Stepping Up for Maryland Families

When you ask Kristin Finkelstein what she loves about Baltimore, she’ll tell you it’s all about community. “It’s a big, small town,” she says, describing the area where she grew up and then returned to raise her four children.

Turning a love for Baltimore into community action

A McDonogh School alumna, Kristin met her husband, Brian, there. After studying rhetoric and communications at the University of Richmond, she earned her JD at the University of Baltimore School of Law. Kristin knew she wanted to stay local and start her family—and she did just that. 

It was when she was pregnant with her second child in 2014 that she teamed up with Baltimore natives and Park School alumnae Maya Ammons and Kate Mumaw to found ShareBaby, a local nonprofit dedicated to alleviating diaper needs and addressing material insecurity for young children in Baltimore.

“We had started having babies of our own and knew firsthand how hard it was to be a parent—and just how much stuff it takes,” she recalls. “I had friends who had baby gear that needed a new home, but there was nowhere in Baltimore to take it. We wanted to create a place for people to drop off their baby items. I put my law degree to use and we started ShareBaby out of minivans!”

It was that meaningful work that showed her the critical importance of mental health and giving back.

“Being in stressful, traumatic situations—such as the ones impacting many of the parents who we help through ShareBaby—can affect parents and children alike. I learned that stress can begin as early as infancy, and can be so detrimental to children,” Kristin shares. “That’s how I learned more about Sheppard Pratt and came to believe so strongly in the mission.”

Historic organization plans for a brighter future

Sheppard Pratt—a world-renowned behavioral health organization that has served as a community anchor since 1853—cares for 80,000 people each year, meeting the mental health needs of people from all walks of life. Over the last nearly 200 years, the organization has expanded from a single hospital in the rolling green hills of Towson to include residences, special education schools, outpatient programs, a second hospital in Elkridge, and more—providing the comprehensive, wrap-around care people need to thrive at every age and every stage.

The next frontier for Sheppard Pratt? A dedicated children’s mental health hospital. 

“It’s something Baltimore needs very badly,” says Kristin. “I know it will make a big difference in how families navigate what can be such a stressful time. I can’t imagine checking in to an emergency department with one of my children in a moment of crisis. Instead, going to a Psychiatric Urgent Care at Sheppard Pratt, where the staff are trained to understand specific mental health needs for children? That’s a game changer.”

Kristin, whose children range in age from 8 to 14, has witnessed firsthand many of the issues that underscore the critical need for Sheppard Pratt’s forthcoming children’s hospital. “From the impacts of COVID-19 on kids’ development to how social media can be both unsafe and damaging, children are up against so much today,” she shares. “This is a crucial time to address youth mental health, to destigmatize and have conversations with parents about how to unpack it all.”

Kristin’s passion for mental health and longstanding dedication to Baltimore’s youth is what inspired her to agree to co-chair the committee for Sheppard Pratt’s signature gala, Imagine, this year. Held each fall, Imagine raises critical funds to support Sheppard Pratt’s services—and ensure that the people who need Sheppard Pratt the most can get the care they need, when and where they need it.

“Sheppard Pratt is truly an open door; they’re here for everyone in need, regardless of economic status,” Kristin reflects. “The families I’ve met through ShareBaby deserve that world-class care just as much as someone who has insurance or can pay out of pocket, and we can help Sheppard Pratt make that happen.”