The 45 organizations below have been recommended by either the Community Foundation in Montgomery County or the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. If an organization offers Student Service Learning (SSL) hours or internships, we noted that at the end of the listing.
Community Organizations
ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN LEGAL RESOURCE CENTER (www.apalrc.org/dp/) is a legal services organization serving low-income Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants in the region who have limited English proficiency. Through individual legal representation, community legal education and advocacy, the APALRC ensures that Asian Americans can access the legal system despite language and financial barriers. In 2013, the APALRC handled more than 750 cases covering a broad spectrum of legal issues.
Headquartered: Washington, D.C.
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $250 covers printing and distributing 500 informational brochures to crime victims to inform them of their rights.
• $1,000 covers two weekly intake sessions to make legal services accessible by Asian immigrants.
• $10,000 covers 40 hours of legal services.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Volunteer at a community legal education workshop or legal clinic.
• Weekly: Provide intake help on the legal help line, disseminate information to crime victims and/or develop outreach materials.
AYUDA (www.ayuda.com) provides immigrants from around the world with multilingual social services and legal counsel on domestic violence, human trafficking and immigration. Ayuda’s Community Legal Interpreter Bank provides attorneys with trained legal interpreters to ensure that they can communicate effectively with clients. In the past year alone, Ayuda assisted more than 2,000 individuals representing more than 100 countries.
Headquartered: Washington, D.C., and Falls Church, Virginia
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $250 provides a client with five hours of legal interpretation in their own language.
• $1,000 provides comprehensive legal representation for a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault.
• $10,000 covers comprehensive legal, health and social services to bring a victim of human trafficking from slavery to self-sufficiency.
Volunteer opportunities:
• Weekly: Attorneys, counselors, physicians and therapists can donate professional services to treat and/or represent clients.
A WIDER CIRCLE (www.awidercircle.org) turns empty apartments into fully furnished homes, provides job skills training, and provides long-term, wraparound support for children and adults seeking to rise out of poverty. To date, A Wider Circle has served more than 170,000 individuals in the region.
Headquartered: Silver Spring
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $250 provides beds, dressers and other basic items for five local children and adults.
• $1,000 provides cribs, changing tables and other essential baby items for 30 Well Mother, Well Baby Program participants.
• $5,000 sponsors an entire job skills training program for approximately 20 participants.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Help individuals and families select items, organize showrooms or transfer furniture and home goods from the storage area to the showroom.
• Weekly: Serve as a job coach, provide resume-writing support or provide administrative support in the offices.
• On occasion: Go out on the truck, organize showrooms or help with one of A Wider Circle's weekend community building programs in a low-income neighborhood.
• Internships
• SSL
CAREERCATCHERS (www.careercatchers.org) provides one-on-one career counseling and job-skills training and workshops for about 300 unemployed and underemployed adults in the county annually. Its customized approach helps low-income, domestic violence victims, recent immigrants and homeless clients obtain employment that pays a living wage, fosters self-esteem, enhances personal growth and builds social and work skills leading to self-sufficiency.
Headquartered: Silver Spring
Serves: Montgomery County
What a donation buys:
• $250 enables staff to work with a new client to develop a resume and cover letter, plus provide a skills assessment and job search tips.
• $1,000 covers 12 hours of customized one-on-one counseling.
• $10,000 pays for continuous intensive support for 10-15 clients who need help after their original funding ends.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Help clients complete online job or training applications, conduct mock interviews or lead a workshop.
• Weekly: Be an on-the-job or workplace mentor; provide job skills or computer and typing instruction; tutor clients for the GED test or ESOL classes.
THE CENTER FOR ADOPTION SUPPORT AND EDUCATION (www.adoptionsupport.org) is the national leader in providing adoption-competent mental health services to address the complex issues faced by foster and adopted children and their families. C.A.S.E. offers a comprehensive range of programs and resources designed to strengthen the well-being of children and teens. Its Live, Learn & Lead (3L) Academy program provides a suite of "wraparound" services including mental health counseling, leadership development and life skill coaching to help young adults aging out of the foster care system successfully transition to independence.
Headquartered: Burtonsville
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
- $250 supports the cost for emergency housing for one night.
- $1,000 supports the cost of community-building activities for 25 of the 3L Academy members.
- $10,000 allows the enrollment of two more youths in the 3L Academy program.
Volunteer opportunities:
- Weekly: Provide administrative assistance in organizing community-building activities for 3L Academy members.
- Annually: Work with other volunteers to organize gift card and winter coat drives.
CLANCYWORKS DANCE COMPANY (www.clancyworks.org) provides youths with healthy, fun and creative outlets for self-expression. Its curriculum utilizes dance to teach leadership, collaboration skills, cultural awareness and personal enrichment. Annually, its programs reach more than 5,500 kids from schools with limited access to arts education.
