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The Dogist

Patriotic Kenny Foundation

Pattie Gonia

Little Miss Flint

Carlos Eduardo Espina

Samuel Weidenhofer

Ben Saunders - Flawless Cleaning

Peter Bond

That Good News Girl

Ask Uncle Jack

Amy Jandrisevits

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Tess Bohne

Latonja and Taylor Richardson

Officer Richard Craig

<div>Vanessa has been a fixture in Federal Hill, Baltimore for over 30 years. Born and raised in the neighborhood, she has poured her heart into Vanessa’s Treasures, a used jewelry and vintage clothing store on Charles Street. Her business is more than just a shop—it’s a welcoming space for everyone, where Vanessa treats each customer with the utmost respect and care. She is unique in her ability to connect with both the African-American and white communities, making her store a true bridge in Baltimore. 
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<div> For nearly three decades, Vanessa’s Treasures thrived thanks to walk-in customers and her dedication. But when Covid hit, everything changed. Foot traffic disappeared, and despite programs meant to help single women and minority business owners, Vanessa received no support. She has been struggling ever since, fighting to keep her beloved store open. 
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<div> This fundraiser will help Vanessa recover from the losses incurred due to COVID. Your support will keep Vanessa’s Treasures open and allow her to continue serving the community she loves. We’re asking for your help to give Vanessa a chance to get back on her feet and keep her business alive in old Baltimore.
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Help Save Vanessa’s Treasures in Baltimore

<div>Our dearest friend, <strong>Gretchen Schmid's home caught fire on July 11th, 2026.</strong> They have lost almost everything. <strong>This kind of damage takes so long to recover from, and the family appreciates any help you can offer.</strong> She works out of her home and will have to relocate for the time being.
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Support for Gretchen’s Family After the Fire

<div>On September 9th, 2025, my friend of 40 years took his own life. <strong>Paul Shapanus suffered from Bipolar disorder for much of his life</strong>, but in the last 2 years, the shift between depression and manic became extreme. Paul had a long-term career as the Technical Theatre Director at Towson University for 30 years before he was let go 18 months ago due to complications from his mental health. His wife, Kendra, stood by him through the most trying of times and struggled to find adequate help. Every time we thought a treatment program would become available, it fell through due to lack of insurance, lack of availability, or just a lack of luck. During his manic episodes, Paul was difficult to understand and pushed a lot of people away, and during his depressive episodes, he was unable to reach out for help. Many friends did stand by him and helped him find work in the industry he loved, but since it was not stable work, there were no benefits. In the last few weeks, he fell into a serious depression and was scheduled to do an intake into an outpatient program on Tuesday. Before this happened, he chose to take his own life. <strong>His wife, Kendra, has been left with a large financial burden and needs community support.</strong>

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Support Kendra After Paul's Tragic Loss

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<div>Cancer. Goddamn cancer. Why are we getting it so young? And why, after rounds of brutal chemo and radiation that take years from which to fully recover, does it have to come back? How much does one person have to endure?
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<div>Our dear, wonderful, magical friend, Johnnett. We love her so much. And just when cancer was finally in the rearview; as she plans a new chapter in her career, cancer is back.
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<div>Her family is all on the East Coast, and so her friends want to step up and make sure that she can approach this next round of treatment without the worry that comes with financial instability. She doesn't have to face this alone, and we want to help.
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<div>Funds will go toward immunotherapy treatments and bills during this difficult time.
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Johnnett vs Cancer....Round Two

