Partnering in Service for Community Wellbeing

Project SERVE (Service, Empowerment, Revitalization, Validation, Employment training) is a Living Classrooms employment training program built to address recidivism rates and barriers to employment for returning citizens through a restorative justice model. Living Classrooms provides job training, wrap-around case management services, and access to resources so that Project SERVE members can be active participants in rebuilding their lives in the community. For the past few weeks our Project SERVE crews have been focused on helping community members impacted by the snowstorm and responding to 311 calls to clear snow and ice.  

After Baltimore's biggest snowstorm in a decade, many neighborhoods were stranded with no way to shovel out. Living Classrooms’ Project SERVE members helped with snow removal for residents in Broadway East, CARE Community, and McElderry Park. Residents were unable to leave their homes, get their cars out, utilize bus stops, or access essential items. Our Project SERVE members braved the frigid temperatures to shovel sidewalks and driveways, remove cars from the snow, break through stubborn ice, clear bus stops, and make the conditions much safer for people living in those Baltimore neighborhoods.  

Project SERVE collaborated with Clean Corps using a mobile app where residents in need could send complaints and requests. Using this app, Project SERVE members were able to understand the age and need of the residents and respond quickly. In the first two days, our crew helped 75 residents, mostly elderly community members, who were in need of assistance.

Darius Brown, a Project SERVE alum who now works on the staff said:

“Usually when we are cleaning neighborhoods, it’s just like a 'Hi and bye' situation with community members. But with this snowstorm we were directly helping a lot of people, we were more interactive, and they really got to see what we do. It allowed us to network and outreach with the community, and it was a great experience.” 

Project SERVE is now in our 26th year serving the Baltimore community and providing rapid attachment to work for previously incarcerated individuals. A senior Project SERVE Leader and alum, John Jones, recently shared:

“I hear from some of our Project SERVE members that there was a time when they were contributing to the harm and disinvestment in their own neighborhoods. Today, they are the ones restoring and rebuilding those same blocks, and that is deeply empowering.”

That transformation matters.

Many of our members are returning home from incarceration and making a conscious decision to move differently. They are no longer participating in the damage they once caused. Instead, they are choosing to repair, to contribute, and to invest in the very communities where they once struggled. The process of acknowledging past harm, reflecting on it honestly, and then committing to restoration is an essential part of healing, not only for the individual, but for the community as well.

Through daily, year-round work, our Project SERVE members are demonstrating what accountability and growth can look like in action. They are helping Baltimore become cleaner, stronger, and more connected, block by block.

We are grateful for the courage it takes to choose restoration, and for the leadership our Project SERVE members show every day.

Celebrate Black History Month with us!



The Frederick Douglass–Isaac Myers Maritime Park Museum (1417 Thames St. Fells Point) is open to the public free of charge every Saturday in February from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The museum will also maintain its regular hours, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., subject to event schedules.

Step into Baltimore’s rich maritime history and discover the powerful legacies of Frederick Douglass and Isaac Myers, along with the story of the first Black-owned shipyard in the United States, a groundbreaking chapter of resilience, leadership, and innovation.

Bring friends, family, and curiosity. We look forward to welcoming you!

As part of Living Classrooms’ Tomorrow’s Promise Campaign, we are planning a new Workforce Development Education Center in Washington, DC Ward 8. The building will be located in The Yards on the Anacostia River and will provide classroom space for hands-on learning and job training. The center will have an open layout, convertible rooms that transform into large event spaces or smaller job training program classrooms, a STEM Lab for our land/sea programming, a music/arts studio for our Ascend through Music Program, a culinary training restaurant, and more. We have been actively collaborating with Studios Architecture, zoning attorneys, transportation engineers, building agents, and Advisory Neighborhood Commissions. We are in the fundraising phase of the Campaign and have a variety of naming opportunities still available. Living Classrooms’ Workforce Development Education Center will be a resource for DC children and adults supporting our community's needs and providing a space for growth and discovery. The flexibility of our center will allow us to meet the needs of our community and provide future opportunities.

Along with the new Workforce Development Education Center in DC, we are also working to expand our Crossroads Middle School, a tuition-free, public charter school operated by Living Classrooms in Baltimore City. Our goal is to expand the school from a 6-8 grade middle school for 162 students, to a K-8 elementary and middle school for 425 students. Now, 80% of our students enter Crossroads sixth grade two or three grade levels behind in reading and math. Our goal is to be able to work with students at an earlier age (K-5) making sure they are not behind as they enter middle school. The future Crossroads campus is being designed by Ziger/Snead Architects and will include two new education buildings while still maintaining the campus's tower, green space, and wetlands. We look forward to scaling our programs and having more impact in our communities through these capital projects.

If you are interested in supporting or learning more about these projects and Living Classrooms' Tomorrow's Promise Campaign, please contact Thara Taylor.

Thank you for your continued support of Living Classrooms’ mission!

Rising Stars is a program for up-and-coming young professionals, under the age of 40, who are the next generation of Baltimore philanthropists and business leaders. Throughout the program, the selected Rising Stars use their professional and social networks, creativity, marketing skills, and business expertise to raise funds and awareness for the Living Classrooms Foundation's impactful programs. Honorees participate in networking activities throughout the year and are honored at our Maritime Magic gala on October 2, 2026, as well as in the Baltimore Business Journal.

For more information or to nominate a Rising Star, visit our website.

This summer, Living Classrooms Foundation is excited to welcome our annual cohort of Inspired to Serve Summer Interns! We are offering 10 unpaid internship opportunities for rising high school seniors and college-age students, with placements across a variety of Living Classrooms' programs, including music, urban gardening with students, maritime education, workforce development, facilities, and more throughout Baltimore and Washington, DC. We strive to match interns with Living Classrooms programs they are passionate about, creating a meaningful, engaging, and inspiring summer experience.

Designed as more than just an internship, participants are immersed in meaningful, hands-on work that supports our communities while fostering personal and professional growth. Interns will gain hands-on experience at their assigned sites while also exploring the broader nonprofit sector and the mission-driven work of Living Classrooms Foundation. Inspired to Serve was created in collaboration with Eric and Jill Becker to celebrate Cara Becker’s legacy of compassion and community service, continuing her spirit of helping others through volunteer engagement across Living Classrooms’ programs.

Participants gain a deeper understanding of how service can be a powerful force for positive change while gaining service hours and/or academic credit. To learn more or apply, click here!

Meet Zion and Jamal, recent graduates of Living Classrooms' Kingman Island Rangers Program, a workforce development initiative that combines conservation, community engagement, and career training on Kingman Island a 47-acre conservation area in the District of Columbia's Anacostia River. The Kingman Rangers and trainees, with Living Classrooms and Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), steward the day-to-day operations of Kingman Island. Our Rangers facilitate volunteer programs and recreation, help with education programs for local youth, create a safe environment for community engagement, and help our trainees. Trainees emerge from the program not only with certifications, but as ambassadors for the Island, building skills in green infrastructure, CPR and first aid, OSHA safety, tool handling, de-escalation, and environmental storytelling. This opportunity is exclusively for residents of the District, making the Island even more approachable and connected to its surrounding communities. 

Zion and Jamal received OSHA 10, Flagger, and Green Infrastructure certifications while training alongside Kingman Rangers in the field. Their training has prepared them for careers in service and sustainability, as well as for the world of work. Zion has accepted a position with a local nonprofit focused on youth safety, continuing his commitment to community impact. Jamal has officially joined the Living Classrooms' Kingman Ranger team. We are proud of both of their achievements and are thrilled to have Jamal on our team.