Headquartered: Silver Spring
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
- $250 provides a master class for up to 50 students.
- $1,000 covers one student’s participation in the 10-week ASPIRE after-school dance program.
- $10,000 covers year-round enrollment for a student.
Volunteer opportunities:
- One day: Volunteer at a special event.
- Weekly: Provide administrative services.
- SSL
COMMUNITY BRIDGES (http://communitybridges-md.org/) empowers girls in elementary, middle and high school from diverse backgrounds to become exceptional students, positive leaders and healthy young women. It enables more than 220 girls at seven public schools to discover their unique identity, voice and potential through an integrated holistic program of leadership development, college and career readiness, academic support and enrichment.
Headquartered: Silver Spring
Serves: Montgomery County
What a donation buys:
- $265 enables one girl to participate in the programs for a month.
- $1,597 enables one girl to participate in the programs for half a year.
- $10,000 supports the operation of all three core programs for one week.
Volunteer opportunities:
- One day: Help at annual family and community-wide events, including the Fall Open House (September), Fall Friendraiser (November) and end of year events (May).
- Monthly: Become a mentor for high school girls participating in the program.
- SSL
DWELLING PLACE (http://tdp-inc.org/) provides transitional and permanent housing to about 22 families each year. Programs are designed to give families the time, support and education to move from homelessness to long-term self-sufficiency.
Headquartered: Gaithersburg
Serves: Montgomery County
What a donation buys:
- $250 provides new backpacks and school supplies for five children.
- $1,000 pays for tuition, books, supplies and the fee for completing a CNA certification.
- $10,000 pays six months of case management support.
Volunteer opportunities:
- Monthly: Provide child care while parents attend two-hour life skills classes.
- Ongoing: Weekly office/receptionist support.
- SSL
FAMILY SERVICES INC. (www.fs-inc.org) provides high-quality prevention and early-intervention services to more than 27,000 low-income children, individuals and families, including emergency assistance, mental health and substance abuse services, early-childhood programs, domestic violence services and community outreach.
Headquartered: Gaithersburg
Serves: Montgomery and Prince George's counties
What a donation buys:
• $250 provides educational toys and books for three families to prepare their children for kindergarten.
• $1,000 provides a month of intensive personal support and a community network for a seriously ill person discharged from the hospital.
• $10,000 provides a year of parenting education and other supports for families living in poverty.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day or weekly: Help with administrative work, assist in a special event and/or project or provide tutoring services for after-school programs.
INTERFAITH WORKS (www.iworksmc.org) assists 20,000 residents each year, helping homeless and low-income neighbors in need lift themselves from poverty. Interfaith Works’ programs change lives for the long term with the help of 5,500 volunteers and 165 congregations each year.
Headquartered: Rockville
Serves: Montgomery County
What a donation buys:
• $250 provides 10 vulnerable elementary schoolchildren with new backpacks filled with school supplies.
• $1,000 provides job counseling and workforce development skills to the under- and unemployed.
• $10,000 houses a homeless family more than seven months, providing professional case management and supportive services to help them find stability and a path to independence.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One time or ongoing: Families, individuals, corporate or congregational teams, youth and school groups, and disabled adults can donate or sort goods at the clothing center; prepare and serve meals for shelter residents; mentor families with tutoring, job coaching or parenting skills; help clients gain employment; or provide administrative or professional services.
• Internships
• SSL
JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF GREATER WASHINGTON (www.myja.org) empowers a generation to be financially capable and tenacious, equipped with tools to manage risk effectively and think outside the box. Since 1965, JA® has impacted almost 800,000 young people through its hands-on financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship programs and will deliver its programs to more than 63,000 Greater Washington youths this year.
Headquartered: Washington, D.C.
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $250 provides 35 hours of financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship programming to youths.
• $1,000 provides 138 hours of inspiring mentoring by a real-life role model.
• $10,000 provides 124 students with tools to be financially capable and career ready.
Volunteer opportunities:
• Ongoing: Become a JA Finance Park® volunteer in Prince George’s or Fairfax counties, guiding kids through life scenarios as they put their new budgeting skills to the test.
• One-time: Show a group of students a possible path to their American Dream by hosting a JA Job Shadow™ at your office.
LIBERTY’S PROMISE (www.libertyspromise.org) engages low-income, immigrant youths in civic life through an after-school leadership program that includes community engagement, career and college readiness, and a professional internship component that places teens in government agencies,?? small businesses or nonprofit organizations. Liberty’s Promise serves at least 320 Montgomery County youths annually.
Headquartered: Alexandria, Virginia
Serves: Metro region
- What a donation buys:
- $250 covers meals for 30 youths at six program sessions.
