event, including these groups that offer services at the Culmore Church as part of the PBI program:

• The Mason and Partners Clinic provides free primary and preventive care on Thursday mornings.
• The English Empowerment Center will offer free English classes for beginning-level adults on Monday and Wednesday mornings, beginning Sept. 21.
• The Women’s Center provides art therapy to teens and adults twice a week.
• The Chris Atwood Foundation, which helps people recover from drug abuse, brings its mobile harm reduction van to the church on Thursday mornings.

The Health and Wellness Hub is a new, co-located effort designed to connect Culmore residents with organizations and services that address the community’s most pressing needs. The Hub brings together dozens of community partners to offer free services to residents of all ages, regardless of insurance or documentation status.

Services available through Hub partners include healthcare, counseling, immigration legal services, English classes, tutoring, library services, youth programming, art therapy, harm reduction supports, food and diaper distributions, clothing, and more.

Unity in the Community is an annual event hosted by the Mason District Police Station that brings community organizations, residents, and law enforcement together for an afternoon of fun activities and connection.

Because the Hub launch and Unity in the Community share a common goal, Wilson says, “we saw an opportunity to bring these efforts together to celebrate the last few weeks of summer while helping residents access organizations and services.”