The Ivy Community Charities of Prince George’s County, Inc. (Charities) was established in 1986 as the 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm of the Iota Gamma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.  With a membership of over 500 volunteers, Charities exists to support youth and families residing in Prince George’s County, MD, with educational, cultural, and health-related resources in order to enhance the economic condition of our citizens.

In 2007, the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations published a report detailing the status of nonprofit organizations in Prince George’s County and comparing their services to those of other jurisdictions in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.  The study noted that Prince George’s County is among the top five most generous counties in the nation in terms of the percentage of disposable income residents donate to charities!  However, significant inequities were reported in the provision of programs for children in poverty compared to our neighboring jurisdictions.  In response to this report, the county’s recent study on juvenile health and our own self-analysis, we streamlined our programs of service into the Ivy League Academy.  This overarching initiative focuses on tutoring for elementary youth, developing life skills and self-development programs for middle school girls, expanding cultural and academic opportunities for high school teens, and offering parenting skills and economic empowerment programs for adults. Furthermore, through member and public contributions, we provided approximately $40,000 in scholarships to high school seniors in the county each year on the basis of merit and financial need.

We are currently engaged in an aggressive capital campaign to construct the Ivy Youth and Family Center where our community service programs will be conducted and our administrative offices will be housed. Throughout the coming year, our members will be blanketing the county with a host of fundraising activities to meet our goal to move into our new home by the fall of 2012.  We welcome your contributions, partnerships and prayers in our quest to secure the Ivy Youth and Family Center in Prince George’s County.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our site and to learn more about our organization.  Our success over the past 25 years has been because of our committed and dedicated members, our generous partners and supporters, and the fantastic and endearing citizens whom we serve.

May God continue to bless us all.

Cheryl Petty Garnette
Executive Director
The Ivy Community Charities of Prince George’s County, Inc.