Maryland Center for Arts and Technology, Inc. (MCAT)
$75,000 / 2007 / Workforce Development
For continued support and expansion of job training programs for unemployed and underemployed youth and adults in Baltimore City. The center has developed customized health care and customer service training programs that consist of classroom training, employer-specific training, and paid internships. MCAT plans to recruit and train at least 160 individuals for positions in health care and other industries, and to maintain high placement and retention rates for all graduates.
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
$50,000 / 2007 / Workforce Development
For continued support of the Baltimore CASH Campaign, an initiative to increase the use of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and free tax preparation services. Its goal is to complete at least 7,000 tax refunds for low-income taxpayers who are eligible to receive the EITC refunds. The campaign will focus on promoting asset development strategies, including the directing of refunds to individual bank accounts and savings for homeownership and post-secondary education tuition.
Normandy House, Inc.
$50,000 / 2007 / Workforce Development
For renovations of a resource center serving residents of the Coldstream/Homestead/Montebello communities. The center will provide 50 children and their families with a variety of programs designed to engage children in safe activities outside the school day, in order to help keep children off the streets. During the day, a computer lab will be open to neighborhood residents. Volunteers, serving as mentors, teachers, and tutors, will operate the center and offer tutoring assistance, computer classes, piano and other music lessons, sign-language instruction, and a book club.
Paul’s Place, Inc.
$50,000 / 2007 / Workforce Development
For support of the Hot Lunch and Ambassador programs for residents of Washington Village/Pigtown. Paul’s Place serves an average of 265 meals per day and more than 65 percent of the hot lunch guests use other supportive services or obtain referrals to other organizations. Approximately 30 guests participate in the Ambassador Community Volunteer Program, a pre-job readiness training program. For every hour worked, a participant earns points toward an incentive payment that can be applied to groceries, rent, or utility bills.
Rose Street Community Center
$300,000 / 2007 / Workforce Development
For continued support of rehabilitation services for ex-offenders, adults recovering from substance abuse, and at-risk youth. The center provides transitional housing and case management to as many as 30 men per week, linking them to employment opportunities, providing stipends for living expenses, and referring them to drug treatment and job training programs. An average of 35 at-risk youth and young adults participate in daily peer mediation activities designed to reduce gang-related shootings and homicides.