Day Camp is Back!!!

Monday, June 24th thru Thursday, August 1st

Ages: 5-12 years old

Six-week sessions

Monday – Friday from 10:00am to 3:00pm

Summer Camp Trips : Summer Camp Dates

FEATURE – MCKIM’S ANNUAL FAMILY AND FRIENDS DAY!

The McKim wrestling teams have been working hard all year. Come, and lend your support and give them home mat advantage. Witness the hard work of our young men as well as meet former McKim Alumni who continue to lend their support and mentor the younger wrestlers!!

Who: McKim Wrestling Teams

Where: Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (1400 West Coldspring Lane-Gym Entrance)

When: Jan 22, 2012 9am-4pm

Cost: FREE FREE FREE!!!

McKim Matters to Baltimore

Tuesday, June 7, 3:30 PM
McKim Center, 1120 East Baltimore Street

Join the McKim Center and Baltimore Heritage for a celebration of the McKim Free School and vote to help us win $25,000 in the national This Place Matters Community Challenge. The Community Challenge is an online competition organized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation offering 100 historic places across the country an opportunity to win one of three cash prizes to directly support building restoration. Established in 1821 by John McKim, a major supporter of the defense of Baltimore during the War of 1812, the McKim Free School was built on Baltimore Street in 1833. The building remained a school for low-income children until it became part of Baltimore’s new public school system in the late 19th century. The McKim Center grew out of the involvement of both Quaker and Presbyterian communities in the Jonestown neighborhood and has offered a range of youth and community programs in the building since 1945. Unfortunately, the building has deteriorated since its last major restoration in the 1980s. It is now in urgent need of repair and rehabilitation. The This Place Matters Community Challenge offers a rare opportunity to spread the word about the many ways that McKim matters to Baltimore. Together our community can preserve and celebrate this unique historic landmark.

We hope you can join us next week for our launch of this effort. Find out how to vote on the Baltimore Heritage blog. Questions? Contact Eli Pousson at pousson@baltimoreheritage.org or 301-204-3337.

The McKim Free School, our home since the McKim Center began in 1945, is a rare treasure– a Baltimore landmark with deep roots in the city’s history and an unsurpassed 175 year record of education and social service. However, as many of you know, our building has deteriorated significantly since its last major restoration in the 1980s. We have a leaky roof in urgent need of repair and cracked masonry requiring a major restoration. The McKim Free School matters to the residents of Jonestown and the Baltimore region, not only as the home for many of our youth and social service programs for seniors, homeless individuals, and individuals recovering from addiction, but as a direct link to the long-standing Quaker and Presbyterian communities that have supported the work of the McKim Center across the last 65 years and the mission of McKim’s School for over 100 years before that.

Today, you can help the McKim Center and our partner Baltimore Heritage win $25,000 for the restoration of the McKim Free School through the This Place Matters Community Challenge organized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Take two minutes and vote right now for the McKim Free School. With your support, we have a chance to win one of three cash prizes that will directly support the continued restoration of the McKim Free School building. Online voting for the McKim School, one of 100 great historic places across the country, continues through June 31. You can only vote once so we need your help to share this opportunity with your friends and neighbors and encourage them to join our cause.

How can I help the McKim Center win $25,000 for restoration?

1. Register with the National Trust for Historic Preservation online then check your email for your new username and password. If you previously voted in the 2010 This Place Matters Community Challenge or if you are a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation you can use the same form to receive a reminder with your username and password.
2. Login and vote in the This Place Matters Community Challenge for the McKim Free School to help us win $25,000!
3. Don’t forget to connect with the McKim Center and our partner Baltimore Heritage on Facebook for updates on upcoming events and our continued restoration effort. Please spread the word about this great opportunity with your family, friends and neighbors!

Questions? Contact Eli Pousson, Baltimore Heritage Field Officer at pousson@baltimoreheritage.org.

In partnership with Baltimore Heritage, the McKim Center has nominated the McKim Free School building to the This Place Matters Community Challenge organized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Our historic building is one of 100 great historic places across the country that are competing for a top prize of $25,000. Voting starts on June 1 and runs through June 30 and whichever place has the greatest number of votes at the end of the month wins the top prize. If we win, the full amount will be dedicated to the restoration of the McKim Free School building (recently highlighted as a 2011 Endangered Maryland site).

Stay tuned for more details when voting begins on June 1!

Having served needy children for 175 years, the building stands as a symbol of caring, generous assistance, says Warren, a McKim alumnus. “Much of that symbolic strength is derived from the massive stone walls, columns, lintels, pediment, and other features that are now at risk, caused by age, wear, and the elements. Cracking, spilling, water damage, and general deterioration threaten to accelerate these processes if not checked by repair and replacement.”