- $1,000 pays for the Metro fares and other costs for 120 youths to tour key Washington, D.C., sites.
- $10,000 supports 12 teens in professional internships during the summer.
Volunteer opportunities:
- One day: Work one-on-one with a student to create a résumé and cover letter and work on other job skills.
- One afternoon: Present at one of our after-school programs on topics such as college and careers, financial literacy, workplace etiquette and community service. Immigrants are invited to tell youths about their experience succeeding in America.?
LITERACY COUNCIL OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY (www.literacycouncilmcmd.org) provides English as a Second Language (ESL) and Basic Literacy instruction to adult learners. It recruits and trains volunteers to tutor about 1,500 adult learners annually and conducts intensive ESL classes for adults in Montgomery County. As a result, adult learners are able to secure and retain jobs, get promotions, qualify for driver’s licenses, help their children with homework, communicate effectively with teachers, and become U.S. citizens.
Headquartered: Rockville
Serves: Montgomery County
What a donation buys:
• $250 covers the annual cost of one-on-one tutoring for two adult learners.
• $1,000 supplies tutoring books and materials for 15 adult learners annually.
• $10,000 pays the classroom rental fees for 12 10-week ESL class sessions at schools throughout the county.
Volunteer opportunities:
• Weekly: Complete 12 hours of volunteer training and commit to tutoring an adult learner for two hours weekly.
• SSL
MANNA FOOD CENTER (www.mannafood.org) distributes more than 325,000 pounds of food each month in Montgomery County to ensure that low-income families, including young children and senior citizens have enough to eat. Each month, Manna provides food to an average of 3,800 households through the Food for Families Program. Every Friday during the school year, more than 2,450 elementary school students receive a bag of healthy foods to ensure that they return to school Monday morning properly nourished and ready to learn.
Headquartered: Gaithersburg Serves: Montgomery County
What a donation buys:
- $250 will rescue nearly 2,000 pounds of food from local grocery stores, helping to fill bellies instead of landfills.
- $1,000 provides 40 families with approximately 70 pounds of food to supplement their monthly food budget.
- $10,000 provides 50 elementary school children in the Smart Sacks program with a bag of food for healthy weekend meals the entire school year.
Volunteer opportunities:
- One day: Help pack boxes of fresh food, sort canned goods and assist clients with their orders through daily food distribution (must be 18 or older).
- One day: Help collect food by participating in or hosting a food drive.
- Internships
- SSL
MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY (www.mhamc.org) promotes mental wellness and supports those with mental illness by sponsoring and implementing education, advocacy and direct services. Nine major programs and a variety of services support the mental health-related needs of more than 10,000 county residents of all ages for free or at a significantly reduced rate. Programs include support for military families, housing and case management for formerly homeless adults, and visits for isolated seniors. All services are provided under the supervision of professional staff with support from approximately 700 volunteers.
Headquartered: Rockville
Serves: Montgomery County
What a donation buys:
• $250 covers the cost for five parents to improve parenting skills through support groups and classes.
• $1,000 allows a family to receive 15 counseling sessions.
• $10,000 provides an acculturation and reunification program for new immigrant and refugee families.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Volunteer as a violence prevention speaker or as a presenter on a mental health topic.
• Weekly: Volunteer as a “friendly visitor” to individuals who are isolated in their homes due to medical conditions.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS (www.mcch.net) works to end homelessness in the county, operating a wide range of permanent and emergency housing options combined with supportive services for 1,400 homeless and formerly homeless children in families and single adults each year. Since 1990, MCCH has played an integral role in the county’s response to homelessness, operating 40 percent of the county’s permanent supportive housing solutions and 60 percent of the county’s emergency shelter beds.
Located: Rockville
Serves: Montgomery County
What a donation buys:
• $250 provides one month of after-school care for formerly homeless children in MCCH’s permanent housing programs.
• $1,000 provides one month of psychiatric support for two homeless veterans who are preparing to move into their new homes.
• $10,000 provides three meals a day for a month to 200 homeless men while they connect to services they need to move onto stable housing.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Organize a collection drive for household items, back-to-school supplies or holiday gifts. Provide landscaping at a MCCH program site. Host a Community Walk at your school, congregation, community group, or business to raise awareness about solutions to homelessness.
• Weekly or Monthly: Prepare and deliver meals at Home Builders Care Assessment Center men’s emergency shelter.
• SSL
NOURISH NOW (www.nourishnow.org) works to bring widespread food security for those in need throughout Montgomery County. It partners with caterers, distributors, restaurants and other food industry leaders across the region by collecting and redistributing their surplus food. Nourish Now serves more than 800 people weekly, both directly and through various social service agencies.
