Station Stories: March 2023

March 2023

Women's History Month

Commonly associated with the coming of spring and the beginning of daylight savings time, March also marks Women’s History Month. Each year, we celebrate by recognizing the amazing accomplishments women have made throughout history, but also by acknowledging the adversities faced both then and now.

To honor the influence of women in American history, let’s take a look at Charm City native, Augusta T. Chissell, who defied the gender norms of her time to create a better, more equal world for the future.

Born in the early 1880s in Baltimore, Maryland, Augusta Theodosia Lewis Chissell lived in a three-story brick house near other activists who believed in the importance of improving the lives of women and people of color in Baltimore. In 1907, with the support of fellow activists Margaret Hawkins and Estelle Young, Augusta formed the Dubois Circle, an African-American women's club studying literature, art, politics, and civic activities. Augusta would eventually become a writer for the Baltimore Afro-American where she wrote a re-occurring column focused on voting instructions and information on those running for local office. Chissell was also one of the founding members of the Baltimore branch of the NAACP, focusing on issues of housing, public health, clean air, and food waste. Her activism and involvement in the NAACP lasted until her passing on May 14, 1973. Augusta Chissell worked tirelessly to stay informed on political issues and culture while encouraging others to do the same.

To learn more about Women’s History Month, International Women’s Day and some of the women of The Baltimore Station, check out our blog post here.

Source: Bliss, Jessica, and Jasmine Vaughn-Hall. “'Brilliant and Politically Savvy:' the Roles of African American Women in the Fight to Vote 100 Years Ago.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 17 Aug. 2020, https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/life/womenofthecentury/2020/02/26/african-american-womens-brilliant-role-19th-amendment-fight-vote/4544377002/.

Volunteer Appreciation Night

In February, we celebrated our first post-pandemic Volunteer Appreciation Night! While we usually celebrate the work of our volunteers during Volunteer Appreciation Month in April, we couldn’t help but start early. We welcomed our volunteers to Checkerspot Brewery, a local favorite and just around the corner from The Baltimore Station. We enjoyed delicious food from Sobo Café, chatted with other supporters of The Station, and most importantly recognized volunteers for all of their important work.

Awards were given for Outstanding Individual, Outstanding Group, and Exceptional New Group Contribution. Outstanding Individual went to Tom Binford, a Spanish teacher at Friends School who has been bringing junior volunteers to serve at The Baltimore Station for nearly 20 years! Outstanding Group went to The Baltimore Hons for all the positive energy and Baltimore pride they radiate at each of their meal services and every time they show their support at our fundraisers. Finally, we recognized The Bearded Villains with Exceptional New Group Contribution. They have been volunteering with us for a little under a year, but have already hosted a meal service, volunteered at each of our signature fundraisers and donated money raised at their international Bearded Villains meet up.

A huge thank you to all of our volunteers! Each and every volunteer has found a way to gather all the love of a community and bring it into our Station.

Be sure to check out all the pictures of the event here.

Cristo Rey Bingo Day

Did someone Say BINGO?! This month we welcomed Cristo Rey Faculty to lead our clients in a Bingo game as a part of their staff day of service. In the past, we welcomed many student groups from Cristo Rey to work in our kitchen and were pleased to have five faculty members show their support for The Baltimore Station.

We spent over an hour carefully placing the bingo markers, calling out numbers, and yelling with glee when someone hit BINGO on their card. It was such a wonderful way to spend a Friday – a fun game followed by a good meal. Cristo Rey stayed after the game to cook up some homemade lasagna in our kitchen. Although they were nervous about cooking for so many people, the final product was delicious. What a creative way to spend a day of service! A huge thank you to Cristo Rey staff for serving The Baltimore Station.

Happy Maryland Day

As we approach the weekend, we are coming up on another great day to celebrate, Maryland Day! Maryland Day commemorates the formal founding of the colony of Maryland and we celebrate this first landing each year on March 25th. Marylanders began observing Maryland Day in 1903, when the State Board of Education designated it as a day to be devoted to the study of Maryland history. In 1916, the General Assembly authorized the celebration of Maryland Day as a legal state holiday.

What better way to celebrate than with some fun facts about Maryland!

Our state bird, well known mascot too, is the Baltimore Oriole.
Famous Marylanders include Francis Scott Key, who wrote the Star Spangled Banner; baseball player Babe Ruth; Jazz musician Billie Holiday; and civil rights activist Thurgood Marshall, who we spoke about in our Black History Month blog!
Big time firsts: Maryland had the first post office system and water company in the United States. The first telegraph line in the world was established between Washington and Baltimore.
The Maryland State House is the oldest state capitol still in continuous legislative use.

Here at The Baltimore Station, we will be celebrating Maryland Day enjoying delicious red, black, and gold Maryland Day bagels donated to us from Towson Hot Bagel (THB)!

Which Maryland fact do you find the most interesting?

Target Circle

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What's Coming Up?

B'More Healthy Expo

DATE: Saturday, March 25 | 10:00am-4:00pm

LOCATION: The Baltimore Convention Center

1 W Pratt St | Baltimore, MD 21201

Stop by our booth at the 14th Annual B'More Healthy Expo where we will be connecting with people who may need our services and those who wish to support them.

Target Circle

DATE: Now until March 31

LOCATION: Target Circle App or Website

We're participating in the Target Circle program and you can cast a vote for us in the Target App. Check out our blog post to see the steps on how to support us with just the click of a button!

Take a Swing for Recovery, presented by BlueHalo

DATE: Thursday, April 13 | 2:00-5:00pm

LOCATION: Topgolf Baltimore

1411 Warner St I Baltimore, MD 21230

Take a Swing for Recovery and join us for a brand new fundraiser to support the men in our program. Enjoy Topgolf tournament play, lunch, beer and wine, a raffle, bottle pull, and more!