C09: Responding Collectively to Community Flashpoints
Track
Collaborating for Greater Impact
Session Designer
Adam Donaldson, Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers
Session Description
On April 19, 2015, Freddie Gray’s death, while in police custody in Baltimore, sparked a series of peaceful marches and a day of civil unrest. Baltimore’s persistently poor neighborhoods are leaving far too many teens and young adults like Gray frustrated, angry and disconnected from hope and opportunity. In this moment of community crisis, the philanthropic response was immediate but not without questions and uncertainty. Grantmakers struggled with race, equity and inclusion; the public demand for both immediate needs and long term change; and a desire to identify a role aligned to their missions. Through a “fishbowl” discussion, Baltimore funders and conference participants will share their community’s flashpoints. Join this session to participate in honest discussion and to identify specific roles for grantmakers required to respond collectively and effectively to a future community crisis.
Session Designers
Adam Donaldson, Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers
Speakers
![[photo]](https://8ca84662c5b8f0cff50d-4baaaf97d63fd7b01243e1b1c57f0cc1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/1095/profile_6a8ce38669646b50012ea1c15aff7d90.png "M. Celeste Amato, Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers")
M. Celeste Amato, Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers
Biography
M. Celeste Amato has a proven ability to bring together partners from communities, philanthropy and government in pursuit of common goals for a better Baltimore and the region. She was appointed President of the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers in 2012 after 18 years invested in public service and issues including housing, economic development, public works and environmental initiatives. She is an active volunteer and has served on the board of directors for Cleaner Greener Baltimore, Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, Baltimore International College and the Southeast Community Development Corporation. (Connect @abagrantmakers).
![[photo]](https://8ca84662c5b8f0cff50d-4baaaf97d63fd7b01243e1b1c57f0cc1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/1096/profile_35620f9f10e25904db03981871fb4783.png "Kevin Griffin Moreno, Baltimore Community Foundation")
Kevin Griffin Moreno, Baltimore Community Foundation
Biography
Kevin Griffin Moreno is senior program officer with the Baltimore Community Foundation, where his portfolio includes: public policy advocacy; diversity and inclusion strategies; and grantmaking in human services and the arts. He is also a race equity consultant with Just Partners, Inc. Prior to joining BCF, Kevin was senior policy advocate with the Job Opportunities Task Force; before that, he was a refugee resettlement officer with International Rescue Committee, and a program assistant with Open Society Institute-Baltimore. Kevin serves on the boards of the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers and the Baltimore Rock Opera Society. (Connect @mobtownblues).
![[photo]](https://8ca84662c5b8f0cff50d-4baaaf97d63fd7b01243e1b1c57f0cc1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/1094/profile_723b4955763b168418fe17356d13b024.png "Danielle Torain, The Annie E. Casey Foundation")
Danielle Torain, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Biography
Danielle Torain is a Senior Associate with the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Baltimore Civic Site where she manages the unit’s workforce development, community capacity building and resident engagement strategies. Danielle is additionally a loaned executive with the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, managing One Baltimore for Jobs (1B4J), a federally-funded demonstration effort launched in response to the April 2015 civil unrest. 1B4J connects un- and underemployed youth and young adult populations in economically distressed communities with training and placement in high-growth industries. Danielle serves on the boards of The Baltimore Workforce Investment Board and Baltimore Corps. (Connect @danielletorain).