Nearly 100 players came out to support GHCC's Adult Literacy & ESOL Program Saturday, March 27 at Calvert School. They faced off against their neighbors and friends with one of America's favorite word games, winning prizes from local vendors and accolades from the crowd.

If you'd like to relive all the fun you had that evening or see pictures of what you missed, check out our album on Facebook.  We want to extend our sincerest thanks to everyone who helped make this event such a success, especially our sponsors:

Lead: Conveyor Handling Company, Inc. • Tobey H. Roland 

Expert: The Johns Hopkins University • Zita Nunes 

Master: Dave Engelhardt • Jim Fragomeni • Marilyn Gould • Mahan Rykiel Associates, Inc. • Pfeifer & Fabian, PA • John Spurrier 

And our generous donors: Arbonne • Baltimore Coffee & Tea • Barston's Child Play • Borders Books & Music • Cafe Hon • Calvert School • Collections • Dadalaus Books • Hair Cuttery • Jos. A. Bank Clothiers • Lingerie/Lingerie • Loyola College in Maryland • Mud and Metal • Pendleton • Pepsi Bottling Group • Red Canoe • Royal Farms • Safeway • Ten Thousand Villages • The Bead • The Charles Theatre • The Village Gem • Video Americain • Wells Discount Liquors • Whole Foods Market Mt. Washington • Woodberry Kitchen

The event raises funds for adult education programming in Baltimore City. Each year the Adult Literacy & ESOL Program at Greater Homewood serves 500 adult learners in reading, writing, math and English language instruction.

School Daze Discussions Unite Community on Urban Education

How do you feel about urban public education in Baltimore right now?  How about in Charles Village?  50 people gathered at Margaret Brent Elementary/Middle School on Monday, March 22 for a powerful discussion on how neighborhood public schools can be transformed by committed parents, principals, and neighbors.

Mariale Hardiman, Interim School of Education Dean at The Johns Hopkins University and former Roland Park Public principal, told the story of how parents helped her transform that school from one the community shunned to a real estate selling point.  Charles Village activists Karen Cook, Dorris McElroy, and Jo Ann Robinson shared their commitment to public schools and how their passion made a difference.  Legendary former Barclay School principal Gertrude Williams emphasized that parents and residents can be powerful changemakers, stating “parents should have a choice about what school to send their child to, but the school on the corner?  That belongs to the neighborhood.”  All panelists encouraged communities to claim their neighborhood schools and work to enrich them. 

This panel was only the second in a series of five hosted by the Village Parents.  Join them on Monday, April 26, at Barclay Elementary/Middle School for: Let's Hear It for the Kids — The Inside Scoop on Baltimore City High Schools.

COACH Celebrating Second Year

The College Opportunity and Career Help (COACH) Program has been up and running back at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School (Mervo).  Currently, six JHU undergraduates counsel and mentor 41 juniors as they begin the college search process.  These students will participate in the program next fall as seniors with their same JHU Coaches, continuing this network of support on the road to college.

You can visit GHCC’s website if you’d like to know more about COACH, but no one tells the story better than an enthusiastic volunteer.  COACH mentor Lauren wrote a wonderful post in her blog about her experience — we highly recommend you read it for an inside view of this rewarding program.

Annual Women’s Breakfast an Inspiration to All

GHCC's C-SAFE (Collaborative Supervision and Focused Enforcement) program sponsored its second annual Women's Breakfast on Wednesday, March 17 at the Marian House in Better Waverly.  The breakfast served women in recovery and/or currently on Parole and Probation.  C-SAFE is a collaboration between Parole and Probation, the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, and GHCC to provide resources and services to ex-offenders returning to their communities

Marian House Program Director Jessica Statesman welcomed 25 guests as well as representatives from GHCC and C-SAFE into their beautiful dining room, opening the event with remarks on the Marian House’s work and the importance of community engagement.  Representatives from the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice and Parole and Probation promoted a broader sense of community support for the event.

Marian House residents prepared a breakfast of egg souffle, breakfast sausage, coffee, and orange juice for guests.  Special guest-speaker Alfreda Robinson-Dawkins, Founder and Executive Director of the National Women's Prison Project, gave an inspiring talk on life's transitions and the challenges of re-entering society after incarceration.  The women were presented with small gift bags during the event, and everyone in attendance was able to express their appreciation for the great forward strides these women have made in their lives.

Experience Corps Baltimore City Recognized With Award

The Maryland Gerontological Association (MGA), a statewide professional organization, has selected Experience Corps Baltimore City as recipient of the MGA’s annual award for an outstanding Maryland-based program serving older adults.  The award will be presented at MGA’s annual conference on June 9, 2010 at Charlestown Retirement Community.

Stay Connected

For more information about these and other events throughout the month, visit our website at www.greaterhomewood.org.

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Contact us:
3503 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21218
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