Helping Up Mission

Thanks, Todd!!

Thank you to the Maryland Office of Overdose Response for recognizing our impactful work with an ORF grant.? https://lnkd.in/eysSEwkJ

A great watch on the President’s Weekend… Helping Up Mission was honored to be featured in this powerful documentary about the homelessness crisis in America-- now available to rent on Amazon Prime. https://bit.ly/4aYHqBw

Happy New Year! As we enter 2025, we invite you to support yourself and all close to your heart. Helping Up Mission (HUM) has partnered with FreeWill to make it easier than ever to begin your estate plan.? Creating a legacy In addition to writing your will, you can create a lasting legacy with HUM caring for our mission to Restore Hope and Rebuild Lives. Knowing you’re investing in a proven recovery program ensures that your most cherished values continue to thrive in Greater Baltimore for generations to come. How do I get started? Visit https://lnkd.in/eUKsFpfy today! If you have already included a gift to HUM in your plans, please fill out the form at https://lnkd.in/eHGDHezw so we can thank you!?

This holiday season, STV is donating to Helping Up Mission in lieu of gifts to their Baltimore area clients to further our mission. Thank you, STV! With your help, we're planting the seeds of HOPE!

As I've been reflecting on the last 6 weeks of work here at HUM, I started thinking about everything that led me to this point: all the late night studying, the groups in the front of the blackboard that were trying to memorize everything we needed to know before an exam, meals with friends, game nights, movie nights, and sitting around the apartment laughing. College was a lot of fun, and a lot of work. So, what did I expect life to look like after it? Truthfully, I had no idea. They tell you what they think it will look like, but each job is so unique that no one ever really knows. I'll admit there were some things they got right, but there were also things they got wrong. Between school preparing me for this moment, and every workplace tv show or movie I've ever seen, I thought I knew what it would be like. I was wrong. Here are misconceptions the world tells you about the workplace: 1. You will get a job directly in the degree you study. Before coming here, I have never worked on a grant in my life. The philanthropy team has been so generous with me as they teach me and fill in the holes of what college didn't teach me. Besides, offices have lingo that need to be learned that school simply can't teach. 2. Who has time for a leisurely breakfast or coffee with friends before work? F.R.I.E.N.D.S set me up poorly for this one. For some reason, all of them are awake and ready to tackle the day. Monica always made a full breakfast for them, and they were ready to go to work. It is way too dark and way too early for that. Also, why were they always hanging out in the middle of an afternoon on a Wednesday? 3. You need to make sure you're wearing business clothing all the time. Jeans are never appropriate. Fun fact: jeans are fine. Especially on Friday. 4. Work is full of drama. I'm so thankful this isn't true. Everyone here is professional, respectful, and encouraging. We even have an actual water cooler! 5. Everyone knows everyone's business. Again, thankfully, not true. We're a business, and we don't sit around gossiping about other people's personal time. Not only is that a major HR breach, but its rude, and no one has time for it. HUM is a professional, supportive environment. I have absolutely loved my time at HUM, and I look forward to learning something knew about the small things that make the company run better each day.

Happy Thank You Thursday! Today, we pause to express our heartfelt gratitude to YOU. Thank you to everyone who donated to our Giving Tuesday campaign to purchase essential childcare items, we have raised over $82,000, exceeding our goal and activating the $50,000 challenge match from Orioles Hall of Famer Brian and Diana Roberts! We are incredibly thankful for the support and belief of our Greater Baltimore community. Your generosity makes a life-changing difference for those we serve, and we couldn’t carry out this mission without you. Thank you for being a vital part of our journey!

Who Is Helping Up Mission? One of the questions we ask most when we meet someone new is "what do you do?" One of the questions I've been getting most often since starting at HUM has been the same. I would like to change the narrative today, however, and ask "Who is Helping Up Mission?" Helping Up Mission is, first and foremost, the clients we serve who so bravely took steps toward a path of recovery. Helping Up Mission is the staff that works so hard to make sure everything operates smoothly, and that our clients thrive. Helping Up Mission is the group of volunteers that serve across both campuses through the kitchen, through cuddling with the babies, through tutoring, through pro-bono work, and much more. Helping Up Mission is the generous donors and grantors that make sure we have the funding we need to operate. Together, we are Helping Up Mission, and without one another, nothing we do would be possible. Thank you to everyone involved in helping us thrive.

For week 2 of the takeover, I took Sylvia, our philanthropy intern, on an adventure to talk to staff and clients about what they're thankful for this year. Without the support of our donors, volunteers, and community, none of this would be possible. What are you thankful for this year?

What does it mean to work at Helping Up Mission? My name is Megan Eisentraut, and I was brought in as the new Grants Coordinator at the start of November. This is my first job out of college, and I am doing a takeover to highlight important/fun things HUM is doing. As a recent graduate, however, everything I'm experiencing right now is brand new. Because of that, I want to emphasize 4 major life and career lessons I've learned over the last few weeks: 1. A company is not one singular program. Everything is interconnected, and everyone relies heavily on everyone else. There's a reason we're called a team- without one another, we cannot succeed. Programs, operations, and administration all need one another to survive, and together, we all thrive. 2. A supportive community means so much. On the 7th, we hosted the first annual hiring fair. I had the opportunity to attend in support of Marketing and Grants and see 40 of our clients talk to different companies in the area that would support them through their recovery process. I even had the opportunity to talk to a man who was once a client and now sat on the other side of the table as an employer. Now, he's in a position to join the community around HUM and support in the same way he was supported. From a grants perspective, everything we do is from the support of the community. When we ask for help financially, it is from the community (church, global, local, national, etc.) around us, and they deliver. This week, I submitted my first grant to a church that supports our Center for Women & Children. Together, we have the opportunity to build up women and children and supporting our clients as they work to create healthy, happy lives for themselves. 3. Working at HUM is awesome. Between the free lunches I get each day, the mission of HUM, the clients we're helping, and the incredible staff, I have loved spending the last two weeks here. 4. Every person should experience a HUM chapel at some point in their life. No matter what I'm doing on a Friday, I have decided I want to make an effort to be at each chapel. We go through a word of the week that is uplifting and centered around scripture, and watch as our clients phase up and graduate our yearlong Spiritual Recovery Program. Seeing everyone around each graduate cheer for them has made me tear up each time. The other thing I love about our chapels is the choir. Seeing a group of people coming together and singing their hearts out is so inspiring. It is a glimpse of heaven on Earth to see what it would look like when we are one day all worshiping our Father together without the pain of this world. To have learned all this in just the last two weeks makes me wonder how much I'll learn in the next year. I cannot wait to see how HUM continues to make a positive impact in the lives of people struggling with poverty, addition, and homelessness.