Donations

Customers entering the newest store on West Baltimore Street will be greeted with signs warning "No cash refund" and "Items sold as is" before they peruse racks of clothing and shelves of electronics. But such warnings are no matter when all merchandise is free. The Baltimore Free Store, a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes items without charge, will open its first storefront Saturday in the Franklin Square neighborhood. The storefront, which functions like a Goodwill shop but with an unbeatable discount, is the first of its kind in the city.

Harford Community College students created fleece no sew "comfort" blankets to donate to the Upper Chesapeake Medical Center's pediatric emergency department on April 25.

The Fire Museum of Maryland has received two anonymous donations totaling $185,000 that will help fund building improvements and pay for staff retention and utilities. A gift of $160,000 was left in the will of a longtime supporter, and interest from that gift will be used to help cover operating expenses and pay for visits by school groups, according to museum representative Rob Williams. A gift of $25,000 will be used to cover rising utility costs and other expenses, he said. The money comes just as public funding for history museums has been cut back due to the recession.

On May 2, Harford Mutual Insurance renewed its commitment to ending cancer by donating $5,000 to the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life of Central Harford County. Harford Mutual Insurance is a long-time supporter of Harford County Relay For Life and in addition to being a corporate sponsor, several employees participate in the Relay as a team. This year's Central Harford Relay will be held on Saturday, June 1 at Bel Air High School. More information on the Relay and Harford Mutual's support is available at http://www.relayforlife.org/CentralHarfordMD.

The BWCC Foundation's annual gala will be held Feb. 4 at Howard Community College. There are two options for donating: Contribute an item worth $150 or more to the 2012 Silent Auction benefiting the BWCC Foundation's scholarship; or contribute an item valued from $50 to $149.99 to the silent auction for the scholarship fund. All donations are tax-deductible. Include business cards and/or brochures with your donated item or items to gain extra marketing exposure for your business.

First Generation College Bound is participating in the Greater Washington Give to the Max Day event on Nov. 9 through Razoo to help raise money for nonprofits in the area, http://give2max.razoo.com/ . Prizes for nonprofits that raise the most money that day. FGCB will be using the money raised for its College Access Program . The program helps low- to middle-income seniors at Laurel, Central, Potomac, Parkdale and Fairmont Heights high...

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown has returned $5,750 in campaign funds donated by Richard Stewart, a politically connected businessman who pleaded guilty this month to tax evasion. Brown is the latest Maryland Democrat to distance himself from Stewart, earlier this week a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings said the congressman would donate funds Stewart to a charity. Stewart, until last week, held two powerful appointed positions in Maryland politics. He was on five member panel charged with recommending new political lines for Congressional and legislative races for the next decade.

The Aegis Empty Stocking Fund continues to raise money and receive donations of new, unwrapped toys, as the Harford County-based charity works to help more than 350 Harford County families and senior citizens in need have a happier holiday season. The Jewelry Extravaganza and Holiday Show committee wishes to thank all who came out and supported the event Saturday and also help the Empty Stocking Fund. Thanks also to all the children who stopped by to see Santa and left a toy during the annual toy drive Saturday at the Bel Air Reckord Armory.

A $500,000 contribution immortalized Mike Callas' name on the North Hagerstown High School Stadium. Other donors had their names placed on the athletic field for a $250,000 contribution and on the scoreboard for $100,000. And for $10,000, you could have your name put on one of the facility's restrooms. In today's economy, cash-strapped public schools are often turning to private donors to fund major building projects and awarding them naming rights. But in Harford County this week, the school board rejected a $20,000 donation for a scoreboard at Aberdeen High's stadium, citing what many officials concede is a murky policy for naming rights.

The Laurel Regional Hospital Foundation is looking for businesses to donate items or services for the silent auction at its fundraiser "September Soiree," to be held Saturday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m., at the Riggs Alumni Hall at the University of Maryland in College Park. Gifts to the silent auction qualify as a business tax deduction. More than 500 physicians, business leaders, government officials and other hospital supporters are expected to attend the fundraiser. Deadline for inclusion of donations in the silent auction is Friday, Aug. 10. To request a donation form or to have an item picked up, contact Lisa Hardesty at 301-497-7963.

