Catholic Charities Opens First-of-its-Kind Transformational Opportunity Hub in WestBaltimore

Catholic Charities Opens First-of-its-Kind Transformational Opportunity Hub in West Baltimore

Carolyn E. Fugett Intergenerational Center brings education, workforce training, and community services together under one roof

BALTIMORE, MD (May 21, 2026) — Catholic Charities today opened the Carolyn E. Fugett Intergenerational Center, a state-of-the-art “opportunity hub” in West Baltimore designed to connect children, families, and older adults to education, workforce pathways, and critical support services — all in one place. The Fugett Intergenerational Center represents Catholic Charities’ largest single-site investment as Maryland’s largest private provider of human services.

“This day is about more than opening a building — it’s about opening doors to opportunity and hope,” said Dave Kinkopf, Executive Director of Catholic Charities. “The Fugett Intergenerational Center reflects what’s possible when you invest in communities and bring together the right partners to support the whole person. Here, families can access the tools they need to build stability and create brighter futures.”

Located at 800 Poplar Grove Street on the former site of Alexander Hamilton Elementary School, the center reimagines a historic community space as a modern facility for opportunity, connection, and economic mobility.

Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller, Senate President Bill Ferguson, Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, Senator Antonio Hayes, and Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott joined community leaders, donors, partners, and neighbors for the ribbon cutting, marking a new, more coordinated model for delivering programs and services.

A Grand Opening Built on Mission

The grand opening celebration reflected the center’s impact in action. Students from the Requity Foundation designed staff uniforms and catered the event, showcasing hands-on workforce training and real career pathways for West Baltimore youth. Under the state-of-the-art basketball dome, a ceremonial basketball jersey presentation underscored the role of sports in building leadership and connection working with partners like PeacePlayers.

“This center was built with the community, not just for the community,” said Kevin Creamer, Program Director of the Fugett Intergenerational Center. “By bringing education, workforce training, behavioral health, and community programming together, we’re making it easier for families and individuals to access resources, here in a space where people can grow, connect, and thrive – together.”

Catholic Charities also honored former Executive Director Bill McCarthy, whose vision helped bring the center to life. By naming the outdoor basketball court in his honor, it marks a lasting tribute to his leadership and commitment to expanding opportunity in Baltimore and throughout Maryland during his tenure and beyond.

Guests participated in guided tours of the facility and explored a community expo featuring on-site partners, offering a firsthand look at the programs and services now available to residents.

A Hub for Opportunity Across Generations

The Fugett Intergenerational Center brings together a wide range of services designed to support individuals and families at every stage of life, including:

• Head Start & Early Head Start (Early Childhood Education):
  The largest Head Start site in Baltimore City, serving more than 100 children and their families from birth to four in nine classrooms, including Catholic Charities’ first Early Head Start classrooms in Baltimore City.
• Requity Foundation (Youth Workforce Development):
  A Baltimore-based nonprofit providing hands-on training in construction, culinary arts, digital media, and screen printing. Youth earn industry certifications while building career pathways.
• Success Academies (Adult Workforce Development):
  Catholic Charities’ trauma-informed workforce development programming offering one-on-one career readiness support, job placement assistance, career and life skills workshops, case management, connections to career pathways in fields such as healthcare, IT, peer recovery, childcare, and construction, and long-term support to promote sustained employment and advancement.
• Villa Maria Behavioral Health – Fallstaff Clinic:
  A centralized hub for school-based mental health services across Baltimore City, providing therapy, including Parent-Child Interactive Treatment, and expanding access to care for families.
• PeacePlayers Baltimore (Youth Development Through Sports):
  An internationally recognized program using basketball and leadership development to unite young people across neighborhoods and build life skills, serving hundreds of Baltimore youth annually.
• Safe Streets (Violence Prevention):
  The center serves as a coordination hub for Catholic Charities’ Safe Streets efforts, supporting community-based violence interruption and re-entry work in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement.
• St. Edward’s Food Pantry:
  Catholic Charities’ largest food pantry, offering a client-choice model to provide dignified access to nutritious food for West Baltimore families.
• Community Hub Spaces:
  Meeting rooms, classrooms, and gathering spaces that will host programming in financial literacy, health and wellness, arts, and more — creating a consistent, welcoming place for community connection.

“Catholic Charities has been a trusted, consistent partner in Baltimore for generations, bringing compassion and credibility to their work across the city,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “The Fugett Intergenerational Center will build on that legacy, strengthening our neighborhoods, bringing critical resources to our communities, and creating real opportunity for our residents. This is exactly the kind of intentional, community-driven investment we need to continue driving our city’s Renaissance forward.”

Honoring a Legacy, Building the Future

Named in honor of Carolyn E. Fugett, a lifelong advocate for community and education with roots in the Greater Rosemont area, the center reflects her legacy of service by creating opportunities for future generations.

As Kinkopf noted, “A building alone doesn’t change lives — people do. This center will transform lives through families, staff, and community members who walk through these doors every day.”

For more information about the Carolyn E. Fugett Intergenerational Center and its partners, visit Carolyn E. Fugett Intergenerational Center | Catholic Charities of Baltimore.

About Catholic Charities of Baltimore

Catholic Charities is Maryland’s largest private provider of human services, with more than 80 programs in 200 locations. Today, Catholic Charities is a family of more than 2,000 talented and dedicated colleagues, supported by 4,000+ selfless volunteers, and more than 10,000 generous donors. This Catholic Charities community includes people of all faiths, ages, and ethnicities, and together, they touch the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals and families each year. www.cc-md.org.