2005 Saw Something Great in Ward 8

It used to be hard to even use the sidewalk in much of Anacostia.  In 2005, leaders at six WIN member institutions in Ward 8 organized to make basic neighborhood mobility possible and engaged in a series of local actions with Councilmember Marion Barry and executive agency heads.  In April of that year, St. Thomas More Church and School leaders won traffic safety improvements including a permanent crossing guard and a new stop sign, caution sign and crosswalk improvements on the thoroughfare near the church and school. WIN leaders began the year meeting with Mr. Barry at the start of his term, determined to realize something great in Ward 8.  The Barry meeting was followed by a series of neighborhood accountability walks and local actions in Anacostia with Anacostia Bible, St. Teresa of Avila, Our Lady of Perpetual Help and the Ft Stanton Civic Association, in Washington Highlands with Ferebee Hope PTA and Southeast Childrens’ Fund joining Paramount and St. Thomas More, and in Bellevue with Covenant Baptist. Local action teams have gotten alleys and streets cleaned, stop signs installed and improvements to libraries, neighborhood schools and recreation centers.  These local actions have built the foundation for implementation of WIN’s $100M Neighborhood Investment Fund spending plan in three of the four target neighborhoods in Ward 8.