Living in Alexandria, we are fortunate to have many neighbors who work in public service, including for the federal government. Whether they are neighbors, friends, or even family, they play important roles in our community, and we can all agree that they are facing challenging times.
It’s hard to know how to support them or to show them we care. Well, former Cameron Station neighbor Susan Birchler (original owner of the West End Farmers Market), along with her sister Mary and several friends, came up with a kind and creative idea to let federal employees know we appreciate their work.
Susan decided to have buttons made that say “Fed Workers Rock” and distribute them at various Metro stations during rush hour. Her goal is to hand out 3,000 buttons. In mid-February, she emailed friends and neighbors about her plan and was overwhelmed by the immediate support. In addition to monetary donations to help cover the costs, a number of folks agreed to help with the distribution at the Metro stations.
Following is Susan’s recounting of the first day of distribution, February 24, 2025, at the King Street Metro:
“At 7:30am this morning, we set up at the King Street Metro for a trial run of Button Giveaways. We were testing the waters. We wanted to see what kind of reception we might get from commuters, and whether the Metro workers would ask us to leave, which they did not.
We set up our cheerful poster and began handing out buttons. We gave away 170 buttons in less than an hour! Some people stopped to ask about why we were giving out buttons and to talk. Several people cried. It broke my heart. Several people asked what organization we were with and seemed surprised when I said it’s just us. I’d say 7 out of 10 people took the buttons and seemed happy to do so. Several people said no, walked away, and then came back after taking a moment to think on it.
It was a wonderful, if chilly morning, and we want to thank everyone for their support and donations!
Any Federal Workers who would like to share the important work they do with the world, this website was created to post your stories: https://www.wethebuilders.org
For those of you who volunteered to distribute buttons, the next shipment is expected in a few days, and I will contact you. If anyone is interested in giving away buttons either at a Metro stop or at work, please contact me at sabirchler@gmail.com. Please also email me if you can make a donation…they are still being gratefully accepted.”
(The photos included with this article are of this first giveaway. It may look like the distributors are standing by themselves, but Susan left out photos with unknown people accepting a button, as she agreed not to take photos of people without their permission.)
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