Testimonials
Realizing What's Possible: Improving Schools in Baltimore City
Take a look at the case of Morrell Park Elementary/Middle School. In 2006,
less than half of its students were reading at grade level. Just two years later,
95% of 3rd graders tested at the proficient or advanced level on the Maryland State
Assessments. Scores at nearly every grade level have doubled, and in 2008, the school's
overall average reading increase of 27.5% was the highest of all of Baltimore's
K-8 schools, and nearly triple the average gains for the city as a whole.
What changed? In 2006, Morrell Park's principal asked the Fund for Educational Excellence (Fund) to introduce our Achievement First literacy reform program at his school. Now in its 10th year, Achievement First has a track record of success in meeting the unique needs of Baltimore's students, teachers and principals. Achievement First is not a "canned" program. Rather, it is a partnership between a school and the Fund to build the capacity of educators to improve student achievement. It includes job-embedded professional development for up to 4 days per week, as well as ongoing support for principals in instructional leadership. We work with schools to build a culture of collaboration and accountability where teachers work together to achieve their goal of learning for all students.
The results continue to be impressive. This past year, Dr. Carter G. Woodson Elementary/Middle School saw school-wide improvements of 16%, with a 20% or more increase in 4th, 5th and 7th grades scores. In the three years we've worked with the school, their performance on the state assessments has nearly doubled, with almost 80% of students now meeting standards. That means more students are now reading at or above grade level, and more students with a solid foundation for success in high school, college and life. At the Fund, we focus our efforts on building educational excellence for all of Baltimore's students. We realize what's possible, and with the help of our community of supporters, we are helping to make it happen everyday across our city.
Maryland SPCA of Baltimore City
This year we have had many cats and dogs walk through our doors, but one of the most memorable so far has been Chuckie. Chuckie is a dog that was found by a family one morning, curled up in a flower pot, outside their home. Chuckie could not walk, so the family carried him to their car and brought him to the Maryland SPCA.
Chuckie was wounded, starved and malnourished. He could not walk or even lift his head. In order for him to eat, our caring staff members would sit with him in his cage and hand feed him while he lay in his bed. Although Chuckie was not doing well at the start, he slowly improved, after a few days he was able to lift his head and after several weeks he was strong enough to walk.
Our loving and dedicated staff gave Chuckie the love and attention he needed to get well, as well as arranged for him to go to a rescue organization where he could continue to recover. It is because of our generous and dedicated donors that we were able to give Chuckie everything he needed to get well and how we are able continue to help dogs and cats in need of love, medical attention and a second chance at a happy life.
Mapping Out a Path to a Full Life
Believing in Possibilities and Realizing Dreams
James Wise was born on March 12, 1959. He was the 4th of six children. James has
shared that he had experienced some very difficult times as a young boy, including
getting a skin graft on his hand that was injured in a washing machine wringer.
At the age of 6, the Department of Social Services decided that his mother was not
able to care for her children and they were sent to separate foster homes. The foster
families reported that James was unmanageable and, at age 9, he was admitted to
Rosewood. At age 18, James had acquired a level of independence that could not be
denied, and so he was referred to the Brook Forest Residential Program. Over the
years, James saw his mother intermittently and occasionally had contact with one
or two of his sisters. When James was approximately 28 years old, he moved into
House #1 here in Aberdeen, and lived with eight other people who were supported
by The 
Arc and who, like James, worked at NMARC, a sheltered workshop. James's mother
died in 1992 and James remembers going to her funeral, but thinking of her still
makes him very sad. After James's mother passed away, James lost pretty much all
contact with his family members and is currently unable to find any of them. He
was able at one point to connect with a popular former professional basketball player
who shared his last name, but they were unable to determine if they were actually
related. They did determine that they would commit to being brothers anyway, and
they agreed, "It doesn't matter if we're blood relatives; we'll always be brothers
of the heart." Unfortunately, even the basketball player's life has taken him away
from James. James has learned how to make new friends through his super-sized heart,
boisterous personality, and contagious sense of humor. Read
the full story...
Domestic Violence Survivor Credits the YWCA Annapolis and Anne Arundel County's Domestic Violence Shelter - Arden House!
Anonymous "By the time you read, this I will be gone. Now, now. Don't get ahead of yourself. I've just moved on. I am a survivor of domestic violence."
This is the story of one such survivor. Dayea (an alias) was a young woman with
a loving family from Southeast Asia when she began corresponding with her future
husband. Her dream was to come to the United States and have a career which utilized
her abundant technology skills. It was not unusual in her country to use letters
and the internet communication as a vehicle to improve one's English, but her relationship
soon developed into a proposal of marriage and the promise of a bright future in
America. It wasn't long after her immigration to Maryland that the abuse began.
Being new to our area and far away from her own family, it was easy for her husband
to isolate her from prying eyes and she became adept at hiding the bruises and other
signs of abuse from her local acquaintances.
Dayea's abuse continued for almost 6 years and her desperation led her to several failed suicide attempts. Only over time and with great courage was Dayea able to finally seek the help and the respite that the YWCA's Domestic Viloence Shelter - Arden House was able to offer. Dayea is truly one of Arden House's great success stories. During her 111 day stay there, she was able to complete her application for permanent resident status, get a driver's license and find a job. The Arden House staff marveled at her resolve to escape her abusive situation and become independent. Now officially divorced, taking college courses and working in Baltimore, Dayea credits the safety and support she received at Arden House for her ability to escape her long nightmare.
A Good Shepherd Center Success Story
In 2007, Katie Robinson entered the Good Shepherd Center's program for
treatment of low self esteem, depression, and an eating and cutting disorder. She
comments, "A lot of people didn't really know I was suffering. I was a cheerleader
and popular among my peers, but I had issues in my life that had not been dealt
with and they were causing me great pain and I was on the path of taking my own
life."
She credits the Good Shepherd Center with turning her life around, adding, "The Good Shepherd Center molded me into who I am today. I got better through intensive therapy. They helped me mend the parts of me that were severely damaged so I could live a normal life."
After successfully completing the Good Shepherd Center's program and having completed her high school diploma one year early, Robinson won the Miss Teen Baltimore County International Pageant and went on to compete in the Miss Teen Maryland International Pageant because it allowed her to have a platform about an issue near to her heart. She chose the Good Shepherd Center and foster care, calling herself a "living platform." Katie won an award for the high quality of her interview, a skill which should take her far in the future. Katie wants to share with others how residential treatment helped her, as well as be a role model for young girls who are struggling to lead a successful teenage life. We applaud Katie's efforts to help teenage girls and congratulate her on being a positive role model for them!
(Excerpted from an article by Amy Steward originally published in Attraction Magazine)