The William S. Baer School, a Baltimore City public school that serves 180 of the city’s most medically fragile children, ages 3-21, has received $20,000 from Baltimore Children & Youth Fund through its President’s Fund. The President’s Fund aligns with the BCYF mission, vision, and values and offers flexibility to address pressing issues at the discretion of the President. The President’s Fund is an invitation-only grant opportunity.
For over 75 years, the William S. Baer School has served Baltimore City Public Schools as a leader in inclusive, therapeutic education for students with multiple disabilities providing a unique mix of accessible education, occupational therapies and recreational opportunities for their students. With enrollment of up to 180 children during the school year, the William S. Baer School has served thousands of Baltimore City children throughout its history.
Jacqueline Caldwell first joined the William S. Baer School Partnership Board, a board that exists to help the school fulfill its mission to create an environment that challenges students to reach educational and therapeutic success, while she was President of the Greater Mondawmin Coordinating Council. She has served on the Partnership Board for the last seven years. This past May, Caldwell was offered a position at the school raising funds. As a longtime volunteer and civic leader, the Baltimore native says William S. Baer School is near and dear to her.
“I went there in the second grade on a field trip. I lived right near the school, and prior to the field trip, I had never seen kids with special needs before in my life,” said Caldwell. “It’s so funny that at seven years old [the school] was introduced to me so that I can come back… to be in that space with those kids making a difference.”
Cadwell recalls the story of a young boy who was unable to walk (when she first met him seven years ago when she joined the board), who, now at the age of ten, is literally running down the hallway. “It is really a place where a love for the education of these parents and their children prevails]. “A place for letting them know that they are not alone; we are on their side, and we’re going to do everything we can do so their children can be successful.”
One of the key components to the success of these children is that William S. Baer School is invested in each individual child. Teachers get to know children’s likes and interests while providing accommodations for their educational and physical needs. She remembered her favorite pastime, reading, and how it impacted her childhood. Then she saw the need to improve the library at the school for those children who are as passionate about books and reading as she was.
According to Lee, the stories of each and every one of its 101 grantees should be told often and widely because all of these organizations are intentionally working to improve the lives of young people in Baltimore City. However, the tremendous efforts of faculty and staff at Baer stand out.
“William S. Baer School is a shining example of the tremendous impact an organization dedicated to helping Baltimore’s medically fragile children not only survive but thrive can have on a city,” Lee says. “This grantee organization goes beyond providing simple education and physical or occupational therapies to creating environments where the lives of any other child or young person in Baltimore. Baer School creates a place where these youngsters do not perceive themselves as medically fragile. Instead, they see themselves as happy, thriving children who have a few additional physical and medical supports.
According to Lee, the impact of grantee organizations like the William S. Baer School will only grow with time. Over the last three years, 101 grantee organizations have received $23 million from BCYF.
“I can’t wait to see how the collective impacts of young people served by The William S. Baer School and others contribute to our overall quest to realize the City of our dreams, where the collective impact of the investment in our young people results in a more equitable, safe, and flourishing Baltimore for all.”
To learn more about the BCYF grants available for 2024 go to bcyfund.org.
About The William S. Baer School
The William S. Baer School is a Baltimore City Public School that serves 180 of the city’s most medically fragile children, from ages 3-21. The William S. Baer School Partnership Board exists to help the WIlliam S. Baer School fulfill its mission: to create an environment that challenges students to reach educational and therapeutic success. For more information visit thebaerschool.com.
About BCYF
The Baltimore Children & Youth Fund (BCYF) is a public charity stewarding public dollars to build partnerships that support the ecosystem focused on building opportunities for Baltimore youth. The organization amplifies Black and Brown-led youth-centered programs in Baltimore City while providing capacity building, resources, and funding.
BCYF envisions a more just, creative, and abundant Baltimore where all young people live, thrive, and lead. We imagine an ecosystem of sustainable youth programs with full agency, liberated from the harm of structural racism and inequity and able to thrive in abundance. Since 2020, Baltimore Children & Youth Fund has awarded $23M dollars to primarily youth-serving organizations thanks to generous donations and the tax dollars of Baltimore City residents.
The effort to create a dedicated fund to support programs for Baltimore’s young people was launched in 2015 by then-City Council President Bernard “Jack” C. Young. The fund was a response to the unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody, an event that sharply illuminated longstanding inequities in public funding in Black communities. BCYF is guided by one central value, Ubuntu (n.) I am because of who we all are. Ubuntu is the southern African philosophy that describes the interconnectedness of all people. It emphasizes the idea that an individual’s well-being is intricately tied to the well-being of the community. The philosophy promotes humanity, service, sharing, healing, and reconciliation.
