Transform Mid-Atlantic awards $11,250 in grants to five colleges and universities in Maryland and DC for 2025 9/11 National Day of Service volunteer projects through funding from 9/11 Day and AmeriCorps
(Frederick, MD) – Earlier this year, Transform Mid-Atlantic partnered with its sister organizations in the Alliance for Campus Community Engagement (ACCE) – Partners for Campus-Community Engagement (PA/NY) and Seed Coalition (IA/MN) – to apply for a grant from 9/11 Day and the Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps) and provide sub-grants to its member colleges and universities in support of student volunteer projects and events that commemorate the 2025 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. The three organizations received a collective grant of $35,000 with the goal of catalyzing 1,000 student volunteers on 15+ campuses throughout their combined service regions. In all, ACCE organizations across the country received a combined total of $140,000 to offer campus grants to their members.
After a competitive application process, TMA is pleased to announce that five of its member campuses have been awarded grants to support student volunteer events this September as the region marks the annual 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. In total, grantees in Maryland and DC will catalyze the service of at least 815 student volunteers during events taking place from August 23 – September 25.
- Bowie State University will host Love East of the River: Honoring First Responders, which will engage 75+ student volunteers in a day of service as they assemble 300 care packages for first responders in Washington, D.C.’s Wards 7 and 8 who work or volunteer at Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, and the Howard University Hospital. The event will conclude with a luncheon and panel discussion with first responders and student participants.
- Coppin State University student volunteers will participant in the institution’s service project, Rebuilding the Bay: Honoring 9/11 Through Environmental Revitalization in the Baltimore Inner Harbor, through which more than 20 student volunteers will participate in an environmental restoration project coordinated by the institution and the Waterfront Partnership’s Oyster Garden Program. After volunteering, students will have lunch and reflect on the history and legacy of 9/11 with a guest lecturer at the Baltimore World Trade Center’s 9/11 Memorial.
- The George Washington University’s Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service will be incorporating its commemoration of the 9/11 Day of Service with its annual Welcome Day of Service where 2000+ students will volunteer at more than 50 service sites throughout D.C. TMA grant funds will be used to send 500 student volunteers to Kingman Island Park and National Park Service sites across the District where they will remove invasive species from park grounds and complete park trail clean-up and restoration.
- Montgomery College will be providing at least 20 students with an opportunity to join its 9/11 Day: Remembering the Fallen & Serving Those Who Served project. On or near September 11, students will travel to the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial to learn about the victims and survivors of the attack on the Pentagon before embarking on a day of service with Cook for Vets in Arlington, Virginia where they will assemble meal packages for veterans and help to organize the pantry. Students will engage in a reflection activity on the bus ride back home.
- Notre Dame of Maryland University’s project, Hands Across Campus, a 9/11 Service Day of Remembrance, will focus on its surrounding community in Baltimore where more than 200 NDMU students will volunteer to pack 600+ lunches serving clients at four local shelters and food pantries. Additionally, the campus community will have opportunities to reflect on the meaning and importance of the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.
“The projects of this year’s 9/11 Day of Service grantees are robust. They will offer hundreds of students in our region opportunities for meaningful service and learning in honor of 9/11 Day. Their impact will live on far beyond these projects,” said Madeline Yates, Executive Director of Transform Mid-Atlantic. “Days of Service provide an important on-ramp for engaging students, campuses, and community partners in becoming responsible community members, deepening their commitment to improving community life in our region.”
The five campuses awarded funding in Maryland and DC are part of TMA’s vibrant network of 2-year, 4-year, public, private, HBCU, minority-serving, and faith-based institutions in Maryland, DC, Delaware, West Virginia, and Northern Virginia dedicated to advancing the public purposes of higher education through civic and community engagement.
About Transform Mid-Atlantic
Transform Mid-Atlantic is a non-profit membership association of public, private, 2- and 4-year colleges and universities, including many HBCUs and minority serving institutions. Transform Mid-Atlantic provides leadership to colleges and universities in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Delaware by advocating, supporting, and encouraging institutional participation in academic and co-curricular based public service and civic engagement programs.
Transform Mid-Atlantic strengthens the capacity of member institutions to enhance student learning and to meaningfully engage with communities. Transform Mid-Atlantic is supported through a combination of institutional dues, federal and private grants, donations, and in-kind contributions. The Transform Mid-Atlantic office is located at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland.
About 9/11 Day
In 2002, a group of 9/11 family members and leaders joined together to form the nonprofit “9/11 Day,” with the goal of transforming the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 tragedy into a day of doing good. Today, 9/11 Day has become a National Day of Service and Remembrance, recognized under federal law, and the largest annual day of service in America. More than 30 million people participate each year by volunteering, supporting charities, and performing other good deeds in tribute to those impacted by the 9/11 tragedy, and in a spirit of unity and peace. For more information, toolkits and other resources, visit 911day.org, or contact 9/11 Day at info@911day.org
About AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. AmeriCorps provides opportunities for Americans of all backgrounds to serve their country, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, and improve lives and communities. Learn more at americorps.gov.
Media inquiries should be forwarded to Nicki Fiocco, Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships at fiocco@transformmidatlantic.org