Tag Archives: My Turn

As Executive Director of LifeBridge Health’s Center for Hope, I have seen firsthand the impact that community violence, trauma and abuse can have on a community. At Center for Hope, we regularly see children and adults who are struggling because they have been witness to homicide, domestic violence, community violence …

We’ve all heard the phrase it takes a village to raise a child. Well, sometimes it takes an entire community to support a village. When I was 19, I volunteered with a child battling cancer, and I quickly realized what a ripple effect the disease had on the entire family. …

As president and CEO of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maryland (RMHC), I am pretty sure I have the greatest job in the world. When people ask what the Ronald McDonald House is, the short answer is that we are a Home Away from Home for critically ill children …

  The glee we see in children playing at a playground bring equal amounts of joyfulness to moms and dads. The way young children become absorbed by moments of blissful fun and playful abandon is captivating. They have been cast in a Harry Potteresque spell—let’s call it glorioso oblivionum, glorious …

  Parents have a natural inclination to want their children to do things they are good at, maybe because it also reflects well on them. Having a child with a talent for art or dance is often something to show off. But I soon realized that it was more important …

  Even before the COVID-19 pandemic began, children (and people in general) already spent hours a day at their desks. Our brains are more active when we are able to be active ourselves. This solitary lifestyle has grown through virtual and remote learning, streaming networks and endless video games—even videos …

  I have been a follower of Baltimore’s Child since the days of young motherhood. When I became a grandmother, I thought it would be a wonderful keepsake if my grandson, Mason, could be on the cover of one of the issues. When Mason was 6, I contacted Baltimore’s Child …

  As a mom and a small business owner, life is seldom calm. My personal brand is chaos, mixed with some drive and sprinkled with a healthy dose of Irish luck. I wear many hats: wife, mom and active member of the community. I sit on a local charitable board …

  I thought of myself as a mother lioness—a proud single mother of two beautiful children. They were my world, yet 15 years ago, my son died. How do you go on after something like that? Some people say that losing a child is a parent’s worst nightmare. Well, it’s …

It isn’t surprising to think that the relationship between a foster parent and a primary or biological parent has a direct impact on children and youth in foster care. Regardless of why a child comes into foster care, the family connection is strong and should not be broken. When parents—both …