Rose Street Community Center
Since February 2000, with support from the Abell Foundation, the Rose Street Community Center (Rose Street) has offered small weekly stipends (no more than $10 a day) to community residents in exchange for participation in daily community cleanups or gang mediation meetings. Last year, Rose Street served more than 120 people per week. Over 20 percent of those served each week (approximately 25 people) reside in Rose Street’s six transitional houses. Those residing in the houses participate daily in community cleanups. Once they have secured employment, Rose Street staff assists them in obtaining permanent housing. Almost half of those served each week (approximately 60 people) are high-risk youth ages 15 to 24. Rose Street holds morning meetings with the youth were the youth identify and de-escalate disputes. Rose Street also connects the youth to programs and services available in the community.
ShareBaby, Inc.
Part of a national network of “diaper banks,” ShareBaby provides diapers and other critical baby supplies to low income parents in Baltimore. ShareBaby partners with a wide range of other organizations, including homeless service and domestic violence programs, family support centers, home visiting programs, and programs serving refugees and asylees, to distribute these essential items to famiilies for whom the cost of diapers can be an insurmountable expense. This grant provides operating support for ShareBaby.
Sisters Circle
Sisters Circle, founded in 2000, is a long-term mentoring program for girls, with a primary focus on young women of color. Participants enter the program in cohorts of 30 during their 6th grade from Commodore John Rodgers, Henderson Hopkins, and City Springs elementary schools, and are paired with a cadre of caring mentors who commit to a minimum of 10 years. Sisters Circle supports these students as they transition to several high schools, colleges, and job training/certification programs, and provides opportunities to engage in programs that consist of academic readiness, summer internships, college prep, and career exploration.
Soccer Without Borders Baltimore
Soccer Without Borders operates year-round soccer and academic support programs for refugee, asylee and immigrant youth. Founded in 2009, they serve almost 500 students statewide through after-school, summer, and mentoring initiatives, and uses an English Language Development-integrated soccer curriculum that allows participants to improve their English proficiency. This grant supported the high school program for 100 youth in Baltimore City.
Southwest Partnership
Southwest Partnership is a partnership of seven neighborhoods and six anchor institutions formed to focus on community redevelopment while preserving the uniqueness of these communities. The former Lord Baltimore Theater, is an iconic building along the historic retail strip that SWP has targeted for redevelopment as a cultural arts/education center. This grant provided support for a consultant to develop financing structure for redevelopment of the Theater, and assist SWP with the establishment of a nonprofit organization to oversee the property.