In 2009, there were 973,354* public charities in the United States. With so many choices, and limited discretionary funds, it is often difficult to determine where to give. Keep in mind, being charitable doesn’t always been opening your wallet. You can be charitable by donating your time, resources or generosity to make a difference in the lives of others.
Here are just a few Charm City Charities making a difference in our community.
*Excludes out-of-scope and approximately 900 so-called “mutual benefit” public charities.
Source: IRS Business Master File 04/2009 (with modifications by the National Center for Charitable Statistics at the Urban Institute)
BaltimoreACTS [www.baltimoreacts.org]
BaltimoreACTS was created to mobilize and inspire a diverse creative community to ACT. The goals of this volunteer-driven campaign are to harness the collective spirit of giving and service in Baltimore and ACT as a community to support the need.
The First ACT is a gala benefit concert for Haiti featuring a diverse line-up of national and international recording artists including several with ties to Baltimore and Haiti. Prominant speakers and original videos and music will celebrate the contributions by those stationed on the hospital ship USNS Comfort, deployed from our local hospitals and other committed volunteers.
CAL RIPKEN, SR. FOUNDATION [www.ripkenfoundation.org]
The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation is a non-profit founded in 2001 in Cal Ripken,Sr.’s memory to carry on his legacy of using the baseball field to teach critical life lessons. The foundation aims to teach youth the importance of choosing a healthy lifestyle and making smart, productive decisions. Through signature programs such as Badges for Baseball, Healthy Choices, Healthy Children and Summer Camps, the foundation gives kids a chance to play, compete, learn and benefit from life-changing experience.
Aspire: A Tribute to Life’s Coaches is an annual fundraising event to support programs at the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. The event includes over 700 attendees with numerous celebrity guests to honor notable figures in business, entertainment and sports and who inspired and helped guide them to success. This year’s gala honored Olympic gold medalist, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, philanthropist and former Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns owner, Arthur B.Modell, and former Baltimore Colt and founder of Building Men & Women for Others, Joe Ehrmann.
Photo Caption: Cal Ripken, Jr. and Bill Ripken will honoree Jackie Joyner-Kersee at the Aspire Gala in February.
Photo Credit: Bill Wood
Matt Birk’s HIKE Foundation [www.hikefoundation.org]
Matt Birk’s HIKE Foundation was established to provide at-risk Baltimore area children with the educational opportunities needed to excel in the classroom and in life. The HIKE Foundation impacts the lives of at-risk children by providing interactive programs and resources needed to guide a childe through the key educational transitions between elementary, middle school, high school and college.
The foundation will launch the program ‘Ready, Set, Read’ this Fall in select public schools. The program will motivate and encourage more than 50,000 elementary children to read at home.
