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When Mark Bergel of Bethesda took the field at the Major League Baseball's All-Star Game in Anaheim, Calif., he wasn't thinking about home runs or batting averages.

"I thought of all the kids whose lives we lose to poverty. Who never have the chance to come out and do what these players have accomplished," said Bergel, founder and executive director of A Wider Circle, a Silver Spring nonprofit dedicated to helping children and adults lift themselves out of poverty.

On July 13, Bergel was recognized as one of People Magazine and Major League Baseball's "All-Stars Among Us." He was selected out of 130 nominees to represent the Washington Nationals at the All-Star Game by fans online.

While he was lined up with the other 29 finalists around home plate, Bergel knew his team members at A Wider Circle were together watching him on television.

"It's never about an individual. It's always about an organization," he said. "I knew they were all together. I felt kind of inspired."

Earlier the same day, A Wider Circle distributed 103 beds to people who had been previously sleeping on the floor. Bergel hopes this award will bring more recognition to the charity's work and help them to continue to help people fighting poverty.

"An award like this can be very inspiring for us," Bergel said.

Supports nonprofit for Bethesda brothers

The U Street Music Hall is hosting a concert to support the Stone and Holt Weeks Foundation — a nonprofit established in honor of two brothers killed in a car crash last July — on Aug. 1.

The Washington-based nonprofit was started by the parents of Stone and Holt Weeks and aims to encourage community volunteerism.

The brothers, who lived in Houston, were driving home when the crash happened on Interstate 81 in Virginia. Their parents, artist Jan Taylor Weeks and journalist Linton Weeks, live in North Bethesda. Stone was a graduate of St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, and Holt was a graduate of Walter Johnson High School.

The event has been scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 1 at 1115A U St. NW, Washington, D.C. For details about the foundation or the event, visit www.stoneandholtweeksfoundation.org.

Making music together

Godfrey Furchtgott of Chevy Chase and Jenny Shore of Bethesda will perform Bach, Chausson, Grieg and Liszt at 2 p.m. Sunday at The Mansion at Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike North Bethesda.

Godfrey, 16, plays violin and goes to the French International School. Jenny, 16, plays piano and is homeschooled.

They are first-place winners of the Levine School of Music Chamber Music Competition and the David Horowitz Memorial Chamber Music Competition. They have played at the French, Norwegian and Swiss embassies and other venues in the area, including The Lyceum in Virginia.

Admission to Sunday's recital is free and donations go to the Levine School's southeast D.C. campus, which provides low-income students with scholarships to study music.

For details about Sunday's program, call 202-250-9370 and RSVP to hfr@furchtgott-roth.com.

Eat for a cause

The Montgomery County Chapter of Habitat for Humanity is partnering with a number of restaurants to support a Community Nights Out Campaign, where proceeds from a specific business day are donated to the nonprofit's efforts.

Beginning July 26 and running to July 30, Habitat's Restaurant Week aims to raise awareness about affordable housing in Montgomery County while working to collect funds for those unable to support the cost of living.

Patrons must bring a ticket for each restaurant indicating they would like their purchase to support affordable housing. More information at www.habitat-mc.org.

Fire company selling bricks

for Sept. 11 memorial

To help cover costs for its proposed memorial for those killed on Sept. 11, 2001, the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department is selling engraved bricks.

The project, a walkable garden on the Northside of the station on Plyers Mill Road involves construction material from the World Trade Center and The Pentagon collected by the department, is to be funded entirely from cash and in-kind donations.

The bricks, selling for $100, will be engraved with the name of the donor or those the donor wishes to memorialize and laid along the walkway of the proposed memorial. Call 301-929-8000 or visit www.kvfd.org.

Farmers market grows

Five vendors have joined Kensington's farmer's market, bringing the total number of merchants at the two-year-old marketplace to 21.

Stonyman Gourmet of Washington, Va., Banner Bees of Frederick, Blue Fire Grill of Chino, Calif., Kramer's Peanuts of Reading, Pa., and Gunpowder Bison of Monkton will be featured at the market, open 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays.

Get wet at Willoughby Park

The Friendship Heights Village Center is planning on opening nearby Willoughby Park into a children's water park for a day, compete with water slide and lemonade for Thursday.

Children 10 years old and younger are encouraged to come to the park, at the corner of Friendship Boulevard and North Park Avenue, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for a free day of play on the water slide.

The event is free, but registration is requested. Call 301-656-2797.

Campus Congratulations

Daniel Garin of Bethesda was named to the Colby College dean's list.

Several residents were named to the dean's list of Emory College. From Bethesda: Karen Sidransky, Julie Hurvitz, Leila Virji, Svetoslava Milusheva, and Richard Norberg.

Christos Bazekis of North Potomac was named to the dean's list for the spring 2010 semester at the University of Indianapolis in Athens, Greece.

Alexandra L. Corbutt of Bethesda was named to the Washington College dean's list for the spring 2010 semester.

Andrea Holzman of Chevy Chase has been placed on the spring 2010 dean's list at Gettysburg College.

Share your good news! Send items to Alex Ruoff at aruoff@gazette.net, fax at 301-670-7183 or snail mail to 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. Send us photos, too!