Station Stories: December 2022

December 2022

#GivingTuesday Recap

This year, The Baltimore Station participated in the global day of giving event, Giving Tuesday. Meant as a day to spread generosity to organizations making an impact in the community, we raised money to increase security measures to further promote the safety and well-being of the men we proudly serve.

Our goal this year was to raise $15,000 and because of the amazing support of private donors and corporate sponsors, we far surpassed that goal, raising $23,983.18! We are now able to start the work to install new security measures at both of our facilities with state-of-the-art technology that will maximize safety and security for our vulnerable population.

A huge thank you to all of those who contributed and to Len the Plumber, Atlas Container, and Dominos for their donation matches. Because of you, our men will have a second chance at continuing their work to be better than the day before.

Meditation and Mindfulness for the Men of The Baltimore Station

Have you ever wondered about the benefits of meditation? What about how being mindful can actually help to lessen daily pains? Our Joyful Noise Baltimore has brought another amazing program to us that combines music and meditation to help our population relax and give them another resource for handling stress and anxiety. The men of The Baltimore Station have spent the last two months exploring the powers of meditation through the 5M Self-Care Workshops led by Aaron Hill. “5M is a self-care formula that decreases stress, anxiety, grief and depression while increasing overall peace using music, movement, meditation, mindfulness, and mantras (positive affirmations).”

Each week Aaron Hill, a certified mindfulness and meditation teacher, spends an hour working with our men to help them let go of the stress and tension of the day and just focus on themselves. He uses music to ground everyone and allow the space to be free of outside distractions. After creating a positive space, the men move into some stretches and meditation, before working on positive mantras to encourage confidence the rest of the day. One client said “It relaxed me. It was a good type of meditation where you could be calm but not so calm that you fall asleep” with another saying “I enjoyed singing my mantra. I wasn’t distracted, I was right here.”

Aaron Hill has also enjoyed this opportunity to work with the men. Saying "I've had such an amazing time working with the men at The Baltimore Station. They've shared with me that my workshops have given them tools to manage their stress better, remember to breath during challenging times, respond wisely instead of reacting blindly, and that the workshops alone gave them a break from the "grind" and permission to take a minute to themselves to rest in the midst of a busy day. "

We are so grateful for the different opportunities we can offer the men we serve to help better their days and accomplish their goals. If you are interested in giving meditation a chance, check out more information on Aaron Hill here.

Sunday Funday at Ravens Walk

On November 20, a team from The Baltimore Station came out to support The Baltimore Ravens as we were honored to be featured in their community showcase on Ravens Walk, presented by Safeway. It was a cold and windy day, but Ravens fans always show up to cheer on their team and the winter weather didn’t get anyone down!

To celebrate the National Football League’s Salute to Service Initiative, we were invited to share information about our organization and pass out some Station koozies, cups, and bracelets. We chatted with fans and got a few pictures with service members attending the game. It was a great opportunity to spread awareness about the important work we do here at The Baltimore Station and pump up the crowd before the big game. In addition to welcoming The Station, in October the Ravens welcomed over 150 youth participants to compete in football drills with a military twist. The Baltimore Ravens have always been huge supporters of our service members and continue to show that support every opportunity they have.

Thank you, Baltimore Ravens, for letting us be a part of this year’s Salute to Service, and congratulations on the win against the Carolina Panthers!

Holiday Makeover as seen on WMAR TV

We can feel a chill in the air and the faint sounds of holiday music coming from cars passing by, what does that mean? The holiday season is upon us, and it’s time to get ready to celebrate! Here at The Baltimore Station, we welcome a diverse client and staff base, all looking forward to celebrating different winter holidays in their own way. To welcome these different celebrations, The Baltimore Station has had a makeover and we are looking as festive as ever!

Early this December, we welcomed six Friends School students and their teacher, Mr. Binford, to help us decorate our walls and doors in preparation for all the festivities to come. We hung military themed stockings with care, decorated holiday trees, put up the Menorah, and put out our Kwanza decorations. Our favorite tree is proudly displayed in the front vestibule, with patriotic ornaments and a thank you note to our veterans. Friends School students even helped to create a Volunteer Blizzard with pictures of different volunteer groups all throughout the year to remind us of all the “nice list” supporters we have welcomed in 2022.

We are so grateful for our partnership with Friends School and all the amazing volunteers they have brought us for almost 20 years. It was a true delight to see the men and students share their excitement for the coming holiday season. Be sure to check out the story WMAR did on our holiday make-over here.

And be sure to look for your picture on our Volunteer Blizzard wall next time you are here to volunteer!

Annual Appeal

Did you get your annual appeal letter? Board member and maker of Baltimore’s Best Pizza, Joey Vanoni aka Pizza di Joey, wrote this year’s annual appeal letter. Upon reading the letter, Marine Corps veteran Steve Purchase, traveled to Baltimore to personally present Joey with a donation for The Baltimore Station. The support our community members near and far have given us has been a huge motivator and continues to inspire our mission every day.

We are so grateful for all the donations we have received this year and can’t wait to see what new services we can provide at The Baltimore Station next year because of our community’s support. But we still need your help to keep the men we proudly serve in a safe and positive environment for growth! Please visit baltimorestation.org/donate for more information. Thank you for your support of The Baltimore Station and the men that we serve.