T. Rowe Price Volunteers Donate Personalized Gifts “Two by Two” to The Ark, A Preschool for Homeless Children

On December 6th, 2010, BVU Business Member T. Rowe Price celebrated the holiday season in a very special way, by giving back.  A company that makes volunteerism an essential element of their company culture all-year round, T. Rowe Price is always looking for innovative ways to give back to the community. This past holiday season was no exception when their Corporate Marketing and Communications team gathered for a conference in Baltimore. Renee Christoff, VP and Head of Corporate Citizenship and Sponsorships, consulted with BVU for suggestions to make her meeting not only memorable for her co-workers, but a means to provide for their community.  BVU was thrilled for the opportunity to match T. Rowe Price’s generous offer of service to a need in our community. Based on a holiday needs wish list submitted to BVU’s Volunteer Central, BVU was able to connect T. Rowe Price with Episcopal Community Services of Maryland (ECSM), a nonprofit organization that provides educational, advocacy and supportive services for families and individuals facing adversity.

Generously offering their time and creative talents, The T. Rowe Price team members purchased two toy chests, decorated them and filled them with brand new toys for the children of ESCM’s program, The Ark, the only state-accredited preschool for homeless children in Baltimore City.  One for the male children and one for the female children, these beautiful toy chests served not only as a way to bring The Ark’s students together for educational play, but provided a unique team building opportunity to T. Rowe Price’s employees. For this in-house service project, the Corporate Marketing and Communications team split into smaller teams and had a friendly competition to decorate their beautiful holiday gifts for the children of The Ark. According to Renee Christoff, her colleagues “had fun and a great time developing a strategy to compete. The activity did bring us together as a team but more importantly, it allowed us to do something really nice for the children at The Ark. This went so well that we plan on finding another activity for a broader group of associates."

To learn about ways your company can get involved in the community contact BVU's Director of Business Services at 410-366-1722.

About BVU

BVU inspires volunteerism by connecting motivated people and businesses with the nonprofits and communities that need them most. BVU serves as the primary resource for recruiting, developing and organizing volunteers in the Greater Baltimore area.

About T. Rowe Price

Founded in 1937, Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price is a global investment management organization that provides a broad array of mutual funds, sub-advisory services, and separate account management for individual and institutional investors, retirement plans, and financial intermediaries. The organization also offers a variety of sophisticated investment planning and guidance tools.

About Episcopal Community Services of Maryland

Guided by faith and commitment to social justice, Episcopal Community Services of Maryland strives to address the injustice of severe poverty, which is embedded in communities and disempowers individuals. ECSM provides education and support systems as well as advocates for families and individuals seeking help in overcoming adversity.  The school serves children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old and provides a short-term preschool program that promotes children's development in all areas, emphasizing language and social skills.  Learn more about volunteering for The Ark and others of ECSM’s programs.

‹ back to news index