RFK Campus: August 2022 Newsletter
Summer Movie Series
Events DC’s Summer Movie Series is an annual outdoor screening of blockbuster hits hosted on the DC Armory Lawn. This event is a family favorite each summer as it’s free and open to the community!
Join us at 6:00 PM at DC Armory Lawn (2001 E Capitol St SE) on Tuesday, August 16, for interactive games and activities, and complimentary refreshments (while they last). At dusk, we will feature "Space Jam: A New Legacy!" It is encouraged to bring your own blankets and lawn chairs. Parking is available in Lot 3 near the armory.
*The rain date will be on Thursday, August 18, for DC Armory Lawn.
Community Care Days for RFK Stadium Campus
Several neighborhood volunteers recently mulched more than 60 young trees surrounding the Fields at RFK and along parking lots near Benning Road and Oklahoma Avenue at the RFK Campus.
Led by Casey Trees, which works to restore, enhance, and protect the tree canopy of the nation’s capital, the volunteers shoveled and spread mulch to the trees, helping them retain moisture and provide nutrients as they grow. These efforts are especially useful near the hot asphalt parking lots and construction.
Originally, Casey Trees joined Events DC, DC Department of Transportation’s Urban Forestry Division and the National Park Service to plant about 80 trees in the fall of 2020, thanks to funding from Pepco. Casey Trees is working with the District to plant at least 4,000 trees each year to reach a goal of 40% tree canopy by 2032.
RFK Demolition Update
The demolition process of RFK Stadium is currently underway. Recently, fencing was installed around Lot 4, which restricts public access to pedestrian pathways inside of the RFK Stadium's ring road and will remain closed for the duration of the project. The tunnels between Lots 5 and 8 and Lots 4 and 7 are also closed. The fencing provides a safe and secure perimeter around the active construction site. Access to the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial and Gideon's Garden will remain open. The Anacostia Riverwalk Trail will not be impacted by the fencing. Trails can still be accessed from Independence Avenue, as well as 21st Street and Oklahoma Avenue entrances. Please stay tuned to future newsletters for more news and updates on the demolition progress.
Local Business Work Address DC Food Deserts
Local black-owned stores and entrepreneurs work to address DC's longstanding issue of food deserts across Wards 7 and 8. Currently, only four of the 75 grocery stores in DC are in these two wards.
DC has worked diligently to incentivize large grocery chains to establish roots in Ward 7 and 8, but the local community has also stepped up with access to the Food Access Fund Grant in the hopes of increasing access to fresh food and groceries. Amanda Stephenson opened the Fresh Food Factory (FFF) with locations in Ward 7 and Ward 8. FFF sells fresh produce that residents would have had to travel far for and accepts SNAP benefits, making it even more accessible. Mary Blackford, another resident, is in the process of opening Market 7, a decentralized market that will feature eight black-owned businesses centered around a hydroponic farm. Events DC has also worked with local partners to put on a farmers market at the Fields at RFK Campus, which runs through the Spring, Summer, and Fall.
Through the development of both full-service and small local businesses, there will be an increase in access to fresh foods and jobs for the community.
Community Grant Spotlight: Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute
Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute has been teaching youth and adults how to be fit, strong and to defend themselves through Kung Fu and Tai Chi. Additionally, their curriculum offers strength training, stretching, meditation, forms, self-defense technique, sparring, testing and cultural history for adults as well as Chinese Lion Dance, Chinese Thunder Drumming, African Djembe Drumming and STEM activities to DC school children for free. Since 1995, Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute has delivered martial arts to the community.
Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute was an Events DC Community Grant awardee in fiscal 2022, Cycle 1 for the DC Dragonz program. DC Dragonz is a 25-week Saturday program for youth 7 – 18 years old who are interested in King Fu, Dragon Dance, Chinese synchronized drumming or African drumming. The flagship studio is nestled in the U Street Corridor in Ward 1, and they partnered with the Anacostia Children of Mine Youth Center to provide programming to East of The River youth.