A stronger Maryland means creating opportunities for people to rebuild their lives while investing in the communities around them.
At Maryland Reentry Resource Center (MDRRC), those two goals come together through an innovative approach to workforce development and environmental conservation.
The organization believes that collaboration is essential to creating lasting change. One example is its conservation landscaping program, which connects justice-impacted individuals with training and employment opportunities while supporting efforts to protect Maryland’s land and waterways.
Through partnerships with advocacy organizations, land trusts, and riverkeepers across Anne Arundel County, MDRRC brings together groups with different missions but a shared commitment to community impact.
Environmental partners are working to preserve natural resources. MDRRC is working to create meaningful pathways to employment. Together, they’re accomplishing both.
Participants receive technical training in conservation landscaping, developing practical skills that can lead directly to jobs. Alongside this hands-on experience, they strengthen essential life skills and participate in nature-inspired mental health training.
The result is a program that looks beyond employment alone.
Working outdoors provides opportunities for participants to build stability, develop confidence, and reconnect with their surroundings while contributing to environmental restoration.
This approach reflects MDRRC’s understanding that successful reentry requires more than access to a job. It requires supportive relationships, practical resources, and opportunities for individuals to build a sustainable future.
The organization’s collaborative model is also creating opportunities to share lessons beyond Maryland. MDRRC was invited to speak at a land trust partnership gathering in Denver, highlighting what becomes possible when environmental organizations and workforce development programs work together.
That’s how Maryland Reentry Resource Center gets it done.
By connecting people, partnerships, and purpose, MDRRC is helping individuals move forward while strengthening the environment and communities they call home.
Part of Maryland Nonprofits’ Get It Done Campaign, highlighting the organizations making a difference across our state.
