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Jacks of all trades
By BRYAN ANDERTON Few people can boast that they’ve worked
with such diverse groups as Food & Friends, the National Gay &
Lesbian Task Force, the Lambda Literary Foundation, and the Gay Men’s Chorus
of Washington, all in the same month. But members of the gay group Burgundy
Crescent Volunteers certainly can. Formed in February 2001, Burgundy Crescent
Volunteers currently donates time and energy to about 20 different activities
each month, for both gay and non-gay organizations. Meanwhile, its numbers
have swelled from a mere three to a massive 640, all in less than two years. Burgundy Crescent was launched when group
president Jonathan Blumenthal saw a need for a volunteer organization to
replace the defunct group, Gay, Lesbian, and Other Volunteer Singles, of
which he had been a member. Together, he and his partner decided to launch
another gay volunteer group to help fill that void. ‘My partner and I met through [GLOVES],’
Blumenthal says. ‘We liked volunteering, but there was no volunteer
organization, so we decided to start one.’ Once they decided to start the group, one
of the first things they needed to do was create a name. They came up with
the title Burgundy Crescent Volunteers, but don’t ask Blumenthal what it
means. ‘It’s absolutely meaningless. It’s kind of
been the bane of our existence,’ he says. ‘We just started tossing around
colors and shapes until we found something that sounded nice. But it gets
people asking, which is a good thing.’ So far, that curiosity has gotten the
better of nearly 650 members. Blumenthal says it’s an incredibly diverse
group, consisting of singles and couples, with a nearly even split between
men and women ages 18 to 70. Becoming actively
involved One of the keys to Burgundy Crescent’s
success, according to board member Nikki DiPalma, is that it allows members
to become more active in the gay community, and gives them a chance to make
new friends. ‘It’s an opportunity for us to contribute
to the community, to become more active and involved, and to meet people,’
DiPalma says. ‘I think Burgundy Crescent really brings something to the
community in general.’ Blumenthal agrees, saying, ‘I think a lot
of members didn’t feel like they were a part of the [gay] community’ before
joining the group. But gay groups aren’t the only ones that
benefit from Burgundy Crescent’s efforts. The group volunteers with many non-gay
organizations as well, including Washington Parks and People and the National
Cancer Society. Blumenthal says working with both gay and straight groups can
serve a much larger purpose than simply providing manpower. ‘I think there are some people in our
organization that like to help out non-gay organizations because they feel it’s
a way to build stronger ties between the two communities,’ Blumenthal says. ‘It’s
a way to give back to the greater community, not just the gay community.’ Socially conscious
socializing In addition to allowing members to become
more involved, the group also provides a socially conscious social outlet as
well. Many members join the group to meet new people, and about once a month
the group has a big social outing, usually at a local restaurant or bar. The group’s next social event takes place
on Sunday, Nov. 17, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant
in Arlington, Va. Blumenthal says anyone who wants to know more about the
group is welcome to attend. But just because the group is out to have a good
time doesn’t mean they won’t have work on their minds; the social also
doubles as a Thanksgiving food drive for the local group Food and Friends. Food and Friends, which prepares and
delivers meals to people living with AIDS and other life-threatening
illnesses in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, is one of the groups
Burgundy Crescent has worked with the longest. Blumenthal says it’s also one
of the group’s favorite organizations to work with, which they do about four
times a month. ‘I like Food & Friends,’ Blumenthal
says. ‘I like working in the kitchen, kind of playing chef but knowing that
there’s a very direct result in what I’m doing, that someone will be eating
what I’m preparing that day who wouldn’t otherwise be able to.’ And that extra help is always appreciated,
says Food and Friends’ volunteer coordinator Regan Kerchner. ’They’ve been fabulous, always upbeat, always
on time, always reliable,’ Kerchner says. ‘They really do contribute.’ But the group’s members say the pleasure
is all theirs. ‘You get a good feeling, and it makes you
feel good if you can help others,’ DiPalma says. ‘I think one of the benefits
to Burgundy Crescent’s role is there’s such diverse volunteer opportunities.’
Activities can range from cooking to stuffing envelopes to attending galas,
he says. ‘It goes from really simple things to really elaborate things, and
people get to choose what they want to be involved in.’ Bryan Anderton can be reached at banderton@washblade.com.
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