Dr. Jocelyn Gainers attended the Birthday Party for our new Governor, Wes Moore. She was privileged to meet Lt. Governor Aruna Miller, and Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman.
The Family Recovery Program, Inc. Gay Street Location is now located at The Chance Building
301 N. Gay Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
In celebration of Earth day, FRP partnered with BGE to beautify the grounds of our transitional housing program “The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building at Sage Center on Tuesday April 25th. The sun met us early in the afternoon as the BGE volunteers began arriving, ready to work. The goal of the day was to beautify the grounds by adding layers of mulch on our two playgrounds and planting new plants in our flowerpots. We are also able to partner with Baltimore Community Tool bank who provided rakes, wheelbarrows, and other gardening items that we needed. The team of 25 volunteers worked diligently and renewed our space so that our families would have more enjoyment looking at their home. We appreciate the support that we received from every BGE team member, and we love our new back yard. This act of kindness truly warms our hearts!.
Learn MoreRecently, we held our 1st ever gala and it was a great turnout. Here’s a post from Kaitlyn Keller, Senior Director of Recruitment and Selection at Northwestern Mutual sharing her experience.
Learn MoreMarch 22nd was the kickoff of the Karen Conn Community Day at The Sage Center! Karen Conn served as a Parent Mentor at FRP/Sage Center since 2021. When FRP met Karen, she was a vibrant and fiery personality that could capture your attention if you’ve ever been in her presence. Her bright personality was so infectious so much so that if you were having a bad day, being in Karen’s presence would immediately turn a frown into a smile. Karen would sing and dance as if no one was looking, and if they were, she’d make them join in. Karen didn’t let any physical challenges she faced, deter her spirit or her ability to support the parents and children at The Sage Center. She persevered and remained resilient throughout life’s adversities. The Parents and children were so fond of Ms. Karen, and to most of them, she had that “motherly” spirit that reminded them that they were loved and they could accomplish anything they’d put their mind to. To some, she was Mama Karen, and to others she was just Karen. That pearly white smile, the vivacious nail and hair colors and the sweetest pitched yet stern voice is truly missed at The Sage Center. During Karen’s time at FRP/Sage Center, she served in many capacities, in addition to being one of the Parent Mentors. Each Wednesday, The Sage Center would host Community Day during the Spring/Summer months. Karen, as she proclaimed to be Baltimore bred, used her witty personality to draw people to N. Rose Street every Wednesday to get clothes, food, and community resources that Sage Center provided. It was almost as if she had never met a stranger. She made you feel like family or even a friend.
Our first Karen Conn Community Day was indeed a success! The sun was shining, and we could feel Karen’s presence around The Sage Center. Not a dry eye on N. Rose Street as friends and staff members of FRP shared their fondest memories of Karen. Dr. Gainers presented Karen’s wife and partner, Mrs. Marie Conn, with a plaque dedicated to Karen’s service at FRP. We will forever miss Karen’s beautiful smile!
It is with deepest sadness that we announce the passing of our FRP graduate and Sage Center Resident, Ms. Shanesha Anderson. Shanesha has been a resident of Sage Center since early 2021. She was the mother of three beautiful children, Zuri, Aubrey, and Little Blake. The most pleasant and well-behaved children, whose faces would light up a room. Shanesha was resilient and ambitious, who didn’t let her sickness keep her down. Even on her toughest days, she preserved which made her loss difficult for our staff and the parents at Sage Center. Shanesha, we will never forget you and that beautiful smile. May she Rest in Peace.
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Remember the heart thumping anticipation you felt as Halloween approached? Maybe you cleverly crafted your own costume from old clothes, household items, and face makeup to become a mean-eyed witch or beautiful princess, action hero or goblin, colorful clown, or caped secret agent. When Halloween night finally arrived, screams of “trick or treat” broke through the haunting sounds that filled the air.
Spook-A-Looza at The Sage Center was more than ghosts and goblins, dinner, and candy. It was an opportunity for our parents to be kids with their own kids, to dress up and to decorate apartment doors. It was another chance to celebrate being in a place that is safe and loving, and to know what it feels like to be part of a community.
Check out the spookiness!
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We Did It! We hosted our First Fundraiser for The Family Recovery Program, Inc. A Night at The Casino Fundraising Extravaganza was a night to remember. It was October 21, 2022, that Friends, Supporters and Donors came to The Assembly Room for a night of fun and raising money for our families. FRP operates off generous donations and our friends/supporters showed UP & OUT! We were pleased to have Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott, Senator Cory McCray and our Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Mr. Mark Clarke from FOX45 BMore Lifestyle show. We were overwhelmed by the turn out and looked around the room seeing people taking pictures, doing 360 videos, playing Blackjack and Russian Roulette. Eating crab dip, wings, lamb chops, and some delicious hours devours from Biddle Street Catering. And what can we say about Rick Wright-The Caricature Artist! He was outstanding and had a line up until 9pm. The Silent Auction was a HIT! We had some of the finest items to auction off such as, an autographed Ravens football, Tory Burch sandals and a Burberry pocketbook, tickets to the Steelers vs. Ravens game, Bicycles, All Things Maryland Basket, a top shelf Wine Basket, and so much more.
Our fearless leader, Dr. Gainers addressed the crowd and shared her sentiments of the excitement of, not only the evening, but sharing with the audience about the work that we do at FRP. We had the opportunity to premiere our newest commercials done by Vonnya Pettigrew and the Root Branch Media Group. Not a dry eye was in the room while we watched the stories of parents that successfully graduated from our program and are now thriving citizens of society. And how can we forget looking around the room and guests moving a grooving to the sounds of Baltimore’s finest, DJ Boobie! People, young and old doing The Wobble and the line dance of the year, the Jerusalema Shuffle.
In the words of the TikTok creator, “Whew! Boy, we had a time last night!” And we did! We’re so excited about how successful our first event turned out that we are already planning for next year. If you’re reading this and can feel the excitement, start making plans to attend our Fundraising Extravaganza in 2023. Check out some of the pictures from the event!
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Another successful graduation in the life of FRP! We are so proud of the Class of Fall 2022 and wish them nothing but the best! Much thanks to FRP Alumni Jessica Vernon and our Guest speaker, Mrs. Julvette Price-Brown from the Behavioral Health Systems, Baltimore for speaking and motivating our graduates. We are so proud of this class and excited to see them thrive for a better future.
We have some great donors and partners here at FRP. We’d like to thank Lenise Thompson of Amerigroup for visiting The Sage Center and providing lunch for our Sage Center Staff. FRP and Sage Center Resident, Ms. Jessica Brooks joined us for lunch and shared her inspiring story with Mrs. Thompson. Amerigroup awarded the Sage Center with a generous monetary contribution for our parents to be able to purchase household essentials. To end a day of sharing and caring with FRP, Mrs. Thompson awarded Dr. Gainers with a service award, for all of the hard work that she does for our organization. Thank you, Amerigroup! We are forever grateful!