Johns Hopkins Nurses Fundraiseand Participate in Habitat forHumanity’s Carter Work Week

www.johnshopkinscommunityworks.org FALL 2010

CommunityTies

munityTies

EBDI Family Fun DayOn Saturday, August 21st, 2010, EastBaltimore Development, Inc. (EBDI) hostedits informative and fun annual Family FunDay. Over 400 attendees celebrated the endof summer break with refreshments, enter-tainment, games, arts and craft projects, andhealth screenings. EBDI also distributed over150 donated backpacks and school suppliesto children in the EBDI footprint and for-mer residents who have relocated.

“This being the 7th year that EBDI hashosted its annual Family Fun Day event,we had an excellent turn-out with localresidents and relocated residents returning forthe festivities,” said Cristi Gaither of EBDI.“Aramark, one of our major contributors,was a huge success hosting the healthy cook-ing station, and the donation of fully stockedbook bags from Johns Hopkins, allowed us tosend a number of our students back to schoolprepared for an exciting new school year.”

Many Baltimore families live paycheckto paycheck, and the annual Family Fun Dayevent helps to ease the financial burden thatcan be created during back-to-school season.According to the National Retail Federation,in 2009 parents spent an average of $204.67on clothing, $93.59 on shoes and $82.62 onschool supplies for just one child.

O t h e rEast Baltimorebased groupshosting similarback-to-schoolevents spon-sored in partby the JohnsHopkins Officeof CommunityServices include

HEBCAC, and the Monument, McElderryand Fayette Revitalization Board.

W hen Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake reached out to potential volunteersto help fully rehab homes in the community directly east of the Johns HopkinsMedical Campus, a group of Neuroscience Critical Care Unit (NCCU) nurses

heard the call and leapt into action.The group of 15 nurses raised over $8,200 to participate alongside former President

Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn in the 2010 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.The project worked to complete gut-rehabs of properties in the transitional Monument-McElderry-Fayette community to act as stabilizers, and increased the success of renewal effortsin collaboration with the community.

“This is a significant investment in the revitalization efforts of our community,” com-mented Ernest K. Smith, President of the McElderry Park Community Association andCo-Chairman of the Revitalization Plan. “And to have President and Mrs. Carter come tovisit and work with us helps to put a spotlight on the efforts being undertaken to transformthe McElderry Park Community.”

(continued on page 2)

tunities. It is my hope that as the year moves along, more employeeswill venture out and the partnership will grow in ways that we neverimagined!”

For more information on this and other upcoming volunteer oppor-tunities please contact Pamela Bechtel at pbechte1@jhmi.edu or410-614-0744.

W hile the start of the 2010–2011 school year was still adistant thought in most students’ minds, volunteers fromJohns Hopkins various entities joined together to help

prepare schools for the return of students at the end of August.The Johns Hopkins Office of Community Services, part of

Government and Community Affairs, hosted four separate schoolrejuvenation projects at elementary schools in East Baltimoreincluding Tench Tilghman Elementary/Middle, Wolfe StreetAcademy, East Baltimore Community School and Dr. RaynorBrowne Academy.

Through the efforts of over 40 Hopkins volunteers and manycommunity members, the groups were able to paint 11 classrooms,two cafeterias, and one office, as well as code and set-up a newlibrary for the East Baltimore Community School and organize twosupply closets for ease of use in the new school year. Additionally,volunteers cleaned, repaired and prepared countless chairs, desksand bookcases for the new school year.

The out-pouring ofgratitude fromschools wasimmeasurable.The Office ofC o m m u n i t yS e r v i c e sreceived emails,h andwr i t t enletters fromstudents andsmall trinketsin thanks forvaluable volun-teer efforts ateach school.

“The strength of the school community relies on the peoplewho make up the school community,” said Mark Gaither, principalof Wolfe Street Academy. “The rejuvenation projects are a chance tostrengthen those relationships and create new ones.”

