It is devastating to be stricken with cancer, but it is even more distressing for patients who are unable to obtain medicines and medical services to help fight the illness. As Medicare and insurance companies continue to decrease payments for medical care, individuals must bear the responsibility for more and more of the exorbitant cost of their medications and other necessary care. At a time when these patients should be focusing on fighting the disease, they are burdened by the stress of wondering how they will afford what they need to grow stronger and cope better with their cancer.
The FMH Cancer Patient Assistance Fund was created to assist needy patients who are having trouble affording their medications, dietary supplements and other medical necessities associated with their diagnosis of cancer. Supported entirely by community donations, the Fund has no overhead hidden costs; every dollar contributed goes directly to patients in need.
In 1974, a Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy picked up a teenager for misbehaving. Rather than arrest the youth, he asked where the boy lived so that he could return him to his parents. The teenager responded that he was homeless. Upon determining that there really were no good options in the area for boys in similar situations, the deputy approached the Maryland Sheriffs’ Association and they eventually founded the Maryland Sheriffs’ Youth Ranch. Today, the Ranch occupies 204 acres in Urbana and provides a residential foster care facility for boys between the ages of 10 and 18. The boys are referred to the facility by the Department of Social Services or the Department of Juvenile Services.
One common misconception is that the Ranch is a youth detention center, but this isn’t the case at all. Instead, the facility operates with a mission to assist the youth in becoming productive members of society. The boys are placed at the Ranch because their parents are unable to care for them due to drug or alcohol addiction, mental illness, poverty, incarceration, abandonment, abuse or some other type of family crisis. The ranch was designed to provide a safe environment where the boys can learn life skills that will help them avoid becoming involved in the legal system. The mentoring program is a key element to the future success of the boys. For many of the boys, their relationship with their mentor is the first positive and healthy relationship that they’ve had with an adult.
The Boys & Girls Club of Frederick County's mission is: To enable all youth, especially those who need us most, to become productive, caring, responsible citizens.
The club does this by:
In short, young people think of their Club not as a building or a program - but as a sanctuary, a home away from home. It is one of the few places they can go in life where they feel truly welcomed, cared for, safe, accepted, and included. It is a place where they willingly receive and openly seek guidance from adults who care.
The Frederick County Humane Society, founded in 1910, anticipates and meets the needs of responsible companion animal owners in Frederick County by providing affordable services, resources and programs to keep their pets healthy, happy and in life-long homes. Among the programs offered are affordable spay/neuter for dogs and cats, financial assistance for pets in medical crises, low cost rabies/microchip clinics, counseling for animal-related issues, and humane education. The FCHS is an advocate for animal welfare in the community.
The members of The Women's Giving Circle of Frederick County support the shared understanding that encouragement and financial assistance are compelling factors in restoring stability and hope. They focus on improving the circumstances of women and children in our community through targeted contributions. They are an embracing, open organization that currently has over 165 voting members in addition to many other contributors.
In its first four years of existence The Women's Giving Circle has bestowed grants totaling $440,000. It also has a substantial endowment fund at The Community Foundation of Frederick County, where their combined efforts and contributions make it possible to have a bigger impact. The grants have helped to start new programs, provide emergency funding and assist with capital improvements for existing non-profits.
The Community Foundation works with donors who want to establish new funds with us or contribute to funds we already hold-funds aimed at promoting a range of worthy causes. We manage these funds and invest them for long-term growth, holding most in perpetuity. With portions of the funds or their investment return, we distribute grants and scholarships that touch and transform the lives of so many Frederick County residents.
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Site developed by Jean Peterson Design and Orases. Photos courtesy of Amy Sievers Photography.