Headquartered: Rockville
Serves: Montgomery County
What a donation buys:
• $250 provides three weeks of gasoline for Nourish Now to collect food.
• $1,000 purchases disposable pans and lids to rescue 20,000 pounds of food.
• $10,000 covers 50 percent of the cost for a larger refrigerated vehicle to rescue up to 6,000 pounds of food at one time.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Collect and repackage food for the people Nourish Now serves.
• Occasional: Host a food drive at your business, school or place of worship.
• SSL
PASSION FOR LEARNING (www.passionforlearning.org) helps low-income middle school students develop the skills they need for a 21st century knowledge-based economy and technology rich global society. Through after-school and summer literacy-based digital learning, the youths inquire, create, collaborate, problem solve, communicate and connect with the world. They become savvy and responsible digital content creators and critical thinkers. After-school and summer programs incorporate academic enrichment, information technology exploration and college/career connections.
Headquartered: Silver Spring
Serves: Montgomery County
What a donation buys:
• $250 pays for a half-day field trip to a technology business site for 15 to 20 students.
• $1,000 pays for two low income middle school students to attend a 60-hour Go2College camp at Montgomery College.
• $10,000 pays for an entire year of the Dig.Lit after-school program at one middle school, benefiting 15 to 20 students with 60 hours of information and communication technology learning.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Information and communications technology professionals can volunteer as guest speakers at any one of eight middle schools.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON (www.plannedparenthood.org/ppmw) provides high-quality, affordable reproductive health care to women, men and teens in the Washington, D.C., area. Its Community Education and Outreach Department trains peer leaders—mostly low-income, uninsured or under-insured minority teens—in reproductive health and STD/HIV prevention strategies. Last year, county peer leaders helped facilitate educational workshops, reach out to peers and organize events that reached more than 8,700 county teens and young adults.
Headquartered: Washington, D.C.
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $250 provides 75 rapid-result HIV tests.
• $1,000 provides 138 hours of reproductive health and leadership training for teen peer leaders.
• $10,000 provides breast and cervical cancer screening for 100 women.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Provide general office or health center support; participate in phone banking, rallies or letter-writing campaigns; or work tables at community events.
REBUILDING TOGETHER MONTGOMERY COUNTY (www.rebuildingtogethermc.org) provides home repairs, accessibility modifications and energy efficiency improvements for vulnerable families so that they may remain living safely and independently in their homes. RTMC serves low-income homeowners across Montgomery County, with particular emphasis on seniors, people with disabilities, veterans and low- families with children.
Headquartered: Gaithersburg
Serves: Montgomery County
What a donation buys:
- $250 provides handrails and grab bars throughout the home of a frail senior, preventing falls, ensuring accessibility and supporting their ability to age in place.
- $1,000 secures a working stove and new hot water heater for a single veteran, boosting healthy eating habits and improving food safety.
- $10,000 replaces a family’s leaking roof, remediates the existing damage caused by mold, and prevents structural hazards that threaten to make their home unlivable.
Volunteer opportunities:
- One-day group or corporate project: Join in a volunteer team to provide hands-on assistance in home repair efforts for a family in need.
- Weekly: Assist in the office or warehouse to help maintain inventory, draft stories for the newsletter and keep records up to date through filing, cataloging and data entry.
- Internships
SERVING TOGETHER: TROOPS & FAMILIES CARE PROJECT (www.servingtogetherproject.org) coordinates and strengthens community-based resources for active-duty military (including those in the National Guard and Reserve), the estimated 50,000 veterans in Montgomery County and their families. The organization strives to improve access to a range of health, mental health and other support services by drawing together knowledge from local nonprofits and government agencies.
Headquartered: Rockville
Serves: Montgomery County
What a donation buys:
• $250 pays for one community briefing to increase public knowledge about the unique needs of veterans and their families and how to better support them.
• $1,000 can train seven individuals in Mental Health First Aid about the signs and symptoms of mental illness and what to do in a mental health crisis.
• $10,000 pays for Veteran and Family Peer Navigation services—one-on-one case management support—for 20 individuals.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Host a training to increase awareness of the needs and opportunities to help service members, veterans and their families.
ARTS ORGANIZATIONS
AFTER SCHOOL DANCE FUND (www.afterschooldancefund.org) establishes strong after-school Latin dance clubs inside public schools to strengthen the social and emotional development of youths by promoting health, exercise, cultural diversity and unity through Latin dance education. The nonprofit also produces the annual MCPS Latin dance competition every year at the Music Center at Strathmore.
HEADQUARTERED: Silver Spring
SERVES: Montgomery County public high schools
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 purchases costumes for one student couple.
• $1,000 purchases costumes for four student couples.
