MARY'S GIVING FUND
The Mary Durstine McArtor Reynolds Memorial Giving Fund was established to honor and continue Mary’s lifelong pursuit of meaningful giving to others. Thus, it’s both a memorial to Mary’s beautiful life and a conduit to giving that is true to Mary’s priorities, goals, and approach. Specifically, our vision is to foster thriving and productive futures for children. And more specifically, through micro-giving grants, we develop and support meaningful, renewable programs that directly improve the health, well-being, education, and welfare of children, particularly in underserved communities. Your donations enable us to support current programs and scale future giving.
Mary's Kids
April 23, 2024
children so far and counting...
The Programs have directly engaged
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4,210
OUR CURRENT PROGRAMS
Click name to jump or scroll to program
Mary's After-School Aeroponic Garden
Community Kids Place Out-of-School, The Community Group
Lawrence, MA
Sponsored since 2023
This indoor, mobile vertical garden and accompanying research-based curriculum engages Lawrence elementary school students in researching, selecting, and growing a variety of edible plants while utilizing innovative gardening technology. Mary's Garden participants grow foods that have a culturally relevant connection to their lives, selecting plants that are important to them and their families. Student volunteers act as Mary's Garden Ambassadors to share their learning and gardening expertise with their teachers, families and community members in an end-of-program showcase.
Emmie's Enchanted Memorial Gardens
Children's Enrichment Center (CEC) of First United Methodist Church
Jupiter, FL
Sponsored since 2023
Created to help honor a former CEC student who lost her battle with cancer, the funds provide for several outdoor garden spaces and enhance the science curriculum for 65 preschool students. Students are able to enjoy a prayer garden, two butterfly gardens and a vegetable/wildflower garden. They learn about butterflies and lady bugs from life-cycle posters and participate in hands-on experiments for growing both plants and seeds from growing kits and hydroponics - all provided by Mary's Giving Fund. This program is filled with many benefits of gardening, including physical and emotional health, healthy eating, creativity, and an appreciation and love for nature and the planet.
Mary's Enrichment Program
Quantum House
West Palm Beach, FL
Sponsored since 2023
Mary's Enrichment Program at Quantum House provides an immersive art experience for the children and their siblings at Quantum House. An artist and/or cultural organization visits Quantum House to present in one of the following art areas: art, music, dance, acting, or museum experience. The Program is held in the afternoon after the children have completed their therapy sessions, doctor's appointments, homework, and other commitments. This Program contributes to the overall health and well-being of the children and their siblings who are a part of the journey of healing from a serious medical condition. Quantum House provides pediatric healthcare for families receiving treatment at St. Mary's Medical Center and surrounding area hospitals. On average, Quantum House serves 1,700 families and provides meals, playrooms, computer labs, a business center, a fitness center, and an outdoor play are for its guests.
The Pittman Parents' Night In
Ella C. Pittman Elementary School
Harvey, LA
Sponsored since 2023
Pittman Elementary is a Title 1 school where 85% of the students are below the poverty level. The Pittman Parents' Night In program takes a twofold approach to improving the educational experience of their students. First, the program encourages caregivers and/or parents to come to a monthly meeting on a Thursday night during which they are shown how to review the weekly performance of the child's behavior and grades. And second, the program provides these children with supplies, food and other necessities for weekday evenings or weekends via both direct giving as well as raffles base on caregiver attendance (prizes include, for example, gift certificates for grocery stores or Walmart). The school officials and teaching staff are genuinely excited that this program will make a tremendous difference in the day-to-day lives and educational opportunities of their students.
Mary's Summer Strings Program
Treasure Coast Youth Symphony
Stuart, FL
Sponsored since 2023
Responding to the need for string ensemble performance training, the Treasure Coast Youth Symphony (TCYS) offers a six-week summer session. All eligible students are provided needed funding for tuition thanks to the support of Mary's Giving Fund. Mary's Summer Strings Program offers up to thirty young string players an opportunity to expand and enhance their technical and artistic skills. During these sessions of reading orchestra and ensemble music of well-known composers, participants learn how to play well together and improve their ensemble performance skills. The Treasure Coast Youth Symphony offers a challenging environment for performance training that cultivates talent, inspires creativity, and instills lifelong character-building skills. Through its various programs and performances, TCYS continues to enrich the cultural landscape of our community and shape the future of classical music.
