Voices for Maryland

For more than two decades, Maryland has been slowly decreasing the level of its resources allotted to state and local government programs. This has occurred at the same time that both the cost and the demand for public services have been rising steadily.

The impact on programs has been made more dramatic in recent years by the effects of tax cuts and the national recession.  Hundreds of millions of dollars have been cut from state services either through the elimination or insufficient funding of programs. Examples of   public services affected are higher education, health services for children and families, recreation, arts programs for youth, mental health services, and rape crisis centers.

Voices for Maryland?

Voices for Maryland is a state-wide campaign to change the way that we, as Marylanders, view our communities and the responsibilities of state government, and communicate our values and priorities to state and local policy-makers.

The Voices for Maryland campaign consists of:

• Community Outreach will consist of efforts to inform and engage in dialogue with three groups of Marylanders: (1) the nonprofit sector and the communities it serves, (2) Marylanders at-large, including the business community and other sectors of the state and (3) elected officials. This component will initially consist of a series of statewide town hall meetings that will give these groups the opportunity to express specific issues and concerns within Maryland's communities.

• Grassroots Mobilization will take the form of enlisting and supporting individuals and organizations who will work to (1) broaden the conversation between values and policy priorities within the state, (2) initiate a discussion regarding the role of government in the lives of Marylanders, and (3) influence public policy to assure adequacy in services to all of Maryland's communities.

You can help the nonprofit community to convince our elected leaders that Marylanders understand that programs and services cost money.  We expect responsible and effective government, and we are willing to pay for it.   Contact hbogdan@marylandnonprofits.org for more information.