BALTIMORE — Nearly 300 high school graduates and community college students set their own ambitions aside for a year to serve others as part of Maryland Corps.
Maggie Malone graduated from City College and then headed to Harlem Park Elementary/Middle School in West Baltimore as a family advocate.
“I just like talking with them and figuring out what they needed, because at the end of the day, I was there to help them and help their lives become better than where they were,” said Malone.
While Perry Hall grad Agyasi Downs put his community college classes on hold to serve at Notre Dame University of Maryland.
“I work very closely with the freshman students that are coming in, freshman and sophomore students and what I do is advocate and coordinate times for them to go to elementary schools to tutor and mentor the students,” said Downs.
Of course, the idea behind Maryland Corps is to expand service and volunteerism throughout the state, and to that end, Governor Wes Moore applauded the graduates’ efforts in his program, which has been billed as the first of its kind in the country.
“Thank you for showing that in our state, we can do big things,” Moore told the graduates, “Maryland. We did it, and you all led the charge.”
Participants received at least $15 an hour and were guaranteed a minimum of 30 hours per week with a $6,000 stipend awaiting them if they completed nine months of service, but they say you really couldn’t put a price on the lessons they’ve learned.
“Growing up, I really had a lot of coaches that really like touched me and they helped me get through a lot of things if I needed mentors or needed to be taught a couple of things,” said Downs, “So I want to do the same thing they did for me for the young generation coming up.”
“It’s nothing you could ever read about. It’s something you had to experience and it’s something that everybody should do,” said Malone, “If you have the time, take the year, take nine months, and figure out who you want to help and how you can help.”
