Horizon Councils and High Schools Sponsor Grassroots Benefit 'Change Matters' Campaign Raises Funds for Homeless Children

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The Horizon Councils and seven Howard County high schools are joining forces to raise funds for Grassroots, which provides Howard County's only emergency shelter program and 24-hour crisis intervention services.

Grassroots, Howard County's only emergency
shelter program

Atholton, Centennial, Glenelg, Hammond, Marriotts Ridge, Mt. Hebron, and Reservoir High Schools will collect coins from students and school staff during the Change Matters campaign March 23-27. The Elkridge, Ellicott City, Southeast and Western Horizon Councils, geographic-based advisory groups to the Horizon Foundation, are providing support for the campaign. Proceeds will be directed at improving the life of children living in the homeless shelter.

Change Matters, a student community service and philanthropy initiative, was piloted this Fall at Howard High School, where it garnered over $5,000 in contributions from individuals and the Student Government Association. The student leaders set public awareness of Grassroots and homelessness in Howard County as a major focus of their efforts. In addition, Change Matters is intended to increase philanthropy by young people in the community, according to Cathy Smith, a coordinator of the Horizon Councils.

Change Matters Team Captains include students Keri Schlueter and Jessica Stout of Atholton, Shimljash Braha of Centennial, Gloria So of Glenelg, Dylan Goldberg of Hammond, Adejire Bademosi of Marriotts Ridge, Katie Coffey and Kevin McNerney of Mt. Heborn, and Christian Good-Hill of Reservoir High School.

Grassroots is staffed by professional crisis counselors who answer 24-hour hotlines, see walk-ins in need of immediate counseling assistance, operate the mobile crisis team which responds to community emergencies, and manage the county's emergency shelter for homeless men, women and families. In addition, Grassroots manages the Cold Weather Shelter Program, housed in the area's faith communities, for people who are unable to find emergency shelter when Grassroots is full.

Last year, Grassroots had 23,474 Hotline contacts and 468 personal contacts. The Mobile Crisis Team made 331 community responses, serving 856 people. The shelter programs housed 389 people, 165 of which were children, from infants to high school students. Grassroots is housed in newly expanded and renovated quarters on Freetown Road in Columbia, where it has operated for 18 years.

The Horizon Councils are made up of people who live and/or work in the community. They advise The Horizon Foundation about issues of significance to their particular geographic communities and makes recommendations about ways to address those issues. All of the Horizon Councils have student members as well as adult civic leaders.

The Horizon Foundation, Howard County's largest philanthropy, addresses community health issues through a strategic grants program and partnerships with private and public institutions. As a community health foundation, it takes a broad view of health and wellness and is committed to helping build a healthy and resilient community in Howard County.

For more information, contact:
Jean Moon & Associates

Cathy Smith, 410-461-3696
cathyvsmith@verizon.net

or Jean Moon, 410-730-0316
jeanmoon@comcast.net