All Posts Tagged With: "Community"

In the 1990s, Baltimore was "The City That Reads." This optimistic statement, found mostly on bus stops and benches, was replaced about ten years later by "The Greatest City In America." Big talk, yet Baltimore’s greatness lies arguably in its quirkiness, a truly fine example of what is The Book Thing of Baltimore . Its mission is "to put unwanted books into the hands of those who want them." How do they do it? The books are free! Donations from libraries, publishers, reviewers, authors, illustrators, and everyday people have given The Book Thing a collection of some 200,000 books on average. Aside from volunteers, who are always welcome to show up unannounced during store hours, The Book Thing is managed by Russell Wattenberg, a 29-year-old Brooklyn native and former bartender who used to hear schoolteachers complain that students didn’t have enough books. When Wattenberg started buying them books with tip money, people started to take notice and donated their own books. At some point it became apparent that the operation, which started in his basement, needed to expand. The store hands out about 10,000 books a week to a wide range of customers, from university professors to homeless people. The Book Thing accepts all books, regardless of age or subject matter. Wattenberg believes that if there’s a book, there’s someone who wants it. The Book Thing is open 9 am to 6 pm Saturdays and Sundays. Donations can be made any day of the week via two drop off bins that sit outside.

Baltimore Medical System (BMS) is building a Healthy Living Center in Highlandtown on a City-owned parking lot. From the lifeless asphalt will soon rise a LEED Certified building, housing a LEED Platinum community health center. On Friday, June 13, we went to their groundbreaking ceremony, which was both heartwarming and well-attended.

Twenty-three years ago, BMS began providing quality primary health care to the citizens of Highlandtown, many of whom were elderly and wished to age gracefully in their own homes. Today, BMS provides care to 14,000 people, including traditional east Baltimore residents, as well as new refugee and immigrant patients from around the world.

This new center will continue to provide the full range of health services for all people, whether insured or uninsured. The new space will allow BMS to increase their patient base to 21,000 and to provide educational programming such as smoking cessation, prenatal classes, and healthy eating in a new community room. As it increases its staff, it will continue to be the largest employer in Highlandtown. Continued

Greater Homewood Community Corporation (GHCC) is a non-profit organization serving 40 different neighborhoods in and around the north central areas of Baltimore City. Founded in 1969 to strengthen and safe guard communities the corporation helps to improve education, youth development, adult literacy and economic development and community revitalization.

The vision of the Coalition is “to end childhood lead poisoning and create healthy homes so that every child may grow up to reach his or her full potential.” They work to create resources, programs, and policies for the purpose of eradicating childhood health hazards in the home and create environmentally safe environments for children. The Coalition, formerly Parents Against Lead, is a volunteer, grassroots non-profit group, nationally recognized for its advocacy work based out of Baltimore since 1986. Lend your support by getting involved, giving, or attending a meeting or event.

Evolve Well Studio is a healing arts studio. Offering “individuals from birth to wisdom years”, tools to constantly evolve into wellness. Through yoga classes, therapeutic classes, instructional workshops and personalized programs to find a way to integrate a path to wholeness your body/mind will thank you for.

Clean Commute is part of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council and works to improve more efficient means of travel while engaging in air and water quality programs, computer mapping applications, emergency preparedness, public safety, transportation planning and much more. Find out how to get involved and speak out about poor commuter options in and around the city. Tell them what is or isn’t working.

Holistic Life Foundation is a registered non-profit that was found in 2001 by graduates of the University of Maryland College Park. The Foundation offers youth development and after school programs that include yoga classes hosted at the Druid Hill YMCA, mentoring workshops with a one on one approach, environmental advocacy with hands on watershed restoration and community clean-ups.