All In a Day's Work

In the bright light of midday. Deep in the dark of night. On rainy afternoons. During a hazy, humid moonrise. On a snowy winter morning. No matter the time of day or season, nonprofit organizations are hard at work serving communities across the state and beyond. Every day poses a new challenge, but to the nonprofits of Maryland, it's all in a day's work. Here's a sample of a “typical” day in the life of Maryland's nonprofit sector.

Morning

12:15 a.m. - Deep in the night in Northern Baltimore County, a pager sounds on a night table summoning an American Red Cross volunteer to action. An apartment fire has left a family in Arbutus homeless, destroying all of their possessions, and soon this volunteer and other members of the Disaster Action Team will be on site helping the family through their crisis.

1:30 a.m. - A bereavement counselor from Hospice of the Chesapeake in Linthicum consoles the adult son of a cancer patient who has just passed away. Grieving from the loss, the family finds solace knowing their loved one died with dignity and free from pain.

2:45 a.m. - Back in Baltimore, life just begins at Johns Hopkins Hospital. A nurse hands newborn twins to their jubilant parents and the babies begin to get acquainted with their new world.

4:00 a.m. - A young man awakens, smiling to find a roof over his head. Homeless and nearly frozen the night before, this morning he's warm and safe at a Winter Relief shelter operated by Arundel House of Hope.

5:15 a.m. - The phone rings in Carroll County. A distraught young woman reports that she was raped during the night and doesn't know where to turn. The Rape Crisis Intervention Center of Carroll County's hotline worker provides the answers.

6:00 a.m. - A young woman gathers her thoughts and her belongings as she prepares to be released from prison later in the day. She will be assisted by workers from Alternative Directions who will help her to make a successful transition into the outside world.

7:15 a.m. - It's time to head to the airport again for aid workers from Lutheran World Relief, an international relief nonprofit headquartered in Baltimore. This time they're working as part of an Interfaith Fair Trade Initiative, helping coffee and chocolate farmers and local craftspeople in developing countries support their impoverished families by bringing their products to market throughout the US.

8:30 a.m. - School doors open at the Midtown Academy in Baltimore City. This parent and teacher-run school daily welcomes 183 students from kindergarten to 8 th grade, offering an alternative to the traditional public schools in the region. A mile further downtown, children at the Downtown Baltimore Child Care Center are gathering in a circle to listen to a story read by their teacher.

9:45 a.m. – “Order in the court!”, gavels the clerk in the District Court for Baltimore County, as the judge enters the courtroom. Lawyers from the Legal Aid Bureau rise to assert the rights of a middle-aged woman who is seeking to maintain custody of her two children. Across town in Hanover, lawyers from the Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education meet with a family seeking assistance in order to keep their disabled child mainstreamed in a county school.

11:00 a.m. - The job training class begins at Dulaney Station in Randallstown. Attending the class is a 50 year old man who's been fighting serious depression for several years. Formerly a successful mid-level manager, he's been unemployed and is fighting his way back into the workforce with help and support.

Afternoon

12:15 p.m. - After stopping to gulp down a yogurt, a licensed social worker from Family & Children's Services of Central Maryland continues on her rounds visiting and assisting frail elderly clients who are homebound. Across town a nutritious lunch is being served to seniors at the Edward A. Myerberg Senior Center in Baltimore.

1:30 p.m. - Volunteer advocates from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Maryland Chapter, join with a state senator to present testimony about proposed legislation that would expand health insurance coverage for treatment of mental illnesses.

2:45 p.m. - A school bus pulls away from the National Aquarium of Baltimore on its way back to Harford County. The students spent a fun and interesting day learning about the plants and animals that inhabit our waters.

4:00 p.m. - The parents of a talented, economically disadvantaged African American student meet with counselors at the Baltimore Educational Scholarship Trust, seeking a place for their child at one of Baltimore's many quality private schools.

4:45 p.m. - A teleconference begins at the offices of the Society for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, an international health care organization based in Baltimore County. Leading medical researchers and practitioners gather to discuss what's known about this fatal, degenerative brain disorder.

5:30 p.m. - The third day of weeklong training program concludes at the Center for Watershed Protection in Ellicott City. One hundred professionals from 26 states and Canada return to their hotel after a day immersed in learning about how to protect the environment.

Evening

6:00 p.m. - Back in South Baltimore, a group of budding entrepreneurs settle in to learn about how to finance the expansion of their new businesses at a workshop sponsored by Women Entrepreneurs of Baltimore.

7:15 p.m. - A worker with mental retardation, tired after a full day of work with the ARC of Baltimore's landscaping company, returns to his alternative living unit, joining in dinner and chores with the other residents.

8:30 p.m. - Curtains up at Center Stage. Tonight's production is “a.m. Sunday”, a play that takes a "frank look at contemporary life along the racial divide."

9:30 p.m. - Staff turns out the lights at the Live Baltimore Home Center, having spent the evening working to update profiles about Baltimore City's many liveable neighborhoods.

10:45 p.m. - A married couple flips through a resource guide published by the Volunteer Center for Anne Arundel County. They're looking for a volunteer opportunity that will help their high school senior meet the state's community service graduation requirement.

11:55 p.m. - All is quiet at Chrysalis House in Crownsville, a residential and outpatient treatment program for women with alcohol and drug addiction. Tomorrow's another day to face the challenges of recovery.

As always, it's been a long and productive day for the nonprofits and the people they serve. Each day is different from the rest, bringing new challenges and opportunities to help. But for the nonprofits of Maryland, it's all in a “typical” day's work. Time to start all over again…