Culture

Looking for the Helpers

“Looking for the Helpers” is a series about our local community, and the ways we’re all coming together to uplift and help one another, one story at a time. From teddy bears to food banks, we’re here for each other – being the helpers Mister Rogers asked us to be.

Nick's Lego Program

2m 34s

For Maryland teenager Nick Casertano, Legos have been a source of inspiration and creativity as he faced some unique challenges as a kid. Now in high school, he's turned his passion for building into a national program to serve other kids facing difficult circumstances, including children with rare diseases staying at The Children's Inn at NIH in Bethesda while they participate in clinical trials.

Episodes

  • Nick's Lego Program: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Nick's Lego Program

    S1 E12 - 2m 34s

    For Maryland teenager Nick Casertano, Legos have been a source of inspiration and creativity as he faced some unique challenges as a kid. Now in high school, he's turned his passion for building into a national program to serve other kids facing difficult circumstances, including children with rare diseases staying at The Children's Inn at NIH in Bethesda while they participate in clinical trials.

  • Long Live GoGo: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Long Live GoGo

    S1 E11 - 2m 30s

    Go-go music, once a ubiquitous symbol of Black culture in D.C., is threatened by gentrification and a changing urban landscape. Justin “Yaddiya” Johnson founded Long Live GoGo to keep the music alive. His “Moechella” rallies– half concerts, half political rallies– mix music and activism, addressing the issues facing the Black community while exposing a new generation to D.C.’s unique music.

  • Sidewalk Sessions: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Sidewalk Sessions

    S1 E10 - 2m 32s

    When the COVID-19 quarantine set in, saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed and drummer Isabelle De Leon brought music to their Washington, D.C. neighborhood, and grew as artists in the process.

  • Teens Helping Seniors: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Teens Helping Seniors

    S1 E9 - 2m 35s

    When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Dhruv Pai and Matthew Casertano started delivering groceries to their grandparents. After asking themselves how other seniors were getting necessities, the two Montgomery Blair High School students created Teens Helping Seniors, a 100% teen-run organization that pairs seniors with volunteer teen shoppers. The program now has volunteers across the US and Canada.

  • The Falls Church Piper: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Falls Church Piper

    S1 E8 - 2m 29s

    Every Sunday, Eric Rice-Johnston suits up in full parade regalia and marches with his bagpipes throughout the Jefferson Village in Falls Church, Virginia, bringing the joy of music directly into the homes of his socially-distanced neighbors. Says Rice-Johnston: “I started taking my pipes around the neighborhood when I realized people aren't going out, why don't I go to them?”

  • Pet Adoptions Go Virtual: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Pet Adoptions Go Virtual

    S1 E7 - 2m 52s

    In an effort to keep people and animals safe during the Covid-19 crisis, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington shifted to a virtual adoption process to pair rescue animals with loving families.

  • A Taste of New Orleans in Arlington: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Taste of New Orleans in Arlington

    S1 E6 - 2m 33s

    When Arlington County announced schools would be closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Chef David Guas began to feel nauseous, knowing that many students who rely on the school system's free meals program might go hungry. With the help of Real Food For Kids, he is providing free hearty, healthy New Orleans-inspired meals to families in need at his restaurant, Bayou Bakery.

  • A Socially Distant Wedding Story: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Socially Distant Wedding Story

    S1 E5 - 1m 56s

    What happens when your wedding is cancelled by a global crisis? For Silver Spring residents, Tony Rollins and Stephanie Johnson, and their neighbor Chip Py, creativity blossomed.

  • An Oasis in Silver Spring: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    An Oasis in Silver Spring

    S1 E4 - 2m 32s

    In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, two parishioners from St. Michael's Catholic Church are leading an interfaith effort to fight hunger. As Jason Giovannettone puts it, churches "Always talk about our differences, why we're different, why we're doing something better than somebody else... This is a great opportunity to be unified and show how we're the same, how we care about the same things."

  • #PaintTheStorefronts: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    #PaintTheStorefronts

    S1 E3 - 2m 27s

    Andy Shallal, the CEO and founder of Busboys and Poets, shares how local artists are banding together to bring life to empty storefronts.

  • Arlington Food Assistance Center: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Arlington Food Assistance Center

    S1 E2 - 2m 29s

    In the midst of a pandemic, Arlington Food Assistance Center continues to help families in need put food on the table. Executive Director & CEO Charles Meng discusses how they remain committed to serving the community throughout this crisis.

  • Bear Hunt: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Bear Hunt

    S1 E1 - 2m 32s

    Clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Sanchez discusses how a safe and creative community scavenger hunt helps kids and families stuck at home.

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