<div>Sarah Denney is at risk of losing her eye sight. It would be life-changing for her and her family if this were to happen. Sarah lives in Baltimore, Maryland. There is a surgeon in Philadelphia who may be able to help her save her sight. It will be a painful, difficult surgery with a long recovery. There will be many expenses for Sarah and her family during this period. They will need somewhere to stay during her initial period of healing as she will be unable to travel. There will also be expensive equipment that she needs to rent. Sarah will have to lie face down for 3-4 weeks. She will run out of paid leave before she can return to work. She is trying her best to be upbeat and positive leading up to this surgery. If we can come together to at least help lessen her financial burdens, she can go in to this surgery with less stress. Please consider donating to help this mother of 2 beautiful boys fight this battle to save her sight. Any funds that remain after she has paid her expenses will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
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<div>Sarah's story in her own words:
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<div>“In October 1998, at the age of 18, I was diagnosed with late onset type one (juvenile) diabetes. Doctors now believe that I may have been diabetic for up to ten years prior without knowing. Most of my life I thought that I was managing the highs and lows of my diabetes. As technology changed, my control improved. I wear a continuous glucose monitoring system that has been life changing in managing my diabetes. Despite the challenges of juvenile diabetes, my husband (Howard) and I were blessed with two amazing sons, Howard (age 19) and Samuel (age 12).
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<div>Part of my care is going to the endocrinologist every three months and having diabetic eye exams yearly. These are two things that I have always done faithfully, which makes what is happening to me an even greater shock. This past July I was away for a weekend at the beach with my boys. I woke up Sunday morning with what I thought was an ocular migraine. I had black lash-like lines across my right eye and some blurred vision. Like a true mom, I told the boys that I would be fine and we should stick to our plans and enjoy the day. The next day I hadn't improved, so I took a few more doses of my migraine medicine and rested. When I woke up that Tuesday and still had not improved, I decided to call the eye doctor. What I thought was going to be a quick visit quickly turned into an emergency situation. The doctor who examined me was alarmed by what he saw and sent me as an emergency to Hopkins main campus. After what seemed like hours of scans and waiting we finally saw a doctor. He asked me point blank if I ever went to the eye doctor’s, because my eyes looked like diabetic eyes that never went. I was speechless. I told him that not only did I go yearly, but that I went to Hopkins, to his colleagues. I was diagnosed with advanced diabetic retinopathy in both of my eyes, with the right eye being significantly worse. I had an active bleed in my right eye which was obstructing my vision. I was informed that I required surgery, but we had to wait in hopes that the bleed would dissipate. For the next month I was unable to do much of anything physical, not even bend over to put on my shoes and socks. For a brief amount of time, I thought things were getting better because I had almost normal vision again. But, just days before my surgery date, I woke up to the same black lines and knew I had another bleed.
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<div>On September 27th, I had both of my eyes lasered and injected. As a result of the laser treatment, I have lost peripheral vision in my left eye and am showing symptoms of going color blind, which if you know me this is a big deal. I also have extreme sensitivity to light, so much so that it is hard to be outdoors during the day. My vision in my right eye is quickly worsening. The lasering has caused scar tissue to form in a way that is damaging my retina. The retinopathy is spreading like wildfire despite the laser and injections, and the bleed won't dissipate. It was at my last visit to Hopkins, in the middle of October, that I received even more devastating news. The doctor turned to the medical student and said "hand her the box of tissues she is going to cry the whole way home because she needs to mentally prepare for a prosthetic." The doctor refused to explain thoroughly to me what was happening and told me that "lots of people have prosthetics." I was beyond upset. The treatment plan had gone from A to Z in about ten minutes. I can't even describe in words all of the emotions that I felt at the time but sadness, failure, disappointment in myself, fear, and anger are just a few.
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<div>As my sister drove me home from this appointment we just cried and cried. Telling my husband was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. He struggles with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and a Traumatic Brain Injury as a result of multiple deployments as a Marine. Ironically, he also almost lost his eyesight due to an injury sustained in Iraq. I knew immediately the bad memories it would stir up for him.
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<div>With the support of my family, I quickly started to prepare for the worst. In my mind the surgery to remove my eye was going to approach rapidly. In one of my ten thousand phone calls to my sister and her husband, they insisted that I go for a second opinion. I was willing to but was also mentally defeated and almost paralyzed with fear. As she always does she went into "fight" mode and quickly booked us an appointment at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, MA. On October 25, we flew to Boston for an appointment the following morning. My experience here was AMAZING. The staff was kind, thoughtful, and most of all compassionate. Something I quickly realized I hadn't received and really needed. Upon intake the tech informed me that she wanted a more senior person on my case because of the severity. The office manager apologized multiple times for the length of our wait and the distance we had to travel. The visit with the doctor was equal to the care given by the other staff members. He explained in detail what was going on in my right eye. He went on to say that there was a surgery that could possibly save the eye, a vitrectomy. Due to the recovery of this surgery, he explained that Boston would not be the ideal place to have it. He took the time to help us research other retina specialists closer to Baltimore, and ended up recommending the Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia.
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<div>The flight home from Boston allowed me the opportunity to reflect on the prior two months. I thought about how life literally changes in the blink of an eye, how grateful I was for my family and friends, how fucked up and unfair life can be, but also how glorious and rewarding it can be. I thought about how even if I didn't lose my eye that my life had quickly changed forever, I was not able to navigate the airports without my sister’s help, kindness and patience. Most of all, I decided that I was not going to let this be the end of my story, because I have so much left to give.
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<div>The Friday after our visit to Boston, my family drove to Ithaca for a much needed parents’ weekend to see our son Howard at college. This trip was literally what I thought would be the last time I would physically see him. We had not told him much about what was going on as to not distract him, but my younger son, Sam knew something was up. Both of our boys are wise beyond their years. They took my medical update in stride and reassured me that they knew I would be strong and “okay".
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<div>That following Tuesday, October 31st, my husband and I went to the Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia. The doctor here agreed to perform the vitrectomy. He said that my right eye is very problematic but that he would be hopeful that he could save the eye. However, he also explained that my eyesight will not be better afterwards. I have a cataract that will be exacerbated afterwards; it gets worse with each surgery.
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<div>My surgery is scheduled for December 11th. The recovery is 3- 4 weeks face down. I have multiple pre-op appointments leading up to this that require travel to Philadelphia and Delaware (Wills has an office in Delaware). In the meantime, I am trying to continue to work full time, get all of the pre-op paperwork completed and get the forms for FMLA completed. I am trying to create a sense of “normal” for Sam, prepare for a month of recovery, and restore my faith in God.
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<div>If you made it to the end, thank you for reading my story. It is my hope that I can spread awareness and possibly help others prevent this in themselves.”
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Help Sarah Save Her Sight

