City Youth Matrix helps families with limited resources access a diverse spectrum of extracurricular activities that provide enrichment experiences for their children.
By eliminating financial, transportation, and cultural barriers, City Youth Matrix provides families the opportunities and networks that build a better future for their children.

Mission

Community Living provides supports and services to empower adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live their lives to the fullest. Learn more about how CLI works.

VISION AND VALUES

We expect trust, respect, and integrity in all our relationships and partnerships
We promote safety, dignity, and collaboration in all of our interactions
We passionately support each individual to realize his/her unique potential through inclusion and integration

The Frederick Food Security Network (FFSN) is a community gardening program from the Hood College Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies. We are establishing a network of community gardens in Frederick, MD, in order to improve food security for residents of local food deserts, reduce local water pollution by diverting rooftop runoff for use as irrigation and promote better eating habits and environmental stewardship in the Frederick community.

Free Range Humans Inc Activates Creativity,connecting humans to each other and totheir most vibrant potential selves,through the performing arts

Summer 2022

Free Range Kids & Teens summer performing arts learning opportunities are social, active, and fun, and our focus on Activating Creativity means your kid will come away with skills and confidence they’ll carry into everything they do.

Students in most classes will be invited to perform or showcase their work on August 15th as part of our End of Summer Celebration, an affirming and joyful way to launch them into the school year.

CLASSES BY WEEK

CLASSES BY TOPIC

Classes by Age

AGES 0-7

AGES 7-11

AGES 11-14

AGES 14-17

Due to the Covid-19 landscape, many of the families we serve are ALICE families and have found themselves in significant financial distress. We want to make sure that they have after-school programming options that will help develop strong and resilient girls.

Unity Campaign funding will specifically support program fees for 75 girls at schools & community sites in Frederick County. These funds will enable us to make the program a positive reality to girls in our high-risk areas of Frederick County.

GOTR plays a critical role in building girls’ social emotional competencies. Our curriculum emphasizes empowerment and self-care. Girls that participate in our program credit GOTR with helping them manage emotions, establish boundaries, develop confidence, resolve conflict, help others, and be intentional with decisions – life skills that are critical during the current environment and that girls are able continue to use long after our program’s conclusion.

The Girls on the Run (GOTR) program targets 3rd-8th grade girls participating at school & community sites, and includes parent engagement materials distributed to families of the participants. The 16-lesson GOTR curriculum combines training for a 5K (3.1 miles) with lessons that inspire girls to become independent thinkers, enhance their problem solving skills, and make healthy decisions.

Covid-19 modifications for our program include: Pivoting our team locations to local community sites. Should schools allow us in the after-school time frame, we will also host teams at Frederick County Public Schools as in the past.

-Our season will be eight weeks (rather than ten) for Spring 2021.
-We have made accommodations in our curriculum so that coaches can meet in person (social-distancing responsibly) or virtually in the event that is needed at any point in the season.
-We have also provided updated coach training to reflect the current Covid climate.
-Our girls will be given all the program materials individually packed so that no sharing will be needed.
-Coaches have been provided sanitizer, wipes, and masks for use during practices.
-We have modified the activities in our program so that girls will remain apart but still be able to meet in person with a smaller team of girls and coaches.

Each team of girls is led by a team of trained volunteer coaches. These dedicated volunteers are the key to the excellence of our program – not only do they provide positive relationships and create a caring and supportive climate for the girls, they also ensure that the curriculum – which is designed to intentionally teach life skills – is implemented as intended.

Depending on the Covid-19 landscape in June of next year, we will either host an in-person, socially responsibly distanced if required, 5K event in a local park, or team specific 5Ks.

Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in approximately 70 countries. Habitat’s vision is of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

Habitat works toward our vision by building strength, stability and self-reliance in partnership with families in need of decent and affordable housing. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage.

About Us:

We believe in the power of work to strengthen individuals and to transform lives. We envision persons with barriers to employment being able to choose rewarding employment, achieving financial security, and building careers and lives for themselves and their families, thus enriching our communities.

Financial stability leads to better opportunities and healthy outcomes for individuals and families. Housing Frederick collaborates, advocates and educates on topics related to affordable housing in Frederick County. Housing insecurity can be addressed by educating individuals to take control of planning their financial future and empowering them. Unity Campaign funding will assist Housing Frederick to provide workshops to ALICE residents and to those living below the poverty level. We will focus on the basics of budget management, credit repair, savings, developing emergency funds and eviction prevention strategies.

