Since January 2018, the AMC Scholarship Fund has awarded over $10,000 in funding to six organizations and 13 emerging leaders working in the housing and community development field in Anne Arundel County. From supporting Sarah’s House staff to obtain professional certifications so they can better serve homeless families, to leveraging support for community development professionals to participate in the Leadership Anne Arundel Flagship Program, AMC funds are building the capacity of our housing and community development leaders. Please see below for some highlights of recent AMC Scholarship awards.
The AMC Scholarship Fund strongly encourages applications from persons of color and women, as well as from organizations working in underserved communities. Registration fees for online training and seminars are eligible expenses. Applications from community organizations, community leaders and nonprofits implementing social service programs, food assistance, programs for youth, community art projects, housing assistance and more are welcomed.
Download an application here or contact us at ekarpewicz@acds.org with questions.
Click here to support our scholars today. All donations are tax deductible.
Highlights of Past AMC Awards
Eileen Meagher, Candice Willie and Kelly Anderson, Sarah’s House Case Managers, were each awarded $950 to attend the Maryland Association of Housing and Redevelopment Agencies’ (MAHRA) one-week Housing Choice Voucher Occupancy Specialist Certification course. The course provided critical training and knowledge for Sarah’s House staff to effectively adapt to shifting HUD priorities and help get homeless families in permanent housing in a timely manner.
“The knowledge that I gained has given me the ability to identify qualified applicants as well as explain to applicants the requirements …The result is I am now better prepared to assist our homeless families expedite their applications and ensure they are within compliance… Furthermore, this efficiency and understanding will allow better use of the funding available to the program. Thank you for the opportunity!” – Eileen Meagher, Sarah’s House
Our partners at the Greater Baybrook Alliance, a place-based community development organization serving Brooklyn Park, Curtis Bay and Brooklyn, utilized $225 in AMC Scholarship funds to send three staff members to the NCRC Just Economy Conference outside of Washington DC, leveraging the scholarship funds with other sources for the remaining balance of the registration fee. GBA staff spent the day networking with other policy and community development leaders and hearing from experts on fairness in lending, housing and business.
Kelly Anderson, Sarah’s House Director, Jennifer Lagrotteria, Boys & Girls Clubs Director of Development, and Beth Brush, ACDS Planning Director, were each awarded $1,000 to attend Leadership Anne Arundel’s (LAA) Flagship Program, leveraging funds from their respective agencies to pay the remaining balance of tuition. Each Leadership participant learned about the inner workings of County Government, networked with other County leaders and developed a group project to assess and address a community need in the County. Each of these individuals have grown considerably in their respective housing and community development roles since attending the program.
Dave Sims, ACDS Projects Planner, was recently awarded $545 to attend a virtual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) training to boost his knowledge of federal financial and reporting requirements so that he can continue to excel as an ACDS grants manager. The training has assisted him in understanding the complex regulatory requirements for federal funds and better assist community development organizations who are applying for or implementing federal grants awarded through ACDS.
Shawn Rice, ACDS Construction Specialist, was awarded $1,000 in AMC Scholarship funds to complete Building Performance Institute (BPI) certification training for energy auditors. As a certified Energy Auditor, Shawn is already helping ACDS use its resources as effectively as possible to provide quality affordable housing in our County, while helping low and moderate income residents save on their utility bills.
Onesha Frye, ACDS Administrative Assistant, was awarded $598 in AMC scholarship funds to attend two marketing classes focusing on social media scheduled for Fall 2019. Onesha is growing her responsibilities at ACDS to include leading digital marketing efforts for the ACDS counseling and rehabilitation programs. The two classes she has registered for will enhance her social media marketing skills and capacity to develop digital fliers and improve our outreach to clients and potential clients so they can better access our free housing and financial counseling programs.
Ardath M. Cade is a champion of affordable housing and community development, both throughout the State and here in Anne Arundel County. It was during her tenure has a county official that she helped launch the creation of ACDS. Thanks to Ardath’s vision, ACDS became not just a privatized government agency, but a force for affordable housing and community development in Anne Arundel County.