Last Updated on May 8, 2025
Sandtown Connection
Ted Churn and Dan Matthews, Co-Leaders
Our Mission: Listen, Learn, Seek Understanding
Born from the aftermath of the 2015 unrest following Freddie Grace death at the hands of the police, CSC was founded by concerned Charlestown residents determined to make a difference. Ten years later the partnership continues collaborating with non-profit organizations in the Sandtown area of Baltimore City. They are New Song Learning Center (fundraising, tutoring), No Boundaries Fresh at the Avenue (food market}, Jubilee Arts (scholarships for classes in the arts), and Turnaround Tuesday (coaching and life skills to return to work.)
Board of Director meetings are open to volunteers and residents. Guests welcome.
| SCHEDULE | TIME | LOCATION |
| First Wednesday in even months | 11 AM – 12:30 PM | Brookside Classroom 2 |
Remaining Meetings for 2025: June 4, August 6, October 1, December 3
Our Story
Born from the aftermath of the 2015 unrest following Freddie Gray’s death at the hands of the police, cSc was founded by concerned residents determined to make a difference. A decade later, we continue our mission as a registered 501(c)(3) organization, guided by a committed Board of Directors. We support four non-profit community organizations: New Song Academy, No Boundaries Coalition, Jubilee Arts, and Turnaround Tuesday.
What We Do
cSc supports the organizations in the Sandtown community through:
- Volunteer Mobilization: Connecting passionate individuals with meaningful opportunities to serve.
- Fundraising Initiatives: Generating resources to fuel impactful programs.
Our Impact
For over 10 years, we’ve been:
- Fostering meaningful relationships between Charlestown residents and the Sandtown community.
- Supporting initiatives that create lasting positive change.
- Building bridges of understanding across diverse neighborhoods.
The Charlestown-Sandtown Connection (cSc) has a new landing page to make it easy to sign up for the quarterly newsletter. The link can be found on MyErickson > Clubs/Organization> Charlestown-Sandtown Connection or here on CCIcharlestown.org. Your name will go directly to the MailChimp website which is used for the newsletter.
Charlestown Sandtown Newsletter
Charlestown-Sandtown Connection table at the September 2023 Fruits of Our Labors
Sandtown School Supply Drive Runs Aug. 9 – 16
For the past nine years Charlestown residents have generously donated school supplies and funds to support our young neighbors at New Song Academy in Sandtown. Our efforts have given these students access to a wide range of supplies that would have been scarce otherwise. The children, their teachers and other staff members have expressed their gratitude to all of Charlestown for this assistance.
This month we will hold the 2024 “Back to School Drive” between August 9 and August 16. On the last day, Friday, August 16, collection tables will be set up at the Fireside, the Terrace and the Chesapeake between the hours of 10 AM and 2 PM. Your donations, supplies or funds, can be given at that time. Prior to the August 16, please call Donna Chesson or Dan Matthews to arrange for pick up or delivery. Contact information can be found in the Resident Directory, available online in MyErickson.
While all school supplies are appreciated, teachers have highlighted these high-priority items: glue sticks, colored pencils (preferred over crayons), pens and pencils, hand sanitizer, copy paper, backpacks, age-appropriate books for pre-K thru 8th grade and, again this year, a special request for prepackaged snacks (no peanuts or peanut butter).
The usual school items (scissors, notebooks, rulers, looseleaf paper, notebooks, binders, tissues, band aids, etc.) are also welcomed.
Finally, as we have reported in the past, a donation of money is a gift that allows each teacher to purchase what is most needed for their own class and students. If you choose to give a check, please make it out to Charlestown- Sandtown-Connection. Checks can be brought to the tables on August 16, or sent to Jim Herman, Treasurer. Donated funds are tax deductible.
~Donna Chesson~