Fieldtrip Transportation for Title 1 Schools
New England Botanic Garden
Boylston, MA
Sponsored since 2023
Thanks to the generous support from Mary's Giving Fund, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill will be able to provide safe, no-cost bus transportation for fieldtrips to the Garden for students from Title 1 schools in the greater Worcester (MA) area. During each fieldtrip, students will have the opportunity to explore nature, learn about native plants and ecosystems, and participate in nature-based, age-appropriate STEM activities focusing on issues such as bio diversity, tree equity, and environmental stewardship. New England Botanic Garden is located on 171 acres in Boylston, Massachusetts and welcomes nearly 200,000 visitors each year.
#Let's Talk
Local Volunteer Professional Counselors
Hilton Head Island and Bluffton, SC
Sponsored since 2023
#Let's Talk is a program offered to middle and high school students to reinforce real life information and practical life skills necessary to help empower teens to have positive mental health and be the best that they can be as they reach adulthood. Professionals address many different topics that are relevant to young adolescents, such as mental and physical health, self-care, social media, friendships, empathy and giving back to the community. The program is filled with information and engaging activities for the adolescents delivered by professionals in our local community.
Mary's Reading Nook
Hannah's Home of South Florida
Tequesta, FL
Sponsored since 2022
Hannah's Home started as a referral service for young pregnant women who were homeless or housing insecure. It currently houses eight women and their babies and provides long term support. The facility also has an on-site child care center. Employees and volunteers noticed when they read to the babies during a dedicated reading hour, that more of the moms were willing to read to them. Everyone noticed that reading not only relaxed the children and helped calm them down, but the children were more engaged as a result. Currently, the center's daily reading hour is around the time of day the kids are most fussy, and it has proven to be a game changer. Fortunately, Hannah's Home has an amazing volunteer that has taken ownership of the reading time and has trained the resident mothers and other volunteers to step in should she not be available. In addition, Mary's Giving Fund's donation has helped provide a reading "nook", a space unique to its own spot, with comfortable seating, ample lighting, bright and vibrant board books as well as a bookcase to store the books. Hannah's Home plans to sponsor a Name the Nook challenge on all its social media platforms with the qualifier being the name must include "Mary".
Summer Academic Enrichment and
Dinner Program
Tennis Rocks Tutoring and Music Association
Wilmington, DE
Sponsored since 2022
The mission of Tennis Rocks is to provide an opportunity for the underserved youth and families in Wilmington to fulfill their maximum potential academically, socially, and physically. Tennis Rocks uses tutoring and music to address education needs, and tennis to develop physical fitness, healthy lifestyles, and essential life skills. The free 7-week summer program sponsored by Mary's Giving Fund serves children from 1st - 12th grades. The program focuses on improving academic skills in Math, Reading Comprehension, English, Social studies and Science which will allow the participants to be successful during the upcoming school year. The overall goal is to combat the chronically high 65% high school dropout rate in Wilmington. Tennis Rocks has been able to achieve a 98% graduation rate from their participants.
Westgate Elementary School
Program Curriculum, Material & Supplies
Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast
West Palm Beach, FL
Sponsored since 2022
Too many children do not have access to education crucial for their future success: personal financial responsibility, budgeting, critical thinking, career readiness, and demonstrating an entrepreneurial drive. Junior Achievement exists so that all kids, regardless of background, receive the tools they need to build a future for themselves in which they are optimistic, economically self-sufficient and determined, with a belief in the power of free enterprise. Junior Achievement prepares students to develop successful financial management habits, empowers them to explore the potential of becoming an aspiring entrepreneur and provides them with the skills necessary to succeed in a global workforce. Junior Achievement has partnered with Mary's Giving Fund to offer programs to West Gate Elementary School, at which over 94% of its students are eligible for free/reduced priced lunches (which often correlates to students in need of more free enterprise and financial literacy education). Mary's Giving Fund provided for the program curricula, materials and supplies to support 730 students. These curricula used sequential themes, each with hands-on activities, to promote business and economics understanding and were delivered by community volunteers who provided real-world perspective.