• $10,000 sponsors an entire year of after-school Latin dance programming at the school of your choice or co-presents the annual Latin Dance Competition at Strathmore.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Volunteer backstage and or in the front of the house the day of the competition.
• Weekly/long-term: Support administrative work, grant-writing, social media and communications.
• SSL
ARTS ON THE BLOCK/ARTPRENEURS (www.artsontheblock.com) is the only organization in the Washington, D.C., area offering youths the opportunity to learn about the intersection of art, design and business by engaging them in real-world art projects. AOB-created artworks transform neighborhoods and young people in their pursuit of creativity, collaboration, community, college and careers.
HEADQUARTERED: Kensington
SERVES: Montgomery County middle and high school students
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 buys supplies for 25 participants to work on a single project.
• $1,000 sponsors one creative young person for a 20-week workshop.
• $10,000 funds a large mosaic art installation in a low-income community created collaboratively by AOB apprentices and community members.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Organize supplies, support administrative staff or talk to participants about creative careers.
• Weekly/long-term: Help maintain database (Salesforce) and website (WordPress); support marketing and fundraising efforts.
• Internships
• SSL
BEL CANTANTI OPERA (www.belcantanti.com) works to develop young opera singers through performance opportunities, and brings those performances to the community at an affordable price. Bel Cantanti Opera was founded in 2003 by Artistic Director Dr. Katerina Souvorova, and it recently completed its 10th year of operations in Montgomery County producing fully staged and costumed classical opera.
HEADQUARTERED: Montgomery County
SERVES: Bethesda, Rockville and Silver Spring
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 pays to rent the theater for an evening of opera.
• $1,000 brings one young professional singer from out of town to sing in a production.
• $10,000 pays the entire cast of a four-performance operatic production.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• Weekly: Office administration, fundraising and grant-writing.
CLANCYWORKS (www.clancyworks.org), founded by Artistic Director Dr. Adrienne Clancy in 2001, helps to enhance the quality of life for people in many communities using the arts as a way to develop mutual understanding and advance positive social action. ClancyWorks’ goals are to increase the public appetite for and understanding of the arts, expand the relevance of dance in people’s lives, and develop improved community cohesion, academic achievement and civic responsibility by nurturing leadership skills and artistic excellence in emerging artists.
HEADQUARTERED: Rockville
SERVES: Metro region
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 sponsors an educator to participate in the Dance Educators Training Institute.
• $1,000 creates a weeklong residency opportunity for a minimum of 100 students.
• $10,000 sponsors and funds a community engagement residency that allows company members to conduct eight to 10 workshops for three distinct community groups culminating in a performance that includes ClancyWorks company repertoire.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Provide administrative staff support.
• Weekly/long-term: Collaborate on long-term administrative, marketing and fundraising projects.
• Internships
• SSL
CORAL CANTIGAS (www.cantigas.org) is the only chorus in the Washington metropolitan area, and most likely in the nation, that seeks to increase awareness and appreciation of the many rich styles of Latino choral music and to unite diverse communities through the transformative power of music and bilingual, cross-cultural choral concerts.
HEADQUARTERED: Rockville
SERVES: Metro region
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 helps cover 10 free mu?sica para todos tickets for economically disadvantaged adults.
• $1,000 helps sponsor guest artists for one concert.
• $10,000 sponsors the purchase of music, copyrights, production design and advertising for an entire concert season.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Provide concert support through the box office, will-call, patron services and ushering.
• Weekly/long-term: Help with office support, data entry, marketing and fundraising projects.
• SSL
DOCS IN PROGRESS (www.docsinprogress.org) is an incubator for aspiring and emerging documentary filmmakers and works to create community through documentary through free public screening programs, affordable video production workshops, and services for adults, youths and nonprofits that want to express themselves and the world around them through video.
HEADQUARTERED: Silver Spring
SERVES: Metro region
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 sponsors a screening where emerging filmmakers can get valuable feedback on their works-in-progress from a real audience.
• $1,000 sponsors a middle school student for a two-week summer video production camp who would not otherwise be able to afford to participate.
• $10,000 supplies a mobile production suite of video cameras and editing systems for youths and adults.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Greet guests or take photos at one of our public programs
• Long-term: Provide internships to college students or recent graduates to gain real-world experience with teaching, video production or arts marketing.
• Internships
FOCUSMUSIC (www.FocusMusic.org) presents nationally touring and emerging folk and acoustic music artists to a growing audience through performance, education and participation in the musical folk arts. For more than 12 years, FocusMusic provides an intimate setting for a listening audience. FocusMusic provides more than 75 percent of its ticket sales to its performers.
HEADQUARTERED: Rockville
SERVES: Montgomery County
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 pays American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers dues for a year, allowing ticket sales for performer compensation.
• $1,000 sponsors concert promotion and marketing.
