Our Programs
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Donating clothing and other items to The Blue Ribbon Project is a powerful way to support abused and neglected children in our community as well as children and youth in Foster Care. Many of these young people face challenging transitions without access to basic necessities, and your donation makes a significant and powerful difference in their lives.
Through our various programs, The Blue Ribbon Project provides new clothing and other items to children who often enter Foster Care with little to nothing of their own.
By donating, you’re helping provide dignity, comfort, and a sense of belonging to kids who need it most. Your contributions will ensure that they have clean, appropriate clothes and other essentials, which can positively impact their confidence and well-being.
Things to Note for Donations in General
When seeking to donate clothing and other items to The Blue Ribbon Project, there are a few essential things to remember:
- All items should be brand new (except for gently used books).
- Please leave tags on all articles of clothing; however, the price can be removed or hidden. We've found that when the children receive brand-new items with the tags still attached, it makes a tremendous difference to them, and their reactions are visible.
- While we ask that all items be new, they do not necessarily have to be expensive. When you are out shopping, those pajamas you see in the Clearance Aisle are perfect!
- Every item counts! Even donating something as small as a toothbrush makes a tremendous difference.
- The Blue Ribbon Project has a Greatest Needs page. This page is updated regularly and when donating items to The Blue Ribbon Project, please review our greatest needs page to see how donations can be most effective. This page can be found --HERE--.
- Donations are gladly accepted at our facility in Crownsville or at any of our partner donation drop-off locations. A current list of locations can be found on our Donation Drop-Off Locations Page.
Donating Backpacks for Backpacks of Love
One great way for you to help support our mission, is to donate completed or partially completed Backpacks of Love. If you are building a Backpack of Love, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Building a filled and completed Backpack of Love can get expensive. The average cost of a completed Backpack of Love can run between $100 and $150.
- Please do not feel obligated to fully complete a Backpackd of Love. A partially filled Backpack of Love is still a perfect way to make a difference. If you donate a backpack that only contains a few articles of clothing this is perfectly fine.
- When you are building a Backpack of Love, whether completed or not, please use the checklists found on our What's In A Backpack page. As you add items to your Backpack of Love, please check off each item as you add it. This list should be included somewhere easily found in your backpack.
- Our Leadership Team members check all incoming donations of Backpacks of Love. Your included checklist is extremely helpful to our team in quickly determining what items may not have been included. For example, if you have built a partially completed Backpack of Love but did not include toiletries, these items should not be checked off or should be otherwise noted as missing on your checklist.
Items We Accept for Donation
We accept a wide variety of items to support our programs. Every item counts, no matter how small.
- Diapers, from preemie to Size 6.
- Pull-ups, sized 2T through 6T.
- Baby Wipes.
- Diaper Cream/Rash Cream.
- Lotion for babies through young adults.
- Shampoo for babies through young adults. This includes a variety of shampoos for different styles and textures of hair.
- Soaps and bodywash for children through young adults.
- Baby items, including pacifiers, baby bottles, head caps, bibs, teethers, burping cloths, and receiving blankets.
- Clothing for all ages and sizes (shirts and pants). This includes clothing for preemie babies through older youth, sized XXXL.
- Socks, including babies through adult sizes.
- Underwear, including younger children through adult sizes.
- Pajamas for both younger and older children.
- Sleepwear for young adults.
- Combs and brushes for babies through adults.
- Hair ties and barrettes.
- Deodorants.
- Feminine hygiene products, including both pads and tampons. (Small carrying cases are helpful too.)
- Toothbrushes and toothpaste for children through adults.
- Nightlights.
- Books for all ages.
- Toys for all ages.
- Writing journals, including pens and pencils.
- Small blankets or quilts. (Due to generous and ongoing donations from the Friendship Quilter's Guild of Linthicum, we usually have many custom quilts on hand.)
- Stuffed/plush animals for younger and older children.
- Sippy cups.
- Children's spoon and fork sets.
- Gift cards from various retailers, including Door Dash and Uber Eats.
- Gift cards for various venues to help support our Foster Friends and Celebrations Club programs (e.g., Get Air, Hyperkidz, Skate Zone, etc.).
- New backpacks.
- School supplies.
This list is not exhaustive. If you have questions about particular items, please Contact Us to inquire.
Items We Are Unable To Accept
There are items and articles we are unable to accept. We are unable to accept:
- Used clothing, including "Gently Used."
- Clothing and other items that reference family. This includes clothing that says things like, "Daddy's Homerun Hitter" or "Mommy's Little Princess," etc.
