The Staff and Board of Directors of Helping Up Mission believe that developing strategic partnerships with local professionals and organizations will increase our effectiveness! We are always seeking partners in the following areas (not an exhaustive list):

• Medical Professional
• Legal Professionals
• Education Professionals
• Employers
• Ministry

If you, or your organization, would like further information on how you can partner with Helping Up Mission, please contact Tom Patras (Director of Development) at 410-327-5296 or via email at tpatras@helpingup.org. If you have a couple minutes, you can also click on the following link and complete a “Volunteer Information Sheet.” online

To get a better idea of how you, or your organization, might partner with Helping Up Mission, please review the following list of current Mission partners and their involvement. You can also visit the Volunteering page of the website for more information click here.

Medical Partners

Towson State University - Department of Nursing
Students from the University provide blood pressure screenings, develop health programs, and conduct health fairs, and health education classes at the Mission. Partnerships are developed with medical organizations in the community, which has resulted in a grant to begin TB testing at the Mission in October 2004.

Health Care for the Homeless & Peoples’ Community Health Center
Men in the Spiritual Recovery Program are sent to these medical clinics for health examinations at admission to the program, to complete medical forms for Social Services and MTA bus passes, and to receive treatment for medical conditions while they are in the program.

Maryland Primary Care and Maryland Pharmacy Assistance
Health services and pharmacy assistance is provided for low-income men in the Spiritual Recovery Program without other healthcare coverage, who have medical conditions that require on-going care.

Maryland Society for Sight
This organization has a Vision Van that is brought to the Mission once per month. An Ophthalmologist, on a volunteer basis, conducts visual medical examinations, prescribes eyeglasses and makes referrals for any medical conditions needing treatment for men in the Spiritual Recovery Program.

Baltimore City Department of Social Services
Men who are new admissions to the Spiritual Recovery Program are taken to this agency to apply for Medical Assistance, Transitional Emergency Medical and Housing Assistance, and Food Stamps to assist with the cost of services provided in the Spiritual Recovery Program.

Legal Partners

Homeless Persons Representation Project
This organization coordinates legal services for men in the Spiritual Recovery Program. Students in the Paralegal Education program at Baltimore City Community College conduct initial screening interviews to identify legal issues that are then followed up with volunteer attorneys from Legal Aid Ministry of Baltimore, (LAMB)

Baltimore City Office of Public Defender - Client Services Division
Social Workers from this Office, interview men with drug charges pending court hearings, to determine if they are candidates for rehabilitation services offered in the Spiritual Recovery Program. Contact is often made to Mission staff in our Program Office, to appear in court to testify concerning the nature of the Missions programs which often results in sentencing of these men to rehabilitation addiction services at the Mission.

Education Partners

Baltimore Reads, Inc.
This organization provides basic education assessment and classroom instruction for 40 men per year in the Spiritual Recovery Program.

Employment Partners

Companies
The following companies provide temporary or permanent employment to men who are entering the Life Prep Phase of the Spiritual Recovery Program:

- Johns Hopkins Hospital
- Sheraton Inner Harbor
- New Creations Staffing Solutions
- Taylor Technologies, Inc.
- Smart Mail to Go
- Harbor City Services, Inc.

Genesis Jobs (A Division of Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, Inc.)
This organization provides on site job readiness workshops for men in the Spiritual Recovery Program who are about to seek employment. Each workshop is 27 hours in length and is provided five time per year.

Ministry Partners

The following churches (or individuals from these churches) have invested significant time in helping meet the needs of the men we serve:

*Arlington Baptist Church *Baltimore School of the Bible *Bethel Korean Presbyterian *Blessed Hope Baptist *Brooklyn Bible Chapel *Baltimore School of the Bible *Calvary Baptist Church *Calvary Presbyterian Church *Calvary Tabernacle *Central Presbyterian Church *Christ Centered Ministries *Cornerstone Bible *Covenant of Grace *Crossroads Comm. Baptist *Disciples Bible Baptist *First Apostolic Faith Church *Gethsemane Baptist Church *Gospel Light Ministries
*Grace Community Church *Grace Fellowship Church *Gunpowder Baptist Church *Halethorpe Comm.Church *Hunt Valley Church *Kingdom Life Church *Life In Jesus Church *Linthicum Baptist *New Antioch Baptist Church *New Life Baptist Church *New Psalmist *Outreach of Love *Remnant Church of God *St. Paul Baptist *The Lord's Church *Trinity Reformed Baptist *Victory Gospel Band

Here are just some of the many ways these churches have put their faith into action: sponsor a warm nutritious meal (monthly), lead an evening chapel service, include Mission men in church events, organize teams of tutors to volunteer in the Mission’s Innovative Learning Center, organize mentors to work with program men one-on-one, provide transportation to Mission residents for Mission events, provide musical accompaniment at the annual banquet, sponsor food and clothing drives, organize a Hope Tote drive, etc.

Other Partners

University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Dept. of Psychology)
This organization is conducting a research project designed to better understand the key ingredients for success of men who enter the Spiritual Recovery Program at Helping Up Mission.