Nonprofit News & Charitable Giving

Laurel Regional Hospital Holds 30-Year Anniversary Celebration
In commemoration of its 30 years of service, Laurel Regional Hospital will invite the community to be present at its Founders Day celebration and Open House on Tuesday, May 13. Activities will begin at 11 a.m. and will continue until 7 p.m.
The doors of the hospital will be open for the community to come in to receive free health screenings, tour the recently upgraded clinical service departments and view newly acquired state-of-the-art equipment, as well as learn about the many services and programs offered.
The highlight of the day's activities will be the honorary acknowledgement of the founders and many of the supporters and contributors who have assisted in establishing the foundation on which Laurel Regional Hospital stands today. The hospital is located at 7300 Van Dusen Road in Laurel. For more information, call 301-497-7914.

ABC2's Owens to Emcee Robbins Awards
WMAR-TV personality Terry Owens will serve as the master of ceremonies for the 33rd Audrey Robbins Humanitarian Awards Luncheon, which is slated to be held May 21 at The Meeting House in Oakland Mills, located at 5885 Robert Oliver Place in Columbia, from noon to 2 p.m.
Developed and overseen by the Association of Community Services (ACS), the luncheon honors individuals and teams in the community who have performed services above and beyond the call of duty.
"Terry's vibrant personality and warmth added a wonderful dimension to last year's luncheon, and we are delighted he has agreed to again emcee this event," said awards Chair Debra Popiel.
ACS created The Audrey Robbins Humanitarian Awards in 1975 to honor the work of human services organizations and those volunteers and staff who go above and beyond all expectations in their service to the community. Tickets are $40 for individuals, $280 for a table of eight and must be reserved in advance. For more information, visit www.acshoco.org or call 410-715-9545.

Corporate Partner, Expanded Support Announced for Healthy Howard
Howard County announced that Healthy Howard, a plan that will provide access to health care for many of the county's uninsured residents, has a new corporate contributor as well as expanded support from The Horizon Foundation.
Aetna will offer Healthy Howard participants access to dental care. Details are still being worked out by county officials and Aetna representatives. In addition, the foundation will award an additional $500,000 to Healthy Howard to supplement $283,000 in funding that it has provided to the Howard County Health Department since January 2007.
"Our organization likes innovation," said Horizon Foundation President and CEO Richard Krieg, "and Healthy Howard exemplifies how government can innovate to address core community issues. The grant is predicated on awareness that the foundation and the health department share some fundamental goals, among them, improving health care access for underserved county residents."
Healthy Howard will offer primary care services, discounted prescription drugs and hospital care, as well as specialty care services, for 2,000 patients in its first year of operation. The plan places emphasis on personal responsibility, with participants required to set health and wellness goals in tandem with health coaches working for the program.

May 28 Set as Date to Brief Business Leaders on Healthy Howard
Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, the Howard County Health Department, the Howard County Chamber of Commerce, The Horizon Foundation and The Columbia Bank invite local business representatives to a briefing on the Healthy Howard Plan on May 28.
The goal of this countywide initiative is to bring affordable access to health care to all uninsured county residents. Because the plan brings government, business and citizens together to address the issue of the uninsured in Howard County, this forum represents an opportunity to ask questions and gain a greater perspective on how the plan will impact the business community.
The briefing will be held on Wednesday, May 28, at 8 a.m. at the County Executive's Board Room, on the fifth floor of The Gateway Building at 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive. This event is free and open to all. Pre-registration is requested by calling 410-730-4111 or visiting www.howardchamber.com. More information about the Healthy Howard Plan may be found by calling 410-313-HELP (4357) or by visiting www.howardcountymd.gov.

Commission on Disability Issues Seeks Nominees for Annual Awards
The Howard County Commission on Disability Issues has announced that nomination forms are now available for its 2008 awards program. Awards are given annually to recognize outstanding efforts in advancing full participation in community life for all citizens, promoting both the spirit and intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and achieving independence through pursuing personal goals while living with a disability.
The categories for nominations include: Employer; Service Provider; Access - Universal Design; Access - Community; Individual Achievement - Adult; Individual Achievement - Youth; and Educator. The deadline for nominations is Thursday, July 31.
Nominees may be a business, a corporation, a building or any place of public accommodation, an individual or agency providing exceptional services, or an individual who has positively influenced others with disabilities. They must live, work or provide services in Howard County.
For details about the award categories or to download a nomination form, call 410-313-6402 or visit Howard County government's web site and the Disability Services page at www.howardcountymd.gov/DS/. Winners will be recognized at the annual celebration on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 6:30 p.m. in the Banneker Room of the George Howard Building.

