ACDS Scholars Making a Difference with Ardath M. Cade Scholarships

Since January 2018, the AMC Scholarship Fund has awarded over $4,500 in funding to six organizations and 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.  January 2018 – January 2022 investments have included: 

Ellie Willett, Manager of Community Enhancements and Relations at Homes for America, was awarded $800 towards her Interior Design professional certificate at Anne Arundel Community College. Homes for America is a nonprofit housing development corporation specializing in the development and preservation of affordable rental housing. Ellie’s interior design knowledge is essential to ensure the communities that Homes for America develops offer apartment features and common spaces that function for the populations it serves. She is passionate about ensuring every resident has a space they are proud to call home. 

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

Beth Brush, ACDS Planning Manager, was awarded $1,000 to attend Leadership Anne Arundel’s (LAA) Flagship Program, leveraging ACDS funds to pay the remaining balance of tuition. Beth recently graduated from the program, where she learned much about the inner workings of County Government, networked with other County leaders and developed a group project to assess the needs of older adults residing in Anne Arundel County. Beth, who was recently promoted to Planning Director, said that the program has greatly expanded her perspective of how ACDS efforts to expand affordable housing opportunities fit in with the broader context of the County.

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. 

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.

Recently, two additional awards were made to the following individuals/organizations:

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.

Kelly Anderson, Sarah’s House Manager of Client Services, was recently awarded $950 to enroll in Leadership Anne Arundel’s (LAA) Flagship Program, which begins in September 2019, with Catholic Charities covering the balance of her tuition. Kelly has gradually assumed additional leadership roles at Sarah’s House. This program will help sharpen her leadership skills and broaden her network and knowledge of Anne Arundel County as she plays a critical role in growing and sustaining Sarah’s House mission to provide emergency and permanent housing for individuals and families in Anne Arundel County.

Click here to support our scholars today.  All donations are tax deductible.  

Emerging housing and community development leaders in Anne Arundel County should contact us at adlugokeski@acdsinc.org for a scholarship award form.