Young Professionals Give Holiday Cheer to Nearly 100 Local Children

Baltimore-area young professionals made this holiday season brighter for 82 children from families who were on the brink of homelessness this year. The recipient families benefitting from United Way of Central Maryland’s (UWCM’s) Holiday Village project are currently receiving services through UWCM’s Family Stability Initiative.

The Holiday Village — a multi-faceted effort led by UWCM’s young professionals’ group, Emerging Leaders United (ELU) — engages the Baltimore region’s under-40 philanthropists in a variety of charitable ways. A donation of $25 “adopts” a child this month, purchasing books, winter weather gear and a gift from his or her wish list. The Holiday Village kicked off on #GivingTuesday with a fundraising campaign that raised more than $4,000, which went toward the cost of the gifts and a holiday celebration with dinner for the families. ELU members gathered at the Target in Canton on December 11 evening to shop for the gifts and then held a “Wrap & Chat” to prepare the presents. And on December 17, the group served food and distributed gifts at a holiday dinner celebration for the families.

“Our members have boundless energy and big ideas,” said MaryBeth Hyland, United Way’s Emerging Leaders United director and an under-40 professional herself. “They want to make a tangible difference in our community, and know that doesn’t have to be separate from being social and having fun. United Way’s ELU members have brought their energy and networks to the table in powerful ways to make an impact.”

Many local businesses are showing their support of the Holiday Village through in-kind donations of wrapping paper, stocking stuffers, books, transportation of the gifts and more, including Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Walgreens, Hanover Brewers Hill, Coca Cola Enterprises and Target Baltimore East. The University of Maryland Medical System Midtown Campus is hosted the dinner celebration on December 17. Harborside Group, Hopkins Healthcare and Carefirst BlueCross BlueShield are also held donation drives at their offices to collect stocking stuffers, wrapping paper, books, gloves, scarves and hats for the children in the Holiday Village.

ELU hosts events for members and non-members every month. Recent gatherings have included the filming and screening of ELU’s music video featuring The Wire’s Tray “Poot” Chaney, a panel on advocacy and networking, in addition to the popular Young Professionals’ Conference held annually in May.

UWCM’s ELU has been active in the community for the last three years and during the past year, participation in the program has tripled to more than 1,000 members.  ELU members are 40 years old or younger and give at least $260 a year ($5 a week) to support UWCM’s programs.

The families benefitting from this project are participants in UWCM’s Family Stability Initiative. With families being among the fastest growing homeless groups, UWCM developed this initiative aimed at lifting families out of crisis and moving them to self-sufficiency through homelessness prevention, shelter diversion and financial education. 

“The Holiday Village project was born out of ELU members’ desires to do something very hands-on for the community this holiday season,” said Hyland. “Their dedication is helping bring a positive end to a challenging year for these kids and their families,” she added. Donations are being collected at www.uwcm.org/holiday.

United Way of Central Maryland is working to change the odds for families facing poverty through programs focused on education, financial stability and health. Its next annual Emerging Leaders United Young Professionals Conference is scheduled for May 9, 2014. To learn more about Emerging Leaders United, please visit www.emergingleadersunited.org.