Looking for the Helpers

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?”

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.

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.

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.

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."

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

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.

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