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Councilmember Charles Allen 2
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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION 7
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 11
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To recognize and honor the career and achievements of Corinne Cannon on the occasion of her 16
stepping down as Executive Director of the Greater D.C. Diaper Bank, which she founded. 17
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WHEREAS, Corinne Cannon saw and recognized the challenges of parenthood following 19
the birth of her first child and, inspired by those challenges, decided to make it her mission to help 20
other families struggling to raise infants and toddlers; 21
WHEREAS, Ms. Cannon founded the Greater D.C. Diaper Bank (GDCDB) in 2009 on her 22
son Jack's first birthday; 23
WHEREAS, Ms. Cannon is an alumna of Trinity College in the District of Columbia and 24
the London School of Economics, earning a bachelor's and master of teaching and master of 25
science degrees; 26
WHEREAS, after exhaustive research, Ms. Cannon started GDCDB in her basement, 27
delivering 10,000 diapers to community partners in the area in its first year; 28
WHEREAS, Ms. Cannon saw a gap that urgently needed to be filled, finding that diapers 29
were not covered under federal and state assistance programs, like Women Infants and Children 30
or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; 31
WHEREAS, under her leadership, the GDCDB has grown into a leading nonprofit in the 32 2
region and one of the largest diaper banks in the United States, with a mission to support vulnerable 33
families in the area by collaborating with partners to distribute essential baby and hygiene products 34
and expand access to critical services; 35
WHEREAS, over the past 13 years, GDCDB has distributed more than 24 million diapers, 36
baby necessities, and adult personal hygiene items in the D.C. metropolitan area; 37
WHEREAS, GDCDB provides a place for D.C.-area families to volunteer together by 38
providing a child-friendly volunteer space in its warehouse and numerous opportunities to give 39
back and be active in the community; 40
WHEREAS, Ms. Cannon was the sole employee at GDCDB for the first 5 years of its 41
operations, working pro bono for 4 of those years to raise funds, run the diaper bank, and build 42
programming; 43
WHEREAS, GDCDB currently partners with more than 40 social service organizations in 44
the D.C. region, including those who run home visiting programs, family resources centers, 45
shelters, and other programs providing families with comprehensive care; 46
WHEREAS, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Cannon ramped up GDCDB's efforts, 47
setting up 25 emergency hubs in the region and providing emergency baby supplies to families in 48
need; 49
WHEREAS, Ms. Cannon has grown GDCDB to a full-time staff of 10, has consistently 50
raised funding for an operating budget of more than $3 million, has a network of more than 75 51
partners to serve more than 32,000 families and 40,000 babies, and distributed 11 million diapers 52
in 2022 alone; 53
WHEREAS, Ms. Cannon has been recognized numerous times for her dedication to this 54
work, including as a Washingtonian of the Year, a L'Oreal Woman of Worth, a CNN Money Hero, 55 3
a Harvey's Hero (on the Steve Harvey show), and a Ward 6 Brickie recipient, among other awards, 56
and has appeared in countless interviews to raise awareness of diaper need; 57
WHEREAS, on March 21, 2023, Corinne Cannon announced that she would be 58
transitioning out of her position as Executive Director in May 2023; 59
WHEREAS, Ms. Cannon has created a strong foundation at the Greater D.C. Diaper Bank 60
and is turning over GDCDB to new leadership after having served DC-area families for nearly 13 61
years; and 62
WHEREAS, Ms. Cannon can spend more time with her husband, Jay Williams, and their 63
children, Jack, Callie, and Finn, until she is ready for her next chapter. 64
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that this 65
resolution may be cited as the "Corinne Cannon Recognition Resolution of 2023". 66
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and honors the career and 67
achievements of Corinne Cannon and thanks her for her public service in the District, helping to 68
enrich and strengthen the lives of thousands of families and parents as they navigate the early years 69
of parenthood. 70
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately. 71