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Happy Wednesday, fellow nonprofiteers!
It's mid-June, and many of you are preparing to close out another fiscal year. This mid-year period tends to be very hectic and often stressful. Take a break with me, breathe, and spend some time celebrating some good news from other do-gooders this week!
| | Do you have awesome mid-year news to celebrate? Send it my way at wednesday@bewhatsgood.com to be featured in an upcoming edition of the What's Good Wednesday newsletter! | | | | |
Last week, we talked about the Positive Strides horse show, which happened over the weekend. Positive Strides followed up with me to share how awesome the event was. They said all of the riders had a great time and really enjoyed winning their medals.
| | They also did a retirement ceremony for their program horse, Rudy, and it was beautiful. He wore a wreath created by Wenfei Uva of Seaberry Farm, and it was a really sweet moment. Congratulations, Positive Strides! We look forward to hearing more about the wonderful work you do! | | |
Congratulations are in order for Critchlow Adkins Children’s Center. As part of the renovation of Chapel District Elementary School in Cordova, Maryland, they had the opportunity to build a brand new center for their Cordova Site. They just moved in last week, and it is spectacular. It features 3 classrooms, a site director’s office, and a teacher work room.
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| Previously, the school age children had their programming in the school cafeteria, and now they get to learn in these bright, beautiful classrooms with interactive learning stations. This expansion will allow Critchlow Adkins to serve an additional 30 school age students in their before and after school care and summer camp programs. With a growing childcare availability crisis here on Maryland's Mid-Shore, this new site will provide crucial assistance to many local families and businesses. Well done, Critchlow Adkins! | | |
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SOS Sink or Swim had their first day of free summer swimming lessons on Monday! Their life-saving initiative is carried out in partnership with Talbot County Parks and Recreation. SOS offers lessons for children 18 months to 18 years, as well as adult swimming lessons and junior lifeguard training.
| | I happened to be present at one of the pools for opening day, and, even though there was a bit of a chill in the air, there were tons of smiling faces, and the kids were having a total splash. As SOS' founder Libby Moose says, "Swimming is the only sport that saves lives." These kids are learning an essential life skill while having a blast in the water! | | |
Responsible Fathers Initiative hosted their annual Fathers' Day picnic over the weekend. RFI celebrated the dads and men in the Talbot and Dorchester Counties 24/7 Dad group and their youth "PRIDE" groups. PRIDE stands for Purposeful, Respectful, Intentional, Determined and Excited!
| | | They also honored their partner host agencies, including the Neighborhood Service Center and YMCA in Talbot County and Delmarva Community Services and Mace's Lane Middle School in Dorchester County. Congrats to all the dads and teens who participated in this great program that helps strengthen local families! | | | | |
The Talbot County government, Talbot Historical Society, and Waterfowl Festival all collaborated to put on "Talbot Treasures," an exhibition of 250 items related to Talbot County, Maryland's history as part of the Talbot 250 Project celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States.
| | Items were submitted by the Rural Life Museum, the Oxford Museum, the Classic Car Museum, the Talbot County Women’s Club, and more. About 150 people attended the event, with a cocktail reception on Friday, and a viewing and historical commentary on Saturday. Talbot 250 has many more events to come throughout the year, including walking tours, quilt exhibits, events honoring Frederick Douglass, and so much more. I love seeing so many organizations come together to honor our shared history and help create a bright future for our community! | | |
On May 21, 2025, The Arc Central Chesapeake Region separated from The Arc Maryland and the national Arc network and will continue to serve the community under their new name, Fello. Fello supports people with disabilities to live the lives they choose by creating opportunities, promoting respect and equity, and fostering inclusion in their communities.
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| The organization currently supports over 4,000 people across Maryland, employs nearly 650 team members, and manages close to 100 housing units across 43 properties throughout Anne Arundel County and the Eastern Shore. While their name has changed, their commitment remains the same: to champion inclusion, opportunity, and choice for people with disabilities in Maryland. Congratulations, Fello, and thank you for carrying on your important work! | | | | |
Pink for Patsy helps cancer patients with items such as transportation, cleaning, meals, gift cards and financial support. They are hosting an event called Patsy’s Party this Saturday, June 21st, in honor of Cancer Survivors Month.
| | All the fun takes place at the Benedict Andrew American Legion in Queenstown, Maryland from 6 – 10 pm. There will be a visit from the Pink Fire Truck (I didn't even know there was such a thing!), entertainment by popular local band Bird Dog and the Road Kings, food trucks, and more. Join me in wishing Pink for Patsy a successful event this weekend! | | |
Shore Lit is in the middle of their very first match campaign, and it’s a really neat and different concept. If they receive 100 donations of any size – even $1 – by the end of the month of June, they will unlock $5,000 in pledged donations. Currently, they have 58 donors, so they are well on their way to reaching their goal. Keep going, Shore Lit! You're going to earn your match... I can feel it in my bones!
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The YMCA of Greater Richmond recently received a $5,000 donation from the Junior Federated Women's Club of Chester in support of the Chester Family YMCA Capital Project. A long-time partner of the Y, the JFWCC and their members have volunteered their time, talent and treasure to distribute food, gather school supplies and helped provide financial assistance to families in Chester.
| | The YMCA's capital project aims to improve accessibility, modernize the wellness center, adding 4,300 square feet including a group exercise studio, create welcoming gathering and community spaces for people to make meaningful connections, revitalize outdoor spaces to enhance programming opportunities, improve youth program spaces, renovate the men's and women's locker rooms, and create a new universal locker room. I hope they receive many more generous donations like this one so they can achieve all of their goals! | | |
Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida recently hosted their 32nd annual 12 Good Men Luncheon on May 2nd, 2025. The luncheon honored twelve distinguished men from South Florida, for their generous contributions and outstanding community and civic involvement.
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This event is unique because they incorporate peer-to-peer fundraising leading up to the event for attendees and supporters to vote for their favorite candidate in the form of a donation. It's a great combination of the classic gala or luncheon event with the more modern peer-to-peer twist to add a little fun. Since its inception, the event has not only raised over $1 million for the “House that Love Built,” but has also honored 372 elite members of the South Florida community.
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*I am an Arreva partner, but receive no compensation for recommending Exceed Further. I just think it's a great product!
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Summer is upon us, and for many nonprofits, that means it's strategic planning season. This week, I'm sharing some things to think about before heading into that planning session or board retreat.
Watch The Topic Of The Week Below:
| | Click the button below to access more informative content! | | Showcasing Local Nonprofits On WCEI! | | |
It is a true pleasure to hang out with Matt Spence on the WCEI morning show each week. What a great opportunity tell our community about all the awesome nonprofit organizations making a difference on the Mid-Shore!
Listen to last week's segment below, featuring:
If you are a Mid-Shore nonprofit with something to celebrate, please share it at wednesday@bewhatsgood.com and you could be featured on an upcoming radio segment and newsletter!
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The Itty Bitty Book of Nonprofit Fundraising:
Tips for Board Members from a Development Director who hates asking people for money
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