Helping Up Mission provides hope to people experiencing homelessness, poverty or addiction by meeting their physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs. The TowerCares grant will help fund the Veterans Spiritual Recovery Program, a one-year residential recovery program for Veterans who have experienced homelessness, addiction, poverty and co-occurring mental illnesses. The funds will help provide basic needs (food, shelter, and clothing) and comprehensive wraparound services (access to medical and mental health care, education, workforce development, legal services, spiritual care and life enrichment), resulting in long-term recovery.

To watch a video about Helping Up Mission click here.

For an inspirational story about Helping Up Mission, click here.

Photos courtesy of Helping Up Mission

Hope For All provides basic human necessities to families and individuals living in Anne Arundel County, Md. and parts of Baltimore City, Md., who lack sufficient economic resources. The TowerCares grant will support the Head to Toe program. This annual program ensures that students in need have new undergarments, basic tennis shoes and clothing to attend school and participate in athletics. Each child receives five pairs of socks and underwear, and one pair of tennis shoes. Clothing is provided from an inventory of gently used items. All items are given to school officials so they can discreetly provide them to the children.

Make-A-Wish^® Mid-Atlantic creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Wish granting has consistently been evaluated as powerful, meaningful and positive for children fighting critical illnesses. The TowerCares grant will support the Uniformed Services Family Wish Fund, which helps children with critical illnesses, whose parent are active duty, reserve or Veterans. Many of these children reside in the Baltimore/Washington area or are being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The funds will be used to grant requested wishes for children in military families.

Click here to watch a video about the Make-A-Wish Uniformed Services Family Wish Fund.

The National Center for Institutes and Alternatives (NCIA) is an innovative Vocational Training Center in East Baltimore, Md., designed to provide training for Veterans and returning citizens. Their mission is for each participant to become a fully independent and productive member of society. The TowerCares grant will support Quality Vocational Training for Veterans in Need, and provide job training for Veterans in the area of auto repair, commercial driver’s license, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) or unmanned aerial systems (drones). Participants also receive training in financial literacy/budgeting, GED education/testing, housing placement assistance and other life skills to improve their overall living, financial stability and long-term success.

Gigi’s Playhouse, located in Annapolis, Md., seeks to change the way the world views Down syndrome through national campaigns and educational programs, and by empowering individuals with Down syndrome, their families and community.  The TowerCares grant will fund Gigi’s Math Tutoring Program, which supports the learning styles of individuals with Down syndrome ages 3 and up, and helps them apply new learned math skills to real-world experiences. The tutoring program helps boost students’ self-esteem and confidence, and supports the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills, greater independence and autonomy and increased inclusion in general education classes.  The TowerCares grant will go towards the purchase of teaching materials and student take-home kits, the cost of learning lab space and ongoing supply replenishment costs.

Gigi’s Playhouse was recently featured on NBC News! Click here to watch the video.

Located in Upper Marlboro, Md., Melwood’s mission is to advocate for and empower people with disabilities by expanding opportunities to live, work, and thrive in the community. The TowerCares grant will support Melwood’s Youth Enrichment Service, an inclusive after school program for approximately 40 children with and without disabilities at Apple Grove Elementary School in Fort Washington, Md. Funds will be used toward staff expenses, program supplies, supplemental meals, and sports equipment.

The TowerCares grant supports BellXcel’s After School Middle School Program in Baltimore, Md. The program prepares middle school students from impoverished Baltimore City neighborhoods for college and career success. Students in low income families, ages 10-16, participate in the program free of charge. Program goals include maintaining daily attendance in school, increasing literacy/math scores, growing self-confidence and social skills, and encouraging parent involvement.

Project Sanctuary is a therapeutic program that addresses specific needs of at-risk heroes and their families. The program includes marriage guidance, financial sustainability training and PTSD field guide classes. Through a six-day retreat and two years of pre- and post-retreat assistance, families make long-term progress toward self-sufficiency, which helps strengthen the family unit, community, military and country. The TowerCares grant will support a retreat in Reisterstown, Md., for multiple families.

The TowerCares grant supports Project Opportunity, a free ten-week entrepreneurship program for Veterans and active duty/reserve personnel who wish to start a small business or expand a currently operating one. Classes are held in four locations throughout Maryland, including Howard and Prince George’s counties, and are taught by experts in the fields of marketing, law, accounting, banking and sales. Participants in the program learn how to write and implement a formal business plan. Eligible candidates are referred to the program by the State of Maryland, the Maryland Unemployment Office and the Veterans Administration (VA).

Among other programs, Partners in Care provides Veterans 50 years and older with mobility buses, house repair services and the Ride Partners program. Coordinators, staff and volunteers connect Veterans to a range of Partners in Care services. The TowerCares grant will help provide transportation for Veterans to medical services and recreational activities, and will help with respite care for Veterans’ caregivers and family members. Partners in Care provides a hands-on social support network for Veterans to deter isolation and depression.