Many volunteers from Johns Hopkins University were able totake advantage of the new Johns Hopkins Takes Time for Schoolsinitiative. Launched in March by Johns Hopkins UniversityPresident Ron Daniels and Baltimore City Public Schools CEOAndrés Alonso, the program is a service partnership between theuniversity and city schools. Full-time university employees areallowed to use up to two work days of paid outreach time per yearfor their participation in events in Baltimore City Schools.

Jodi Duffie, Community Outreach Coordinator for TenchTilghman Elementary/Middle sees the school rejuvenation programas a launching board for further involvement with Johns HopkinsTakes Times for Schools. “Now that I have shared an experiencewith the partnership, I am motivated to add more volunteer oppor-

F www.hopkinsmedicine.org/communityservices

C T J

H M, JHHS O C S, P

G C A. S

S. B S, S , Baltimore, MD 21231, or

call 443-287-9900.

Hopkins Volunteers Make School Rejuvenation a Success

UHI Announces Henrietta Lacks Award forCommunity-University Collaboration

The Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute, part of theBloomberg School of Public Health, recently announceda new annual award to honor outstanding collaborationbetween community-university partners working togetherto improve the health and well-being of residents in the cityof Baltimore. The Henrietta Lacks Award for Community-University Collaboration, named in recognition of HenriettaLacks, highlights the importance of community-universitycollaborations, recognizes the accomplishments which can beachieved by such partnerships, and continues to support theefforts of the partnership.

The inaugural award of $15,000 will be awarded to thecommunity entity that is the central partner in that relation-ship. Specific eligibility requirements will be released later in2010. Collaborators will be able to self-nominate or be nomi-nated by others. Nominations will be reviewed by a selectioncommittee comprised of leadership from community and cityorganizations and Johns Hopkins.

Henrietta Lacks was an East Baltimore resident andcervical cancer patient in the early 1950s at Johns HopkinsHospital, where cells taken from her tumor became the first“immortal” human cells grown in culture and led to break-throughs in cell research related to cancer, AIDS, the effectsof radiation and more. Mrs. Lacks’ family was unaware thather cells, now known worldwide as ‘HeLa’ cells, had been usedfor research until more than twenty years after her death. TheHenrietta Lacks Award for Community-University Collaborationhonors Mrs. Lacks and her family and is intended to be anenduring reminder of her contribution to medical science andto her community.

More information about the Award will be available on theUrban Health Institute website www.jhsph.edu/urbanhealth.

CommunityTies CommunityTies

T hroughout the month of September,enthusiasm across the Johns Hopkinscampuses and satellite sites stacked up

for the Books for Baltimore! book drive. TheJohns Hopkins Office of Community Services,a part of Government and Com munity Affairs,collected over 2,300 new and gently-usedbooks to donate to Baltimore-area schools andsenior centers.

Susan Woodman, Patient & Staff LibraryCoordinator at the Johns Hopkins Hospital,was the first person to volunteer a location tohost a collection bin. “Reading is a gift to beshared,” Woodman stated. Within days, theblue collection bins were overflowing withbook donations and support for the program.Books flooded in to drop-off locations at550 North Broadway, Mt. Washington DavisBuilding, O’Conner Recreational Center onthe Homewood campus, Bond Street Wharfand the Peabody Friedheim Music Library.

Dr. Larry Cheskin personally donated over30 books to the drive. “Once I’ve read a book,it will just sit in my house taking up space.When I heard there was a way to put thesebooks to such good use, helping Baltimore, myyears of hoarding apparently useless items wasrewarded. I feel good about this small contribu-tion to the community,” Cheskin said.

According to the Maryland Superin ten-dent’s Panel on Excellence in Adult Education,Maryland as a whole “has more than 20 % ofworking age residents functioning with limitedliteracy or English proficiency skills that pre-vent their entry into post secondary educationand training. Low literacy levels and lack of

a high school diplomaare highly correlatedwith unemployment,living in poverty, incar-ceration, and children’slack of academic perfor-mance.” By introducingold favorites and newtitles to Baltimore’s pop-ulation, the Books forBaltimore! book drive,and similar initiatives,strive to break the cycleof struggling education-al performance transfer-ring from generation togeneration by encourag-ing recreational reading

and advancing literacy.When Shawtair Thompson, Supportive

Services Coordinator for the Moravia ParkDrive Senior Center learned that her residentswould receive a bounty of books that they des-perately wanted, she was elated.

