By Southwester Staff
On Saturday, Nov. 16, Elinor Bacon, Partner at Hoffman-Madison Waterfront, accepted the BroadFutures Champion Award on behalf of The Wharf for The Wharf’s support of BroadFutures’ mission and the vision of a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Cameron Jackson, the BroadFutures Intern who presented the award to Bacon, explained that he was personally impacted by The Wharf’s partnership with BroadFutures, as last summer he had the opportunity to intern at CBRE, a business real estate company. “I really enjoyed working there because I learned more than I have in any other job, and it is in an industry that I am now interested in working in as I grow professionally.”
BroadFutures is a non-profit organization that provides training, mentoring, and paid internship opportunities for young people with learning disabilities. The Wharf has been working collaboratively with BroadFutures for the past two years to provide summer internships at The Wharf for program participants. This program is partially funded through a $1 million commitment by The Wharf, as part of its Land Disposition with The District, for workforce intermediary programs. The Wharf’s contribution helps to support DC residents, particularly those with lower incomes, to participate in the BroadFutures Program.
Since 2017, a total of 17 interns have worked at The Wharf with employers including: Hyatt House, Canopy by Hitlon, InterContinental, Entertainment Cruises (a Hornblower Holdings company), Colonial Parking, CBRE Property Management and the Southwest Business Improvement District (SWBID).
In accepting the award, Bacon expressed her admiration for the BroadFutures Program and the young adults who have interned at The Wharf, saying, “We are delighted with the partnership The Wharf has developed with BroadFutures, and with the opportunities for internships created by our operators and managers for 17 individuals with learning disabilities. The interns have been talented, smart, creative, hardworking and wonderful people, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with BroadFutures.”