Cheri Pegues, photo by Amelia Kline
By Haley Dick
For The Towson Flyer
The head of Towson High School’s PTSA has been named the winner of the “Parent Involvement Matters” award for Baltimore County. Cheri Pegues was recognized for starting the “Adopt-a-Family” program, which organizes donations for Towson High students in need.
“My initial reaction to winning this award was, ‘Really, me?’ The entire process of creating the program seemed like a natural reaction to the need — like common sense to me,” she said. “We have those with abundance and we have those with great need. Let’s just get the two groups together!”
The award is presented by the State Department of Education. Each county in the state, as well as Baltimore City, has a winner. The statewide winner is then selected out of those individuals and will be named on June 3.
Pegues has had a lifelong passion for helping those less fortunate, a passion she shares with her son, Brenton, and her husband, Bob. She got the idea for the program when her son attended Dumbarton Middle School. She approached the school’s guidance department to find out if there were students in need of school supplies, food, clothing, or holiday gifts.
From left: intern Dayna Hinton, Cheri Pegues, guidance counselor Lauren Hanley, Laura Kogelschatz, LCSW
“That was a very informal program as I just checked in to see if there was a need and then did my best to fulfill the need,” Pegues said.
This motivated her to expand her efforts at Towson High. Pegues worked with the school’s social worker, Laura Kogelschatz, LCSW, and Simon Briggs, guidance department chair at THS, to pursue a program to meet the needs of students who did not have basic necessities.
Simon Briggs and Pegues
“As a person of faith and compassion, I can’t just ignore those in need in the THS community. This is our school community and the students are at a very vulnerable age,” Pegues said. “If we can reach out with some empathy and kindness and try to meet some of their basic needs, perhaps it will give them hope for their future.”
The first step in creating the program was to identify the families in the Towson High community who might be able and willing to step up and “adopt a family” in need. Pegues started by creating an email list of the families who she thought would be a good fit to aid with the program.
Kogelschatz, Briggs, and Bruce Seward, THS mentor, worked with the teachers and administrators to identify the students in the most need of outside help — all of which was kept private. Pegues then sent an informal email to her list of prospective volunteers, asking that they contact Kogelschatz if they were interested in helping students in need. The names of the adopters and the adoptees was kept confidential.
The program was a success right off the bat, with 12 families adopting 28 students and donating things such as gently used clothing and household items, groceries, and gift cards.
From left: THS Assistant Principals Abby Ajileye and John Stevens, Pegues, Principal Charlene DiMino, Assistant Principal Joslyn Travis
“Because of the excellent communication between Laura and the giving families, each student or sibling group received exactly what they needed,” Pegues said.
Kogelschatz said Pegues’ “generosity and persistence” was instrumental in making connections between the parents and the students at Towson High.
“Having worked in communities with lower incomes, many people assume that Towson has more affluence and that there are not families struggling to make ends meet,” Kogelschatz said. “The Adopt-A-Family program helped identify families within Towson High be able to provide food, clothes or gifts for their loved ones for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
Pegues was nominated for the award by Towson High’s principal, Charlene DiMino.
BCPS Superintendent Dallas Dance and Pegues
“Ms. Pegues consistently demonstrates an unselfish nature. She puts the needs of others ahead of her own and strives to assist students,” DiMino said. “Beyond the establishment of the Adopt-a-Family program, Ms. Pegues has enhanced the school program by bringing in various guest speakers to assist with educating our youth to make wise choices.”
Pegues said she was grateful for the support and help of others.
“Without [help from the guidance staff] and the support of the administration, this program would not have been possible,” she said.
All of the county winners will be recognized on June 3rd at Martin’s West, where the final winner of the Maryland State Parent Involvement Matters award will be announced.
“I am very grateful and count it a blessing and a privilege to have been involved in this experience,” Pegues said. “I hope my story will inspire more people in the BCPS community to step up and start a similar program.”