The Endless Story: Ex-Redskins’ Training Center in Anacostia Still Ain’t Open
I've written a whole lot over the years about the old Carver Theater building in Anacostia. Control of the property was transferred years ago from the city to the Good Samaritan Foundation, a non-profit group founded by Redskin heroes Art Monk and Charles Mann.
The beloved former athletes acquired the public land after promising the locals in 1999 that they'd turn the building into a job training center for poor kids. And over the years they have raised millions of dollars with that same pledge.
They've even hosted at least three groundbreaking ceremonies for the press at the job training center site since 2001, and actually began building on the site a couple years ago.
But no such facility has ever opened.
Perhaps Monk and Mann's group has been doing great deeds over the years at other sites around town while waiting for the Anacostia center to open; its website claims that "[m]ore than 65 students have participated in" its training program since 1997.
That's not a lot of kids per year, for sure, given the publicity and bucks thrown the Good Samaritan Foundation's way.
But, hey, that's more kids than I've helped. So I can't get worked up about that number.
But it's the lack of a training center, after the Good Samaritan Foundation has held so many fundraising events specifically for the training center, received hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grants specifically for the training center, and even boasted about seven-figure donations given to the group specifically for the training center, that continues to leave me awed.
I spoke with Lawrence Dark, executive director of the Good Samaritan Foundation, over the summer, just as Monk and Mann were holding their annual golf tournament to raise more money for the group. Dark told me at the time that the Anacostia training center would be open “in the next six to eight weeks.”
I'd been told similar stories about opening dates by the Good Samaritan Foundation over the years, and when I asked Dark about the etched-in-stone-ness of this latest deadline after oodles of missed deadlines, he added: “If it doesn’t rain."
And, in fairness to the Good Samaritan Foundation, it's raining as I write this.
And the center still ain't open: I drove by the Carver Theater over the holidays, and saw the front still boarded up and the place looking nowhere near ready for occupancy.
The fundraising continues, however.
Monk had a $200 a head dinner in November, with advertisements saying proceeds would go to the Good Samaritan Foundation. During promotions for this event, however, Monk's charity was also identified as "the Youth Power Center."
And radio ads for Wal-Mart during Redskins game broadcasts this season said that the retail giant would donate a portion of sales of certain items to Monk and Mann's charity, which again was identified as both the Good Samaritan Foundation and the Youth Power Center.
I called Dark up this week and told him I'd driven by the construction site, and asked him about the status of Monk and Mann's training center. He said he was too busy for such a discussion.
"I'm trying to get a grant," he said.
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Linked From: January 7th, 2009Links for October 26th through January 7th | Oliver Willis
4:28 pm[...] The Endless Story: Ex-Redskins’ Training Center in Anacostia Still Ain’t Open - [...]
7:31 am
this is indeed an endless story.
9:01 am
I wonder if some of the funds raised went to PassPort BMW's new service center. They should come clean !!!
10:24 am
Here's a wacky idea - look at the charity's Form 990 filed with the IRS to see what their listed expenses are. If this charity isn't an outright scam, then it's clearly engaged in some odd behavior by raising tons of cash and apparently never actually spending any of it. Check the IRS disclosure forms to see what the charity's been spending the money on. Then write an actual article, rather than drive-by reporting.
10:16 am
or maybe they really are close to finishing:
http://www.bisnow.com/washington_dc_tech_news_story.php?p=1827
4:13 pm
I think Dave McKenna is an a** wipe. I think he's bored out of his mind, and close to losing his job. I mean, if why are you so busy trying to make this poor organization seem as if it's not legit, how's your job going? A legit reporter would have his or her facts straight and wouldn't target a non-profit organization. I think there are way better things in the world to worry about, besides a organization that is obviously trying to make a difference! Obviously, the non profit is having finanical issues, but it's more that meets the eye. When you look at things from the surface, but if you dig deep, you will find. " MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS"!!! There are many disastrous things going on besides targeting something less important!
4:24 pm
Don't you have better things to write about? Blah, blah, blah... same-0, same-0
4:36 pm
Tangenia:
if any facts aren't straight, please correct the record here. i look forward to your information. all i know is this Training Center opening has been promised since 1999! that's a whole decade! i love that!
But, more importantly, you dusted off "ass-wipe," and it's an honor to be slurred by that again after all these years. thanks for the giggles.