“I think the donation gave a lot of resi-dents who used to read and used to love booksthe opportunity to love them again, especiallywhen they saw their favorite author or a classicthey remember from long ago, like CanterburyTales,” said Thompson. “We were not only sur-prised and appreciative of the number of booksthat were donated but also the range in typesof books donated, from African American lit-erature to self-help books, our library really hasa bit of everything thanks to Johns Hopkins’thoughtful donation.”

In addition to the Moravia Park DriveSenior Center, donations were also made toAshland Terrence Senior Center, Oliver SeniorCenter, John Booth Senior Center, EsperanzaCenter, Bluford Drew Jemison S.T.E.M.Academy, Paul Laurence Dunbar High Schooland Tench Tilghman Elementary and MiddleSchool.

Donated books ranged from textbooks tochildren’s books of all levels to current best sell-ers and classic tales. “The Books for Baltimore!drive was a wonderful success because of ourmany patrons who care to make a difference,”Woodman explained.

If stacked on top of one another, the col-lected books would reach to the top of theJohns Hopkins Dome and beyond, twice.

Elizabeth Esposito, who led the charge ofNCCU nurses, has been involved with Habitatfor Humanity since her high school days inTennessee and has continued to volunteer withHabitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake sincemoving to Maryland.

Said Esposito, “When I saw the informa-tion about the Jimmy Carter project I thoughtit was such a great honor that Baltimore waspicked as one of four places in the country tohost this event. What made it even more excit-ing was that the project helped fund 10 housesin the Monument-McElderry-Fayette commu-nity which is so close to the hospital.”

Each team of participants was responsibleto raise $5,000 for each group of 10 volunteers.After an initial donation of $2,500 from JohnsHopkins Human Resources, the nurses sprunginto action and hosted two large fundraisingevents, solicited smaller, individual donationsand sold T-shirts touting their cause. The first

fundraising event donated 10% of daily salesfrom the Green Turtle Sports Bar as part of itsFunds of Friends initiative. The extraordinarygroup of nurses even took orders and deliveredfood to those who were not capable of actuallymaking it to the Green Turtle in person due totheir schedules. The second fundraiser raised$900 through ticket sales to a happy hour host-ed at Mad River in the Federal Hill neighbor-hood of Baltimore. The money raised at MadRiver were then matched by a Hopkins surgeon.

When the workday finally came, the vol-unteer builders reinforced ceilings and framedwalls in House #3, while President Carter andhis wife worked in House #6. And as an addedbenefit, five of the volunteer nurses were invit-

ed to attend a luncheon honoring PresidentJimmy Carter at the Hilton Baltimore. Theluncheon offered a unique opportunity to hearthe former president speak about affordablehousing and neighborhood revitalization inBaltimore and around the country. PresidentCarter commented on the transformation ofBaltimore since his days at the Naval Academy.“Baltimore, San Diego and Pittsburgh weredisgraceful places during my days at the NavalAcademy,” he said. He went on to say, “todayI can see significant changes with major invest-ments happening in all of these places. This isgreat for the citizens of Baltimore.”

“Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeakeis thrilled to have been selected as a site forthe 2010 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter WorkProject,” said Mike Mitchell, HFHC’s ChiefExecutive Officer. “The Carter’s visit is an affir-mation of our commitment to build sustain-able communities, develop green homes thatminimize utility expenses, and contribute tothe revitalization of older communities along-side future homeowners, current residents, andthe civic and community leaders devoted tolasting change.” To date, the organization hasrehabilitated 38 houses in this East Baltimorecommunity.

