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. Mary's Giving Fund is committed to the well-being of children. Mary’s Giving Fund identifies and donates to discrete charitable programs that directly engage groups of children year on year. Your donations enable us to support current programs and scale future giving.
Mary's Kids
March 27, 2023
children so far and counting...
The Programs have directly engaged
2,032
PROGRAMS
Reinforce Real Life
Local Volunteer Professional Counselors
February 2023, Hilton Head Island and Bluffton, SC
Sponsored since 2022
#Let's Talk is a one day workshop offered to ninth and tenth grade girls to reinforce real like 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 will address many different topics that are relevant to young adolescents, such as mental and physical health, self-care, social media, money management, and giving back to the community. The event will be filled with information and engaging activities for the adolescents delivered by professionals in our local community.
The Banquet of Salem
Salem Community Foundation
October 2022, Salem, OH
Sponsored since 2020
The Banquet of Salem, where Mary spent her childhood, provides several age-appropriate reading books to underserved grade-school students and a COVID-safe meal to the students and their parents or guardians. Now in its second year of sponsorship, Mary’s Giving Fund is providing the Banquet of Salem with reading books for the month of October 2021. 600 Scholastic Books were distributed at the Banquet of Salem to approximately 180 children and grandchildren in Mary's memory. The books were carefully
selected and tied to the children's age, interests, and reading level. 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. In 2020, The Banquet fed a warm meal to about 220 parents and children and provided 70 children each with two or three grade-appropriate classic books, was recognized in the local paper, The Salem News, where Mary's story was a front page feature article (see Article in Gallery).
Mary's Reading Nook
Hannah's Home of South Florida
August, 2022, 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
June, 2022, 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 Program Curriculum, Material & Supplies
Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast
at West Gate Elementary School
April 2022, 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 partnered with Mary's Giving fund to offer a new site in April 2022 - 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 775 students. These curricula used sequential themes, each with hands-on activities, to promote business and economics understand and were delivered by community volunteers who provided real-world perspective.
Career Fair for Trades and Industry
Palm Beach State College
February 2022, Lake Worth, FL
Sponsored since 2022
Mary's Giving Fund provided transportation to 24 Jupiter Community High School juniors and seniors to tour the Trades and Industry programs at the Lake Worth Campus of Palm Beach State College (PBSC). Students learned about the certification programs at PBSC such as electrical, HVAC, cosmetology, welding, and automotive and marine mechanics. This career fair helped student understand their options for paths other that college and increased their awareness and abundance of opportunities in the trade and industry fields.
Period Supply Program
Junior League of the Palm Beaches with Alliance for Period Supplies
January 2022, West Palm Beach, FL
Sponsored since 2021
The Junior League of the Palm Beaches (JLPB), in partnership with the Alliance for Period Supplies, currently provides period supplies to women in need. The JLPB and Mary's Giving Fund developed a curriculum specific to girls ages 8-12, for the Boys and Girls Club of Palm Beach County, to discuss and destigmatize the biological process of menstruation. During the program, an educational book on girls’ health, The Care and Keeping of You, will be distributed to the approximately 200 girls, along with bags of period supplies.
Therapeutic Arts Enrichment Program
Calhoun County High School
School Year 2022-2023, Battle Creek, MI
Sponsored since 2021
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 cover 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.
Apiary Program
Westover School
October 2021, 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. Now Mary’s Giving Fund will allow Westover School’s apiary to have a secure space for their hives. Students in the Bee Club can interact with and learn about the bees, their colonies, and honey and wax production, both of
which will be sold in the school store. The apiary program will involve more students each year thanks to Mary’s Giving Fund providing equipment and consumable goods required for running the apiary. Curricular connections in the school’s Biology, Languages (French and Spanish), and Environmental Sciences classes will allow this program to reach approximately 153 students at Westover.
Mary's Table: Poised for Success
El Sol, Jupiter's Neighborhood Resource Center
October 2021, Jupiter, FL
Sponsored since 2020
This program provides elementary and middle school children from disadvantaged families the opportunity to learn the essentials of etiquette and netiquette (online etiquette and polite use of devices in social settings), conversational and listening skills, and table manners. The children will have a practice dinner hosted and served by El Sol's kitchen training students, will receive age-appropriate books that teach kids about manners, and will participate in a workshop with an etiquette coach. The children will also have a chance to attend a dinner and a cultural event at a local theatre, something to which they
would not normally have access. Learning basic manners and their importance in the business and social worlds will poise these children for greater opportunities and success all while living graciously, reflecting the beautiful was Mary conducted her life.
A Growing Garden
The Edna W. Runner Tutorial Center
October 2021, 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 plant now line the beds and garden path.
Healthy Healing Harmonies
Palm Beach Children's Hospital at
St. Mary's Medical Center
September 2021, West Palm Beach, FL
Sponsored since 2021
Mary's Giving Fund has partnered with the Palm Beach Children's Hospital at St. Mary's Medical Center to create a new music-inspired therapy program - Healthy Healing Harmonies. The program uses music therapy to reduce anxiety, increase motor movement and assist with pain management. Sessions are typically one-on-one and use music as a fun way to express ideas and emotions whether it just be listening, singing, humming, ,or providing rhythm with a shaker. Published research indicates that music has a positive impact on the patient's ability to manage stress and reduce pain, ultimately resulting
in a less traumatic experience for both parent and child. Mary's Giving Fund contributions will cover the expenses associated with the therapist and give-away musical instruments (shakers).
Service Leader Mentor and
Community Give Back Day
Western Reserve Academy
September 2021, Hudson, OH
Sponsored since 2021
The WRA Service Leaders, a group of 30 passionate students, will launch a mentoring program with 30 students age 9-14 from Big Brothers Big Sisters and City Life, which serve youth in urban communities in the Akron/Cleveland area. They hope to form meaningful relationships to empower the youth, motivate them to look beyond their current circumstances and set high goals for themselves. Each Service Leader will be assigned one student who will be their mentee for the academic year, and hopefully beyond. Interactions will include pen pal letters and zoom calls, and will culminate in
Community Give Back Day, a day filled with fun and learning on the Reserve campus which hopefully provides a positive educational experience for BBBS/CL students that will frame their aspirations and inspire them to work to their fullest potential.
ALUMNI PROGRAMS
Leaders in Training
Hilton Head Island Recreation Center
Sponsored in 2022, Hilton Head Island, SC
Leaders in Training is a program designed by the hilton Head Island Recreation Center Preschool and Youth staff for teens 11-16. This program will help enable these teens 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. As well as to promote positive development socially and emotionally. By combining subject focused workshops and hands-on experience working in our
After School program, teens will come out of this program with the confidence to overcome barriers, use their voice, solve problems, and use positive communication skills.