Welcoming A Gladiator

Please meet Andre Thomas Jr. the newest member of our Renewal Team!

Andre has an interesting life story which has motivated him to become a caring and active member of his community. Learn more about him below and take the time to click on the link which will take you to his heart’s work.

“I have found that not only is there a lack of resources to truly succeed as an at-risk member of the community, our prison system is 100% punitive. With little to no emphasis on rehabilitation, this ultimately leads to a revolving door cycle that has to be stopped.

I have always believed that if you have a problem within your community, you should be part of the solution and do everything you can to affect CHANGE. That is where Gladiators Of Success, Inc. comes in. We believe that everyone makes mistakes but with the right resources, an egregious mistake can be avoided entirely (PROACTIVITY). Mistakes can also be answered (REACTIVITY) with programs that initialize an evolution in mind, body, and spirit for returning citizens that would otherwise have to fend for themselves. Finally, by establishing a network (FRATERNITY) of Gladiators we keep everyone uplifted, encouraged, and working together toward success.”

Welcome With Us Our First CR Capital Area Congregation!

Community Renewal International Founder, Mack McCarter and Rev. Monsignor Raymond G. East

Firsts are always tremendous things to celebrate because they lay the ground work for what is to come. Community Renewal Capital Area will develop partnerships with faith based and secular organizations, businesses, groups, clubs — all types of gatherings that celebrate our commonality: that we are caring human beings.

For now we celebrate our first Community Renewal Capital Area Congregation
St. Teresa of Avila!

Dedicated on November 18, 1879, St. Teresa of Avila Parish is the Mother Church of Anacostia, Washington, DC. The church was built on its current site in the former Union Town section of Anacostia in walking distance of the historic Frederick Douglass home. The parish has been an enduring Catholic presence in Southeast Washington, DC. which has evolved into a diverse and vibrant community of about 334 families consisting of many racial and ethnic backgrounds.

We invite you to visit this newest member of the Community Renewal Capital Area family. Regardless of your faith, or where you live in the city, you can be sure that when you pass the “We Care” sign in front of the building and enter the doors of St. Teresa of Avila, you will be among caring friends.

St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church
1244 V St SE Washington D.C. 20020

There Are Beautiful, Caring People On Every Block

There is no doubt that our world is full of kind, loving people. There are heroes and heroines doing courageous work a few doors down, or huge hearts doing gentle acts of kindness in our own homes.

Just a walk through the neighborhoods of Anacostia demonstrate how many caring people you can meet. If you take the moment to walk and talk with them. Here are a few we met on a sunny Friday in August:

India cares for the children of her neighborhood in Woodland Terrace in many ways. Every school year she has the streets closed down and arranges a block party where children can get ready for school with free hair cuts, backpacks and school supplies. She does this in two separate neighborhoods and she organizes community efforts in other areas of daily life.
Dimitri and Michael work under the banner of No More Graves helping young people find help when needed, jobs, and creating a consistent presence in the neighborhood to help establish that care is continual, not ‘flyby.’
Pastor East of St. Teresa of Avila is a loving and caring presence in his area of Anacostia. He understands, deeply, the need for intentional, caring relationships as a transformational tool for our city. So much so that he announced St. Teresa of Avila to be our first Community Renewal Capital Area Congregation.