Chilly temperatures and cloudy skies didn’t stop more than 70 faculty members, staff members and students, as well as 10 representatives from some of Johns Hopkins Medicine’s community partners, from participating in the third Unified Steps wellness walk on March 30. Walkers had the chance to learn about some of Johns Hopkins Medicine’s work with community organizations that are just blocks away from the hospital. They were also able to meet and chat with some of the organization’s top leaders.
The one-mile walking tour around the East Baltimore community was led by Robert Kasdin, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Johns Hopkins Medicine; Inez Stewart, senior vice president of human resources for Johns Hopkins Medicine; and Antony Rosen, vice dean for research for the school of medicine.
During the walk, employees had the opportunity to interact with Johns Hopkins Medicine leadership and hear about ongoing efforts to improve the surrounding neighborhoods from community partners, including the Bea Gaddy Family Center, a nonprofit organization that assists and provides food to needy families throughout the state; Caring Active Restoring Efforts (C.A.R.E.) Community Association, an organization that has created gardens and murals and restored lots throughout East Baltimore; and Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School (CJR), a recent Baltimore success story. In 2010, the school needed an intervention due to poor academic performance and safety concerns. In five years, after being projected to have 210 students enrolled in 2010, enrollment increased to 702 students. Baltimore City has designated CJR a “community school,” meaning that it is supported by resources in the neighborhood, specifically the Center for Adolescent Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Michael Glenwick, the community school coordinator for CMJ, explained that the partnership with the school of public health, where he is also an employee, helps him connect resources with the students and the community. “We support our students and families in having their needs met beyond what they get in the classroom—things like food and health access, financial literacy, after-school and summer programming and mentoring options.”
The series of community walks began last fall to encourage informal conversations between staff members and Johns Hopkins Medicine leadership, and also East Baltimore community leaders, about how employees can become more involved in initiatives that benefit Baltimore City. The walks also promote health and wellness for employees. Stay tuned for information about the next wellness walk to be held later this spring.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities with the Johns Hopkins community partners, please contact:
• Commodore John Rodgers, thecjrschool.org, Michael Glenwick, [email protected]
• Bea Gaddy Family Centers, bea-gaddy.org, Cynthia Brooks, [email protected]