Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro speaks about the importance of community service.

What: National Student Partnerships, a nonprofit that pairs college volunteers with area residents who need help finding jobs and getting their lives back on track, hosted this reception to honor Connecticut congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and Massachusetts senator Edward Kennedy for their commitment to helping low-income communities.

Where: Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D St., NW

When: May 7, 6:30 to 8:30 PM

Who: Kennedy had two aides accept his framed Leadership in Service award, but DeLauro rushed into the theater’s lobby at 7:45, straight from work, just in time to fly down the stairs and snag hers. Kirsten Lodal, CEO and cofounder of NSP, led the awards ceremony, cheered on by a crowd of volunteers and supporters.

Food: Passed hors d’oeuvres such as lamb chops were a treat, while the buffet of fruit, cheese, pita, hummus, tuna-topped cucumber, and deceptively spicy chicken skewers had us taking seconds.

Drink: The open bar included Champagne—always a crowd pleaser. Guests also sipped wine and beer.

NSP CEO and cofounder Kirsten Lodal poses with friends.

Scene: DeLauro delivered a passionate speech about NSP, which she helped get off the ground when then-Yale undergrad Lodal met with her to pitch the idea. Washington resident Anthony Newlon, who was unemployed and homeless until NSP volunteers helped him write a résumé, get a job, and find housing, silenced the room with a speech about how NSP inspired him to reconnect with his family, stop using drugs, and start giving back to his community. Before and after the award presentation, guests in ties and cocktail dresses mingled, drinks and plates of food in hand. The room started to clear out at 8:30 (the official ending time), but when we left at 9, a scaled-down party was still going strong.

To learn more about NSP, which operates in 12 communities across the country, visit nspnet.org.

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