The Prevention of Blindness Society is a local, evidence-based eye health nonprofit dedicated to improving and preserving sight and quality of life through services, education, and innovation in the greater Washington, D.C. area. The TowerCares grant will support the Prince George’s County Children’s Mobile Clinic, which provides vision screenings for children ages 3 to 18 living in low-income households. Children identified for additional medical care will receive eye exams, and those presenting with conditions that can be corrected using eyeglasses will receive two pairs at no charge. Children with more complex problems are referred to Children’s National Hospital, a program partner. The funds will be used to meet programming costs, including the purchase of eyeglasses.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Inc. provides new twin-size beds for children in need, ages 3-17, in Howard County, Md. The TowerCares grant will support the No Kids Sleeps on the Floor in Our Town Bed Build. Custom beds are built by skilled volunteers, who are trained and supervised to take a pile of wood and turn it into a bed using an assembly line approach at which each station the volunteer is trained to do his/her part. Each well-built bed comes furnished with a mattress, pillow, sheets and comforter, and can be bunked for families with multiple children.

Chesapeake Down Syndrome Parent Group (CDSPG) provides information, connection and support to individuals with Down Syndrome or other developmental disabilities, and the people who love them. The TowerCares grant will support the CDSPG Fort Meade Children Project, which helps provide private playdates at a MyGym facility for military children with developmental disabilities, ages 3-15, in Fort Meade, Md. Children practice socialization and expression skills, and receive guided activities that support gross motor skills.

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) offers compassionate care and resources to those grieving the loss of a military loved one, at no cost to the surviving families. The TowerCares grant will support monthly TAPS Care Groups in the Baltimore/Washington area, which allow the surviving families to have sustained connections, helping them know they are not alone on their grief journey. The groups are led by a peer mentor—also a military survivor— and a mental health professional.  Survivors are given time to talk and opportunities to listen in an atmosphere of validation and compassion.

Donations from the Heart serves disadvantaged low-income individuals and families, including military troops and Veterans from five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. The TowerCares grant will support the Veterans Complete Program, which helps restore the lives of Veterans and provide them with independence and self-sufficiency. The program targets the overall needs of Veterans, making sure that obtaining the basic necessities of everyday life, such as medical assistance and counseling, are not burdensome during their time of transition to forced military retirement due to PTSD or other health conditions.

Horizon Day Camp helps kids with cancer, and their siblings, to bring back the joys of childhood through day camps, year-round programs and in-hospital recreational activities. The seven-week day camp offers an array of nature activities, music, drama, theatre, arts and crafts and sports. Bus transportation is provided for those children that need it, and campers are referred by doctors at Maryland and Washington, D.C. hospitals. The grant funds will support two campers from Takoma Park, Md. with a financial need, so they can attend the camp free of charge.

The KidsPeace mission is to give hope, help and healing to children, adults and those who love them. The TowerCares grant will support the KidsPeace Empowering Youth to Succeed (KEYS) program, which helps prepare foster youth in Central Maryland and the Greater Baltimore Metropolitan Area ages 14-21 for a successful transition to adulthood. The program focuses on six main areas: money management, daily living, self-improvement, healthy living, educational planning and workforce development.

Platoon 22 seeks to end Veteran suicide through the successful reintegration of service members and their families by assembling critical resources, providing peer support and developing transitional programs. The TowerCares grant will support the Platoon Care program, a wellness retreat that focuses on physical, mental and financial wellness through seminars and hands-on activities. Funds will be used to provide the programming and Veteran travel for this event. As with other programs where Veterans convene together, Veterans will be able to connect with one another and build lasting relationships.

Semper Fi & America’s Fund provides immediate financial assistance and lifetime support to combat wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of all branches of the U. S. Armed Forces and their families. They deliver the resources needed during recovery and the transition back to their communities, working to ensure no one is left behind. The TowerCares grant will support the Service Member and Family Support Program, which provides direct assistance for wounded, ill and injured service members and Veterans, their families and caregivers during hospitalizations, recovery and home care. The grant funds will provide assistance for 10-12 service members in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard and Prince George’s Counties.

The TowerCares grant supports the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore’s Warrior and Family Center located in Bethesda, Md. The Center creates a unique community for active-duty military and is critical to the betterment of the physical and mental health of wounded, ill and injured service members and their families. Grant funds will be used for the Bethesda Center’s hospital services and healing programs.