Ravens Gameday Event at JHH Promoted Community Connections

The Baltimore Ravens vs. the Kansas City Chiefs gameday watch party on Dec. 9 brought more than 100 people to the Chevy Chase Arcade at The Johns Hopkins Hospital for lively conversation and lots of team spirit.

This was a watch party with purpose. The event connected staff and volunteers from Thread, a Baltimore-based nonprofit, with community members and Johns Hopkins Medicine leadership, clinical and non-clinical staff, and their families.  

 “Our goal at Johns Hopkins, and at the dozens of other watch parties being held throughout the city, was of course to cheer on the Ravens,” said Amber Earl, director of Human Resources and Talent Development for Thread and one of the event facilitators.

“We also wanted to bring people from all walks of life together to get to know each other through their shared interests and their differences. By encouraging conversations – even the tough ones – between people who may not have connected otherwise, we can help make this a better more connected City for everyone.”

Thread has a long standing relationship with Johns Hopkins. The organization was co-founded in 2004 by Sarah Hemminger, when she was a school of medicine graduate student, to encourage relationships between JHU, a broader Baltimore community of volunteers, and high school students who were at risk of failing to graduate. 

Students enroll in the program in the ninth grade and remain enrolled in Thread for the next ten years, Thread surrounds them with a ‘family’ of volunteers – many who are Johns Hopkins students and staff members – and community resources to address any academic and social challenges and help each student realize his or her potential.

The excitement of the game had everyone glued to the screen. Between cheers for the Ravens, the Thread team found time to lead the group in Baltimore-city related trivia questions and raffle drawings. Thread representatives also explained how the organization works and gave attendees opportunities to get to know each other. Although the game did not end in a victory for the Ravens, attendees were energized by the comradery and new connections. A few of their comments:

“Events like this help our faculty and staff and the community better understand and appreciate Johns Hopkins Medicine’s commitment to the community,” said Andrew Layman, a fellow and assistant resident at JHH.

“I’ve been working at The Johns Hopkins Hospital for 13 years and I live in the community,” said Lynette Gainous, a physician’s liaison at JHH. “I’ve met a lot new people today and I’m encouraged by the work Thread is doing to help our youth in the community.” 

 “This was a great event to learn about Thread, but also for me and my colleagues to have fun interacting with staff at all levels in a relaxed environment,” noted Justin McArthur, director of the Department of Neurology and Neurologist-in-Chief for The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Thread currently works with students in four public high schools: Paul Laurence Dunbar School, the Academy for College and Career Exploration (ACCE), Frederick Douglass High School and Digital Harbor High School.

Visit the Thread website for more information about the organization and to learn about opportunities to volunteer or collaborate.