Community Partners

Notre Dame of Maryland University, in collaboration with the Transform Mid-Atlantic AmeriCorps VISTA program, introduced the York Road Education and Service (YES) Program to the community in 2018.

The YES Program, in partnership with Govans Elementary and Tunbridge Public Charter School, supports Notre Dame of Maryland University’s vision for increased college awareness and preparedness among local Baltimore youth.

Historically, the program has focused on offering tutoring programs, but has recently expanded to include after school enrichment activities such as hosting a kindergarten art program at Govans Elementary School or planning for a Girls Mentorship Program at Tunbridge Public Charter Elementary and Middle School.   

For more information about volunteering through the YES Program, contact NDMU’s Office of Service Learning (service@ndm.edu).

The St. Joseph campus of the University of Maryland Hospital is a short distance away from the NDMU campus. The hospital specializes in heart care, cancer care, orthopedics, primary care, emergencies, and women’s health.   

NDMU presently sends volunteers to the campus that assist the hospital with support in the Emergency Department and Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit.  Volunteers also help with the My Life, My Story program which captures the life histories, versus medical histories of their patients to share with practitioners. 

Contact:  Cheryl Slaski, Volunteer Services Coordinator

cherylslaski@umm.edu

https://www.umms.org/sjmc

The IOSC is an independent non-profit organization (501c3) dedicated to empowering immigrants to successfully transition to life in the United States. 

Student volunteers assist with tutoring, English as a Second Language classes and may help with financial literacy training in the future. 

Contact: Cynthia Keenan, Volunteer and Communications Manager

cynthia@iosc.baltimore.org

https://www.ioscbaltimore.org/immigration-services/

This organization Provides expedited as well as accountable energy and efficiency program assistance to medically vulnerable households. Volunteers work with clients who are intending to continue or restore utility service. Volunteers are secured through a semester-long internship role.  

Contact:  Cindy Carter, Co- Founder

cancerhelpmd@gmail.com

Govans Elementary is a neighborhood charter school, one of five in Baltimore that falls under the Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) umbrella.

Govans has over 30 community partners, including NDMU. When transitioning from elementary to middle school, students at Govans have an over 80% success rate of acceptance into their middle school of choice.

• Govans has been designated as a Title I School, receiving financial assistance to support the academic achievement of students at or below the federal poverty line.

Potential ways to engage include:

• providing one-on-one reading or math tutoring
• assisting with afterschool enrichment programs including a kindergarten art program and a crochet/knitting program for 4^th and 5^th grade students.
• Helping with a health fair that is held each spring.
• Helping with afterschool soccer or theater clinics
• Assisting with other one-time events including Christmas give-a-ways, flea market events, bingo nights and more

Contact

Yetta Nowak at ynowak@ndm.edu to learn about volunteering opportunities.

Website

Tunbridge Public Charter School, an elementary and middle school located on York Road in the Govans neighborhood, was founded in 2010, and is operated by Afya Baltimore Inc. (ABI). They serve approximately 475 students between Pre-k and 8th grade.

Focused on educating the whole child, the Tunbridge mission is to teach Baltimore’s children to live healthy and balanced lives intellectually, socially/emotionally, and physically.

Potential ways to engage include:

• serving as a teacher’s aide in the classroom

• assisting with afterschool programs like dance, theatre, and creative writing
• assisting with a girls mentorship program
• assisting with a health fair conducted each spring

• helping organize special events such as the middle school students visit to NDMU for an academic fair in the spring

Contact

Reach out to ynowak@ndm.edu if you are interested in volunteering. 

Website

An elementary and middle school in the neighborhood to the South of Cold Spring Lane and West of Charles Street is home to approximately 765 elementary and middle school students, teaching classes from 1-8^th grade.  The school is a community school, offering many programs to families and children in the evenings including many monthly, topical family nights such as arts nights or STEM nights.  

NDMU has invited Walter P. Carter students to our campus for past academic fairs and plans to continue this program for the foreseeable future.   NDMU students are also welcome to volunteer in the evenings at school events if interested.   

