BALTIMORE, Sept. 25, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the United States, today hosts its 7th annual Employee Giving Program. At the event, 15 employees will each present a check for $20,000 to a Maryland nonprofit, consistent with the Foundation's mission and grant guidelines. A total of $300,000 will be awarded this year. The Weinberg Foundation has distributed more than $1 million since the inception of this professional development and mission-focused effort.
• Weinberg Foundation 7th Annual Employee Giving Program
• Wednesday, September 25, 2013, 11:45 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
• Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park at Living Classrooms
1417 Thames Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21231
"We know of no other philanthropic organization which provides its entire staff with the opportunity to engage directly in the grantmaking process," said Ellen M. Heller, Weinberg Foundation Chair. "This is always a very special day for all of us at the Foundation, on many different levels. Every year, it seems, these grants reveal deep personal connections and stories which only magnify the significance of the grants themselves."
During today's event, each Weinberg Foundation employee will speak briefly about the nonprofit receiving a grant and will present a $20,000 check to the charity's representative who will also speak. This year's grantees include:
1) Alliance for Career and Education, Inc.
To support the New Visions Academy of Baltimore After-School Program serving low-income at-risk students with special education needs and emotional disabilities
2) Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc.
To provide supportive services, education, and training to caregivers of family members with dementia
3) Bluford Drew Jemison STEM Academy
Prepares male students in Baltimore City for secondary education and meaningful career paths
4) Camp Sunrise, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center
Provides a special one week, cost-free camp to children who are currently in treatment or who have battled cancer
5) Casey Cares
Provides ongoing programs to critically ill children and their families
6) The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region
To support the newly-launched senior services center in western Montgomery County
7) Enoch Pratt Free Library of Baltimore City
To support three special programs and services: the Digital Petting Zoo/Device Lab, the Smart Kiosk: A Touch Screen Payment Center and the Fairy Tale Festival
8) Family & Children's Services of Central Maryland
To support the SERVE program which offers comprehensive case management, in-home services, respite care, transportation, mental health services, and caregiver support for older adults within the Baltimore metropolitan area
9) First Fruits Farm, Inc.
Primarily volunteer-operated farm in northern Baltimore County that provides fresh vegetables and fruit to organizations serving low- income and homeless populations
10) The Freedom Center
To support this Center for Independent Living in Frederick, Maryland which assists disabled individuals with housing, assistive technology, home modifications, peer counseling, and independent living skills
11) Maryland Family Network, Inc.
To support the programs of 23 Family Support Centers throughout Maryland
12) Maryland Foster Youth Resources Center, Inc.
Provides training and support services for youth transitioning from foster care to adulthood
13) Saint Ignatius Loyola Academy
An independent, tuition-free Jesuit middle school for boys serving low-income families of diverse ethnicities and faiths
14) Shared Support Maryland, Inc.
Providing individualized support services for people with disabilities
15) Valley House, Inc.
Provides a comprehensive strategy for substance abuse treatment including a 12-step approach that enables clients to remain drug free
About The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private charitable foundations in the United States, provides approximately $100 million in annual grants to nonprofits that provide direct services to low-income and vulnerable individuals and families, primarily in the U.S. and Israel. Grants are focused on meeting basic needs and enhancing an individual's ability to meet those needs with emphasis on older adults, the Jewish community, and our hometown communities of Maryland, Northeastern Pennsylvania, and Hawaii. The trustees, some of whom also serve as executive officers of the Foundation, are Donn Weinberg, Barry I. Schloss, Robert T. Kelly, Jr., Alvin Awaya, and Chair Ellen M. Heller. Rachel Garbow Monroe serves as the Weinberg Foundation's President. For more information please go to www.hjweinbergfoundation.org.