Towson, Md. – April, 2019 – Building for God Community Foundation has announced the start of its second year of partnership with Safe and Sound Schools. This comes as part of the Foundation’s Champion in Life Partnership Program, in which select non-profit organizations are selected to receive professional leadership support and capital resources for the purpose of developing, implementing and growing a specific program, which in this case is Safe and Sound Maryland. The capital resources come in the form of a $20,000 recurring grant award that matches individual, corporate, and foundation gifts for five years.
During the first year of the partnership, Safe and Sound Maryland provided dedicated trainings, workshops, and education programs exclusively for Maryland school districts. In a recent State of School Safety report, Safe and Sound Schools found that nearly all parents and educators surveyed want their school to take extra steps in school security, but don’t necessarily have the expertise, resources, or training available. The Safe and Sound Maryland program, primarily funded by the Building for God Community Foundation, directly addresses this need for all the families in Maryland.
“Partnering with the experts from the Safe and Sound Schools team has allowed us to strengthen our schools’ abilities to guard against a wide variety of threats,” said Michael O. Brooks, Founder and Chairman of the Building for God Community Foundation. “With a recurring grant, we can be true collaborators, working together, year over year, to positively and measurably change the lives of students, teachers, staff, parents, and administrators in our schools in our local community and throughout our entire state.”
In 2018, Safe and Sound Maryland reached 12 districts, covering 600 elementary, middle and high schools, with the power to impact 400,000 students. For 2019, Safe and Sound Maryland will focus on recruiting parents and students to implement local school safety initiatives to meet the unique needs of each community.
“Building for God Community Foundation is a true leader in the community, giving its resources to selflessly support Maryland schools,” said Michele Gay, executive director and co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools. “We are grateful to be entering into the second year of our partnership with the Building for God Community Foundation and look forward to not only furthering the initiatives begun in Maryland, but positioning the state as an example for other school districts to follow, nationwide.
The $20,000 grant award will match individual donations, as well as corporate and foundation gifts. To make a donation, visit www.safeandsoundschools.org/support/donate/. For more information about Safe and Sound Schools, including free assessment tools, tool kits and resources, visit www.safeandsoundschools.org.
For more information on Building for God Community Foundation, its programs and events, the Champion in Life Partnership Program, and the local nonprofit organizations the Foundation supports, visit www.buildingforgod.org.
Michele Gay and Alissa Parker founded Safe and Sound Schools in 2013, following the tragic deaths of their children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Safe and Sound Schools works with school communities and mental health, law enforcement, and safety professionals to create and ensure the safest possible learning environment for all youth. The non-profit organization delivers crisis-prevention, response, and recovery programs, tools, and resources, backed by national experts, to educate all members of the school community, from students and parents, to teachers and administrators, to law enforcement and local leaders. Winner of the 2015 New England Business Association Innovation Award for nonprofits, Safe and Sound Schools continues to answer the growing needs of school communities with custom programs, assessments, and training, reaching schools in every state in the country. For more information, visit www.safeandsoundschools.org.
About Building for God Community Foundation
Founded in 2007, Building for God Community Foundation’s mission is to affect a positive and determined impact in our local community in the areas of sheltering the homeless, feeding and caring for families, fostering the educational needs of our youth, and supporting those who protect our community. Since its founding, Building for God Community Foundation has supported many local nonprofits through its Champion in Life Grant Award, which distributes grant funds to support deserving organizations in our community. For more information, visit www.buildingforgod.org