• $10,000 assures that FocusMusic will continue its work for a decade to come.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Sell performer CDs and support marketing initiatives.
• Weekly/long-term: Provide website management.
• SSL
FORUM THEATRE (www.forum-theatre.com) produces adventurous, relevant and challenging plays from a diversity of voices that inspire discussion and build community—and that are accessible, affordable and entertaining. Forum Theatre aims to be both the home for stories that provoke discussion and the place to host that discussion.
HEADQUARTERED: Silver Spring
SERVES: Metro region
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
- $250 affords seven area residents to attend a Forum4All production.
- $1,000 underwrites one RE)Acts performance and post-show discussion.
- $10,000 underwrites one entire mainstage production.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- Internships
GANDHI BRIGADE YOUTH MEDIA (www.gandhibrigade.org) is an after-school youth organization that uses video, photography and graphic design to provide opportunities for middle and high school students in low-income communities to create media projects that promote social justice and civic engagement.
HEADQUARTERED: Silver Spring
SERVES: Students living in Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Wheaton and East County
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $100 allows 15 students to attend one class and learn the basics of media production,
• $250 purchases a GoPro video camera for youth documentary filmmaking.
• $500 provides the opportunity to send seven students on a weekend retreat where they will learn how to become better advocates for themselves and their communities.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Visit one of our programs and talk with students about media production and civic engagement.
• Weekly/long-term: Opportunities for media professionals to provide educational support for our programs.
• SSL
GLORYSTAR MUSIC EDUCATION AND CULTURAL FOUNDATION, DBA GLORYSTAR CHILDREN'S CHORUS – GCC (www.glorystar.org) nurtures and provides excellent music education to children and youths in the joy of choral art. With a rich repertoire of Eastern and Western music, GCC increases appreciation and builds bridges within our diverse community. With 135 students (90 percent Asian), GCC annual performances draw a local audience of approximately 2,500.
HEADQUARTERED: Potomac
SERVES: Metro region
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 purchases music and materials for 10 students.
• $1,000 supports concert venue rental for one performance.
• $10,000 sponsors classroom rental for six months.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• Daily: Support the office administrator.
• Weekly: Become a trained volunteer to help students during music classes.
• SSL
HERALDS OF HOPE THEATER (www.heraldsofhopetheater.com) was established in 2005 to assist minority playwrights to write and produce performances that explore the rich history of African Americans. Through drama, the theater helps its audiences understand the past, implications for the present, and related urban societal issues.
HEADQUARTERED: Silver Spring
SERVES: High schools in Montgomery County's 8th District
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 funds the development of a 30-minute screenplay.
• $1,000 provides a stipend to two high school or college students to video record our productions.
• $10,000 produces 12 live performances free of charge to all students in Montgomery County.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Support the theater's administrator in managing social media outreach, marketing and promotion activities.
• Weekly/long-term: Help on the stage crew, with lighting, sound or production.
• Internships
• SSL
THE HIGHWOOD THEATRE (www.thehighwoodtheatre.org) produces a full season of student and professional productions, classes and studio events in downtown Silver Spring. Highwood’s unique model of student-produced theater and philosophy that “anyone can do theater” also guides theater arts programs at dozens of schools, allowing students to develop creativity and collaborative/leadership skills.
HEADQUARTERED: Silver Spring
SERVES: Montgomery County and Washington, D.C.
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 provides financial aid for one student to participate in a production, a tech class or an improvisation class.
• $1,000 provides funding for a teaching artist to lead an eight-week after-school class at a local school.
• $10,000 provides funding for one fully produced student production.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Help with market research, data entry and other office tasks.
• Weekly/long-term: Be trained to work closely with our marketing or development departments.
• Internships
• SSL
HOPE GARDEN CHILDREN’S BALLET THEATRE (www.hgcbt.org) upholds the traditions and history of classical ballet while venturing into the world of contemporary ballet and movement. The organization hopes to extend its foundation in the community, teaching and spreading the message of beauty, culture, and the deep roots of classical ballet while including exciting adventures into contemporary dance. The group’s young, accomplished dancers seek to educate and inspire audiences throughout Maryland and the D.C. region. Full-length ballets are performed in many venues, and smaller performances take place at charity settings such as hospitals, senior homes, schools and community events.
HEADQUARTERED: Poolesville
SERVES: Metro region
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 purchases three student costumes.
• $1,000 buys two tutus that will last for more than 20 years.
• $10,000 underwrites the cost of costumes, dancers and sets of an entirely new ballet.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Help with advertising of an upcoming show (distributing flyers) or other show preparation, such as sewing costumes or preparing flower bouquets.
• Weekly/long-term: Help with show preparation as well as continued marketing and development of the theater.