Salisbury University announced Thursday the receipt of an $8 million donation - tied for the largest in its history - from the Guerrieri Family Foundation. The funds will help develop a new Academic Commons area on the Eastern Shore campus. The $116 million project, which includes a new library and Delmarva research center, will be named after Patricia R. Guerrieri, a Salisbury alumna who studied elementary education in the 1950s. She died in 2010. Her family ran Showell Farms, a poultry processing business with five plants in four states, for decades until Perdue Farms acquired the company in 1995.

Constellation said Thursday that it is giving Teach For America $1 million for efforts in Baltimore over the next four years, from training teachers to helping program alumni fight poverty. The Baltimore division of Chicago-based Exelon Corp. said it has donated about $465,000 to Teach For America since 1994. Exelon agreed to donate an average of $7 million a year in Maryland for a decade as part of its acquisition of Constellation Energy Group. Constellation said its CEO, Kenneth Cornew, is guest-teaching in a science class at East Baltimore's Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School Thursday in honor of Teach For America Week.

The Books For Kids Day event has a touching twist this year: It's being dedicated to Anne Smedinghoff, the 25-year-old Johns Hopkins University alum who was killed in a bombing while delivering textbooks to school children in Afghanistan. Smedinghoff, who worked in the public diplomacy section of the State Department, was killed along with three U.S. soldiers and a civilian employee of the Defense Department, according to reports in The Baltimore Sun. Those who knew her said the work illustrated her drive to help others.

Dangerously Delicious Pies in Canton will host a benefit concert on Sunday to aid the One Fund Boston organization, which formed in the wake of the April 15 bombings at the Boston Marathon. The event will be held 3 to 8 p.m., and will feature bands including Carrie and The Dirty Pillows, The Highballers, Danny Kay, Robert Fireball Mitchell, Mark Whiskey and The Sours and others. Donations and a portion of sales will go to the victims' charity, The One Fund Boston . This week Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Menino announced the formation of The One Fund Boston, with purpose of raising money to help the families affected by the events of Monday's Boston Marathon.

Your editorial, "Good government wins," (April 15) falls short of the mark. Bestowing kudos to the General Assembly for passing legislation that makes campaign finance more helpful in "restoring integrity to the political process" is, with all due respect, misguided. As you point out, these reforms are offset with other provisions which result in a process that facilitates throwing more money into the political arena instead of getting money out. The actions of the General Assembly with regard to campaign finance reform bring to mind the following analogy.

A reception will be held Wednesday at the Peabody Conservatory in honor of the late Mary C. Walker, who upon her death donated $800,000 to the institution where she studied and worked for most of her life. The bulk of Walker's gift - $600,000 - is being designated for undergraduate scholarships, the Conservatory announced recently. The remaining $200,000 will be split evenly between the alumni fund and the archives. Walker was a granddaughter of a man who made his fortune in the 19 t h century in the meatpacking business.

Donations to The Aegis Empty Stocking Fund started to climb this week, as many people, businesses and organizations stepped forward to help their less fortunate Harford County neighbors during the holiday season. As of Thursday morning, $63,175 has been received toward the 2012 fundraising goal of $80,000. "The Empty Stocking Fund volunteer committee members wish to express our appreciation and thanks to each one who has had a part in supporting the fund thus far," committee member Jane Brown said.

The Orioles are taking donations to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy on Thursday and Friday at Camden Yards. Fans can bring donations to the Orioles' team offices at the Camden Yards warehouse until 5 p.m. Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. Contributions will then be taken directly to damage-stricken areas of New Jersey in Union Beach, Belmar, Tom's River, Hazlet and Seabright over the weekend. Those dropping off donations can park in the north warehouse lot near the Orioles team store and can drop items off at the second-floor reception desk.

In the year since Exelon Corp. acquired Baltimore's Constellation Energy Group, the company has donated more than $300,000 to first-responders in the region. It is handing out thousands of free trees to Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers. It is helping fund energy-efficient homes for low-income residents. That's much like the year before the merger, nonprofits say. "They're carrying out their volunteer commitments at a very high level," said Elise Lee, chief development officer for United Way of Central Maryland.

Officials at the University of Maryland have pledged to spend an additional $5 million on student mental health services at the state's flagship College Park campus over the next 10 years, the largest investment in counseling services there in decades. The decision was made this week following years of stagnant investments in psychiatric services at the university's counseling and health centers, despite large spikes in student demand. It comes on the heels of a murder-suicide involving a mentally ill student just off campus in February, which shined a spotlight on the imbalance between counseling services and demand.