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.
Roberta’s House, Inc.
Roberta’s House provides grief education, counseling and support through group programs for children, teens, families, and individual adults suffering from the death of a loved one. This grant supported the construction of a three-story 21,000 square foot bereavement center to replace 11 vacant properties on the 900 block of East North Avenue. The new center will include art activity rooms, a theater, a large family gathering area, a game room, an expression room, conference rooms, administrative offices, workstations and a resource library.
Maryland Dental Action Coalition, Inc.
The Maryland Dental Action Coalition (MDAC) is a statewide dental access advocacy group. In 2018, MDAC and other groups successfully advocated for the creation of a pilot project to provide comprehensive dental benefits to Maryland adutls who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare. MDAC is launching a collaborative of professionals from the dental, health and social services sectors to provide support and guidance to the Maryland Department of Health as it implements the Medicaid adult dental pilot project. This grant supports the collaborative.
Manna House, Inc.
Manna House has provided meals and supportive services to the homeless and poor of Baltimore City since 1966. This grant supported renovations to their existing facility at 435 East 25th Street and two adjacent newly purchased buildings in the Harwood and Barclay neighborhoods. The project includes expanding the dining area to allow for a seating capacity of 60 clients, a build-out of new case management offices and toilet/shower facilities, and repairs to the basement.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
The SPARC Center is a drop-in center designed to meet the needs of female sex workers and other vulnerable women in Baltimore City. Part of a federally-funded study that aims to reduce HIV rates by addressing drug- and sex-related risk behaviors, the center provides a range of health and social services to address the many challenges and barriers to service faced by female sex workers. This grant provides funding to hire a case manager so that the center can better meet clients’ mental health and social service needs.