A gift from Shore United Bank is launching the public phase of an exciting new $250,000 fundraising effort, The Campaign to Build Trust, Hope, and Dignity in Caroline County, to create a new youth center for children ages 5 to 18 suffering with mental illness.
The $5,000 grant supports the purchase of a new home and necessary renovations to transform the lives of Caroline County children. Located in Denton, Maryland, this new center will provide children with critical life-altering support, helping children acquire the necessary skills to cope with mental health challenges at home, at school or out in the community. At the Caroline Youth Center, they will learn about their diagnoses, managing behavioral triggers while setting achievable goals toward wellness, and making better real-life decisions.
With this gift, early investors in this project have committed more than $150,000 toward the $250,000 goal. The new center features many available naming opportunities including the center itself, the main recreational room, a technology laboratory, a teaching kitchen, the supervisor’s office, a large group room, the front entrance, and a small group room, among other spaces.
Leadership donors to the campaign include the Grayce B. Kerr Fund, the Van Strum Foundation, and Win Transport. Nearly 50 individuals and businesses have also supported the effort.
“Shore United Bank is pleased to support the important work Channel Marker does and especially this much-needed new center in Caroline County,” said Debra Rich, Chief Marketing and Project Officer. “Channel Marker makes an enormous difference on the Mid-Shore and this new facility will provide critical support for families and youth in our community.”
“Compelled by the mission of Channel Marker and the pressing need for this new center, the trustees of the Kerr Fund are proud to be a part of this effort,” John R. Valliant, President of the Grayce B. Kerr Fund, Inc. said. “We recognize the acute call for this facility – in Caroline County more than 80 children are receiving rehabilitation for challenging mental illness while others are often relegated to the waiting list.”
Founded in 1982, Channel Marker promotes health and wellness through prevention programs, rehabilitation, and community services; our work is widely recognized across three Mid-Shore Maryland counties as a valued community asset. Launched to teach independent living and vocational skills to a handful of people whose lives had been upended by mental illness when there were few community-based resources in the area, today Channel Marker is staffed by 60 and has an annual operating budget of $4.6 million. Channel Marker provides programming promoting independent living skills, social skills, and coping strategies for clients with mental illnesses including depression, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, and mood disorders. Channel Marker also provides modern daytime rehabilitation facilities in Talbot, Dorchester, and Caroline Counties as well as seven residential properties offering much-needed low-income housing supporting rehabilitative efforts in a home setting.
An open house in the Fall will mark the launching of the campaign.