Relay for Life Set for Early June at Hammond High
Howard County's Relay for Life, a free, overnight event designed to celebrate cancer survivorship and raise money for the American Cancer Society, will be held June 6 and 7 at Hammond High School in Columbia.
This year's theme is "Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back." Opening ceremonies start at 6:30 p.m. on June 6, followed by the Survivors' Lap. During this lap, survivors walk the track and are cheered by family and friends.
Teams raise money before and at the event by asking for donations or holding fundraisers. During the event, teams camp out and take turns walking around a track, with each team trying to keep at least one member on the track throughout the night.
Children under the age of 14 can participate in the Kids' Walk 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on June 6. A Silent Auction composed of items donated by teams will be conducted June 6. For more information, visit www.howardrfl.com.

2008 Summer Camp Sponsored by WGC of Howard County
The Women's Giving Circle (WGC) of Howard County has expanded its residential summer camp, Journey, to include two groups of Howard County students: 25 girls entering 8th and 9th grade, and 25 girls entering 10th, 11th and 12th grade.
Maryland Leadership Workshops (MLW) will operate Journey, as it has for the past two years. It will run from Sunday, July 20, through Saturday, July 26, at Washington College in Chestertown. Student delegates to the program will live in the college dorms, eat in the college cafeteria and experience a collegiate atmosphere during the week-long program.
The camp will be restricted to girls who are living in Howard County and now attending seventh through eleventh grade. The cost of the camp is $550 and financial assistance is available.
Applications can be obtained at www.womensgivingcircle.org and in guidance offices at local middle and high schools, and are due March 14. For further information, contact Colleen Taggart-D'Agrosa at 301-854-1107 or womensgivingcircle@comcast.net.

BWN to Honor Scully, Named Woman of Distinction
The Business Women's Network (BWN) has announced that Mary Ann Scully, president and CEO of Howard Bank, is the winner of the 2008 Woman of Distinction Award and will be honored by the organization on May 21.
She sits on the boards of Grassroots, the United Way, The Horizon Foundation, The Columbia Foundation, Howard County Women's Giving Circle and UMBC's Alex Brown Center for Entrepreneurship, among others. In 2002 and 2005, she was recognized as one of Maryland's Top 100 Women by The Daily Record and in 2007 she was inducted into the Circle of Excellence as a three-time honoree. Scully is also a graduate of Leadership Maryland.
The ceremony to honor Scully and three Life Long Learner Scholarship Awardees will be held at The Rouse Company Foundation Student Services Center at Howard Community College in Columbia on Wednesday, May 21, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $50. For more information, go to www.bwn-hoco.org.

TriColumbia to Bring Blossoms of Hope Half-Marathon to Columbia
The Columbia Triathlon Association (CTA), in partnership with Blossoms of Hope and the Howard County Office of Tourism, will present the TriColumbia "Blossoms of Hope" Half-Marathon in conjunction with the 2009 blossoming season of Howard County's 1,250 Kwanzan cherry trees.
Tentatively planned for Sunday, May 3, 2009, the race will feature both a women's and a men's half-marathon. It will begin and end in downtown Columbia and follow a 13.1-mile route that incorporates many of the official Blossoms of Hope tree planting sites. Based on similar events, organizers anticipate attracting 2,000 athletes for the inaugural running.
Merriweather Post Pavilion, one of the official Blossoms of Hope sites, will host portions of the health and wellness weekend that will also include a co-ed family 5K run and Fun Run. The Sheraton Columbia will serve as the official host hotel venue with on-site, pre-race wellness seminars and workshops for the athletes.
Under development for this year is a new children's triathlon to be held in July. For more information about CTA and its activities, call 410-964-1286 or visit www.tricolumbia.org.

O'Malley Signs Order Establishing Partnership for Children in Nature
Gov. Martin O'Malley recently signed an executive order establishing the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature, a coalition of state, local, private and nonprofit partners charged with promoting the well-being of youth by accelerating environmental learning and expanding opportunities for outdoor experiences.
O'Malley recently testified at the U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education's field hearing held at the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge near Laurel on the No Child Left Inside Act of 2007 (H.R. 3036), federal legislation co-sponsored by Congressman John Sarbanes.
The act, introduced by Sarbanes, makes environmental education grants available for student activities and teacher training to states that develop statewide environmental literacy plans.
"Adoption of the federal No Child Left Inside Act will help students in every state, regardless of socio-economic status, have the opportunity to experience the great outdoors. It will also provide much-needed federal funding to help our teachers be prepared to provide these experiences for our children," said O'Malley.