The NCCU nurses’ dedication to theproject didn’t end at the close of the workdaythough; they have committed to continue towork on the home throughout the remainderof the build, attend the dedication ceremonywhen completed, and help to support the fam-ily who will move into the home throughoutthe holiday season and move-in period.

Books for Baltimore! Stacks Up Success Habitat … continued from page 1

Comiendo Juntos: 10 Years of Food, Fellowship and Fun

The sound of music and laughter floatsthrough the hall of St. Patrick’s Church onSouth Broadway in Upper Fell’s Point as volun-teers fill plates of homemade food for waitingseniors. The seniors chat animatedly as they eat,proudly sharing photos and catching up. It isanother gathering of Comiendo Juntos.

Now in its 10th year, Comiendo Juntos(Eating Together) is a community programfor seniors that started with the support ofBaltimore City’s Commission on Aging toaddress Baltimore's influx of aging Hispanicimmigrants. Twice a month, approximately20 Hispanic seniors gather at Assisi House atSt. Patrick’s Church for food, community, andpresentations from the community on relevanttopics and services. Johns Hopkins has longbeen involved; members of the Johns HopkinsSchool of Medicine, Johns Hopkins MedicineInternational and the Johns Hopkins HealthSystem Office of Community Services worktogether to secure volunteers, funding, andspeakers from Hopkins, many of whom are bi-lingual students, clinicians and physicians whopresent on health topics relevant to the seniorpopulation, such as diabetes, nutrition, cancer,

high blood pressure, stroke, heart health, andglaucoma.

The importance of providing a socialnetwork and community support for seniors iswell documented. In 1999, the British MedicalJournal published a study that revealed thatpeople over the age of 65 who engaged inregular social meetings (such as eating out withfriends or family, playing games or taking partin other group activities) live an average of 2.5years longer than those who do not engage inregular socialization. They also enjoy betterhealth and a more positive mental attitude.

“Community volunteer service toComiendo Juntos is an essential supportiveelement for the successful operation of thisproject,” emphasizes Assisi House ExecutiveDirector, Jeanne Velez. “We profoundly appreci-ate the dedicated volunteer service and programsupport given by the staff of the Johns HopkinsOffice of Community Services, and recognizeJohns Hopkins Medicine International for itstranslation services as well as its ability torecruit professional medical staff of the JHHBroadway campus to give helpful and informa-tive presentations to our seniors.”

New Developments for Johns Hopkins East BaltimoreCommunity Nursing Centers

hroughout the month of September

aawlclmotiuBasoargin

BooksBaltimore!forDonate your new andgently-used books to benefitBaltimore area schoolsand se ior ce ters

Since 1992, the School of Nursing hasestablished three Community NursingCenters in East Baltimore to reach out

and improve lives—making a difference toboth families and individuals in need. Recently,these nurse-managed health centers in EastBaltimore were renamed and restructured towork collaboratively as the JHU School ofNursing East Baltimore Community NursingCenters (EBCNC). The three sites include theWald Nursing Center at Rutland, the IsaiahWellness Center at Apostolic Towers, and theHealth suite at the House of Ruth. Nursing fac-ulty, graduate student nurses and undergradu-ate nursing students together, offer a variety ofcommunity health nursing care to each of thesesites with the goal to offer comprehensive com-munity health services to families in BaltimoreCity. Along with the nursing students, dedi-cated physicians and nurse practitioners donatetime to offer free medical services on select daysof the week.

One patient recently stated, after a check-up by Sarah Szanton, CRNP at the Isaiah

Wellness Center,“This is the bestmy blood pres-sure has beenin years.” TheEBCNC isoffering healtheducation pro-grams aimedat empoweringelderly clients toget the most outof every doctorvisit. Activitiesinclude: “Howto Have a GoodDoctor Visit”, weekly Diabetes Support Group,home visits to help teach people about theirmedications, a senior exercise class, a weeklymindfulness and meditation group, and healthand Medicare advocacy groups.

For more information regarding these cen-ters please Contact Chanel Newsome, AssociateDirector of Development, 410-614-0878.