BALTIMORE — Well, just like Christmas, it only comes once a year: Armour Day.
That’s when the Baltimore-based company, Under Armour, gives back to its hometown in a big way, all on one morning. On Thursday, Under Armour employees teamed up with the nonprofit Heart of America, and 650 volunteers fanned out across the city to five high schools: Digital Harbor, Forest Park, Frederick Douglass, Patterson, and Merganthaler.
At Mervo, they planted trees in the courtyard with help from the Baltimore Tree Trust. These trees will provide much-needed shade for the students to enjoy the outdoors.
“We want to be able to wrap our arms around them, show them that somebody cares. Building inspiring spaces for them to live, grow, learn [and] be on a trajectory of success,” says Flynn Burch, director of global community impact at Under Armour.
The volunteers took on beautification projects, like painting and landscaping. They’re projects that the schools would like to have done but often fall to the bottom of a long list of needs, says City Schools’ CEO, Dr. Sonja Santelises.
“Sometimes, the planting of trees is a nice to have, not a need to have,” Santelises says. “When partners come alongside and say we care about the nice to haves as well, it matters.”
Under Armour also hosted a career day at Mervo, where the special guest was company founder Kevin Plank.
Armour Day is just one of several projects Under Armour does throughout the year with Baltimore City Schools.
