BALTIMORE - When the Horseshoe Casino opens on Russell Street later this year, Noah Smock hopes his small nonprofit somehow benefits.
“All of the advance material that I’ve seen from the casino is talking about how important it is for them to be engaged in the community,” Smock said as he sat in his office at the Baltimore Community ToolBank. “So the first thought I have is, taking them at their word, I think that that’s an opportunity.”
The giant, glamorous casino would seem, at first glance, to have little in common with the ToolBank, which sits in a low building in the unglamorous Carroll-Camden Industrial Area across Russell Street from the gambling site.
The casino offers entertainment and the chance for riches. The ToolBank lends building equipment to churches, clubs, community groups -- any nonprofit working on community projects. The ToolBank, Smock says, is a nonprofit created to help other nonprofits.
So if a church or another community organization needs wheelbarrows, hoes and rakes, the ToolBank rents them out.
Hoping for some notice
But a big part of Smock’s job is to let Baltimore know that the ToolBank exists. He’s hoping the casino’s presence helps.
“I think it’s going to bring in a lot of vibrant activity into the space because we’re in an industrial park,” he said. “And as dynamic as some of the businesses and the community interest are that are here, more activity should mean more positive exposure for Baltimore.”
The ToolBank, which opened in 2012, has 250 member agencies, and Smock said this number increases by two or three a week. Smock, 34, began his job as executive director in January.
“If we’re not doing good community work we’re not doing our job. We only exist to make other work possible,” Smock said.
To help with that community work, Smock sees the opportunity to recruit casino employees to volunteer at the ToolBank. The ToolBank isn’t lacking for things to do. Smock is one of only two who work full time there.
“If they’re sincere in their efforts and don’t just want window dressing, I know they’ll be happy to connect with us,” Smock said.
Horseshoe Baltimore and Caesars Entertainment Corporation, the casino owners, approach community work from two angles, said Noah Hirsch, vice president of marketing for Horseshoe Baltimore.
“Caesars Entertainment is committed to community engagement, not only as it relates to local job recruitment but in terms of long-term service through philanthropic efforts and volunteer initiatives through the communities in which the company operates,” Hirsch said in an email interview. He said the casino evaluates every proposal it receives from community groups.
Smock is slightly concerned that the success of the casino could lead to an increase in rents in his industrial park. “I cannot imagine a better space than this and I would never want to leave. So I want to make sure that our lease does not skyrocket.”
But he said he’s not worried about the increased traffic some neighbors have warned will start with the opening of the casino.
”If we have more people driving by our facility, more people aware of what we do, that’s just an opportunity for us to do more good work,” he said. “I’m cautiously optimistic.”