- Furniture.
- Appliances, including small appliances.
- Mattresses.
- Recalled Items.
- Expired Items.
- Food.
- Cribs and Car Seats.
- Religious Items or items that reference religion.
The Blue Ribbon Project has made it a point to partner with other regional non-profits that may accept the above items. While we do not accept the above items, we can work with you to find a much-needed home for them. We will be more than happy to help facilitate this.
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Foster Friends
If you were to think back on your most memorable childhood moments, what would they be? Swimming with friends? Riding a bicycle? Scoring the winning goal in a soccer came? Now, put yourself in the shoes of an abused child and imagine what his or her most memorable moments would be. Frightening, isn't it?
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Speak Up...Speak Out Child Abuse Awareness Training Program
Child abuse thrives in silence. One of the most effective tools in fighting it is having the ability to recognize it when it is happening. When abuse is discovered, it is often learned that the abuse had been occurring for some time but the signs were overlooked. The Speak Up...Speak Out Child Abuse Awareness Training Program was created to change that.
Speak Up...Speak Out is a free, 4-hour training program offered by The Blue Ribbon Project that teaches participants how to recognize the signs of child abuse and neglect, respond appropriately to disclosures, and understand their reporting responsibilities under Maryland law. The program combines real-world case studies, professional insights, and direct discussion of the realities of abuse to give participants the knowledge and confidence to take action when a child's safety is at risk.
What the Program Covers
The training addresses the full scope of child abuse awareness and response, including:
- Recognizing the signs of physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse
- Understanding how children disclose abuse and how to respond effectively
- Supporting a child after a disclosure
- Mandated reporting laws and procedures in the State of Maryland
- The investigation process and patterns of injury
- The impact of child abuse and neglect, including the effects on children in foster care
- The foster care system and the long-term effects of childhood trauma
About the Presenter
The program is presented by Taylor Pyles, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Blue Ribbon Project. Taylor brings both professional expertise and personal perspective to the training. As a survivor of childhood abuse who was placed into foster care as a child, Taylor shares his own story alongside the educational content to illustrate why this work matters and how communities can do better for children.
Important Content Advisory
This program shows the true realities of child abuse. The presentation includes graphic images and frank discussions of abuse, neglect, and injury patterns. The second half of the program focuses specifically on investigations and patterns of injury and is graphic in nature. Our goal is not to shock, but to ensure that participants leave with an honest understanding of what abuse looks like so they can recognize it in their own communities. This program is intended for adults only.
Who Should Attend
Speak Up...Speak Out is designed for any adult who works with, cares for, or advocates for children. The program is regularly used in the training of:
- Law enforcement officers
- Firefighters and first responders
- Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs)
- Foster parents and kinship caregivers
- Teachers and school staff
- Social workers and child welfare professionals
- Community members who want to learn how to protect children
Program Details
- The program is approximately 4 hours in length
- A certificate of completion is provided at the conclusion of the training
- Light snacks and refreshments are provided during the session
- Seating is limited and advance registration is required
- There is no cost to attend, though donations are always welcome
Public Training Sessions
The Blue Ribbon Project offers Speak Up...Speak Out as a public training at our facility in Crownsville, Maryland throughout the year. Visit our Upcoming Events page to view scheduled training dates and to register.
Private and Agency Training
We also bring Speak Up...Speak Out directly to agencies and organizations. If you are interested in scheduling a private training for your team, department, or organization, please contact us to discuss availability and logistics.
Read more: Speak Up...Speak Out Child Abuse Awareness Training Program
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Children are forced to face things every day that are hard to imagine; the death of a loved one, incarceration of a caregiver, living with an addicted parent, enduring incest or sexual abuse by the hands of a family member, and the list can go on and on. Research on Aversive Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) has brought the concepts of trauma and resiliency into the forefront. The general idea of the research is the higher the number of ACE’s a child has, the more at risk they are.
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The Blue Ribbon Project's College Support Fund provides grants and financial assistance to foster youth attending trade schools, community colleges, and four-year universities. While the state provides tuition assistance, there is very little support to purchase books, materials, and other student fees needed for academic success. The Blue Ribbon Project's College Support Fund works to support foster youth by assisting with these extra needs.
Your contribution will help us support foster youth pursue their academic goals and fight these statistics:
- 20% of foster youth attend college after high school compared to the 60% of the general population
- Less than 3% of foster youth graduate from a 4 year university
- High school dropout rates are 3 times higher for foster youth than other low-income children
- Students in foster care are more likely to attend the lowest-performing schools.