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ABOUT US
A few determined neighbors, one simple promise.
Caring Hearts of Chesapeake Harbour is a small, all-volunteer nonprofit in Anne Arundel County. We started with one belief: no local child should go without the basics. Everything we do grows from there.
OUR MISSION
What we set out to do
Caring Hearts exists so a hard year in a family doesn't become a hard year for a child. We deliver the clothes, the shoes and the small things that let a kid feel like everybody else.
OUR VISION
Where we’re headed
We picture a community where no kid is singled out for what their family can't afford. Where the child two neighborhoods over starts the school year in clothes that fit, and ends it knowing someone had their back. A community that takes care of its own, season after season, until showing up for a neighbor is simply what we do.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
The principles behind the work.
Dignity first
Every child deserves to feel seen, valued and cared for. We give the way we’d want to be given to.
Community first
No waiting lists, no overhead, no red tape. Just people helping the people down the street.
Real local, now
We serve our own community, and we meet needs as they come. Not someday, this season.
OUR BOARD
The people behind the promise.
A working board of volunteers who shop, sort, wrap, and deliver every gift themselves, then throw the bingo nights, tea parties, and other fundraising events that fund it all. No paid staff, just neighbors who show up.
Jean Goldstein
President
Jean Goldstein grew up in Baltimore, where she watched her mother model a lifetime of community service, and the lesson stuck. She has spent decades living it out: delivering food and clothing to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness with Midnight Run, leading library and garden club initiatives that funded local beautification and technology upgrades, and founding Kare 4 Kids, an eight-year program that paired underserved children with families who provided school supplies, clothing and holiday gifts. Her work has been recognized with Connecticut's Volunteer of the Year award, the YWCA's Women Who Inspire award and Temple Sholom's Tikun Olam award. After moving back to Maryland, Jean saw the same needs among local children and families and helped bring Caring Hearts of Chesapeake Harbour to life.
Lauren Goldstein
Vice President
Lauren Goldstein has been organizing community service since she ran her high school's volunteer club, and the instinct never left her. She went on to work as an event coordinator for Easy Does It, a residential program supporting parolees recovering from addiction, and as a teaching artist and event coordinator for Upturn Arts, which brings arts programming to children in New Orleans. Growing up alongside her mother, Jean Goldstein, gave her an early and lasting model for service, from packing lunches for Midnight Run's homeless outreach in New York City to hauling frozen turkeys, cart by cart, for St. Andrew's Thanksgiving food pantry. At Caring Hearts, Lauren manages the inventorying, sorting and distribution of every coat, blanket and pair of pajamas donated to the winter angels program, making sure each child receives exactly what they need. She's honored to help bring the Caring Hearts vision to life.
Gillian Timon
Treasurer
Gillian Timon draws on 25 years in financial services and three years as Executive Director of a nonprofit startup, giving her a well-rounded view of both corporate finance and the realities of running a mission-driven organization. She brings that background to her work as Treasurer of the Caring Hearts board. Gillian splits her time between homes in Annapolis and Washington, DC, and is a proud mother of two grown children and a devoted dog mom to her four-legged companion, Sasha.
Terry Potterton
Secretary
After spending 36 years teaching music and raising three sons in Frederick and Montgomery Counties, Terry is now retired and living full-time in Annapolis, Maryland. She especially enjoys walking, kayaking, bird watching, and spending time with her new granddaughter. Terry is currently serving as secretary to the Caring Hearts group.
Joyce Patten
Webmaster
Since moving to Annapolis over 9 years ago, Joyce has immersed herself in activities revolving around giving back to the community. She has served in various board activities with New Annapolitans, Anne Arundel Women’s Giving Together and currently volunteers at Meals on Wheels. Joyce brings over 40 years of experience in the IT world to Caring Hearts of Chesapeake Harbour and, as webmaster for the non-profit, looks to enhance the organization's footprint in Anne Arundel County.