Rooted Reflections: The Heart Behind the Bears
Years before Rachel’s Bears officially became a fund here, Andrea was already collecting books and stuffed animals for children in hospitals. The effort began in 2019 in memory of Sweet Alexa, who lost her battle with pediatric brain cancer in 2015. What started as a way to honor one little girl grew again after Andrea lost her lifelong friend, Rachel Williams, in 2022. Rachel was a pediatric nurse at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital who had spent her career caring for children. Andrea found a way to carry both of their stories forward through something children could actually hold onto during some of their hardest days.
Rooted Reflections: Before the Award
Every year around this time, our team begins preparing for the We Are Carroll Awards. We gather biographies, collect photographs, review accomplishments, and begin learning the stories behind the people we have the privilege of honoring. It’s one of my favorite times of the year—not because of the event itself, but because every year I discover something I didn’t know before.
After 19 years at the Community Foundation of Carroll County, I’ve come to understand that the most extraordinary people rarely tell you they’re extraordinary. You discover it one conversation at a time, one story at a time, and sometimes, one old file at a time.
CFCC PM Connection X CC Chamber
Red Carpet ConnectionsMeet the Class of 2026 We Are Carroll Awards winners and nominees!Thursday, Aug 274-6 PMCarroll Nonprofit Center 355 Clifton Blvd, Westminster, MDConference Rooms 1-2 Join us for Carroll County’s swankiest networking event. Rub elbows with the stars of the Community Foundation of Carroll County at our preview of the 2026 We Are Carroll […]
Rooted Reflections: A Name Worth Carrying
The Stories Behind the 2026 We Are Carroll Awards To pause. To recognize generosity. To honor the people who quietly make Carroll County stronger every single day. By Jaclyn, Mathias, CFCC Executive Director For nearly two decades, the Community Foundation has gathered our community for one simple reason. To say thank you. Long before we […]
Still Coaching
By Jaclyn Mathias, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Carroll County Leadership doesn’t end when the role changes, it shows up in how you lead, especially when it’s hard. This week, something unexpected happened—I found myself back in a coaching mindset. And it reminded me that some parts of who we are never leave… […]
Six Years Later
By Jaclyn Mathias, CFCC Executive Director Today marks my six years as Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Carroll County. Six years. That number feels both big and small at the same time. Big, because of everything that has happened in those years. Small, because in so many ways, I still feel like I’m […]
Nineteen Years of Peeps and the Roots of Community
For me, the Peep Show was one of my very first introductions to the nonprofit world in Carroll County. Just a month and a half later, I began working at the Community Foundation of Carroll County—a path that has shaped nearly two decades of my life and work.
We Are Carroll Awards featured in the Baltimore Sun
The annual We Are Carroll Awards (formerly POY) were recently featured in the Baltimore Sun’s Carroll County Times edition, highlighting the winners and shining a light on the work of the Community Foundation of Carroll County. The article by Lily Carey was published online on Sept 25, 2025. You can read the article here. My […]
What does the Community Foundation of Carroll County do, exactly?
People often ask, “What is the Community Foundation of Carroll County? What do you do?” Please watch and find out about our reach in the community — what we do and who we work with, what our impact is. You can learn a lot in less than 3 minutes! In our first episode, meet Executive […]
Westminster Living Charity Spotlight:
Whispering Woods Animal Safe Haven To view and read the article, click the Download Button below.