2008 Maryland Farmers' Market Directory Now Available
The 2008 Maryland Farmers' Market Directory, listing locations and hours of each of the state's markets, is available through the Maryland Department of Agriculture. This year, there are 83 markets open to the public, with at least one in every county and Baltimore City.
Of the state's 83 markets, 69 participate in the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), which provides qualified senior citizens and women, infants and children (or WIC) program participants with checks they can use at farmers' markets to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables and cut herbs.
During the 2007 season, the FMNP provided more than $563,000 in fresh produce to WIC participants and qualified seniors while providing income to farmers selling in Maryland's farmers' markets.
The 2008 Maryland Farmers' Market Directory is available online at www.mda.state.md.us or through MDA's Marketing Division at 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway in Annapolis. For more information, call 410-841-5770.

MHEC to Provide Grants to Improve Teacher Quality
The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) is accepting proposals from institutions of higher education interested in providing teacher training as part of the federal government's "No Child Left Behind" program.
The purpose of the grants is to provide professional development to teachers and principals in core academic subject areas. The awards total approximately $1 million with a maximum grant of $200,000.
Grants will be awarded to K-16 partnerships that include at least one public or private institution of higher education and its division that prepares teachers and principals, a school of arts and sciences, and a "high-need" local education agency.
A technical assistance meeting is scheduled for May 14 at the Gateway Business and Technology Training Center at 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Room 3, in Columbia. Proposals are due on Sept. 17 and grant awards will be made in October. The RFP is available at www.mhec.state.md.us/Grants/ITQ/ITQ.asp. For more information about the grant, contact Paula Fitzwater at 410-260-4504.

Days End Farm Horse Holds Parade of Horses
Days End Farm Horse Rescue recently hosted its Movin' On Up Parade, celebrating the farm's move to a spacious 58-acre tract in Lisbon. The event featured Tinkerbell, a 20-year-old mare rescued from starvation last November by Days End (their third worst starvation case in 19 years).
Now fit and healthy, Tinkerbell was accompanied by several horses formerly of Days End that were ridden by their new owners. One, Captain Jack, led the parade and carried Kathleen Schwartz-Howe, Days End founder and executive director.
Walkers who raised a minimum of $100 in sponsorship donation joined the parade. Days End Farm Horse Rescue is a 501(c) 3, nonprofit organization. For more information, call 301-854-5037 or 410- 442-1564, or visit www.defhr.org.

Special Olympics Howard County to Hold 11th Annual Softball Invitational
More than 300 athletes from Maryland will descend upon Kiwanis Wallas Park on Sunday, May 18, for the 11th Annual Special Olympics Howard County Softball Invitational.
The tournament, sponsored jointly by Special Olympics Howard County and the Howard County Youth Program, will have events with traditional teams and Unified teams, and a T-ball competition. (Unified teams include athletes without disabilities playing with Special Olympians.)
Opening ceremonies will begin at 9:15 am.. with competition beginning at 10 a.m. Outback Steakhouse and the Order of the Alhambra Cadiz #140 are hospitality sponsors of this year's event, providing lunch and snacks to all the athletes.

CAC Seeks Nominees
The Community Action Council (CAC) of Howard County is seeking nominations for awards given to county residents and organizations for outstanding community service at its annual Holland Awards Dinner.
One individual will be recognized for the Rev. John W. Holland Humanitarian Award and two organizations will be given Community Service Awards.
Since 1992, the CAC awards have been given to recognize the hands-on and selfless service to the needy in the county. Selection criteria model the inspirational example of Rev. John Holland. For complete details and a nomination form, visit www.cac-hc.org/CAC/cac_holland.htm. Deadline for nominations is June 3.
CAC is a non-rofit organization that provides programs and emergency services for the low-income population in Howard County. Services include energy and housing assistance, a Food Bank and Head Start program for pre-kindergarten children.
The dinner will be held Oct. 16 at the Sheraton Columbia Hotel. For specific questions, call Deepak Chadha at 410-313-6440 or e-mail dchadha@howardcountymd.gov.

The Colosseum Hosts STTAR Center's First Healthy Families Fun Fitness Day
The Colosseum Gym hosted the STTAR Center's first annual Healthy Families Fun Fitness Day on Saturday, April 12. Opening remarks by STTAR Center Executive Director Jeannie Dillingham kicked off a day celebrating the children of Howard County.
Among the day's events were a family fun walk and a soccer clinic with Coach Derek Philips of Inside Out Performance in the Colosseum's new state-of-the-art training facility. It also featured children's support agencies from Howard County, which provided information and health screenings. For more information, call 410-290-6432, 410-997-3292 or visit www.sttarcenter.org.