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Since Dancing Bear opened in 2000, a percentage of store profits have been shared with charities that support children in need. In 2006, two very worthwhile charities— Hope Alive, Inc. and the Honduras Scholarship Program—are the designated recipients.
Hope Alive
Hope Alive is a Christian nonprofit founded in 2002 to help meet the growing needs of homeless women and children in Frederick County, Maryland. Dancing Bear owners Tom and Marlene England have supported Hope Alive from the start. Marlene currently serves as the organization’s board president and marketing committee chair.
In 2006, Hope Alive opened a newly renovated transitional group home on 13 acres in Sabillasville, Maryland. In addition to providing a safe and stable home environment for 25 women and children, Hope Alive offers long-term, comprehensive support services that address the issues at the root of each family’s homelessness. To learn more about Hope Alive, call 301-668-HOPE or visit hopealiveministries.org.
Honduras Scholarship Program
The Honduras Scholarship Program began in 2000 as a project of the Catoctin Association of United Church of Christ congregations. Dancing Bear owners Tom and Marlene England are members of Glade United Church of Christ in Walkersville, and Tom has participated in six work trips to Honduras to rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Mitch.
The Scholarship Program gives $400 annually to deserving Honduran students for school fees, books, clothes, and transportation. All of these students live in abject poverty and, without scholarships, none of them would be able to attend school past the sixth grade. In 2007, Dancing Bear is funding scholarships for four students. To find out more, call 301-845-6545 or email geraldhanberry@gladechurch.org.
