Neighbors,
 
As the holidays quickly approach and many of us prepare to celebrate with family and friends, I invite you to find ways to give, celebrate together, and show our Ward 5 spirit. Next week my office will be preparing meals at Food and Friends located here in Ward 5, where their mission is to improve the lives and health of people with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other serious illnesses that limit their ability to provide nourishment for themselves. 
 
This Saturday, I will be hosting my annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway.  Last year we were able to provide over 250 families with turkeys and this year we anticipate that number increasing to 350 families.
 
The Ward 5 holiday party will be back on December 12th at Dock 5 in Union Market.  I invite you to celebrate the holiday season with me and ask, if you are able, to bring a new, unwrapped children's toy. I am again partnering with Women’s Wing, an organization that hosts an annual holiday party for children of incarcerated parents.  This year Women’s Wing is supporting more than 675 children ages 0 – 17.  Together, we will continue the tradition of celebrating with love and generosity. 
 
In service,

Kenyan

As Council Chairman Pro Tempore and Chair of the Council Committee on Business and Economic Development, Councilmember McDuffie represented the District and the Council on the recent trade mission to Ethiopia, the country of origin of DC’s second-largest immigrant population.
 
This international trade mission offered an important opportunity for the district government and local leaders to deepen the ties between our two capital cities, including renewing our sister city agreement with Addis Ababa. These trade missions allow us to explore opportunities for economic development and educational collaboration, as well as garnering earned media to showcase the District as a travel destination.

In the last budget, Councilmember McDuffie secured funds to expand the footprint of the existing Fort Lincoln Clean Team and create a new clean team in Trinidad. We are pleased to report the Fort Lincoln Clean Team expansion was implemented in October and the District Department of Small and Local Business Development is in the process of reviewing applications to serve Trinidad. The District’s Clean Team program helps keep neighborhoods and retail corridors clean while putting District residents to work. Learn more about the program and see a list of all of DC's clean teams here.

Last night at ANC 5C's November meeting, Councilmember McDuffie outlined additional violence interruption efforts that are currently being deployed around Ward 5. As he states in the video above, there are currently two violence interrupters assigned to the Brentwood community and the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement is in the process of hiring two additional violence interrupters, as well as a caseworker and an ambassador. Additionally, a new team of violence interrupters is currently being trained to be deployed in the Hanover/Truxton Circle/North Capital corridor. These new efforts are in addition to the team that is already in place in Trinidad. 

All of these teams are implementing the NEAR Act's Cure Violence model, which Councilmember McDuffie fought to become law. This model has begun to show positive results in the areas in which it has been fully implemented. 

Congratulations to both the Brookland Middle School football team and the Dunbar High School football team on their success this year! Earlier this month, the Brookland Middle School football team (pictured above) brought the DC Middle School Football Championship home to Ward 5.
 

This Thanksgiving, the Dunbar High School Crimson Tide will play H.D. Woodson High School in the Turkey Bowl. The game will be played at Eastern High School on Thursday, November 28 at 11:00 am.

Join Councilmember McDuffie and Mayor Bowser as they commemorate the completion of the Monroe Street Bridge Project connecting Brookland and Edgewood. The District Department of Transportation has completely reconstructed the nearly 90-year-old bridge to increase pedestrian safety, add bike lanes, improve vehicular movement, and provide other safety enhancements.