• Internships
• SSL
INSCAPE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA (www.inscape.org), founded in 2004 by Artistic Director Richard Scerbo, is pushing the boundaries of classical music with riveting performances that reach across genres and generations, and transcend the confines of the traditional classical concert experience. With its flexible roster and unique brand of programming, this critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated group of high-energy master musicians has quickly established itself as one of the premier performing ensembles in the Washington, D.C., region and beyond.
HEADQUARTERED: Bethesda
SERVES: Metro region and the nation
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 covers the license for one piece included on an innovative Inscape concert.
• $1,000 allows two musicians to perform an engaging and groundbreaking performance of innovative classical music at Bethesda’s Episcopal Church of the Redeemer.
• $10,000 covers the commission of a new work written especially for Inscape.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• Daily: Serve as an usher or help sell merchandise at an Inscape concert.
KID MUSEUM (www.kid-museum.org) offers unique, interactive experiences for elementary and middle school-aged children that integrate hands-on science, technology, engineering, art and math learning with an exploration of world cultures and global citizenship. KID Museum is the first and only makerspace in the D.C. region explicitly designed to reach children and families.
HEADQUARTERED: Bethesda
SERVES: Metro region
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 allows one low-income family of four to attend KID Museum programs free of charge throughout the year.
• $1,000 provides a free field trip for one grade at a Title I school (up to 120 students).
• $10,000 provides access to 35 low-income students for eight two-hour intensive workshops in the Invention Studio Program.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Support outreach events to build interest in STEAM learning through maker experiences.
• Weekly/long-term: Assist in program facilitation, materials prep, social media/marketing and administrative management.
• Internships
•SSL
MONTGOMERY PHILHARMONIC (http://montgomeryphilharmonic.org/) is a community orchestra dedicated to providing opportunities to enjoy, explore and create music. As a teaching orchestra, Montgomery Philharmonic promotes excellence for musicians of various levels to play orchestral music for themselves and for the community. The organization supports and provides youth music education and performance opportunities alongside accomplished adult musicians.
HEADQUARTERED: Gaithersburg
SERVES: Montgomery County emphasizing Upper Montgomery County
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
- $250 assists with the purchase of music and funding for guest musicians.
- $1,000 provides scholarships for aspiring young musicians.
- $10,000 sponsors the Chamber Youth Orchestra program and expands the school concert series.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- Weekly/long-term: Play with the orchestra.
NEW ORCHESTRA OF WASHINGTON (www.neworchestraofwashington.org) is a chamber orchestra on a mission to enliven the region’s music scene through virtuosic performances that combine a diversity of genres with fresh interpretations of classic works. Through imaginative adaptations, intimate concert settings and electric performances by a small, passionate ensemble, a familiar genre becomes new again. NOW is currently ensemble-in-residence at the JCCGW in Rockville and also performs at First UCC in Washington, D.C.
HEADQUARTERED: Rockville
SERVES: Metro region
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 provides percussion equipment rental and transportation for a performance.
• $1,000 purchases the performance rights and rental fees for a musical program.
• $10,000 sponsors musician wages for a performance by the ensemble.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Serve as a volunteer usher. Greet guests and pass out programs, then find a seat and enjoy the concert. Time commitment is 30 minutes before and after the performance.
NIH PHILHARMONIA (www.nihphil.org), founded by its Music Director Dr. Nancia D’Alimonte, impacts the people it serves by filling an unrivaled niche, both by providing free concerts to the community and by offering a creative outlet for its 80 talented musicians, many of whom work at the National Institutes of Health, one of the area's largest employers. The whole concert experience is why audiences keep returning: the opportunity to learn about music in an educational way, the setting of the unique concert venue, hearing professional-quality orchestra music, learning historical facts about the music and its composers, and the conductor's one-of-a-kind narrative presentation.
HEADQUARTERED: Bethesda
SERVES: Metro region
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 provides assistance with music rental for one work.
• $1,000 sponsors instrument rental for four concerts.
• $10,000 sponsors three full NIH Philharmonia concerts, including music and instrument rental, program printing, concert recording and staff stipend.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• Daily: Usher at a NIH Philharmonia concert.
• Long term: Assist with stage management, concert preparation, venue setup and reset.
PROJECT CHANGE (www.projectchange-md.org) is a youth/adult partnership organization dedicated to promoting positive youth development through leadership experience, quality community service opportunities, the performing arts and safe social activities. Programs include: Team of Stars, You Have the Power!, Student Leadership Institute, Youth Empowered Service and Teen Coffee House.
HEADQUARTERED: Olney
SERVES: Montgomery County
WHAT A DONATION BUYS
• $250 purchases four lavaliere headsets.
• $1,000 sponsors a music/dance or theater teacher.
