SFNC Power Project
St. Francis Neighborhood Center’s Power Project consists of three major components: education, mentoring and the arts. This program provides disadvantaged youth living in the Reservoir Hill neighborhood, ages 5 to 14, with the opportunity to receive academic enrichment, one-on-one tutoring, attend educational seminars and workshops, participate in our dance, art and music groups, and establish valuable relationships with caring and responsible individuals who will serve as positive role models in their lives.
The after school program is free and held at the Center Monday through Thursday from 3 to 6 pm during the school year with snacks and dinner provided. The program can accommodate 40 children at a time.
If you are interested in enrolling your child in this program, please contact the Outreach & Program Director, Torbin Green, at tgreen@stfranciscenter.org or call 410-669-2612.
RHIC Green Plan
RHIC's commitment to greening combines urban planning with community organizing to create a healthier social, political, and physical environment for residents.
More than 100 residents actively contribute to executing Reservoir Hill’s Master Green Plan, which includes annual goals of lowering energy consumption by 15%, increasing the tree canopy by 15%, recruiting 100 new households to recycle, expanding two community gardens, and rehabilitating vacant lots into productive community spaces.
Past RHIC staff members Frank Patinella, Christiana Usenza, Erin Bowman, Teddy Krolik, & Eli Lopatin were crucial in accomplishing this plan through recruitment of volunteers into RHIC's "Green Team."
Green Team
RHIC organized and recruited residents into the Green Team to participate in neighborhood greening projects, including community gardens, Whitelock Community Farm, clean-ups, and general community work days.
Environmental Education
RHIC maintained a John Eager Howard Elementary School as a Maryland Green School, leading weekly after-school environmental science club meetings and assisting with healthy cooking classes at John Eager Howard Recreation Center.
Tree Canopy Expansion
RHIC working with Blue Water Baltimore planted more than 200 trees in Reservoir Hill from 2009-2014. RHIC’s “Tree Stewards” program promoted tree maintenance activities for residents living near street trees, updated RHIC’s neighborhood tree inventory, and coordinated community tree planting projects. Check out our interactive tree map here!
Energy Conservation
RHIC’s “Flip the Power” youth-art energy conservation and outreach project used comic strips, stickers, and other promotional materials to help residents save money on their energy bill, and contributed toward John Eager Howard's “Energy Hub” initiatives.
Baltimore Community Foundation Target Neighborhood Initiative
July 2012
The Target Neighborhood Initiative is an extension of Baltimore Community Foundation’s (BCF)
strategy to invest in “middle neighborhoods,” neighborhoods with underlying strengths but that have been historically undervalued—many of which are now retaining and attracting new residents and serving as critical regional building blocks.
Reservoir Hill Improvement Council was selected to be one of two initial target neighborhoods. BCF commits $300,000 plus significant staff and other human resource support over a three year period.
BCF worked closely with RHIC in developing a plan for the three year investment, and in incorporating issues of race, equity and inclusion into the planning process and work. A series of leadership team sessions, a Board of Directors meeting, and joint meetings of the teams, Board, and staff in May – July 2012 established a set of priorities. This constituted the core of RHIC’s planning processes for the BCF three-year investment. Sixty-five individuals participated in the process. Partner organizations represented in the leadership teams included Beth Am Synagogue, Bolton-Park Neighbors, Child First, Historic Mt. Royal Terrace Association, John Eager HowardRecreation Center, John Eager Howard School, Lakeside Neighbors Coalition, New Lens, Reservoir Hill Mutual Homes, Upper Eutaw Madison Neighborhood Association, and Whitelock Community Farm. Discussions are underway with St. Francis Neighborhood Center to better incorporate the Center into neighborhood planning.
Below you will find RHIC’s action plans for this initiative.
RHIC Media Spotlights & Recognition
2012
Our work has been featured twice on the front page of the Baltimore Sun, covered by MIT’s Community Innovators Lab, Channel 11 News, WJZ Channel 13, WYPR 88.1 FM, Baltimore City Paper, Urbanite, and the Marc Steiner Show, and Whitelock Community Farm was recognized by Parks & People Foundation’s 2011 “Community Anchor Award." In 2012, Baltimore Community Foundation selected Reservoir Hill as one of two City neighborhoods to highlight with increased funding and support. In 2013, Chesapeake Bay Trust selected Reservoir Hill as the host site for its press conference with Governor Martin O'Malley and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy announcing the creation of the Green Streets-Green Jobs-Green Towns Grant Program.
Scholarships Support Area Youth in Summer Camp
July 22, 2011
Fifty-nine children are having a wonderful time at this year’s Summer Camp at John Eager Howard Recreation Center.
Every year the community is very generous helping to provide scholarships for the children to attend. This year is no exception. The Beth Am Synagogue Social Action Committee, Bolton-Park Neighbors, Historic Mt. Royal Terrace Association, Reservoir Hill H.O.P.E., and Joyce Keating have all generously provided scholarship support this year.
Though the recreation center is deep into the summer camp, scholarship help is still very much appreciated. Cookie admits kids to the program whose tuition is unpaid or not fully paid, and she has to figure out how to balance it out in the end.
If you individually, or your neighborhood associations, can help, the per-child scholarship is $150.
If one wants a tax-deduction, the check can be written to RHIC, earmarked for JEH Summer Camp, and send to the RHIC office at 2001 Park Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21217.
If one would prefer donating directly to the Summer Camp program and do not need a tax deduction, payment must be in the form of a money order made payable to Director of Finance, and delivered to recreation center director Carolyn “Cookie” Newton at the John Eager Howard Recreation Center, 2100 Brookfield Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21217.
The Summer Camp is a great experience for the kids and something you could feel very good about supporting.
Focus on Food & Fitness at John Eager Howard Rec Center
July 19, 2011
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blakewill be at John Eager Howard Recreation Center on August 11th to kick-off the Summer Camp's
KEEP IT MOVIN' - FOOD & FITNESS FAMILY DAY
This program is for summer camp families. If you would like to volunteer as a community member, please contact Reservoir Hill Improvement Council at 410.225.7547.
Build Schools, Build Neighborhoods
July 15, 2011
Transform Baltimore! Build Schools, Build Neighborhoods The Campaign to Transform Baltimore calls upon elected officials and decision makers at the local, state, and federal levels to adopt and act upon a funding plan to renovate and modernize all public school buildings in Baltimore City within five years. Modernized and renovated school buildings, like Digital Harbor High School and Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School, are integral to education reform and to the long-term economic health and vitality of all city neighborhoods. Other state and districts have successfully renewed their school buildings by developing creative financing schemes and through expanding revenue. IT IS POSSIBLE FOR BALTIMORE CITY! Action: Join the Campaign to Transform Baltimore! Contact Frank Patinella and sign-on to the campaign! We will send out alerts about important meetings, hearings, and actions to ensure that all students, teachers, and neighborhoods have modern and excellent school buildings!
Contact: Frank Patinella, Campaign Organizer, 410.889.8550 x 123
RHIC Milestones
2007
In 2007, RHIC created the neighborhood’s Green Master Plan to provide a general framework for community greening activities, ranging from vacant lot rehabilitation goals to energy conservation objectives.
Since then, Green Team accomplishments included:
- Sponsoring a neighborhood recycling program in 2008-2009 that recruited over 250 residents;
- Leading a 2009-2010 Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge project that decreased energy use by 11.2% in 100 participating households;
- Planting more than 400 trees to increase the neighborhood tree canopy by 40%;
- Improving approximately 50,000 square feet of public space since 2011;
- Whitelock Community Farm pioneering a model for community supported agriculture to grow more than 10,000 pounds of produce in its first four years.