Fannie Mae Foundation Chairman Franklin D. Raines, President and CEO Stacey H. Davis, Deputy D.C. Mayor Carolyn Graham, Members of Congress, and local officials honored the 205 nonprofits and disbursed checks. More than 60,000 walkers and 279 business sponsors raised the funds and participated in the Fannie Mae Foundation s Help the Homeless Walkathon Campaign last fall. In addition to fundraising, the 5K walk and campaign s goal was to generate awareness and engage youth in the homelessness crisis afflicting the Washington area. More than 30,000 of the participants were youth walkers. Once again, youth walkers made an especially important difference in our drive to support local agencies dedicated to assisting our area s homeless citizens.
Homelessness is only one letter away from hopelessness.
But if we continue to provide the nonprofit community with the support and tools they need, we can make a difference in the lives of tens of thousands in the Washington area. We need to all work together to put a roof on the homeless crisis. There are nearly 2,000 homeless children in Washington, D.C. alone, of whom 300 are under the age of one. One out of five District residents lives in poverty the second highest rate in the nation and 44 percent of all D.C. children under the age of six live in poverty, nearly twice the national figure. The Fannie Mae Foundation's Good Neighbor Award recognizes exemplary work with the homeless and with homeless service providers in the community.