Washingtonian Celebrates its 50th Anniversary in October, Donating $50,000 to Five Local Charities

Washington, D.C. – April 23, 2015 – Washingtonian magazine will celebrate its 50th anniversary in October with a commemorative issue featuring five different covers, one for each decade of publication. The issue will look back at the past 50 years, highlighting hometown heroes, scandals, and the grand ambitions that have shaped the place we call home, according to Catherine Merrill Williams, owner and publisher of Washingtonian. In addition, every month in 2015 the magazine will continue to feature a page dedicated to the last 50 years in Washington.

Washingtonian is marking this milestone anniversary by donating $50,000 to five Washington nonprofit organizations that have served the area for 50 years or more, Merrill Williams announced.

“There are a lot of terrific nonprofits in Washington, but we specifically wanted to recognize organizations that have worked tirelessly day in and day out for a half century to serve our community.” The gifts will go to:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington
• The Chesapeake Bay Foundation
• Children’s National Medical Center
• Ford’s Theatre
• Junior Achievement of the National Capital Area

“I am proud to continue my parents’ tradition of marking milestones with charitable gifts,” Merrill Williams said. “These contributions represent our ongoing commitment to the community and the pride we feel in representing such a great region.” In the past 50 years, Washingtonian has made charitable contributions totaling more than $5 million and has donated public-service space to thousands of local nonprofits. The magazine will mark its milestone birthday on October 28 by hosting a celebration at the National Museum of Women in the Arts for more than 850 leaders in Washington-area businesses, government, the arts, community service, and the media.

For information on sponsoring the event or advertising in the October issue, please contact Rebecca McFarland at 202-862-3506 or rmcfarland@washingtonian.com, or click here for sponsorship information.

About Washingtonian Media

Washingtonian Media includes the flagship 50-year-old magazine, Washingtonian, the capital region’s leading monthly, with more than 300,000 readers, and winner of five National Magazine Awards, and Washingtonian.com—the area’s premier lifestyle website, with popular blogs, an events calendar, restaurant and happy-hour finders, and more—as well as Washingtonian Bride & Groom, a semiannual wedding magazine that has won two City and Regional Magazine Association Gold Awards; Washingtonian Custom Media; and Washingtonian Events.