Zachary Gwiazda, 15, chairs We Cancerve’s all-youth Board of Advisors. As a child who was always drawn to helping others, he began volunteering with We Cancerve in February 2022, and embraced the mission of bringing happiness to children through the organization’s many initiatives. After consistently volunteering for over a year, he was selected by We Cancerve’s Founder to lead the organization in May 2023. Since then, Zack has led a new group of dedicated youth board members through numerous successful service projects; been instrumental in hosting, filming, editing, and helping produce On the Move with We Cancerve, a children’s television show that highlights youth performing community service and encourages other to take part; and led a dental hygiene drive that collected more than 900 dental health items that were distributed to youth and families in need in Harford and Baltimore Counties, as well as unhoused teens and young adults in Washington, DC. He was named a 2023 Hormel Foods Rising Star for his work in addressing food insecurity among youth. Zack also loves school theater.
Birdland Community Heroes
The Orioles Birdland Community Heroes program honors and recognizes community heroes who inspire us through their spirited commitment to extend a hand in charity, service, hope, and harmony. This recognition honors the heroism of members of our extended Orioles community from all walks of life, occupations, and diverse backgrounds living in our region, our country, and abroad, who have distinguished themselves by selflessly working or volunteering in fields that care for, serve, teach, protect, and improve the lives of others, around the corner or around the globe, who are most in need.
The program honors designated Birdland Community Heroes throughout the season. Selected honorees each receive four game tickets, parking, an award medal, and the opportunity be featured during an in-game ceremony on the video board.
BGE is investing in communities throughout central Maryland. We have provided nearly 400 grants to small businesses in Baltimore. For more on BGE Energizing Small Business Grants, and stories about how good energy is connecting us all, visit bge.com/Community.
Our 2024 Birdland Heroes
Natalie Deitz, 12, is a 7th grade student in Harford County. She has been on the board for one year and over that time she has helped pick out and organize over 600 outfits for infants and youth experiencing homelessness. She also organized and ran a cereal event supplying 100 breakfast bags to children experiencing food insecurity in Harford County. In fact, she filmed a cooking tutorial for a nutritious, affordable meal for our children’s TV show, On the Move with We Cancerve. She delivered the ingredients to families experiencing homelessness due to domestic violence. Natalie recently shared her perspective as a youth leader as the youth keynote address during Harford County’s 250th anniversary culminating event. Last summer, she created and led a craft project for pediatric cancer patients at Cool Kids Campaign in Towson. She routinely supports We Cancerve events, including Brunch Bags stuffing party and the Super Hero craft kits event, and is a regular reporter on the nonprofit’s children’s show.
Nael Shakur, 12, is a 6th grade student from Harford County, who is serving his first year on the all-youth board of advisors. He rallied family and friends last summer to collect hundreds of snacks for an area Boys & Girls Club when he learned of a dire need. Since then, he’s routinely supported our Brunch Bags project, the Super Hero craft kits for hospitalized children and was co-project leader for the Breakfast Bags and Pasta Party collections this spring. He also led the Eggstra Special Easter Bagskits project this year that recruited more than 100 volunteers, and donated Easter treat bags to more than 400 children from Bel Air to Washington, DC!
Gloria Park, 13, is a 7th grade student at Patterson Mill Middle School in Harford County. She has been one of the board of advisors of We Cancerve for almost a year. Catch Gloria regularly on the nonprofit’s children’s show, “On the Move with We Cancerve,” or supporting the group’s routine Brunch Bags stuffing parties. She served as project leader for the Pasta Party, which collected enough food to provide food boxes to families experiencing homelessness who were temporarily housed in motels during the winter. Her efforts also provided quick meals to dozens of unsheltered teens as far away as Washington, DC. She served as a sous chef when We Cancerve signed on to feed 80 children and their families at the Ronald McDonald House in March. She also filmed a cooking tutorial for a nutritious, affordable meal; she delivered the ingredients to families experiencing homelessness in Bel Air. Gloria also plays violin.
Sydney Thompson, 11, has served as project leader of We Cancerve’s pillow drive, ensuring families at a Harford County homeless shelter had new pillows and pillow cases to take with them when they transitioned to permanent housing. She teamed with a local elmentary school and collected over 40 pillows and 14 pillow cases. She is also a regular reporter on We Cancerve’s children’s show, On the Move with We Cancerve, and served as a sous chef when We Cancerve signed on to feed 80 children and their families at the Ronald McDonald House in March. Sydney also regularly supports We Cancerve’s Brunch Bags stuffing parties. She also plays piano.
Kate Williams, 17, is a junior at the Garrison Forest School. She has supported We Cancerve’s Brunch Bags Stuffing parties and served on an ad hoc committee to find Baltimore area organizations to receive donations of brand-new men’s clothing and shoes from a huge donation to We Cancerve. Kate also served as co-project leader of a major Brunch Bags stuffing party in collaboration with Stevenson University that provided supplemental meals to 300 children and youth over the Thanksgiving holiday. Kate also chairs the Communication and Publicity committee for her school’s Asian Student Alliance.
Sara Artes is a dedicated advocate for youth leadership development, education, and community development. Together with her husband, she co-founded Corner Team, Inc. in 2017, driven by their combined passions of boxing and community service. Corner Team, Inc. is a transformative community boxing program that utilizes the Olympic sport as a catalyst to nurture essential skills, bolster academic achievement, promote active lifestyles, and foster vibrant communities of engaged citizens. Beyond boxing, Corner Team has evolved into an anchor institution in Baltimore City's Midway Coldstream neighborhoods, serving as a safe haven for individuals of all ages to participate in positive activities and learning opportunities.
Each year, Corner Team employs over 60 Baltimore City teens in afterschool and summer initiatives that integrate academic support, boxing, fitness, STEM education, literacy, and leadership development. These young individuals have made remarkable contributions, transforming vacant lots into vibrant community spaces, conducting interviews with renowned authors, designing and leading community programs, and representing the organization at prestigious events.
When not at Corner Team, Inc., Sara dedicates her time to curating exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, further demonstrating her commitment to public service and enriching the lives of others through education and culture.
In honor of Sara's recognition as a Birdland Community Hero, the Orioles Charitable Foundation will make a donation to Corner Team, Inc.