Areas of Work
Our work seeks to enhance vital conditions for wellbeing while fostering a sense of belonging and civic participation.
Youth Development & Student Leadership
Empowering young people through education, mentorship, and opportunities to lead and serve.
We invest in young people as learners, leaders, and active contributors to their communities. Through school-based partnerships, tutoring, athletics, and student leadership opportunities, we support youth development that extends beyond the classroom and into neighborhood life.
Our Strong York Road Schools work centers collaboration with local schools and the Dewees Recreation Center, strengthening academic support and enrichment opportunities. This includes literacy tutoring, structured mentoring, and programs like the Junior Hounds Swim Program (a partnership with the university’s Swimming & Diving team) that build confidence, discipline, and a sense of belonging.
We also support student leadership by advising campus-based organizations such as Loyola’s chapter of the National Food Recovery Network and the Service and Educational Association, which both help students connect their academic experiences with meaningful community engagement. We also offer several student employment opportunities that provide the chance to support and shape the Center’s programs.
We aim to create consistent, supportive pathways for youth and young adults to grow—academically, socially, and civically—while building strong relationships between schools, families, and the broader community.
Community Life, Connection & Opportunity
Bringing the university and the community together through shared spaces, events, and resources.
We bring neighbors, students, partners, and business owners together through shared spaces, events, and community-based opportunity. At the center of this work is the 5104 Community-University Center, which serves as a hub for gathering, collaboration, and connection as well as the administrative home of the York Road Partnership.
We host community events that strengthen belonging and shared identity, including neighborhood celebrations such as the Halloween Block Party and other public gatherings that bring residents together across generations.
This work also extends into local economic connection. Through collaborations with the York Corridor Business Improvement District, Invest York Road, Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and local business, we help strengthen relationships between residents, institutions, and the local economy.
Together, these efforts create a stronger sense of place grounded in relationships, opportunity, and shared investment in the neighborhood’s future.
Food Access & Environmental Stewardship
Expanding access to healthy food while advancing sustainable, neighborhood-based environmental
initiatives.
Our work in food access and environmental stewardship responds to both immediate needs—such
as access to fresh food—and long-term priorities around environmental quality, sustainability,
and neighborhood well-being.
Food access initiatives include the Govans Community Fridge and the Govans Farmers Market, which provide consistent, dignified access to fresh and affordable food for residents.
These efforts are strengthened by partnerships with student and community groups,
including the Food Recovery Network, which helps redirect surplus food to the Community
Fridge. Environmental stewardship is advanced through neighborhood greening efforts,
including York Road Community Days, which bring together residents, students, and
partners to care for shared public spaces and strengthen community pride through hands-on
service.
The new Govans Green Resource Hub will centralize our projects to enhance collaboration
and coordination. Once renovated, this space will serve as a launch point for our
food access initiatives, our greening programs, and new projects with area partners.
Together, these efforts reflect an integrated approach to food systems and environmental
health—recognizing that thriving neighborhoods depend on both equitable access to
resources and sustained collective care for the places people call home.
Community Health Outreach & Wellness
Connecting residents to care through outreach events, wellness programming, and resources
offered by neighborhood and city partners.
We offer community health initiatives that bring together local organizations, city
agencies, and community partners to expand access to care, create community wellness
programming, and support wellbeing across the neighborhood.
Programs include community health events featuring area vendors, agencies, and targeted
outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness. In addition, we connect participants
to community wellness programming centered on mental health support, physical wellness,
nutrition education, and preventative care. These efforts are designed to meet people
where they are while strengthening connections to longer-term support.
We also serve as a North Baltimore location for MedStar Health’s Mobile Health Center Program at 5104 York Road, which offers primary care, urgent care, chronic disease management,
vaccine administration and other services once a week.
By bringing together multiple partners across sectors, our coalition-style approach
improves coordination, reduces fragmentation, and helps ensure that residents receive
holistic and consistent support. As community needs continue to grow, this work is
critical to building a more connected, healthier community.
Support Our Work
Support the people and partnerships shaping a stronger York Road community.