Baltimore City Businesses Support Baltimore Children & Youth Fund to Celebrate BCYF Month This August

(Baltimore, Maryland – August 11, 2023)

A host of Baltimore City businesses are leveraging their resources and those of their customers in the direction of Baltimore Children & Youth Fund (BCYF), the nonprofit organization stewarding public funds to ensure Baltimore City’s children and youth are healthy, ready to succeed in school and live in stable, safe, and supportive families and communities. The businesses will donate to celebrate BCYF’s fourth birthday and support impact programming.

“Through their participation, businesses ensure BCYF continues to bolster its impact with our grassroots leaders, who will be announced on August 15th, and young people we serve while gaining marketing benefits and networking opportunities for their business,” says BCYF President, Alysia Lee. “Businesses can participate by committing a percentage of their August sales to BCYF Month, asking customers to add a donation for BCYF to their transactions or by making a one-time donation of any amount to the campaign.”

Businesses who sign up will be featured on BCYF’s social media materials (businesses that donate 5% or more of their August proceeds receive a solo video spotlight). Participating businesses will also be listed on the BCYF website and receive two free tickets to BCYF’s October Fall Luncheon and a “We Support BCYF” sticker for their business.

Businesses who have joined the campaign include Hotel Revival, Snap Happy Photo Booth, Taharka Brothers Ice Cream, Crafted Hair Studio, doubledutch boutique, STAMPED FILMz and THExtensionist Lash & Beauty Bar.

“Hotel Revival Baltimore is a community-first hotel,” says Chelsea Redding, Brand Manager for Hotel Revival. “We believe in giving back to the community as often as possible and in having as many impact efforts going as possible. That is why we have decided to partner with BCYF to create a charitable rooms option in which anyone who books one of our best available rate rooms is also donating 10% of their room rate to BCYF. Guests can also order our shaken chocolate milk in our cafe, Dashery, and a dollar from each of these drinks will also be donated to BCYF.”

“We’re thrilled to be able to back BCYF by contributing a portion of our earnings to the
organization throughout August, “ says Anna-Kaye Lee, Director of Sales for Snap Happy Photo Booth. “Our clients will be delighted to learn that when they choose Snap Happy Photo Booth this month, they’re also championing the aspirations of young individuals throughout our city. This presents an amazing chance to give back to our community.”

Vinny Green, one of the owners of Taharka Brothers Ice Cream, urges other local businesses to get involved. “We hope other business owners across the City will join us by supporting this campaign and leveraging their resources as we all endeavor to change the lives of children and youth across Baltimore together.”

“We are so very thankful to the businesses who have already pledged their support of our campaign and to the businesses and customers who will support us throughout the remainder of August and beyond,” says Alysia Lee, President of BCYF.

“Having support from our business community and customers who support BCYF with intentionality sends a very strong message to children and youth across the City as well as the grassroots leaders who serve them. Messages like: ‘I see you,’ and ‘I support you,’ can mean a world of difference to young people as they endeavor to thrive in life.”
“On behalf of the entire BCYF community, thank you for your consideration, your support and your kindness.”

For more information on BCYF, go to bcyfund.org.

About BCYF The effort to create a dedicated fund to support programs for Baltimore’s young people was launched in 2015 by then-City Council President Bernard “Jack” C. Young — a response to the unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody, an event that sharply illuminated longstanding inequities in public funding in Black communities. Supported by Baltimore City residents’ tax dollars, last year BCYF awarded 9 million dollars to Baltimore programs serving children and youth, and 23 million dollars since the year 2020.