By Sara Hourwitz, Assistant Director of Individual Giving

At Mary’s Center, we are grateful to all of our kind supporters, whether they help us through in-kind donations, monetary contributions, volunteerism, or community advocacy. We are especially grateful for those who do all of the above, like long-time Mary’s Center friend David Chalker.

For the past several years, David has been a dedicated champion for Mary’s Center. He first discovered the organization through his work as a Branch Manager at TD Bank – one of our corporate partners. With the Bank’s local branch, David has had the opportunity to support the community by organizing Thanksgiving food drives and providing financial literacy workshops for our participants.

David also represented TD Bank’s commitment to community well-being by serving on Mary’s Center’s Gala Committee. Through this work and yearly volunteerism, he’s seen firsthand how thousands of individuals benefit from Mary’s Center’s holistic approach to care. “I developed a personal interest for Mary’s Center,” said David. “I was very impressed by the organization’s mission, Maria’s leadership, and the overall impact. Mary’s Center is dedicated to providing top-quality service to our community members.”

David was especially moved after one event when Mary’s Center’s President and CEO, Maria Gomez, shared how local gangs will refrain from recruiting their classmates or neighbors who are Mary’s Center participants, especially those in our After-School Program. The gangs will not recruit these individuals because they respect the positive impact that Mary’s Center has had on their own families.

Investing personally into the mission.

Eventually, David began supporting Mary’s Center as a donor, giving through the United Way Campaign and, most recently, through monthly donations. Our monthly recurring contributions are particularly beneficial to Mary’s Center because, as David shared, “I am able to help Mary’s Center as needs arise throughout the year.”

In addition to building stronger communities through monetary contributions, David supports the nearly 60,000 individuals that call Mary’s Center home through our “Get Care to Give Care” initiative. When insured participants, like David, get care at one of our clinics, they help us give care to our fellow community members who cannot afford to pay for their medical visits —regardless of their ability to pay. To this day, David goes to Mary’s Center for routine dental visits.

Be a community champion like David!

We are so grateful for David’s selfless commitment to our region. If you’re interested in learning more about the many ways to support Mary’s Center, you can contact Sara Hourwitz, Mary’s Center’s Assistant Director of Individual Giving, by calling (202) 847-4221 or email shourwitz@maryscenter.org.