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July 2022
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Grassroots Answers 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Posters, such as this one, are promoting the new suicide and crisis lifeline.
Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center is one of eight Maryland centers selected to answer calls to the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. 988 calls, chats, and texts connect to trained professionals with expertise in mental health and substance use treatment.

Counselors immediately help those reaching out through 988 with their emergencies. In some cases, counselors may be dispatched to meet the person in crisis. Referral to community-based resources is included. The new free service offers confidential alternatives to calling the police or going to a hospital emergency room. The three-digit dialing code is available to everyone across the United States as of July 16. For more information, click here.

 
Executive Director Dr. Mariana Izraelson was one of the speakers at the recent announcement
of Howard County’s $12 million support for local non-profit agencies, including Grassroots. 
Click here for more information.
Performance Snapshot During the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, Grassroots served 499 people in its shelter programs and 837 individuals at the Grassroots Day Resource Center.  Counselors answered 58,429 calls on the Hotline, and provided 2,324 face-to-face counseling sessions. The Mobile Crisis Team provided 1,023 community responses, and 502 clients were enrolled in the Substance Use Crisis Stabilization Program. It was a remarkable year of sometimes heroic efforts to address the ramifications of the pandemic. The support of dedicated staff, Howard County government, other funders and generous donors made this performance possible
A Summer Sunday in the Country Benefit
A boy enjoys a turn on an inflatable slide at a family picnic in the country.
Howard County families are invited to enjoy “A Summer Sunday in the Country,” a fundraiser for Grassroots, on Sunday, Sept. 11, from 12:30 - 3:30 p.m., at the Kittleman Family Farm in West Friendship.  

“Our family is proud to host a benefit for Grassroots, which gives families a chance at a better life,” said Lisa Kittleman, who serves on the agency’s Board of Directors and is a partner in The Kittleman Group Realtors.  

The benefit will include a picnic barbecue, hand-craft beer from Manor Hill Brewery and live music by party band What’s Next. Outdoor games, Cornhole competition, a Moon Bounce, fishing contest and other activities for children and adults will be featured.

Sponsorships for “A Summer Sunday in the Country” are available at $1,000 for Gold, $500 for Silver and $250 for Bronze, and include a family pass to the picnic barbecue, including beer, and activities. Individual admission is $50 per person.  To purchase a sponsorship or individual ticket, contact https://summersundayinthecountry.eventbrite.com.
Donations from students and school benefits are the backbone of Change Matters.
Generous Students Change Matters, the student philanthropy and community service initiative that raises awareness and funds for Grassroots, has managed to survive the pandemic despite greatly reduced activities. Coordinator Kim Steffens reports that schools raised over $29,000 for Grassroots this past school year.

Participating elementary schools Bushy Park, Dayton Oaks, Forest Ridge, Lisbon, Manor Woods, Northfield, Running Brook and St. Johns Lane raised $3,135.21.  Mount View Middle School contributed $3,957.64.  High schools that undertook campaigns included Glenelg, Hammond, Long Reach, Mt. Hebron, Oakland Mills, River Hill and Wilde Lake.  They raised $11,665.10.  Other donors – Katherine Ferrell, Elaine Gossage, First Presbyterian Church of Howard County and Katrina Tagget Memorial Foundation – contributed to the annual campaign. Thank you for your outstanding efforts. 
Before the end of the school year, Patuxent Valley Middle School’s “Be the Change” and
Junior National Honors Society collected and donated 250 boxes of cereal to Grassroots.
Village Donors Thank you to the Columbia Village Associations which have been making donations to Grassroots over the years.  During the just ended FY22, seven villages make contributions: Dorsey Search, $200; Harper’s Choice, $500; Hickory Ridge, $4,000; Kings Contrivance, $150; Long Reach, $1,000; Owen Brown, $500; and Town Center, $1,000.  

Federal Campaign Grassroots has been approved for participation in the Combined Federal Campaign for 2022. This is just a heads-up for federal employees to remember that Grassroots is now on the list of approved charities. The campaign will begin in September 2022 and end in January 2023. A reminder will be forthcoming later.
Are You a Friend of Grassroots?
Are you a donor to Grassroots? Have you made a gift this year? Grassroots depends upon the generosity of individuals, organizations and businesses in the community to support its free services to people in crisis, to help provide the 24-7 hotline and suicide prevention efforts, round-the-clock personal counseling, Mobile Crisis Team, the shelter programs and other activities to help people achieve a positive resolution to their crisis situation. Please make a gift to Grassroots today. Any size gift is welcome. If you can afford $50 or more per month, consider joining The Friends of Grassroots who donate $600 or more per year. Thank you for your support.
Copyright © 2022 Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, All rights reserved.


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