The Greenmount Life Opportunity & Wellness (GLOW) Initiative in Barclay, Harwood, East Baltimore Midway, Harwood, and Greenmount West

Through a coalition of local residents, service organizations, and community leaders, CBP identified the most pressing needs in these neighborhoods and translated these into goals for the GLOW Initiative. These goals are to ensure that: 

  • Residents have access to primary, preventative, and behavioral health programs.

  • Youth have high-quality out-of-school-time opportunities for both education and employment that enrich them personally, academically, or economically.

  • Residents have access to low-cost nutritious food resulting in a culturally balanced aware diet. 

In partnership with the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Central Baltimore Partnership is proud to present the Greenmount Greenmount Life Opportunity & Wellness (GLOW) Initiative. This collaborative multi-year, multifaceted initiative focuses on improving the quality of life for ALL residents by meeting the most vulnerable family needs along the historically disinvested Greenmount Avenue corridor – Barclay, East Baltimore Midway, Greenmount West, and Harwood neighborhoods. 
GLOW uses CBP’s collaborative several task force and workgroup approach, including a new community advisory council – GLOW Task Force, to advocate for the communities’ needs, with the ultimate aim of strengthening the communities’ grassroots capacity, supporting service organizations in reaching the most residents, enhancing the quality of extracurricular activities, providing greater social and economic opportunities, and improving the overall health and nutrition of residents.
The Johns Hopkins 21st Century Cities Initiative and Urban Institute are engaged in developing and launching a robust data-driven evaluation framework for GLOW. A progress-tracking dashboard is currently being developed for our website. 

GLOW Partners

Abell Foundation
Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition
BYKE
Central Baltimore Partnership
Farm Alliance
Franciscan Center*
Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation*
John Hopkins 21st Century Cities Initiative
J. Van Story Branch Apartments Health and Wellness Suite Task Force

* = GLOW Task Force Members

Maryland Food Bank*
Mission Fit
MOSAIC
Neighborhood Design Center
Open Works
Parks and People
Urban Institute
Urban Strategies
Y of Central Maryland*
Community Center Council 
29th Street Community Center*
Village Learning Place*
Nate Tatum Center*
Greenmount Recreation Center
Cecil Kirk Recreation Center
Corner Team Boxing and Fitness Club
Community Associations
Greater Greenmount Community Association*
Greenmount West Community Association*
Harwood Community Association*
Schools
Barclay Elementary Middle School
Baltimore Montessori School
Cecil Elementary School
Dallas F. Nicholas Sr. Elementary School
Margaret Brent Elementary Middle School

The Glow Story

The Glow Story

In 2018, CBP prepared a report for our Front and Center Equity Agenda Community Health Task Force using data from the Center for Disease Control that identified consistent health issues across the target neighborhoods: self-reported poor mental health for more than 14 consecutive days; poor dental care and tooth loss; high infant mortality rates (higher than Baltimore City-wide rates) high blood pressure; asthma; diabetes; stroke; minimal health-seeking behavior for screening/prevention; smoking; binge drinking; and lack of sleep. Barclay and Midway census tract levels were lower than Baltimore City and National rates in almost every category. CBP’s community partners identified the following major barriers to good health: living/housing conditions; access to greenspace; crime; food availability/food deserts; and ease of transportation. These barriers have been confirmed through various City reports.
Together, CBP and community partners identified the highest needs neighborhoods in Central Baltimore. The 4 priority neighborhoods have endured historic disinvestment and, in general, experience lower quality of life than other Central Baltimore neighborhoods. Our goal with GLOW is to strategically enhance CBP’s presence in these neighborhoods and work to improve the wellbeing and livelihood of youth and families facing barriers complementing the equitable development role that CBP has served for more than a decade in Central Baltimore. 
A foundational principle of GLOW is that our work is rooted in inclusive actions and strategies to provide opportunities to individuals who have normally been excluded, including legacy residents. While access to resources and services is a priority, GLOW  also seeks to address the ease with which a resident can utilize them. Our work takes into effect cost, transportation, and other potential barriers that contribute to inaccessibility to strengthen families.
The GLOW Initiative aims to be responsive to the needs of residents by working with our partners to implement wellness programming and maintain a digital inventory of resources within walking distance of GLOW neighborhoods --changing conditions or priorities based on resident feedback and external factors.

GLOW: in the Barclay, Harwood, East Baltimore Midway, Harwood, and Greenmount West neighborhoods