• $10,000 sends four deserving local youths to the five-week Team of Stars Musical Theater Summer Camp.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• Daily: Help backstage in rehearsals and/or performances; practitioners/mediators of Restorative Practices help facilitate Dialogue Circles; artists of all sorts (music, dance, theater, stagecraft, video and photography) can offer workshops for after-school and summer.
• Weekly: Become a counselor in training (10th grade and up) for the TOS Musical Theater Camp; mentor youths; update website and assist in office administration.
• Internships
• SSL
SANDY SPRING MUSEUM (www.sandyspringmuseum.org) provides the exploration of community history through the visual, literary and performing arts. The museum sits on seven acres and features nine resident artists, ongoing art exhibits, temperature controlled archives, an extensive library and a gift shop. The museum hosts monthly jazz concerts, history happy hours, teen coffeehouses, an annual holiday party and the Strawberry Festival.
HEADQUARTERED: Sandy Spring
SERVES: Olney, Ashton, Sandy Spring and surrounding areas
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
- $250 underwrites a small special event, such as Jazz in the Round, History Happy Hour or Teen Coffeehouse.
- $1,000 supports family activities at larger events such as the Strawberry Festival.
- $10,000 funds critical capital improvement projects and renovations to create studio rental spaces for area artists.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- One day: Assist with in-house mailing efforts, run the gift shop or set up for special events.
- Weekly/long-term: Become a trained volunteer to assist the executive director or marketing director with marketing/advertising of museum special events and rentals.
- Internships
- SSL
SILVER SPRING TOWN CENTER (www.silverspringtowncenter.com ) produces 90-plus arts and entertainment programs and events year-round at the Silver Spring Civic Building and on Veterans Plaza, as well as throughout Downtown Silver Spring, providing a vibrant, inclusive and engaging community gathering place that enriches the lives of residents of the Greater Silver Spring area, embracing the racial and cultural diversity of the region.
HEADQUARTERED: Silver Spring
SERVES: Silver Spring
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 sponsors one of SSTCi’s festivals or events.
• $1,000: Helps SSTCi present four outdoor performances as part of Twilight Tuesdays or Wednesday Night STARZ on Veterans Plaza.
• $10,000 co-sponsors free arts and entertainment events, including the annual Silver Spring Blues Festival, Harvest Moon Festival and Tribute to America’s Veterans Concert.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Event management at one of our festivals or other events.
• Weekly/long-term: Help with fundraising, grant writing, marketing and promotion.
• Internships
• SSL
SIX DEGREE SINGERS (www.singsix.com) is a vibrant community choir dedicated to community outreach through engaging, high-quality and accessible choral music. Six Degree Singers produces choral concerts, commissions original works, and participates in community events, such as live performances, festivals, and arts outreach and education.
HEADQUARTERED: Silver Spring
SERVES: Montgomery County
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 covers commissioning an original choral piece from an up-and-coming composer or hiring a talented guest musician for an SDS event.
• $1,000 covers rights and reproductions of music for one concert series.
• $10,000 covers one year of Six Degree Singers’ operational and administrative costs.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Join our concert/event staff as an usher, greeter or stage hand.
• Monthly or long-term: Join a planning committee to help organize community events and concerts, secure funding or design music programming and education.
UNEXPECTED STAGE COMPANY (www.unexpectedstage.org) is a non-profit professional theater company, which dedicates itself to exploring the intimacies and intricacies of the human experience. The Helen Hayes Award-nominated organization produces high-quality plays and musicals at affordable prices.
HEADQUARTERED: Gaithersburg and Wheaton
SERVES: Montgomery County
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 sponsors costumes for a full production run.
• $1,000 provides a season's worth of set materials.
• $10,000 sponsors actor wages and set/sound/light/costume design expenses for a full production run.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Usher for a performance.
• Weekly/long-term: Assist with stage management or building sets; or provide ongoing administrative/website/graphic design work.
• SSL
YOUNG ARTISTS OF AMERICA AT STRATHMORE (www.youngartistsamerica.org) offers music, theater, education and performance opportunities to gifted and committed youths throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Students train collaboratively to perform fully orchestrated, classical and musical theater concerts in state-of-the-art venues such as The Music Center at Strathmore.
HEADQUARTERED: North Bethesda
SERVES: Metro region
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
• $250 pays for one student instrumentalist to rehearse and perform with the YAA orchestra for a full season.
• $1,000 allows one aspiring vocalist to attend our Musical Theatre Intensive Summer Day Camp.
• $10,000 underwrites the cost to bring in a renowned professional guest mentor, such as award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin).
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• One day: Usher at performances and master classes or staff the ticketing table.
• Weekly/long-term: Help plan special events and fundraisers.
• Internships
• SSL
