Teaching at Greenmount Senior Center

Near the corner of North and Greenmount Avenues, across the street from the historic Greenmount Cemetery, you will find the Greenmount Senior Center (GSC), a recreation center dedicated to Korean residents of the Baltimore area. Though it’s not in Baltimore's best neighborhood, the center itself is clean, modern, and well-lit.

If you walk into one of the classrooms at the GSC at about 11:00 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, you will see a group of 8 or 9 Korean seniors hard at work, determined to learn English. This is my class. They may be working quietly in pairs, they may be amusing their classmates with anecdotes about their life in the USA, or they may be sitting quietly in the back of the room, just trying to absorb it all. There are quite a few there who are already US citizens, others are working hard at earning their citizenship. Some have adopted American names; others, I address by their Korean ones. Though their skill levels are mixed, they all share a dedication to improving their English and therefore improving their lives in the USA. Most of them rarely miss a class as they tackle the daunting task of mastering a new language later in life.

The Greater Homewood Adult Literacy & ESOL Program teaches at many locations outside the four classrooms at our Homewood office in the basement of the University Baptist Church. The Greenmount Senior center is just one of them. We have sponsored classes at GSC for about two years, and I have been teaching there for one. The senior population at GSC is quite a contrast to the diverse and generally much younger population we teach here at our Homewood site, and it took me a while to adapt to working with them. Now I can say I learn at least as much from them as they do from me, if not more.

Submitted by Christian Clausen

You're Invited!

We hope you will join us at our 40th birthday party! Buy your tickets electronically at our 40th birthday website or print an RSVP form by clicking this link and mail a check to GHCC 40TH BIRTHDAY at 3503 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218.

Wondering how you can get involved in the festivities? Can't come to the party but want to support GHCC anyway? Visit our 40th birthday page at www.greaterhomewood.org/40thBirthday.

Greater Homewood Faces & Places Recognized in City Paper’s Best of Baltimore Awards

Who knew that Greater Homewood had so much to brag about? Well, we did, and we're thrilled to share that The Baltimore City Paper agrees. In their 2009 Best of Baltimore awards, released yesterday, some of our local favorites were recognized and we're so excited!

Among the winners are the new-ish arrivals to Greater Homewood's southern neighborhood of Charles North, such as Load of Fun, Single Carrot Theatre, and Genevieve de Mahy, winners of Best New Theater, Best Theater Company, and Best Actress. Also recognized is Charles Village's Community Conferencing as Best Nonprofit, and 4th District Councilman Bill Henry (a Greater Homewood resident and former GHCC Board member) in the Best Nice Try category for his Vacant Property Security idea.

As usual, cleaning up the Goods and Services section is Hampden's Avenue, with winners DoubleDutch Boutique (Best Women's Clothing Store), Atomic Books (Best Independent Book Store), True Vine, (Best Place to Buy Vinyl), and Red Tree (Best Place to Buy New Furniture).

We are especially proud of the accomplishments of the little-known but much-deserving Waverly Main Street, which runs along Greenmount Avenue and joins with the communities of Waverly, Better Waverly, Oakenshawe, Abell, and Harwood. Its winners? The 32nd Street Waverly Farmer's Market (Best Farmer's Market), Normal's (Best Used Bookstore), and, our personal favorite and the result of much hard work from our staff - the Waverly Giant (Best Mural).

And those weren't the only winners from Waverly Main Street. Also recognized is Greenmount Avenue's No. 8 Bus, which specializes in socks and t-shirts, as Best Retail on Wheels. We always tell folks what great shopping we have here in Greater Homewood, and as the City Paper explains, "If you can handle the crowd, you can't beat the convenience."

We agree.

Submitted by Olga Maltseva

Image courtesy of The Baltimore City Paper

Supplies for Schools and Families

Written by K. Breathett.

Every year, GHCC receives a large donation from a benefactor in Pasadena, Maryland. Throughout the year she collects items for us to give to our schools and community partners, and this time we received many books and office supplies. Last Thursday, several VISTAs gathered at 7:30 in the morning and set off for the her house. When we got to the house we saw on her front porch with boxes full of books. We then loaded the boxes into our U-Haul and took the supplies back to GHCC. The books are a generous thought for the schools because the principals are very excited to receive books to help stock their libraries. We greatly appreciate all the work that this donor does to help our community!

Note: this donor wishes to remain anonymous.

GHCC's VISTAs arrived early in the morning last Thursday to haul away boxes of donated books and school supplies to be used in Greater Homewood schools and communities.

Ellerslie Apartments First Annual Outdoor Bazaar

Last Saturday, Senior Corps RSVP at the Ellerslie Apartments held their first annual Outdoor Bazaar. Residents rented tables for $15 to sell new and gently used items at the flea market-style event. Here, GHCC's Senior Resource Coordinator and AmeriCorps*VISTA Delores Somerville reflects on the day's successes:

What a delightful day for a Bazaar! The weather was perfect!

Just being behind the scenes before the bazaar opened was quite an experience. The tables were filled with an array of colors: toys, clothing, games, kitchen equipment, and so much more. I was amazed at the participation of the wheelchair-bound residents -- WOW! They pitched in by carrying supplies on their laps and on the backs of their chairs.

Mr. Samuel, president of the Tenant Council, was busy preparing the burgers and sausage and icing the sodas. He is a recent amputee, but is not letting it get him down. Mr. Samuel kept himself busy working the grills and tables to get ready for the bazaar attendees.



Mrs. Samuel, chairperson of the Senior Corps RSVP for the Ellerslie Apartments,
spent weeks making contacts and meeting with partners. She had a vision for this event as an annual affair on the Ellerslie calendar and worked tirelessly to make it a reality. She has so much energy despite the fact that she is a wheelchair-bound dialysis patient. Mr. Campbell and Ms. Jones from the RSVP office came out on the day of the event as well.



Baltimore City Police Officer Barnett and his partner attended for added security to ensure everything ran smoothly. They mingled with the residents and everyone had a great time.



I rented a table myself and furnished the photographer for the day. Terry does a good job, she kindly provided the photos for this post.

All proceeds from the Bazaar will go towards the purchase of a large screen TV for the Ellerslie Apartments' community room. This event was a joint effort where all groups at the Ellerslie worked together for the benefit of all residents. Many residents and neighborhood families attended the event, mingled with their neighbors, and made it a wonderful day.

GHCC in the news.

It's time to wrap up a very busy week here at GHCC and prepare for the holiday weekend. We enjoyed some great press coverage this week and would like to share!

First, Director of Neighborhood Programs Karen DeCamp appeared as a guest on WYPR's Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast. Karen joined Baltimore City Public Schools' Michael Sarbanes to discuss a program aimed at boosting parent involvement in city schools. Karen's interview can be heard in two pieces -- to listen, click here and here.

Also, the September 3 edition of the Baltimore Messenger includes a full-page article about Olga Maltseva, Assistant Director of Community Economic Development, and her work planning community events. That article can be found here.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!