GEDCO's Green House Project

by Ted L. Gross, Director of Senior Services, Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation (GEDCO)


Construction of one of GEDCO's senior apartments in 2003.

GEDCO (Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation) is in the midst of a $14 million capital campaign to build The GREEN HOUSE® Residences at Stadium Place. We’re growing a home and supporting elders to live life to its fullest!

GEDCO is seeking legislative and financial support for the GREEN HOUSE® Residences at Stadium Place. The Green House® Residences will provide a full range of personal care and clinical services for 49 frail elders from throughout Central Maryland in an innovative model of residential long-term care, with sixty percent (60%) of the beds reserved for Medicaid-eligible individuals. This model is being replicated across the country with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. GEDCO has been accepted to develop the first of its kind in Maryland.

The Green House Project is a total rethinking of the philosophy of care, architecture, and organizational structure normally associated with a nursing home. Elders are encouraged to live as independently as possible, and they set their own daily routines. Each Green House will contact twelve private bedrooms with private bathrooms, arranged around a large common area called “the hearth,” which includes a kitchen, living room, and dining room. Meals, prepared with fresh ingredients in each Green House kitchen, will be served at a dining table as in a typical home, encouraging socializing, creativity, and a sense of family.

GEDCO is working with elected officials from Baltimore City and throughout the State of Maryland to make this project a reality. The Governor has included a $4.5 million investment in the project in his preliminary Capital Budget for FY2010. We also need a matching investment from Baltimore City. Please contact your local and state representatives to express your support for this innovative project for older adults. For more information, or to donate to the fundraising campaign, please visit the GEDCO web site (http://www.gedco.org/) or contact Ann Murray, Director of Development, at 410-433-2442 x15.

Everyone an Artist?

Art on Purpose presents Everyone an Artist?, a series of exhibits beginning this week at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland and other sites.

Click on the poster to read more!

My VISTA Year at GHCC

by Sharena Hagins, Youth Coordinator VISTA, January 2008-January 2009

I began my AmeriCorps VISTA year as a youth coordinator at the end of January 2008. I remember my first day walking into GHCC being anxious, excited, and nervous all rolled into one. I had no idea what to expect and who I would meet. I was politely greeted by everyone I passed in the halls and immediately began to feel at ease. I was given a schedule of what I would be doing that week, my work plan and given a desk. I got settled very quickly and began tasks on my work plan right away.

There was so much for me to do, but I organized my work plan by priority. I was able to facilitate a variety of programs throughout the year such as the MICA/MACA art camp in Remington, Youth Works, and Remington Public Gardens. I was also heavily involved with youth advocacy issues including recreation center improvement and student bus ticket time extension. Everything I worked on this year was equally as important and I put much effort into each program. I feel once I am finished my service, the programs will continue and remain sustainable over the years.

I would recommend the AmeriCorps program to anyone who would like to gain experience in communities throughout the country. GHCC is a great place to serve your VISTA year, as Baltimore City is an incredible place to live and work. There are endless possibilities and so many new programs being developed each day! I am grateful to have had the experience of completing my VISTA year at GHCC because the programs I worked on were so unique. It was an experience I will never forget and will open up many opportunities for me in the future.

January 22: Public Meeting about Waverly School

Thursday, January 22

6:30-8:30 p.m.

Waverly Elementary School Cafeteria (3400 Ellerslie)

A public meeting to discuss Waverly's middle school addition and elementary school renovations

The state has approved funding for a middle school wing and elementary school renovations at Waverly Elementary/Middle!

Now's your chance to weigh in on what the new school should look like. Join us to share ideas about the planned addition and renovations with the architects who have been hired to design the building, school system officials, and City Councilmember Mary Pat Clarke. Bring your ideas about what kind of school we want for our community and what principles should guide the design and construction of the building.

Questions? Contact Karen DeCamp at Greater Homewood Community Corporation at (410) 261-3503 or kdecamp@greaterhomewood.org.

Apply Now for a Block Project Grant!

Participants in a 2006 block project in Ednor Gardens-Lakeside

It's never too early to think about sprucing up your block for springtime!

GHCC is accepting applications now for resident-led block improvement projects. Ten approved projects will receive up to $750 of funding. Click here to read more about the grants and download the application.

If you have questions or want to find out more, please contact Audrey Stevens, Community Resource Coordinator VISTA, at 410-261-4927 or astevens@greaterhomewood.org. Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. on March 31.

These grants are made possible by the support of the Baltimore Community Foundation.

MLK Day of Service at Waverly Elementary/Middle

Volunteers at Waverly Elementary/Middle's MLK Day of Service in 2008

Make it a day on, not a day off!

