Congrats to all the 2017 Brickie Award Winners. CHAMPS is especially proud to see CHAMPS member East City Bookshop awarded the business of the year award. Smart choice Councilmember Allen!
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Councilmember Charles Allen Announces 11th Annual Ward 6 Brickie Award Winners
East City Bookshop, John “Peter Bug” Matthews, Bailiwick Clothing, DC Diaper Bank, Andy Litsky to be honored
WASHINGTON, DC – This evening, Ward 6 DC Councilmember Charles Allen will host the 11th Annual Ward 6 Brickie Awards and community celebration. The awards are an annual celebration of the people, places, and organizations that make the Ward 6 community great. Begun 10 years ago by then-Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells as the Livable Walkable Awards with engraved bricks as a special honor, the event was nicknamed “The Brickies” by the local newspaper Hill Rag.
“This is a big night out for Ward 6 each year – neighbors enjoying food, music, and having some as we hand out bricks to recognize some of the important contributions from neighbors, organizations, and businesses,” said Councilmember Allen. “Every year, I feel lucky to recognize some great folks and this year is no exception.”
The Brickies take place from 6-8pm tonight at the new home of the Capital Yacht Club at The Wharf (800 Wharf Street, SW, Washington, DC, 20024). The event is open and free to all Ward 6 residents. Residents can RSVP at http://www.charlesallenward6.com/2017_brickies
EAST CITY BOOKSHOP | 2017 Business Award
East City Bookshop’s Laurie Gillman describes herself as, “one of those people who, when visiting a new city or neighborhood, finds the independent bookstore as soon as possible. If there is no bookstore to be discovered, I must admit that I think a little bit less of that place.”
Within a year of Laurie opening East City Bookshop, and it fast became a gathering place for book lovers of all ages. It is a place to talk about books and ideas, to learn something new, bump into old friends, and meet new ones at the store’s many author discussions, book clubs, and other neighborhood events. Laurie and East City Bookshop support the literary arts at every reading level and show the value of the written word as a way to grow community. Congratulations to Laurie and East City Bookshop!
John “PETER BUG” MATTHEWS | 2017 Neighbor Award
John “Peter Bug” Matthews is a man with a trade, with dignity, and a mission – to serve his community in the best way he knows how: by teaching. Peter Bug is Capitol Hill neighbor of long standing who runs Peter Bug Shoe Academy, a place where he teaches the age-old trade of shoe repair to the District’s youth.
Peter Bug’s shop, located at 13th and E Streets, SE, is where he serves the community. Customers are welcomed with a warm smile but no paper claim slip when dropping off a repair—he matches faces with shoes. This practice is part of the philosophy of customer service and dedication to the community that he has passed on to his students for decades, serving as a role model and mentor to dozens of young people over the many years he has been teaching.
From hosting the annual “Peter Bug Day” celebration to a warm wave and smile for everyone passing by his shop, Peter Bug is a neighborhood institution and the winner of this year’s Neighbor Award.
BAILIWICK | 2017 Civic Pride Award
Bailiwick Clothing Company artfully merges the worlds of design, culture, and purpose. Founded by brothers J.C. and Jeff Smith, Bailiwick makes clothing inspired by DC and the pride we all share for it. As J.C. has said, “One thing that Jeff and I always talked about when we were starting Bailiwick is that we didn’t want to be a company for tourists. We made that a conscious decision. We want to tap into the pride that residents have. Anyone can sell a touristy shirt. We’re trying to come up with designs that speak to a deeper message of D.C.”
From the “202” shirt Bryce Harper wears to their statehood, RE51ST, and “District vs Congress” designs, Bailiwick offers ways to wear District pride with style. As Ward 6 residents whose fast-growing business is Made in DC, the Smith brothers’ Bailiwick Clothing Company is the winner of this year’s Civic Pride Award.
DC DIAPER BANK | 2017 Community Organization Award
In October 2009, Ward 6 resident Corinne Cannon and her husband Jay became new parents to a very challenging baby. As they struggled through those hard early, sleepless months, Corinne thought about how hard parenting is even with great support, and how much harder it is for the many District families who struggle to afford something as basic as diapers. On her son’s first birthday, she founded the DC Diaper Bank seven years ago to help get diapers and many other important parenting resources to families in need.
This remarkable organization has since distributed over 5.5 million diapers – more than 175,000 a month to over 4,000 vulnerable families – in partnership with dozens of community organizations providing “whole family care.” They now host a Baby Pantry that is stocked exclusively by donations, which includes baby and adult hygiene items — from formula and bottles to toothbrushes and deodorant – that distributes more than $3,000 of these necessities to families in need each month. For their service to the District’s babies and families, Corinne and DC Diaper Bank are this year’s Community Organization Award winner.
ANDY LITSKY | 2017 Public Service Award
Andy Litsky has been actively involved in many aspects of Southwest life since moving to the Waterfront in 1977 – as so much change has come to Southwest, Andy has been a constant leader for the community. He’s served on the boards of the Arena Stage Angels, Southwest House and as a founding shareholder of Tiber Island Cooperative Homes. A retired lobbyist and public affairs professional, he recently completed a six-year term on the Executive Council of AARP-DC.
Since 1998, Andy has been the elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner meeting the needs of the residents living at the Southwest Waterfront and now the newest Southwesters who reside at The Wharf including those aboard the 94 vessels moored at the Gangplank Marina. The size and scope of Andy’s guidance shouldn’t be overlooked – he helps guide a neighborhood that’s grown into its own small city between The Wharf, Arena Stage, and two stadiums! Andy is currently serving his sixth year as Chairman of ANC-6D, representing the neighborhoods of Southwest, Navy Yard and Buzzard Point.
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