<p>Hi, I'm Cynthia Croot, a longtime friend of David Barber.
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<p>As you may know, David suffered a serious fall recently that left him hospitalized and in rehab for weeks. He's had surgery for a fractured collarbone and broken pelvis, and is currently continuing his recovery at home. Unable to put weight on his leg or use his arm, returning to work is impossible.
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<p>During his time away he will receive Worker's Compensation, but that will only cover 70% of his salary, and his husband Tim is unable to return to his own work because of the complicated needs associated with David's rehabilitation. In addition, there will be many adjacent costs not covered by insurance. While David is stable and progressing well, it has been an emotional journey for everyone, compounded by serious financial concerns.
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<p>If you are able to offer any amount of support to David and Tim (and their adorable dog, Bash) it would be a welcome gift. Thank you for considering a donation, and Happy Holidays!
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Help David through his Recovery

<p>***Jenn posts updates regularly on Jaxson’s <a href="https://m.facebook.com/jaxsonsSCIDjourney/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SCID Journey</a> Facebook page.***
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<p><br />    Jenn and Jordan Walsh welcomed their son Jaxson on July 20th, 2020. He weighed a whopping 9 lbs 1 oz! He was perfect. 
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<p><br />     When Jaxson was a week old, he was diagnosed with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), a very rare genetic condition. He <span style="font-size:1.0625rem;">was born with little to no immune system.  Babies with SCID cannot fight off even “normal” germs— a simple cold can be fatal!<br /><br />     Luckily, there is a cure! A perfectly matched bone marrow donor was found forJaxson. A bone marrow transplant can give him an immune system for the rest of his life. </span><span style="font-size:1.0625rem;">The process is complex, however: chemotherapy, the transplant, then management of the effects of both processes on his little body. Everyone around Jaxson and his family held up the hope that a perfect match would make the road to a cure easy. </span>
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<p><span style="font-size:1.0625rem;">     Jaxson entered the hospital for a week of chemotherapy on November 3. As his body worked to accept the transplant, his condition became more severe. His liver and kidneys have been struggling, requiring dialysis in the PICU since November 24th. </span>
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<p><span style="font-size:1.0625rem;"><br />     Jordan and Jenn have fought to stay together by Jaxson’s side during his stay, which has been very difficult due to the pandemic. Even after discharge, their family will need to be very careful until Jaxson’s immune system becomes fully established. </span>
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<p><span style="font-size:1.0625rem;">     Please help our best friend and her family make life a little easier as the medical bills add up and they focus on a future with their happy, healthy little boy and his big sister. <br /></span>
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<p><span style="font-size:1.0625rem;"><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/53230318_1607744809662309_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" alt="53230318_1607744809662309_r.jpeg" /><br /><br />Thank you!<br /><br />- Laura and Jacqueline<br /><br /></span>
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Support Jaxson’s Journey with SCID

A little more than five years ago, Freddie Gray sustained fatal injuries while in the custody of the Baltimore Police Department.  And Baltimore exploded. All of the rage and frustration with racist policing that had been festering for decades resulted in events that came to be known as the Baltimore Uprising. In response, I created my first Color for a Cause, Sandtown-Winchester, to raise money for the <a href="https://www.bcf.org/How-We-Work/Making-a-Difference-in-Baltimore/Fund-for-Rebuilding-Baltimore" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fund for Rebuilding Baltimore</a> . I asked knitters and crocheters to buy yarn with the understanding that the proceeds would be donated to help rebuild my hometown. And it worked! I donated more than $10,000 to the Fund because of people like you. <br /><br />Sandtown-Winchester was just the beginning. Since 2015, <a href="http://neighborhoodfiberco.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neighborhood Fiber Co</a>  has donated more than $30,000 to a range of causes. From disaster relief and refugee assistance to gun control and reproductive rights, we have made significant contributions to effect real change on a local, national, and international level. Now, as we find ourselves in the midst of multiple crises, I want to leverage our existing momentum.<br /><br />I am asking for your help to start the NFC Momentum Fund, a donor-advised charitable fund at the <a href="https://www.bcf.org/For-Donors/Explore-Our-Funds/Types-of-Funds1#91090-donor-advised-funds-organizing-your-giving" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Baltimore Community Foundation</a> . The NFC Momentum Fund will be able to receive tax-deductible donations that will be dispersed to a variety of organizations working for justice, empowerment, and equality. At its heart, the Fund will allow me to focus our giving on the areas that need it most. Right now, we are raising money to support protestors in the Black Lives Matter movement. Last month, we donated money to a community organization that is feeding families in Baltimore that have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.<br /><br />To get started, I need to raise $10,000. Any funds raised beyond the initial $10,000 will also be used to establish the NFC Momentum Fund at the Baltimore Community Foundation.<br /><br />Past organizations that I have financially supported include, but are not limited to the following:<br />An End to Ignorance (Bmore Community Food Project)<br />Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle<br />The Bail Project<br />Baltimore Action Legal Team<br />International Refugee Assistance Project<br />Raices

Jill Andrews

Jill Andrews

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