Explore Palm Beach State College
Palm Beach State College
Lake Worth, FL
Sponsored since 2022
Palm Beach State College (PBSC) is the fourth largest college in the Florida College system, offering a variety of degrees and certificates to students. While PBSC offers onsite open houses and presents at local high schools, students may not be able to attend evening or weekend events due to jobs or lack of transportation. Mary's Giving fund provides transportation for Palm Beach County high school juniors and seniors to tour the five campuses of PBSC twice a year on a school day. With the help of Mary's Giving Fund, students learn not only about the programs offered at PBSC, but they also learn about financial aid and the admissions process. This career fair helps students understand their options for both traditional college degrees and for certificates in the trade and industry fields. Touring the campus in person allows students to see that college is possible and helps them navigate this challenging process.
Apiary Program
Westover School
Middlebury, CT
Sponsored since 2021
Westover School, an all-girls college preparatory school located in Middlebury, Connecticut, is where Mary taught French after graduating from Dartmouth College. Today, one of her former students, Heather Nuzzo, is a faculty member and the head beekeeper for the school’s Apiary Program. She recalls Mary’s kind, generous, and giving spirit. Today, Mary’s Giving Fund allows the Apiary Program to have a secure space on campus for its hives. Students involved in the Program engage in hands-on practical learning of beekeeping activities and gain an awareness and
appreciation for honeybees and their impact on the natural world around us. In its first year of funding from Mary's Giving fund, 2021-2022, the Program reached 271 people including 86 Westover students, 170 local elementary and middle schools and 15 alumnae. For 2023, Mary's Giving Fund provided additional funding and supplies for its continued growth and expansion. Once the hives are strong and thriving, Westover will incorporate the opportunity for the students to produce their own honey and beeswax products to sell in the school store.
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In addition, Westover continues to enhance the Program's interactions with courses in Environmental Science, Biology, History and even Languages, all of which expand the reach of the Program on its campus.
Los Caballeros de El Sol
El Sol, Jupiter's Neighborhood Resource Center
Jupiter, FL
Sponsored since 2020
Originally conceived as a way to teach boys aged 9-11 the basics of etiquette, netiquette, table manners, and other essential social and business practices, this program has continued to promote those skills while adding a critical male role model element. Now called "Los Caballeros de El Sol," in the past year the weekly program has given eleven young Hispanic gentlemen from low income families the opportunity to engage firsthand with successful Hispanic men. They have met four of their baseball heroes from the Miami Marlins, along with a physician, a police officer, and, during an exciting trip to a radio station, a professional DJ. The boys visited the Loggerhead Marine Life Center to learn about human impact on wildlife populations (after which they participated in a beach cleanup). They had the chance to tour Florida Atlantic University and ponder post-high school education opportunities, as well as purchase books at the Barnes & Noble. Consistent with the program's original mission, the boys practiced their social etiquette at a "Mary's Table" dinner, and attended a professional performance of The Nutcracker. The impact on the program's participants has been so positive that organizers have attracted additional sponsors, which has allowed them to expand the initial six-week format indefinitely.
A Growing Garden
The Edna W. Runner Tutorial Center
Jupiter, FL
Sponsored since 2020
"A Growing Garden" supports over 100 children and helps them learn the fundamentals of growing food organically. Many of the children come from families which face food insecurity and cannot prioritize fresh fruits and vegetables. The Center is offering Extended Learning Opportunities with guest teachers who help the children plant and harvest various fruits and vegetables, learn about gardening, the environment, sustainable practices, food preparation and cooking. At harvest time, children are able to take food home for their families and neighbors. Through a curriculum guided by the University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University, the children began planting in January of 2020. Five variations of fruit trees and six variations of vegetable plants now line the beds and garden path.
Service Leader Mentor and
Community Give Back Day
Western Reserve Academy
Hudson, OH
Sponsored since 2021
The WRA Service Leaders, a group of student leaders who design community service programs in which all WRA students participate, created a partnership program with Buddy-Up Tennis in the Spring of 2023. The Buddy-Up Tennis program is a high-energy adaptive tennis and fitness program for people with Down Syndrome ages 5+ which enables them to flourish, succeed, and reach their fullest potential by providing a unique environment that combines tennis, fitness, and social activities. WRA students will be Buddies who provide support, develop friendships and reinforce the Coaches' instructions.
