By Lauren Ritter, Esq. & Crystal Coats, CMCA, AMS, PCAM

The Public Outreach Committee focuses its energies on three main areas of focus external outreach, chapter-organized contests, and charitable activities. Primarily we lead efforts to create programming and volunteer events that bring WMCCAI members out into the communities where we work and live. The three areas of focus are championed by
number of dedicated working groups led by volunteer leaders.

Members of the Public Outreach Committee are encouraged to pursue the focus areas and activities that are of interest to them through joining working groups. Working group leaders collaborate between meetings and provide recommend dations directly to the Co-Chairs of the Committee. This organizational structure has made the Committee and its members successful. Taking on a working group leadership role is a fantastic way of “getting your feet wet” for WMCCAI members that want to gain leadership experience in the Chapter and work towards Board or Committee leadership roles in the future.

We take pride in our member experience. When welcoming a new member, we always
ask the “why” behind what brought them to the meeting. It is our goal to position our
Committee members towards success and provide a process and structure that can be
used to directly benefit our community leaders and the communities where we work.

External Outreach	Strategic Alliances with Affiliated & Unaffiliated Organizations
Chapter-Organized Contests	(1) Annual High School Senior Scholarship Program (2) Community Association of the Year
Charitable Activities	(1) Potomac Watershed Clean-Up (2) Ronald McDonald House Landscaping Day (3) Capital Area Food Bank Volunteering

 

If you have a passion for advocacy or service, we encourage you to attend a future Public Outreach Committee meeting! We meet the first Wednesday of each month at 11:30 A.M.

External Outreach: Part of the mission of the Public Outreach Committee is to facilitate the creation of meaningful connections and relationships with other individuals and organizations within the local housing industry. The Strategic Alliances with Affiliated & Unaffiliated Organizations working group is dedicated to developing opportunities for WMCCAI members to engage with other individuals and organizations that share a passion and interest in housing and serving community associations.

Chapter-Organized Contests: Each year, the Public Outreach Committee hosts a High School Senior Scholarship contest and the well-known Community Association of the Year contest. The scholarship contest is open to all high school seniors within the WMCCAI service area. Interested students must submit an essay or media presentation that responds to the contest prompt, which asks students to consider the importance of topics like green initiatives, community during times of crisis, and diversity. The best overall essay/presentation is awarded a scholarship of at least $1,000.

The Community Association of the Year contest looks for the communities that best represent common-interest community living, excel in two-way communications with residents, and think of others beyond the community’s borders. There are awards for four size categories (small, medium, large and extra-large) in addition to Communicator of the Year and Charitable Community of the Year awards. WMCCAI volunteers judge the applications which are submitted by homeowners and endeavor to recognize the communities that best demonstrate excellence in all facets of association operations and governance by following CAI’s Best Practices.

Charitable Activities: The final area of focus for the Public Outreach Committee is charitable activities. Although the number and type of volunteer opportunities changes each year, there are three events hosted by the Committee on an annual basis: the Ronald McDonald House, Landscaping Day, the Potomac Watershed Clean-Up, and Capitol Area Food Bank Volunteering. Each spring, WMCCAI members (and their families) spend a Saturday morning mulching, planting and sprucing up the landscaping at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington D.C. located near INOVA Fairfax Hospital. The volunteers make a measurable difference in the lives of the seriously ill children and their families staying at Ronald McDonald House as a home away from home while the children are being treated at area hospitals.

Each April, members of the Potomac Watershed Clean-Up working group organize and host trash clean-ups at a variety of locations in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia that are located within the Potomac Watershed. Hundreds of volunteers show up to pick up trash and leave a positive impact on the surrounding communities. In late summer/fall, small groups of WMCCAI members also spend time volunteering at the Capital Area Food Bank’s distribution center, which helps to make a positive impact on the lives of food-insecure residents of the greater DC area.

To learn more about the WWCCAI visit their website at https://www.caidc.org/

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