FAMILIES COUNT - Maryland
Read about the 2005 honorees!
FAMILIES COUNT - Maryland celebrates extraordinary organizations that improve the odds for Maryland's most vulnerable children. From western Maryland to central Baltimore, in communities on the Eastern Shore and near our nation's capital, these organizations partner with families struggling to create a better future for their children. The seven organizations honored through the program provide the opportunities, services and supports families need to succeed at home and in the workplace.
Thousands of low-income families in Maryland continue to find it extremely difficult to get by and get ahead, even as they work harder and longer than ever before. Their communities too often lack the most basic elements that allow parents to fulfill their family aspirations: good schools, safe streets, affordable housing, accessible health care and decent recreational facilities. The absence of family-supporting job opportunities and reliable transportation to work in other neighborhoods makes it still harder for these families to move out of poverty.
These families are not without hope because they are not without champions. Their champions are the people and organizations working side by side with them every day. FAMILIES COUNT - Maryland brings attention to the effectiveness these organizations achieve when they put families at the center. It also rewards their work and ensures their durability by making an unrestricted award of $500,000, paid over five or more years.
FAMILIES COUNT - Maryland helps us mark the Annie E. Casey Foundation's tenth year in Maryland. We can think of no better way to celebrate this occasion than to recognize the outstanding work already being done every day by these and countless other organizations throughout the state to improve the odds for our most vulnerable children. The continuing challenge for all of us is less about know-how than it is about will - the willingness to care enough and do enough so that all families can realize their dreams for their children.
The 2005 honorees are:
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CASA of Maryland, Takoma Park. Through CASA, immigrant and refugee families throughout the region have gained a strong voice and learned advocacy skills. CASA also provides families with the services they need to move forward, such as legal assistance, language classes, job training and job placements.
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Center for Fathers, Families and Workforce Development, Baltimore. The Center reaches out to fathers and helps them grow into their roles as parents and partners. Couples, whether living together or apart, find peer support and help in co-parenting in the Center's 50/50 program. Both parents can also take part in programs that help them successfully enter and advance in the workforce to better support their families.
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The Family Center of the Cumberland YMCA, Cumberland. Focusing on young families, the Center strengthens parents' confidence, parenting skills and earning potential, while early childhood development programs help their children thrive. Through the Center, families can also take part in all of the YMCA's recreational activities and programs.
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Garrett County Community Action Committee, Oakland. In the isolated communities of Appalachia, GCCAC brings community leaders together and fuels economic development to create new opportunities for families. Through GCCAC's programs, families can build savings, buy their first homes, find help in parenting and learn job skills.
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The Kent Family Center, Chestertown. In rural Kent County, the Family Center creates a second home for families, helps them identify and achieve goals and builds community. A host of parent-led activities, such as a large community garden, complement programs that range from child care and after-school programs to classes in parenting and financial management.
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New Song Urban Ministries, Baltimore. New Song works side-by-side with residents of Sandtown in West Baltimore to rebuild hope and restore opportunity through housing, education and job development. Sandtown's children thrive in a pre-school, K-8 school and performing arts programs. Other programs support home ownership and workplace success for parents.
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Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee, Hughesville. In Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties, Tri-County helps low-income families use sweat equity and low-interest mortgages to own homes – a step toward long-term stability they might never otherwise afford. Classes and training opportunities also enable families to increase their earning potential.
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