ALUMNI PROGRAMS
The Banquet of Salem
Salem Community Foundation
Salem, OH
Sponsored 2020 to 2022
The Banquet of Salem, where Mary spent her childhood, provides several age-appropriate reading books to underserved grade-school students and a meal to the students and their parents or guardians. Now in its third year of sponsorship, Mary’s Giving Fund provides the Banquet of Salem with reading books for the month of October. Scholastic Books were distributed at the Banquet of Salem to children and grandchildren in Mary's memory. The books were carefully selected and tied to the children's age, interests, and reading level. Mary's Giving Fund is recognized in the local paper, The Salem News, where Mary's story was a front page feature article (see Article in Gallery), and each book bears the rose emblem signifying Mary's Giving Fund. Once again, with the support of Mary's Giving Fund, the Banquet of Salem was a huge success and Salem's school-age children were the true beneficiaries.
Library Cart Book Support
Reilly Elementary School
Salem, OH
Sponsored 2022
In Spring of 2023, at Reilly Elementary School, in Salem, Ohio, where Mary spent her childhood, Mary's Giving Fund provided 215 new books to fill the librarian book cart. The Head Librarian, Kay Piero, takes the book cart to the 3rd and 4th grade classrooms at the school. Each books bears a book plate with the rose emblem signifying Mary's Giving Fund. This book initiative will positively impact 300 students at Reilly Elementary School. The school and the librarian are so excited that this idea has come to fruition in memory of Mary! Reilly elementary School has 24.4 students to every teacher. Moreover, 67.8% of the students are eligible for school lunches and the percentage of students on free and reduced lunch assistance is higher that the state average of 52.8%. With the support of our donors in the future, Mary's Giving Fund can stock the other elementary schools in the region.
Guiding Hands
The Hands and Feet
West Palm Beach, FL
Sponsored 2023
The Guiding Hands program strives to bridge the gap between youth that have aged out of group homes, as well as some youth still in group homes, and individuals who want to support them. Many times these youths move into new apartments or homes and have nothing. With no family to support them in becoming an adult, The Hands and Feet pairs each youth with a volunteer who takes them shopping and teaches them life skills, such as how to budget and plan accordingly for their needs. The Hands and Feet provides a gift card to the youth to purchase these items. Through shopping The Hands and Feet encourages its volunteers to get to know these youths and for a bond and connection that will last not just one day but a lifetime.
Period Supply Program
Junior League of the Palm Beaches with Alliance for Period Supplies
West Palm Beach, FL
Sponsored 2021 to 2023
Many low-income women and girls struggle to afford menstrual products. The Junior League of the Palm Beaches (JLPB), in partnership with the Alliance for Period Supplies, provides period supplies to women in need. Mary's Giving Fund donates 50 packs of period supplies to girls at the Boys and Girls Club of Palm Beach County. With the donated period supplies, Mary's Giving Fund also provides an educational book on girl's health, The Care and Keeping of You, targeted to girls ages 8-12. During this time, the JLPB discusses period poverty with the girls to raise awareness and to destigmatize the biological process of menstruation.
Therapeutic Arts Enrichment Program
Calhoun County High School
Battle Creek, MI
Sponsored 2021 to 2022
CCHS, an alternative high school, serves students with economic, learning, and other challenges, and lacks funding for arts education. The school qualifies for Title 1 funds and free breakfast and lunch for the entire student body. Around half of the CCHS student body (more that 30 at-risk students) participated in the Therapeutic Arts Program last school year, and the program resumed with additional students in September 2022. Mary's Giving Fund covered the costs of supplies needed for the program every school year. Current enrichment options include photography, poetry, digital storytelling, painting and drawing, and gaming. CCHS is planning an end-of-school-year event for the community that will double as a program fundraiser and allow students to showcase and sell some of their creations.
Leaders in Training
Hilton Head Island Recreation Center
Hilton Head Island, SC
Sponsored 2022
Leaders in Training is a program designed by the Hilton Head Island Recreation Center. This program helped enable these teens (ages 14-16) with skills and experiences to develop a foundation of LEADERSHIP, INTEGRITY, and TOOLS they can use in their daily life to pursue other opportunities for growth in extracurricular activities, and to also prepare them for the workforce. The teens worked directly with head staff members throughout the summer camp program through 1 vs 1 meetings, staff trainings and a mentorship approach to develop their leadership skills. The teens finished the program with the confidence to overcome barriers, use their voice, solve problems, and use positive communication skills.