Community Initiatives Office Volunteers at East Baltimore’s Methadone Clinic for Maryland Unites: Day of Service

BALTIMORE – Staff from the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives, the Governor’s Office for Service & Volunteerism and Volunteer Maryland today partnered with East Baltimore’s Turning Point Clinic to participate in a community service event as part of Governor Hogan’s “Maryland Unites: Day of Service” volunteer initiative.

The New Life Evangelical Baptist Church located in East Baltimore established Turning Point Clinic in 2002 and has become one of the largest faith-based methadone clinics in the United States, now treating more than 2,000 patients daily.

Governor’s office staff today joined Turning Point Clinic in East Baltimore to provide volunteer assistance to help inner-city Baltimoreans recovering from heroin addiction. Governor’s office staff joined clinic professionals to assist with patient intake, serving meals in the dining hall and distributing bags of groceries to East Baltimore residents at New Life’s Food Pantry.

“Every day, our team works across Maryland’s communities – urban, suburban, and rural – to advise and implement Governor Hogan’s community engagement strategy and invest in Maryland’s communities.” said Community Initiatives Office Executive Director Steven J. McAdams. “The Community Initiatives office is honored to partner with Turning Point Clinic and New Life Evangelical Church in East Baltimore for Governor Hogan’s Day of Service.”

Maryland Unites: Day of Service was created on June 1 in the wake of civil unrest in Baltimore, and has raised more than $500,000 toward relief and recovery efforts. The “Maryland Unites: Day of Service” initiative is an opportunity for state employees to offer their time and talents to benefit our citizens through community service. State employees will receive four hours of paid leave if they choose to participate and have the option to take part in the agency event or a volunteer activity of their choice.

“These days of service are about the spirit of giving back and sharing it with our state and our local communities,” Governor Larry Hogan said. “I am proud of the overwhelming response we have received to date and encourage all state employees to participate in an event with the shared goal of helping those in need.”

“I hope our efforts here today at New Life Evangelical Baptist and Turning Point Clinic will motivate Baltimoreans and Marylanders across the state to step up and work in their communities to help eradicate Maryland’s critical heroin epidemic,” McAdams added.