Our nonprofit peers say anecdotally that poor credit or lack of credit is the most frequent barrier to affordable housing. If you want to rent or are in a program for home buying, your credit is checked. Housing stability comes when the cost of housing is manageable at 30% of your income. Credit scores of 600 or below can prevent eligibility for renting or buying. Teaching financial stability serves our mission because with budget management and credit education, individuals can take charge of their future and provide for their families. We endeavor to provide the resource of education to empower people to develop assets such as savings accounts and the chance to purchase homes.

By participating in the Unity Campaign, Housing Frederick will shed another spotlight on the barriers to affordable housing. We hope to further educate and advocate for ALICE families and others below the poverty line. We do not charge nonprofits for our classes and funding from the Unity Campaign will help us expand our workshops and reach more people at no charge.

IHA strengthens communities by providing affordable housing opportunities and supportive services to improve the quality of life and economic stability for seniors, working families and individuals.

Financial education and housing counseling are crucial toward making a difference in the lives of residents who are at risk of losing their homes through foreclosure; vulnerable to identity theft and debt reduction scams; and/or unable to create and manage household budgets that foster credit repair and asset building, such as home ownership.

Credit Café provides is a free workshop for anyone in the community seeking to improve their credit. It is a one-stop shop that combines a one-hour group workshop with a 30-minute, one-on-one advising session. The group workshop provides general credit information, as well as tips and tricks to improve, maintain, or build one’s credit. The advising session offers the opportunity for participants to review their current credit report with a certified financial counselor and discuss ways in which they can apply their new knowledge to improve their score. Donations to the Unity Campaign will go directly to participants. Every $25 raised covers the cost of running a credit report, and $50 also covers a personalized credit advising session.

Credit Cafe started in 2015 as a one-time workshop and now operates at least once every month, whether virtually or in person. Anyone in the community with any financial goal in mind is welcome to attend Credit Café at no cost to them. IHA is also continuously seeking experienced financial advisors to volunteer their time and expertise. To register or volunteer for a Credit Café, contact Lacy Ames at 301-788-0239 or lames@interfaithhousing.org.

L’Arche Frederick celebrates the gifts of people with intellectual disabilities and builds relationships across differences. We believe communities thrive when they welcome and honor the contributions of people with intellectual disabilities. We’re committed to building a more just and compassionate society where all experience belonging.

For eight years, we have built an inclusive community alongside our neighbors with and without intellectual disabilities. Monthly social programs and prayer gatherings have formed the foundation of our community life. We commit to walking together through all the changes life presents, whether we live with the experiences of intellectual disabilities or not, and that sense of belonging extends to the broader community of Frederick. Thanks to our supportive neighbors and dedicated partnerships, L’Arche Frederick is ready to step into our next stage of growth – opening the first L’Arche home in Maryland!

Our unique model of care unites adults with intellectual disabilities and live-in assistants in homes where everyone chooses to live together. The Core Members (adults with disabilities) receive support from Assistants (direct support professionals) in all aspects of daily living based on their specific needs. Together, they contribute to a family-like environment that incorporates shared responsibilities, mutual relationships, and access to community services. Key elements of the home include:

Belonging: People who choose to live together and support one another, as a family
Quality Care: Skilled assistants with a focus on authentic relationships
Spirituality: Welcoming and respecting diverse spiritual beliefs in an interdenominational Christian community
Lifelong Homes: Offering a loving home for as long as the core member desires
As members of an international federation of 154 L’Arche communities in 38 countries, we know this model of intentional, inclusive community living works.

Transformative Impact

Your gift to the Unity Campaign will support the founding of our first home and have a transformational impact on the lives of adults with disabilities. The first core members will receive long-term housing, transportation, daily life supports, and a place of belonging, with access to meaningful friendships and social activities for life.

Unity funds will contribute to costs associated with furnishing the home, securing a house van, and making environmental modifications to the home to ensure accessibility for core members. Additionally, while L’Arche Frederick will be able to receive state funding for a portion of our residential services, we will not be eligible for funding for the first six months after we open our doors. In this way, your partnership is instrumental in crafting a loving, supportive foundation for our first home.