The Julie Community Center (JCC) was established in 1975 by Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and residents of East Baltimore. Incorporated in September of 1976 as a 501 (c)(3), the Center has served the southeast and east Baltimore communities for over 40 years. The JCC has functioned as a partnership with the residents of East Baltimore, City government and schools, Community Associations, other outreach organizations in the region and the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, especially its Schools of Nursing and Public Health. The Julie Community Center listens to the community to hear and understand its needs and works with all stakeholders to find ways to meet those needs. All the Center’s endeavors are undertaken and guided by its mission:
The purpose of the Julie Community Center is to work with the residents of east/southeast Baltimore, in particular, those on low or fixed incomes, to help them access needed resources and support, and develop instruments that both combat poverty and urban decline, and foster individual and neighborhood pride, participation, and self-determination.
This mission is consistent with the Calls of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur’s 2021 General Chapter and the values expressed in the Hallmarks of a Notre Dame Learning Community. Among the Julie Center’s current community outreach that furthers the mission are the following:
- Summer “Peace Camp” for local youth
- Leadership and service completion training for teens
- Hosting after-school programs for Wolfe Street Academy, a Baltimore City PC
- Provide the GED classes and individualized student support
- Child Care Careers Training Program (CCTP): A workforce Development Program
- Organizing community service projects and activities with neighborhood senior citizens
- Health services and coordination of care for seniors at Apostolic Towers and families at the Esperanza Center and Head Start in partnership with Johns Hopkins nursing students
- Food Pantry services bolstered by the generous efforts of the Maryvale students
The Center’s services reach out across the many cultures of east Baltimore, across generational lines from toddlers to senior citizens, and across the educational divide that creates and fosters “haves” and “have nots” within the same 5 block radius of the Center. Portions of East Baltimore have become strong pockets of immigrant settlement, especially the Latino community.