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News and Pictures – June Newsletter

Here are some of the stories from the June Newsletter. Click here to sign up for the Grassroots Newsletter.


Big Check — A representative of Bank of America, Chris Cunningham, Senior Vice President, Resident Director, Merrill Lynch, dropped by Grassroots to present Executive Director Ayesha Holmes with a check for $15,000.  Bank of America supports “nonprofit organizations that meet individuals and families at their point of need,” including the need for emergency shelter.

Employee Support Thanks to O’Donnell Honda for their support of Grassroots during “Team Honda’s Week of Service” when employees donated $465 of grocery store gift cards and collected food items and cleaning supplies for the shelter.  During a recent visit to Grassroots, Business Development Manager Bill Wheatley-Heckman and President Tom O’Donnell delivered all the contributions and a check to Anna Katz, Grassroots’ Grants and Development Manager. O’Donnell Honda matched employee donations with a corporate gift.

Matzohball Run The 13th Annual Matzohball 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run sponsored by Temple Isaiah attracted a large crowd to Centennial Park where they were greeted by (from l.) Race Coordinator Barry Dubin, “Matzohball Boy” Noah Hoffman and Race Committee members Dave and Karen Zolet. Proceeds from the family event benefit Grassroots, as well as HopeWorks, DreamBuilders and Temple Isaiah.

They Put the Brakes On During its “STOP the Madness in March” campaign, Hillmuth Auto Care raised $2,431.26 by donating 10% of all brake services revenues to Grassroots. Hillmuth has three locations in Howard County: 6810 Oak Hall Lane in Columbia, 12411 Clarksville Pike in Clarksville and 2480 Route 97 in Glenwood. Presenting the check to Anna Katz, Grassroots’ Grants and Development Manager were (from l.) Scott Hillmuth, Billy Hillmuth, Jr., and Billy Hillmuth III.

 

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Joe Eldred

Director of Homeless Services

Joe Eldred joined Grassroots in 2023 as director of Homeless Services where he oversees the emergency shelter programs and the Grassroots Day Resource Center. He started his career in homeless services nearly 20 years ago, having previously worked in education, after participating in a homeless count in Seattle. He has held every position in affordable housing from Onsite Property Manager to Director of Housing and Property Management.

Over his years, Joe has run all types of housing offerings including those for individuals experiencing homelessness and substance use issues, seniors, farm workers, and those with disabilities and HIV/AIDS. He has also worked with many different types of funding programs including HUD, PRAC 202, PRAC 811, USDA Rural Housing funds and funding services designed to break the cycle of homelessness like Continuum of Care and the Maryland Homelessness Solutions Program. Joe has had the opportunity to see how housing programs differ throughout the country, working in Seattle, Chicago, Harrisburg, PA and Ventura, CA, among others.

Nancy Campbell

Sr. Director of Operations & Corporate Compliance Officer

Nancy Campbell supervises the operations of Grassroots, including HR, finance, emergency shelter, homeless services, case management and facilities. She has more than 30 years of experience in managing organizations’ operations activities, mostly in the human services field. 

Community support is a passion for Nancy. She feels that mental health and homelessness often co-occur, and her goal is to develop strong strategic plans that meet the needs of Grassroots’ clients. She looks to make a difference by effectively working with our programs and staff to explore what we can offer to the community. She pays special focus on efforts that help individuals adjust while in the emergency shelter, as well as those that help them achieve stable housing. Nancy has her PMP, master’s degree in Psychology and MBA, and is currently in school to pursue a Doctorate in Leadership and Organizational Management.

Laura Willemin, LCSW-C

Sr. Director of Clinical and Crisis Services

Laura Willemin oversees all of the clinical and crisis services at Grassroots, including the crisis line, walk-in services, 988 crisis chat and text services, Mobile Crisis Team, substance use disorder program, urgent care mental health services and Outpatient Mental Health Clinic. She joined Grassroots in 2021 having previously served as manager of the Child and Adolescent Mobile Psychiatric Services for the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. She also worked in Prince George’s Child Protective Services, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children in the community.

Laura’s career has been concentrated in intense, fast-paced, high-acuity, safety-related and high-risk areas of practice. She appreciates the opportunity to support individuals and families during the most difficult or intense circumstances they may experience through the lifespan. She has a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Social Work and is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW-C).