Full Circle Blog

The new year is the perfect time to take stock and consider what needs to be changed or adapted in AAWGT. Continuous improvement has been part of ourDNA since its founding as we’ve continuously evolved to find the best ways to serve women and families in our county. We are hosting a special event on January 11, “What’s New with AAWGT.” The event will highlight what we achieved in 2022 and let you know what we’re planning for 2023. The registration link can be found here.

One thing that’s new and improved for 2023 is our newsletter. It’s been simplified and will be sent out monthly. We hope you will enjoy reading it and touching base with us throughout the year. Read the newsletter here.

AAWGT held an amazing and informative education program, “Adult Literacy in Anne Arundel County,” on November 9. The full recap of the event is available here.

Our speakers were Jane Seiss, executive director of the of the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council; LaToya Saunders, Literacy Council alumna and high school diploma graduate; and Susann Felton, math and high school tutor and trainer.

The Literacy Council offers free, weekly, one-on-one tutoring to help adults build literacy skills. They have 198 active students, with 58 pursuing basic literacy, 66 English as a second language and 74 high school equivalency. Ms. Seiss explained, “We target as students the thousands of adults and out-of-school youth who cannot read at a functional level. Boosting their literacy can help them increase their self-esteem, raise children to have strong reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, and take advantage of job opportunities,” noted Ms. Felton.

Ms. Saunders gave powerful testimony about how the Literacy Council helped her receive her high school diploma.

AAWGT supported the Literacy Council in 2007 with a grant to fund one-on-one literacy training, and in 2010 to fund a tutor training workshop.

We were proud to present this education program to our members and to the public. If you’d like more information on the Literacy Council, see their website at icanread.org or call 410-269-4419.

AAWGT members and guests learned about 19 local nonprofits working with women, children and families at our annual Grants Showcase on September 13, 2022. Eleven of those local nonprofits are 2022 grant recipients. Eight of them received grants from AAWGT in 2021, and made presentations at the event.

The theme of the evening was acknowledging the power of one, multiplied by many. By that, we mean that our members’ contributions to our Grants Fund and Endowment Fund, when added together, have an amazing impact on vulnerable members of our community. In fact, since its founding in 2006, AAWGT has awarded 121 grants to 47 nonprofits totaling close to $1.6M.

“We look forward to the Grants Showcase throughout the year, not only because it gives us a chance to meet with all of you, our members and guests, but because we have an opportunity to hear first-hand from the 2021 AAWGT grantees about their inspiring accomplishments toward helping women and families in Anne Arundel County,” said Sarah Sweeny, chair of the Post Grants Evaluation Committee, which hosts the annual event.

Sarah went on to summarize the impact that our giving circle had on those served by our grantees:

• Annapolis Immigration Justice Network: provided legal and case management to 192 immigrants.
• Anne Arundel County Court Appointed Special Advocates: advocated for abused and neglected children, helping to change the lives of 30 children.
• Anne Arundel County Food Bank: expanded and stocked baby pantries serving 5,760 people.
• Charting Careers: supported young people through mentoring, and college and career readiness, improving the lives of 100 young people.
• Co-op Arundel: taught financial literacy, life and self-introspection skills to 30 women through the My Sistah’s Keeper program.
• HOPE For All: provided furniture, new beds, linens and kitchen items to 863 households.
• Marshall Hope Corporation: expanded newborn and toddler pantries serving over 3,000 people last year.
• Rebuilding Together: provided urgent home repairs and furniture for 30 women homeowners.

We are appreciative of the many hours our Post Grants Committee liaisons devote to keeping us up-to-date on the grantees’ work during the year.

Members and guests went home that night inspired by all that our grantees accomplish. You can learn more at www.givingtogether.org/impact.

Our final post about the upcoming Grants Showcase and the 2021 grantees that will present on September 13, is Rebuilding Together. They received a $20,000 grant for their Urgent Home and Critical Repairs program.  This program works to keep low-income homeowners, largely women, in their homes by providing home repairs, thereby preventing homelessness and foreclosures. The grant will help renovate 14 homes. Learn more about Rebuilding Together here: https://www.rebuildingtogetheraac.org/

Learn about our annual Grants Showcase here.

