January 11, 2012; Baltimore, Maryland
Contact: Washington Foreign Press Center Media Relations Officers Andrea Corey and Belinda Jackson-Farrier
Telephone: Andrea Corey at 202-504-6354, coreyad2@state.gov; Belinda Jackson-Farrier at 202-504-6370, jacksonbk2@state.gov
Eleven journalists participated in a tour highlighting volunteerism projects in Baltimore, MD. The tour began with a visit to Baltimore’s city hall, where Chief Service Officer Vu Dang described the scope of the city’s challenges and the programs Baltimore has developed as a response to these problems. The group then visited two vacant lots which are now being used as community-managed green space. These lots were converted as part of the City of Baltimore’s Power in Dirt Program. The group also visited an Americorps/Habitat for Humanity project in east Baltimore. The tour concluded with a visit to the Holistic Life Foundation’s after-school youth program. The nonprofit program teaches yoga to at-risk children and provides after-school tutoring and mentorship.
