Volunteer Appreciation

That's right - Peanuts is 100% powered by volunteers, which means every single thing we do requires the donated time and talents of our amazing Board and member community. Every single cohort speaker, every community event, every happy hour, every poster in Sherman circle, every email (and there are thousands), every word on the website, every social media post, everything we have done and given to the community is because a fellow Greater Petworth parent took the time and found the resources to make it happen. 

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We emphasize the "parent" part of that statement because we all have "real" jobs and crazy kids and competing priorities – but with our combined efforts we have made a true and profound difference. And it’s not just about the face value of a fun happy hour or playground meet up – it’s the lasting impact we’ve made in the lives of individual caregivers and in the Greater Petworth community. Peanuts has seen a 7000%+ growth in cohort participation since Spring 2020 when the organization began; we've evolved from 15 women to 2000+ caregivers in just 3.5 years. That’s hundreds and hundreds of families who have had the opportunity feel connected and supported in an accessible, affordable way. And, looking at our wider community impact/involvement - we’ve had roughly 8000+ people participate in our annual Spooktacular, Miracle on Upshur, and Pride in the Park events alone (big huge thanks to our sponsors!)...and we've been very proud o spearhead service efforts in collaboration with Ward 4 Mutual Aid and Greater DC Diaper Bank, including the collection of thousands of items for the annual Mother's Day Free Market.

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In the middle of this growth, Peanuts “relaunched” in Fall 2022, and the last 18 months have included:

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• Recruiting our incredible volunteer Board Members/officers and legions of volunteers

• Beginning monthly cohorts (instead of quarterly);  ~30 since Spring 2020, for a total of 1,000 families, or ~2,000 parents/caregivers

• Expanding our membership to include foster parents, surrogate parents, and all caregivers

• Setting up a new paid membership model to sustain our events and initiatives

• Securing ~$25k in community grants and event sponsorships 

• Establishing new committees and subcommittees, including events, community service, and community, equity and belonging 

• Launching members-only events, including the continuing education Speaker Series, Spring and Fall family portraits, monthly playground meet ups, Spring Eggstravaganza egg hunt, Family Field Day, free library book exchange,  monthly happy hours / meet-ups, and much more.

• Launching Peanuts community service committee, with regular collections of diaper/formula for the DC Diaper Bank, park/playground clean ups, and partnership with Ward 4 Mutual aid in support of local families in need, and the Mother’s Day Market (where 10,000+ baby/kid items are given away for free!)

• Establishing new and expanded partnerships with 40+ amazing community sponsors

• Launching 20+ WhatsApp groups for a wide variety of Peanuts member interests

• Launching Peanuts logo and merchandise

• Launching Peanuts Equipment Rental

• Writing approximately 7,000 emails (really!)

• Launching the Peanuts Resource Directory, with detailed compilations of summer camps, local vendors, Peanut-owned Airbnbs, care providers, event venues, and more!

• Totally revamped our social media; with 5,200%+ Instagram reach growth 

• And we built this brand new website from the ground up, which is ever evolving!

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Meanwhile, we planned over 60 different events and initiatives in the last year alone. Stunning, whirlwind growth!

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