Back in 2001, after having just relocated to Washington, DC from Chicago, IL, a childhood friend called to ask me if I would be interested in designing a CD package for a local non-profit called The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts.

It would be a volunteer project (translation: no pay) and it is an organization she believed in and was also a volunteer.

At that time I had followed my then-boyfriend; now husband for his once-in-a-lifetime job and I was unsure about which direction my work life would take me (sound familiar?). I had only one promising lead for employment and no guarantees.

So, I decided to take on the project as it would be a great chance to meet new people and keep myself busy while I waited to hear from possible employers. Plus, after hearing more about the program I decided I couldn’t turn down an opportunity to help spread the work of an organization committed to providing music, dance and arts to lower income kids. The CD was a compilation of music students and their teachers had created the previous year.

Six years later and the Sitar Arts Center has grown in presence; into a new home and enrolling more than 300 students per semester. And with each year, I have grown with them designing their CD music packages and annual reports. It continues to be a lovely, creative professional relationship.

Here’s a sneak peak/work-in-progress of the latest annual report:

If you are ever in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC, see about timing your visit with a performance or check out their swanky digs. It is truly amazing what Rhonda Buckley and the community at large have built for the kids of Adams Morgan.

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