St. Ann's Center Connections: August Newsletter
Welcome to St. Ann's Center Connections, your monthly update on the people and programs at St. Ann’s, and the impact you help make possible.
Sister Nancy's Note
Dear Friend,
August is a season of new beginnings at St. Ann’s Center. In recent weeks:
- Four mothers and their children entered our residential programs, beginning new chapters with support from our caring team.
- Four additional families transitioned into stable housing in the community, carrying forward the confidence and skills they developed at St. Ann’s. We celebrate their success, even as we miss seeing their beautiful faces each day.
- St. Ann’s families are preparing for a new school year. Children are returning to school, while mothers continue their education, develop professional skills, and pursue career goals with support from our Education and Workforce Development Program.
It is inspiring to see confidence bloom as families take these steps forward. A safe home provides the foundation, while consistent relationships and coordinated programs help women and children recognize their strengths, build stability, and create thriving futures.
During Make a Will Month, I am also reflecting on the generosity that has sustained this work across generations.
May I share what one remarkable legacy gift made possible?
Our Hyattsville campus has been St. Ann’s home since 1962. Over the decades, this building has served many purposes as the needs of women and children evolved and St. Ann’s responded.
From 2023 through 2026, St. Ann’s undertook a series of carefully planned, essential improvements to this home, including extensive brick repairs and the replacement of more than 700 windows.
Generous donors funded much of this essential work. However, like many organizations, we faced significant increases in construction and material costs that created a remaining gap, even as the needs of families continued to grow.
Then, in 2025, St. Ann’s received a remarkable bequest from a generous anonymous supporter who admired our mission. Her legacy helped meet these significant costs and provided vital flexibility to care for our home while protecting the programs and services families rely upon each day.
Legacy giving allowed her to make an extraordinary difference beyond what may have been possible during her lifetime. Her final act of generosity will touch the lives of women and children for years to come.
Her gift is one example of the difference legacy giving can make, but a legacy does not have to be large to be lasting. Every gift matters. Together, legacy gifts of all sizes help St. Ann’s care for our home, sustain essential programs, and respond to the changing needs of women and children.
A will is more than a legal document. It can be one of our final reflections on what we cared about, who shaped our lives, and what we hope will continue beyond us. A legacy gift allows those values to live on through families we may never meet.
That is the enduring promise of a legacy gift.
If you would like to explore how your values can live on through a legacy gift to St. Ann’s, we invite you to learn more.
If creating or updating your will is still on your list, this independent resource can help you understand how to begin. We also encourage you to consult with an attorney or qualified advisor about your individual plans.
Thank you for walking alongside the families of St. Ann’s, today and for generations to come.
Gratefully,
Sister Nancy Downing
CEO, St. Ann's Center for Children, Youth and Families
P.S. Have you already included St. Ann’s Center in your will or other plans? Please let us know about your legacy gift. We would be honored to thank you, welcome you to The 1860 Alliance, and, with your permission, recognize you in our Annual Report this October.
Volunteer Spotlight
Blue Knights Host Summer BBQ for St. Ann's Families
August 15, 2026 - Sister Nancy Downing, CEO, and Tameika Jackson-Gilbert, Assistant Director of Residential Programs, accept a gift from the Blue Knights Motorcyle Club, Maryland 1 Chapter.
For 30+ consecutive years, volunteers with this fraternal organization of active and retired law enforcement have hosted a summer barbecue for women and children at St. Ann's Center - a remarkable dedication spanning generations!
Interested in becoming a volunteer with St. Ann's Center? Reach out to volunteers@stanns.org.
Georgetown University Volunteers Create Summer Impact at St. Ann's Center
Pictured: Volunteers from Georgetown University's Office of Residential Life pose during their summer service project: helping to beautify St. Ann's Center and leading our Child Care Center in a fun STEM challenge!
See more of their impact on Instagram!
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St. Ann’s Center helps mothers and children overcome crisis and achieve lasting independence and stability by providing a safe and supportive home, child care, education and employment assistance, and clinical social work services within a Catholic community that welcomes all.