In joint celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and the historic inauguration of our 44th president, Waverly Elementary/Middle School (located at 3400 Ellerslie) will be hosting a day of service and school beautification. Please join us on January 19 from 9 am to 4pm for painting, art, decorating, food and fun. We will paint bathrooms, hallways, a new mural, and decorate Waverly’s new parent room. The work completed by our group of volunteers will make our school a cleaner, brighter, happier, and more welcoming learning environment. The completed parent room will make parents feel more welcome and appreciated while providing them with resources to better the school, their families and communities. Our entire school community will appreciate your help. Free lunch will be provided to all volunteers. All children must be accompanied and supervised by an adult. To volunteer, please contact Rebecca Nagle, Community Connections AmeriCorps VISTA, at 443-224-7367 or rnagle@greaterhomewood.org.

University of Baltimore Event Celebrates MLK's Birthday

by Christina Ralls, Community Artist, University of Baltimore



ONE MOSAIC: MANY VOICES
UB's Langsdale Library, 1420 Maryland Ave, Baltimore, MD 21201
Thursday, 1/15, 2009: Dr. King's 80th Birthday
4:30-6:00pm: Gallery Opening with Multimedia Showing
6:00-7:00pm: Performances and Panel Discussion
Memory Quilt will be available from 1/15 to 1/22

"ONE MOSAIC: MANY VOICES" commemorates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the stories of those touched by his assassination, the disorder it spurred and the efforts at rebirth that followed. It includes the exhibit opening for the Baltimore '68: Riots and Rebirth mosaic monument. Designed and constructed by a diverse group of Baltimoreans, the mosaic will be on display at Langsdale Library throughout the spring.Visitors may record personal experiences or reflections onto a memory quilt at the event. A documentary of the mosaic project and news footage of the riots will be shown, followed by a dance choreographed & performed by Connexions Leadership Academy students. Your participation in a panel discussion on Dr. King's legacy is welcomed.This event is sponsored by the University of Baltimore and the Community Art Corps. For further information contact 410-837-4290 or cralls1@gmail.com.

For more information on "Baltimore '68: Riots and Rebirth", visit http://www.ubalt.edu/baltimore68

Register Now for Adult Literacy and ESOL Classes

GHCC's Adult Literacy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program is accepting students now!

Registration is open for the winter session of adult basic education and English language classes. ESOL registration will be held on January 12-13 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. both days at 3501 N. Charles Street. You can register for adult basic education classes by calling the program at 410-261-3524. That's also the number to call for more information.

GHCC serves more than 400 adult learners every year. Come see why our program has been one of the best for the last 20 years!

Ednor Gardens Resident Receives Bank of America Local Hero Award

Brad Schlegel in his Smart Car at the Waverly Village National Night Out Kick-Off Parade in August 2008

Ednor Gardens resident Brad Schlegel, who was GHCC's 2007 Volunteer of the Year, recently received a Local Hero Award from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation! The awards recognize residents' work in and for their communities.

The Local Hero Award honors Schlegel for his work in two Greater Homewood neighborhoods. In Ednor Gardens-Lakeside, Schlegel is a block captain, participates in Citizens on Patrol walks, and facilitates a neighborhood email list. He is also active in the Barclay/Midway/Old Goucher (BMOG) Coalition, where he chairs the group's Public Relations and Communications committee and promotes revitalization in the southern end of Greater Homewood.

"Local hero is the perfect phrase to describe Brad," said Joan Stanne, who nominated Schlegel and also lives in Ednor Gardens, in the TE/GE Times. "I nominated him for this award because of his persistence when locating resources to address neighborhood concerns and his continuing work to promote neighborhood communication."

The award comes with a $5,000 donation to a nonprofit chosen by the honoree. Schlegel chose to donate the funds to GHCC, where they will support community funds specifically for Ednor Gardens-Lakeside and the BMOG Coalition.

Western High School Named a Maryland Blue Ribbon School

Congratulations to Western High School, which was one of two high schools in the state named a Maryland Blue Ribbon School!

The news was announced on December 18. Six schools received the designation, and Western was the only Baltimore City school on the list. The honor is given to schools with demonstrated academic excellence and/or a record of progress.

The six Blue Ribbon schools will participate on Maryland's behalf in the national Blue Ribbon competition later this year.

Western High School is just one of many quality public schools within the Greater Homewood area. Click here to read a statement by Western's principal Eleanor Matthews about the Blue Ribbon honor. U.S. News and World Report also listed Western among America's best high schools in the magazine's 2008 rankings, as were two other Greater Homewood schools: Baltimore City College and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. Click here to read more about the rankings.