Living Classrooms Foundation Hosts 10th Annual Fall Benefit

Living Classrooms Foundation, an organization that strengthens community education using historical surroundings, is celebrating 10 years of their fall benefit, Night at The Point. Join them tonight with a performance from The Wailers, a number of participating local restaurants and as many as 1,000 guests in attendance all on the DC waterfront. We caught up with Living Classrooms’ Michelle Subbiondo about tonight’s event.

On Tap: How has Night at the Point changed over the last 10 years?
Michelle Subbiondo: Over the years, it has really grown from a small celebration to one of our highly anticipated annual events. This year, we moved the location down the river to Buzzard Point, and renamed the event Night at The Point. We are still expecting a fantastic evening of music, food and celebration with over 20 DC restaurants. We have students in our Queen Beez Program, a girl’s empowerment program that uses music as a means of expression and leadership development, for a special performance at the event.

OT: What are you most looking forward to at this year’s event?
MS: The Wailers! We were so fortunate to secure a legendary band like The Wailers for this year’s event. Their fanbase spans all ages, backgrounds and lifestyles, and I think their set is going to be really memorable. Some people may not know that many of the original band members have been touring for years since Bob Marley passed, still bringing the same energy and spirit to their classic songs.

OT: Why did you decide to book The Wailers for this event?
MS: Every year, we try to find a band that brings a certain spirit to their performances – someone who will get the crowd excited and dancing, and make for a memorable evening. In years past, we’ve booked some local acts that have the same grassroots background as us who we think have the potential to really explode. This year, since it’s our 10th anniversary, we wanted a headliner that would get our supporters as excited for the event as we are, and I think The Wailers have the ability to build anticipation.

OT: How much have you raised in the past? What is this year’s goal?
MS: Last year, we raised about $150,000, and we are hoping to exceed that number this year. We are also hoping to raise critical dollars, specifically, for DC children to experience our outdoor nature retreat, Camp Fraser, in Great Falls, Virginia. Each year, fifth grade students from throughout DC visit the camp for a once-in-a-lifetime meaningful watershed education experience. Many have their first experience with nature there. Our goal is to send every fifth grader in the District to Camp Fraser for environmental STEM education.

OT: What exactly will the funds go to?
MS: Proceeds from Night at The Point will be used for the continued delivery of our handson education programs, including our shipboard environmental STEM education program that takes place on our historic vessel; our enrichment program Queen Beez that mentors young girls through writing and recording original hip-hop music videos; environmental and restoration education that takes place on Kingman Island; our award-winning student robotics team; as well as many in-school programs, job trainings and public programming that take place in various “living classrooms” around the DC area.

Night at the Point is Friday, October 20. Tickets are $110-$120. 

Night at The Point: 200 V St. SW, DC; www.livingclassrooms.org