By the SWDCCC Community Engagement and Communications Committee
The Southwest DC Community Center (SWDCCC) that is planned to open in our neighborhood in the next few years will serve as a vibrant, central hub for the Southwest and Capitol Riverfront communities and provide an inclusive space for a wide range of services and activities that foster personal and collective growth. As a way to get to know your neighbors who are volunteering their time to bring the SWDCCC to life, we present the Meet the Team series. These profiles will highlight each member of the SWDCCC Board of Directors and Community Engagement and Communications Committee. Don’t be shy, when you see us around the neighborhood, say hi!
Name: Andrea Lindemann Gilliam
How are you involved with the SWDCCC?: I serve as the part-time interim executive director of the SWDCCC. I am a former employment attorney that now offers nonprofit governance, mediation, and coaching services.
Why did you become involved with the SWDCCC?: I moved to the Capitol Quarter neighborhood in 2012 with my husband and we welcomed our daughter into our family five years ago. As a growing interracial family, we wanted to live in a neighborhood that was walkable and socioeconomically and racially diverse. I became involved in the SWDCCC because I’m committed to building relationships in the community to help bridge the gap between residents of all backgrounds. I’m a yoga teacher and founded a volunteer yoga program primarily serving the seniors at the Capper Community Center as a way to bring neighbors together. The SWDCCC provides an opportunity for a vibrant “town center” space that is welcoming to all in this growing and changing neighborhood.
What do you hope the SWDCCC will offer to the community?: I hope it will offer a space for people of different backgrounds to gather together. In my experience, quickly gentrifying neighborhoods have too few places where you can meet your neighbors and engage in programs and activities where you’ll meet people of different backgrounds and income levels. Not everyone can afford a $6 cup of coffee just to be able to chat with their neighbors!
What’s your favorite part of our neighborhood?: I love being close to the river, it brings a sense of calm and offers a great place to be outdoors and play with my daughter or walk my dog.
To learn more about the SWDCCC please visit our website at https://www.swdccc.org/ and if you’re interested in getting involved, please submit your information at https://www.swdccc.org/volunteer-form.