The Foundation Journal Vol. I · No. 1 For Every Generation
Mary Lou's Heart Foundation A nonprofit organization · 501(c)(3)

We show up
for our people —
every age, every story.

From a senior who just needs a hot meal and someone to talk to, to a teenager figuring out who they are, to a veteran rebuilding after deployment — Mary Lou's Heart Foundation walks with the people our community too often overlooks.

Camp Springs · Fort Washington · Suitland · Serving Prince George's County, MD

Youth program participants with their mentors

Above: Youth program participants and mentors at a recent school visit. Building relationships, one classroom at a time.

Our next event → Read our story
Who we are

This work is personal.

Mary Lou's Heart Foundation was born out of a simple, stubborn belief: that no one should have to walk alone through hard seasons. Not the grandmother who outlived her peer group. Not the teenager whose home doesn't feel safe. Not the dad working three jobs and still falling behind. Not the veteran who came back changed and isn't sure where to turn.

We're a community-rooted nonprofit organized exclusively for charitable purposes, but what that really means is this: we set tables. We open doors. We answer calls. We sit down with people and ask what they need before we ever assume we know.

Our programs span generations on purpose. We host all-night lock-ins for youth and free breakfasts for seniors. We run mental health conversations in living rooms and deliver school supplies to classrooms. We partner with churches, schools, businesses, and other nonprofits because no one organization can do this alone — and no one should try.

Every event we host is offered free or at low cost. Every program is rooted in dignity. And every relationship we build is built to last past the event flyer.

We don't do charity at people.
We do community with them.

— The Foundation's Founding Principle

This summer · Registration open

The cover story.

Feature · 001
Registration Open
Twelve hours.
One night.
A whole community.

Youth Up All Night Experience

On June 12, the doors at Creative Suitland open at 7:30 PM — and they don't open again until 8 the next morning. Twelve hours of games, food, real conversation, live programming, and the kind of supervised chaos that only happens when adults decide to actually show up for young people.

Hosted in partnership with M.A.D. and Life After Release. Open to middle and high school youth in the broader DMV area. Space is limited.

Date
June 12
Friday into Saturday
Time
8 PM – 8 AM
Drop-off 7:30–9 PM only
Where
Creative Suitland
4719 Silver Hill Rd, Suitland MD
Day-of
(301) 798-7933
Urgent questions only
Register a youth participant → Volunteer (Adults 21+)
Inside the Foundation

Five programs. One belief.

No. 01 · Outreach

Community Support & Outreach

When folks call us, we don't transfer them to a hotline. We pick up. Whether it's a resource referral, a wellness check, or just somebody to sit with — that's the work.

No. 02 · Youth

Youth & Children Development

Lock-ins, mentorship, real talk about mental health, and life skills you don't get from a textbook. Built for the kids the system keeps overlooking.

No. 03 · Schools

School & Educational Support

We show up at the schools — with mentors, with supplies, with workshops, with family engagement events. Teachers know us by name. That's by design.

No. 04 · Wellness

Mental Health Awareness

Workshops, prayer nights, kitchen-table conversations. We're trying to take the stigma out of asking for help — and put community back into healing.

No. 05 · Community

Events & Family Engagement

Free senior breakfasts. Children's celebrations. Seasonal gatherings. Anywhere neighbors might forget each other's names — we're making sure they remember.

All programs · Free or low-cost

See how we serve.

Every program in detail — the people we serve, the partnerships we hold, and the work we're still building.

All five programs →
In the field · 2024
Partners in the work

The work doesn't happen without them.

We're proud of what Mary Lou's Heart Foundation does — but we'd be the first to tell you we don't do any of it alone. Every program runs on the shoulders of partners: local churches who open their doors, schools who trust us in their hallways, businesses who cover what donations can't, and volunteers who give up Saturdays and weeknights to show up for someone they may never even meet again.

If you've ever wondered whether one person showing up actually makes a difference — every photo in this gallery is the answer. It does. It always does.

See the gallery →