One night this May, the Horton's Kids Community Resource Center was even more cheerful than normal. Brightly colored tablecloths and fresh flowers greeted guests for a special dinner. 
 
The guests of honor? Horton's Kids participants' moms. 

Horton's Kids parent Kenzie, pictured at the Mother's Day Dinner, is a member of the Horton's Kids Parent Advisory Council.

Our annual Mother's Day Dinner celebrates the mothers in the Wellington Park community - parents with whom we work closely all year.

Community Center and Outreach Director Julie Lonardo has been with Horton's Kids for more than 15 years, and she's dedicated to building strong relationships with families. She launched our Parent Advisory Council, where parents share their thoughts on how Horton's Kids can best support the children we serve. "They help guide our programming and serve as a sounding board for new ideas," says Julie.

Families come together at our monthly Family Game Nights.
We also hold a weekly Fatherhood Group for dads to come together and discuss their families, and monthly Family Game Nights where kids and parents play fun games together. Two fathers in the community recently began leading bingo. "It's a big hit," says Julie. "They run it like a real bingo hall!"
 
With Mother's Day right behind us and Father's Day just around the corner, it's the perfect time to share our gratitude for Horton's Kids' strong relationships with the kids we serve and their families. 

Thanks for standing with Horton's Kids and making these activities possible!

Horton's Kids empowers children living in one of Washington, DC's most under-resourced communities so that they can graduate high school ready for success in college, career, and life.  The children we serve live in a community with one of the highest rates of violent crime in DC, where the average family income is less than $10,000 per year. Horton's Kids operates a safe and welcoming Community Resource Center just steps from where the children live. 
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