Anyone who frequents the D.C. Central Kitchen stands a good chance of running across a large group of volunteers wearing nametags stamped with reddish moons. Standing in the kitchen dicing potatoes, he or she might ask, "What on Earth does 'Burgundy Crescent' mean?"
Burgundy Crescent is not a typical name for a community service or Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies group. Co-founder Jonathan Blumenthal said the name was originally a working title, randomly chosen when the group started in 2001, to distinguish the organization from other GLBTA groups.
"It's kind of almost mysterious," Blumenthal said. "It adds to the conversation."
Burgundy Crescent has more than 2,400 members, who have contributed more than 36,000 service hours to the District community, Blumenthal said. He said the organization's membership represents both men and women with ages ranging from college to retirement.
While Burgundy Crescent works with non-gay organizations like D.C. Central Kitchen, the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation, and Food and Friends, they do a large part of their volunteering with GLBTA groups. "We help out just about every gay organization in the city," Blumenthal said.
Blumenthal said Burgundy Crescent will send volunteers to big upcoming events like the 2005 Black GLBT Community Leaders Summit and the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner.
He said they would also be helping with a swim meet in October for gay and gay-friendly swimmers. This is the second time the organization has provided volunteers for this D.C. Aquatics swim meet. D.C. Aquatics volunteer coordinator Rebecca Halbe said she will be glad to have the group back since they get right to work and don't mind getting splashed while standing at the starting blocks.
Blumenthal said Burgundy Crescent tries hard to protect the privacy of its members, who aren't required to provide their last names or sexual orientation. He said members often bring friends along, or have their mothers accompany them to Mother's Day events.
The diversity of the projects Burgundy Crescent offers is what draws some of the volunteers. Peter Scholl, a volunteer and '87 AU graduate, said the flexibility of the group is good because of his busy schedule.
"It's one of the great benefits about them, that you don't have to commit to something every Saturday," Scholl said. "You have time to talk to people while you're doing good. Stuffing mailings and chopping vegetables-- it's nice to interact."
Many of the organizations Burgundy Crescent volunteers for are also listed on a GLBTA volunteer opportunity sheet that AU's Community Service Center will release next week. The Community Service Center worked with AU's GLBTA Resource Center to find local and national gay and gay-friendly organizations where students can volunteer or intern.
Nick Sakurai, a GLBTA Resource Center worker who helped compile the list, said he hopes it will help increase student GLBTA involvement in the District.
Mindy Michels, Director of the Resource Center, said the center sends out volunteer opportunities to the AU community, but they are not currently working with any community service groups on a regular basis.
For more information on Burgundy Crescent and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ally volunteer opportunities in D.C., visit http://www.burgundycrescent.org.
