Monumental Sports & Entertainment Participates in 9/11 Day of Service Project for A-SPAN

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Caps alum and Hall of Famer Rod Langway and Bullets alumnus Bob Dandridge participated alongside 40 Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) staff members on Tuesday, Sept. 11, to prepare Arlington County’s Emergency Winter Shelter for its opening day, scheduled for Nov. 1. The service project was held in conjunction with the National Day of Service and Remembrance, established in 2009 as an annual tribute to 9/11 victims, survivors and service providers.

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MSE staff worked at the shelter alongside Arlington County first responders and volunteers from Rebuilding Together Arlington/Fairfax/Falls Church. Rebuilding Together, which provides critically needed home repairs and modifications to low-income homeowners and nonprofit organizations, organized the event.

The shelter, operated by Arlington Street People Assistance Network (A-SPAN) in Arlington, Va., houses up to 88 adults and provides a range of services including case management, employment counseling, housing services and nursing services. It operates from November through March annually.

To prepare the shelter for residents, volunteers cleaned and painted rooms throughout the building, installed bookshelves in the library and added mirrors and clothes hooks in the bathrooms. They also placed additional shelving and clothes bars to store donated clothing and assembled welcome kits for 100 homeless men and women.

“It was very meaningful to join volunteers to prepare the shelter today,” said Dandridge. “I hope the residents enjoy the new features.”

Added Langway, “The shelter is providing a great service to those in need, and I was glad to join MSE staff and other volunteers in preparing the shelter for opening day.”

The service project marked the final of three service projects that the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation hosted for MSE employees during the summer. The Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation partnered on a project with D.C. Central Kitchen in August and with USO-Metro in July. One of Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s core values is the double-bottom line that engages, unifies and gives back to the community the organization serves on a daily basis.

The Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation supports the charitable efforts of the professional teams under its umbrella: the Washington Capitals, Mystics and Wizards. MSE is committed to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and focuses on the following five pillars to maximize its impact on the community: education and scholarship, hunger and homelessness, military and veterans' affairs, pediatric health and fitness and youth basketball and hockey.