Contact:

ynowak@ndm.edu if you are interested in volunteering. 

Website:  https://www.baltimorecityschools.org/o/walterp/page/about-school  Please note: The information on the website about possible school closures to Guilford Schools is approximately 4 years old.   

Art with a Heart’s mission is to enhance the lives of people in need through visual art. They provide hands-on, interactive, and educational visual arts classes in schools, community centers, group homes, shelters, permanent housing facilities, veteran’s facilities, hospitals, senior facilities, and more. 

Potential ways to engage include:

• Prepare materials for Art with a Heart’s ongoing classes 
• Work on a public art/community project 
• Help create and finish pieces of art for heARTwares (organization’s enterprise/retail store)

Weekly volunteer hours:

Monday - Wednesday: 10 am - 6 pm and Fridays: 10 am - 2 pm 

Contact
Omar Harris: Omar@artwithaheart.net
https://www.artwithaheart.net/getinvolved/volunteer/

Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and more than 70 countries around the world. Habitat’s vision is of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Habitat works toward this vision by building strength, stability and self-reliance in partnership with people and families in need of a decent affordable home.

Potential ways to engage include:

• Construction
• Working at a ReStore location that re-sells gently used home supplies
  • Customer Service
  • Merchandising 
  • Warehouse Assistance

Weekly Volunteer Hours:

Wednesdays - Saturdays: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm 

Contact
Volunteer@habitatchesapeake.org
www.hfhcvolunteer.org

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, including the conflict in Ukraine and the crisis in Afghanistan. They help to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. They advocate for a world where women and girls have an equal chance to succeed. 

Potential ways to engage include:

• Youth Mentorship Program
• Welcome Home Project
• Seasonal Internships

Volunteers should begin service by attending an Information Sessions which they can register for on the IRC website. 

Contact
Sara Perrotti: Sara.Perrotti@rescue.org
https://www.rescue.org/

Lori’s Hands builds mutually beneficial partnerships between community members with chronic illness and college students, fostering empathy, connection, and resilience. Students provide practical assistance to support community members’ independence at home, and community members share their health and life experiences to support students’ learning. 

Potential ways to engage include:

• General Volunteering: Make weekly visits to a community member aging in place and living with a chronic health condition
• Internships: Gain hands-on experience working in a community-based organization while also engaging with a diverse group of student volunteers, community members, and other organizations in Baltimore
• Community Service Events; Join the organization for fall service events organized on NDMU’s campus and connect with other Lori’s Hands volunteers and clients 
• Practicum/Course Placements: Perfect for students looking to fulfill academic requirements while contributing to the mission of the organization. If interested, please contact maddie@lorishands.org

Contact
contact@lorishands.org
410-844-0185
https://lorishands.org/

Asylee Women Enterprise (AWE) helps asylum seekers and survivors of torture and/or human trafficking to rebuild their lives and their spirits. AWE provides transitional housing, companionship, and community by offering a safe and nurturing home, as well as opportunities to connect with the larger community and to each other.

AWE provides transitional housing to asylum seekers and offers a range of services through the day program, including ESL, job readiness courses, wellness classes, case management, and a food pantry and clothing closet.

Potential ways to engage include:

• Community lunch preparation
• Evening programming support
• Food deliveries 
• Community mentoring

*While being bilingual is not required, it is highly desirable for volunteers at this placement.

Contact

• Jane@asyleewomen.org
• Website

An umbrella organization of Catholic Charities, My Sister’s Place Women’s Center is Baltimore City’s longest-serving day shelter and resource center serving women and children experiencing homelessness and poverty. They empower those they serve through robust services, including extensive workshops centered on the eight realms of wellness: emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical, environmental, financial, occupational, and social wellness.

Potential ways to engage include:

• volunteering to serve meals

• creating advocacy materials
• volunteering at special events in October, December, and February

Contact

• Yetta Nowak: ynowak@ndm.edu
• Website