Hope for All’s Turning Houses into Homes program received a $20,000 grant from AAWGT in 2021. The grant went toward overhead expenses, including rent, utilities and staff salaries, allowing them to focus on their every-day work stabilizing the daily lives of people in Anne Arundel County. The program provides furniture, new beds, linens and kitchen items to families who are moving out of homelessness, or in need of these essential items. Last year, more than 1,000 people, comprising 863 households, welcome Hope For All’s delivery truck. 854 of those served were women and children.

Learn more about Hope for All here: https://hopeforall.us/

All our 2021 grantees will be giving short presentations about their work at our annual Grants Showcase. Learn more about the showcase here.

Charting Careers received a $20,000 grant from AAWGT to provide long-term mentoring plus educational and family partnership support for over 50 young people and their families. Their goal is to break the cycle of poverty and inequity for Black and Latino youth in Annapolis with a mentor-focused approach that beings with tutoring in reading and continues in later years with college and career guidance. Learn more about Charting Careers here: https://chartingcareers.org/

And, learn about all of our 2021 grantees and meet our 2022 grantees at this year’s Grants Showcase. This event is open to the public. Register here.

Anne Arundel County Food Bank (AACFB) received a grant of $8,469 from AAWGT to help support the expansion of their baby pantry program, specifically through the purchase of diapers. Over the past year, their baby pantries expanded from five to 13 locations throughout the county, assisting over 1,500 families each month. The baby pantry program provides critical assistance for under-resourced families working to meet basic needs. By distributing diapers, wipes, formula and baby food each month, these specialized pantries are helping to keep babies and toddlers clean and healthy across our community.

Learn more about AACFB here: https://aafoodbank.org/

AACFB is just one of the grantees that will present at our annual Grants Showcase. Learn more about the showcase and register here. The event is open to the public.

Anne Arundel County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) received a $20,000 grant for abused and neglected children in foster care to support their transition from the court system to a safe and stable home. Learn more here: https://aacasa.org/

CASA believes every child who has been abused, neglected or abandoned deserves to have a dedicated advocate speaking up for their best interests in court and in our community. They educate and empower diverse community volunteers who work to ensure each child’s needs remain a priority in an overburdened child welfare system. Their goal is to advocate until each child is living in a safe, permanent home.

Funding from AAWGT helped CASA serve 117 children, representing 75% of the foster care population in our county. Additionally, 43 children received the appointment of a CASA volunteer. Of the 39 children whose cases were closed, 97% were living in a safe, permanent, loving home.

CASA is just one of the 2021 grantees who will present at our annual Grants Showcase. Register for the showcase here.

Annapolis Immigration Justice Network received a $20,000 grant to provide legal and case manager representation and related services to immigrant children as they face the challenging path to remain in this country. They connect unaccompanied and separated children and families fleeing violence and other indigent county residents to immigration legal counsel and related support services. www.aijnetwork.org

Annapolis Immigration Justice Network is just one of the 2021 grantees who will present at our annual Grants Showcase. Register for the showcase here.

Learn about all our grantees here.

Today’s featured grantee is Marshall Hope Corporation. In 2021, they received the $10,000 Fundamental Needs Grant for the West Annapolis Pop-Up Food Pantry and the creation of a newborn and toddler pantry with diapers, wipes, bottles, formula and other necessities. Spanish-speaking volunteers provide other needed information to those who visit the pantry. Marshall Hope’s mission is to spread hope in the Annapolis community by providing essential resources and services to vulnerable and under-served families.

The newly created Marshall Learning Center provides engaging lessons which support children’s education and well-being. It incorporates activities for the students’ parents and caretakers to build stronger families with sound support systems. Learn more about Marshall Hope here.

Marshall Hope will present at our annual Grants Showcase on September 13. Learn more about all our grantees here, and register for the Showcase here. At the Showcase, all 8 grantees from 2021 will give short presentations about their vital work in our community.