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Dear Jane,
Today marks the final day of the Power Project after-school program and our Igniter Internship for 2025—and as we wrap up the year, gather for celebrations, and prepare to spend time with loved ones, we’re feeling especially grateful for the generosity that surrounds this season.
This year, over 100 students in grades K–12 walked through our doors—a 30% increase from last year, as funding cuts forced many neighboring programs to close and families turned to St. Francis for stability, enrichment, and care. Our waitlist is the longest it has ever been. And while we’re proud to have stepped up to meet this moment, we’ve faced our own challenges. With both public and private funding under strain, our team has had to do more with less—leaning on creativity, flexibility, and deep commitment to keep our programs strong.
And yet, we are ending 2025 on an incredibly heartening note.
More than 50 donors stepped forward this year to support our annual Giving Tree, which matches generous community members with families from our Power Project and Igniter Internship programs to fulfill their holiday wish lists. Amid rising costs and ongoing uncertainty, this support lifts a huge burden for our families and ensures children can still experience the joy and magic of the season.
Families share personalized wish lists, donors shop for the gifts, and our staff coordinates everything behind the scenes—anonymously—so students still get to feel the excitement and surprise that make this time of year so special. |
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With 63 families participating—40% more than last year—we've distributed over 1,000 gifts to students and their households. Whether you’re a giver, a receiver, or part of the team that helps make it all happen, the joy of the Giving Tree is felt by everyone.
As we reflect on this season of generosity, we also recognize how essential your partnership is to sustaining our work. If you are moved by the spirit of giving and have the ability to contribute, we invite you to make a holiday gift to St. Francis Neighborhood Center.
Your support ensures we can continue rising to meet the growing needs of our community and providing the enriching, high-quality programming that our students and families deserve. |
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Thank you for being part of what makes this community so special.
Warmest wishes for a joyful holiday season, Team SFNC |
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Stay connected! |
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SFNC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization first founded in Reservoir Hill in 1963. Our mission is to dismantle inequity by cultivating community connections through tailored education and social interventions for West Baltimore.
For over 60 years, we have continuously evolved to develop programs in response to present needs. |
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