CENTER OF HELP INC

Annapolis, MD   |  www.centerofhelp.org

Mission

The Center of Help’s mission is to empower, educate and connect immigrants with resources to promote self-sufficiency and to advocate for the successful integration of the immigrant community into Anne Arundel County and the surrounding areas.

Ruling year info

2002

Executive Director

Kirsten Clark

Main address

1906 Forest Drive, Suite 2A and 2B

Annapolis, MD 21401 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

52-2282782

NTEE code info

Children's and Youth Services (P30)

Counseling Support Groups (F60)

Cultural, Ethnic Awareness (A23)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The Center of help works as a bridge to improving relations between the new country and immigrants through participation/engagement, and leadership. The CoH strives for a policy conducive to social integration through intercultural dialogue, advocacy, social events, and education. The CoH provides educational opportunities for families and children and connects families to the resources available in the country to eradicate poverty. There is a current and historical need to address the educational improvement of the Hispanic and other disadvantaged immigrant communities, including general academic readiness, cultural and art education, and science and technology employment readiness. The lack of these skills and opportunities continue to marginalize immigrant groups and is reflected in higher rates of poverty, crime and high school dropout.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Leadership and Learning Program

Leadership and Learning Program (L&L), which aims to motivate immigrant students ages 6 to 16 to take on academic and leadership challenges by supporting, and preparing them for higher education. Classes include Math, Science, Coding, Writing, Music (violin, piano, flute, guitar), Art, Photography, and Tennis. Students also participate in Community Service projects, field trips, workshops, and a three week Summer Camp.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Immigrants and migrants
People of Latin American descent

Maria de la Paz Youth Outreach Center (MPYOC) is a daily after school program and safe space for students aged 12-17. Daily activities include conflict resolution classes, mindfulness activities, homework help, math tutoring, mentorship, community service, art classes, team-building activities, and support in working towards personal goals.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents
At-risk youth

The Adult Academy provides classes and resources to meet personal academic goals, gain practical knowledge, and develop skills that will lead to increased self-sufficiency.

ESOL classes meet twice weekly for one hour each day. Classes are taught by volunteers and classes are free to students. Using a book, teachers and students follow along with each lesson to learn grammar and vocabulary, practice reading and writing, and feel more confident listening and speaking.

Citizenship classes meet once weekly for two hours. Classes are taught by volunteers at St. Margaret’s Church and classes are free to students. Following along with a book, Voices of Freedom, students learn important subjects such as U.S. History, Geography, Politics, and more, that will help them pass their exam and interview.

Computer classes meet once weekly at the Center. A small group of students are provided with computers to practice concepts taught each week.

Population(s) Served

The Case Navigation program is the COH’s largest, longest running, and most well-known program. It has been growing consistently since the Center’s beginnings in 2002. Case navigators are highly skilled in guiding clients in navigating government systems and connecting them to resources in the path to self-sufficiency, and empowering clients to advocate for themselves. In addition to referring clients to COH’s educational programs, Case Navigation provides for language access to healthcare and government services, minimizes abuse and discrimination by employers, landlords, and others in the community, and assists families in crisis.

Population(s) Served
Immigrants and migrants
People of Latin American descent
Immigrants and migrants
People of Latin American descent
Adults
Immigrants and migrants
People of Latin American descent
Adults

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of youth receiving services (e.g., groups, skills and job training, etc.) with youths living in their community

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Objective 1:
Secure sustainable sources of income for the Center of Help.

Objective 2:
Strengthen the Center of Help's staff and institutional structure.

Objective 3:
Expand Center of Help's staff and institutional structure.

Strategy I.1- Implement additional fees for services and increase revenue from client donations
Strategy I.2 - Obtain government contracts and multiple year grant funding
Strategy I.3- Increase the number of monthly donors through incentives and fundraising campaigns
Strategy I.4- Improve data collection standards and develop policies and procedures to protect the Center long-term
Strategy I.5- Expand staff working in development

Strategy II. 1- Restructure staff
Strategy II.2- Promote leadership development

Strategy III.1- Increase advocacy efforts in order to ensure community
Strategy III.2- Expand reach and offer services throughout the county
Strategy III.3- Offer training and business development opportunities

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback

Financials

CENTER OF HELP INC
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

CENTER OF HELP INC

Board of directors
as of 03/24/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Ms Mary Dadone

María Casasco

Tony Arevalo

Owner MAB

Thomas McGinn

Anne Arundel Community College

Tracey Cherry

Anne Arundel Partnership for Children, Youth, and Family

Carlos Ayala Collazo

University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

Ethel Wirth

Se Fuerte Annapolis

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 03/24/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or other sexual orientations in the LGBTQIA+ community
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 03/24/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.