Blingo! was a huge success. Over 130 people filled the room at Notre Dame Preparatory this past May. The prizes, the food, the crowd, the games, and the emcee, Chris Brown, were all top-tier. We are already planning for next year! A special thanks to Carrie Schreiber (Board Chair), Anne Fader (Advancement Chair) and the entire Blingo! committee and Board volunteers. Share your favorite photos of the event to advancement@marianhouse.org. Enjoy our favorites below!

Our 16th Annual Race to Embrace Independence 5K is almost here! Please register today to join us! This year’s race offers both virtual and in-person options. Our racecourse will start and end at Marian House. We will have a resident speaker, an energetic warm up, raffle prizes, family-friendly Race Village, top finisher awards, and a dance party on the parking lot for those who don’t want to walk or run. We are honored to have Denise Koch from WJZ-TV as our emcee for the event. Many thanks to our committed sponsors, especially our Champion sponsors, TransAmerica, Johns Hopkins University & Medicine, and McCormick. We invite you to see and join the growing list of sponsors at marianhouse.org/5K.

Registration prices will increase on 9/1, so please register today! Visit marianhouse.org/5k to register! You can also hover your phone over the QR code above and go right to the registration site.

Choose 5K or 1-Mile—virtual or in-person—whichever works for you and your family. Create a team. Set a team fundraising goal. It’s so easy! If you create a team of 5 (or more) and each person raises $200 (or more), then your team easily raised $1,000 (or more)! Peer-to-peer fundraising is key to the success of our race. Our virtual component allows you to select teammates from across the country and the world. Virtual runners from Canada, London, Germany, and Paris will be joining us this year!

Questions? Call us at (410) 467-4246 or email advancement@marianhouse.org. We can’t wait to see you on Saturday, September 28th!

There’s still time! Your business, faith community, or group can still sponsor our 5K! Call 410-467-4250 or email advancement@marianhouse.org.

Save the Date 

September 28, 2024

GET READY! Our 16th Annual Race to Embrace Independence 5K is approaching! Please join hundreds of us for a delightful run/walk that begins and ends at Marian House. Our 2024 race will offer both virtual and in-person options. Registration is open April through May for $40. Regular price is June through July $45. Create a team and set a fundraising goal! Remember the virtual component allows you to select teammates from across the country, and the world! Last year we had runners in France! Let’s go worldwide – virtual and in-person.  

Help us meet our goal of $100,000 in sponsorships! Sponsorships are still available from $250 – $10,000—a great team building event for local companies. Call us for more information at 410-467-4250. 

Anyone who knows Marian House knows that we celebrate as many holidays as possible.

Why? Because there is a lot to be thankful for, because it’s important to infuse hard work with a bit of fun, and because we like providing the practice of sober festivities! In an extraordinary year such a this, it has undoubtedly affected our ability to gather and party in our usual ways. Nevertheless, the Marian House community rose to the occasion, celebrating the fall and winter holidays in smaller and safer ways.

Halloween brought us pumpkin carving and a movie night for Marian House I. With the help of some new volunteers, the Marian House families celebrated with outdoor Zumba, treat bags and socially distant activities for the kids.

Our Thanksgiving dinner, usually celebrated with dozens of staff and volunteers, was a much smaller event this year. We are grateful to many of you who provided gift cards, meal supplies and yummy treats to help the ladies cook in their respective homes, buildings and programs.

Christmas in a pandemic also brought new challenges. Many of our circle of faith and corporate partners were unable to assist us in the same ways this year because remote work and worship do not provide the same ease for managing a giving tree or gift drive. Despite these challenges, we were blessed by many new donors and returning elves to help us shop from holiday wish lists for all the women and children of Marian House. Many of you chose to shop safely online and ship direct to us, all the while helping us receive some extra financial support through the Amazon Smile Foundation (where you can select Marian House to receive a percentage of your purchases on Amazon).

Despite fewer and smaller celebrations, we still had the kind of observances that fed our souls. With your help, Marian House was able to provide gifts for over 140 women and their families. The staff and ladies were overwhelmed by your generosity and the way the larger community surrounded us with love and support. Thank you for sharing your blessings with Marian House this season and always!

How do you cure cabin fever in the middle of a pandemic? You go camping of course!!!

When residents were asked to make a list of activities they were interested in doing, one item immediately jumped out to Marian House Executive Director, Katie Allston. Many of the residents wanted to go camping.

Katie is an avid camper as well as a Girl Scout troop leader and agreed to take a small group of residents on an overnight camping trip in early October. Equipped with tents, sleeping bags, and plenty of food, a group of 10 took the Marian House bus to Patapsco State Park in Baltimore County.

Once they arrived at the State Park and set-up their camp, they took a long hike, accompanied by Katie’s dog Piper. Most of the women had never been camping before and some had hesitations and fears about wildlife that they might encounter. Once they pitched their tents and started a campfire, they felt more at ease. Some residents and staff did not spend the night but participated in the hike and campfire before heading back to Marian House. This could become an annual excursion!

 

 

 

 

Nothing Trivial About It!

We are thankful to board member Karen Albert for bringing us an idea for a new, pandemic friendly fundraiser this summer. When she said “Let’s do a Trivia Night Fundraiser!”, we jumped on it.

Taking place on Monday, August 31, over 100 people gathered in teams of eight players on Zoom and competed to earn points and bragging rights as winners. Hosted by Walsh Trivia, teams played 4 rounds of 4 games each, earning points along the way.

Congratulations to The Smith Family Scholars for pulling out a last minute win. Although they were not in first place for the final question, they made a creative wager and with the correct answer, won the event!

We had such a good time that we have decided to schedule another Trivia Night on January 20th.

Stay tuned for details.