NonProfit News & Charitable Givings

DreamBuilders Win The Arc of Howard County President's Award
Joseph Murray, Sr., president of the board of directors of The Arc of Howard County, has presented the 2009 President's Award to DreamBuilders, the interfaith coalition whose mission is to provide housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families who are in need.
DreamBuilders was selected for this year's honor, Murray said, because of "its members' commitment to the full inclusion of those who have intellectual and developmental disabilities in our community."
Teens and adults from St. John's Episcopal Church in Ellicott City, St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Highland, The Church of the Ascension in Westminster, Temple Isaiah in Fulton and Trinity Episcopal Church in Elkridge participated in the projects undertaken by DreamBuilders.
Three years ago, DreamBuilders and The Arc formed a partnership to maintain and rebuild homes in The Arc's Residential Program. Since, DreamBuilders has assisted The Arc on five projects. For information, call 410-730-0638 or visit www.archoward.org.

2009 Transit Riders Commuter Appreciation Day Scheduled
On Thursday, June 11, representatives from several of the Baltimore region's rideshare agencies will gather at the Dorsey MARC train station from 6 until 8:30 a.m. for the 2009 Transit Riders Commuter Appreciation Day to thank people for not commuting alone in private cars.
Rideshare agencies that will be represented include the BWI Business Partnership, Commuter Solutions of Howard County and Metro Rideshare of Baltimore and Carroll counties.
The representatives will hand out juice, pastries and information about Commuter Choice tax credits, new carpool matching software for commuters and the Guaranteed Ride Home Program for employees at Metropolitan D.C. work sites, among other programs.
"We encourage people who don't normally take public transit to try it on June 11 and learn how convenient and cost effective it can be," said Ben Cohen, director of transportation and workforce programs for the BWI Business Partnership. For more information, call 410-859-1000.

Community Welcome to Participate in Howard County's Relay for Life
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 5 and 6 at Hammond High School in Columbia.
Opening ceremonies start at 6:30 p.m. on June 5. Dick Story, CEO of Howard County's Economic Development Authority, will emcee the event for the eighth time. A Silent Auction will be held from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. High bidders will be announced at 11 p.m.
Last year's Howard County relay raised $266,000. During its first 13 years, the local event has raised more than $3 million for the American Cancer Society. For more information, call Jason Copley at 410-781-4316, visit www.howardrfl.com or e-mail hcrelay@hotmail.com.
Western Howard County will hold its Relay for Life June 19-20 at Western Regional Park. For more information, call Copley at 410-781-4316, visit www.relayforlife.org/westernhoward or e-mail whcrelay@aol.com.

Howard County Offers Reverse Mortgage Counseling to Older Residents
The Howard County Office on Aging, through Maryland Access Point (MAP), is offering reverse mortgage counseling to Maryland residents age 62 and older who are considering that option.
The counseling, a collaborative effort with the National Council on Aging, is targeted to seniors who may be able to pay for their everyday expenses but are struggling to cover the costs of health care, home repairs and modifications, increased property taxes and other unexpected expenses.
MAP of Howard County currently has four specialists who are trained reverse mortgage counselors. Seniors who receive reverse mortgage counseling will not be charged the counseling fee of $125 - unless they choose to apply for a reverse mortgage and then secure a loan. When they do, the fee will become part of the closing costs.
The fee will be waived for seniors who are facing financial challenges like foreclosure and for those with modest incomes (under $20,000 for single homeowners, and under $30,000 for couples). To learn more, call 1-800-506-5806.

Partnership Golf Classic Set for
June 15 at South River
The BWI Business Partnership's annual fundraising golf tournament will be held at The Golf Club at South River on Monday, June 15, for the benefit of Partners In Care. Sponsored by The Bank of Glen Burnie and Comcast, the event raises critical funds for the local nonprofit's programs supporting seniors in the community.
The Captain's Choice tournament includes a continental breakfast, boxed lunch and full dinner. Also included are trophies for the first three teams, men's and ladies' closest to the pin and longest drive trophies, and a hole-in-one contest sponsored by Wilkins Buick/Isuzu/Subaru.
Ravens cheerleaders will be on hand for the event. There will be a wide array of prizes and surprises, including the chance to eat at Chick-fil-A for a year and two round-trip tickets anywhere Southwest flies in the Continental U.S.
Registration starts at 8 a.m., with the shotgun start at 8:45 a.m. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for hospitality, flag, cart and tee signs. For more information, call Anne Myers at 410-303-3003, Partners In Care at 410-544-4800 or visit www.partnersincare.org.

Nominations Sought for
New Choose Civility Awards
The Howard County Library invites the public to nominate businesses, organizations and individuals for its Choose Civility awards, which recognize models of civility whose actions and behavior set an example, raise the standards of civility and make a sustainable impact in the Howard County community.
The nomination form, which includes specific guidelines and criteria, is available from www.ChooseCivility.org. (Visit What's New or Program Activities.) Nominations will be accepted through June 15. The five awards will be presented at the Choose Civility Symposium on Thursday, Oct. 8.

Howard County's BWN to
Meet on June 17
The Business Women's Network of Howard County (BWN) will meet on Wednesday, June 17, at 11:30 a.m. for a luncheon meeting and presentation from Allison Herstein Moran, The Growth Coach. Moran specializes in helping business owners, entrepreneurs and sales professionals to grow their business and find balance in their lives.
BWN meetings for the 2008-09 year are located at That's Amore at 10400 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia. Lunch meeting admission for members is $30 with early registration; guests and member walk-ins are $40. For advanced registration or additional information, visit www.bwn-hoco.org.

Howard County Youth Task Force Soliciting Public Input
The Howard County Youth Task Force will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, May 20, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bain Center, located at 5470 Ruth Keeton Way in Columbia. The purpose of the meeting is to get community input on the possible creation of a Youth Commission in Howard County.
The Howard County Youth Task Force was established by county council resolution in May 2008 to advise the council on matters relating to the creation of a Howard County Youth Commission. For more information about the meeting or the task force, contact Keri Hyde at 410-313-1916.

HCAC Arts Scholarship Recipients Announced
The recipients of the Howard County Arts Council's (HCAC) 2009 Arts Scholarship Program were announced at the council's 12th Annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County.
They are Michelle Patschke, a senior at Reservoir High School, visual art; Natalie Scimonelli, a senior at Oakland Mills High School, vocal music; Eve Mobley, a senior at Glenelg High School, visual art; and Megan Clark, a senior at Glenelg High School, visual art.

Hopkins Medical Labs Backs HHF With $25K Pledge
Johns Hopkins Medical Laboratories has pledged $25,000 for the Campus Development Plan Capital Campaign of the Howard Hospital Foundation (HHF). The laboratories are preeminent nationally and globally in the study and treatment of human disease, and in professional training in all areas of pathology and laboratory science.
The HCGH lab is headed by Dr. Stanley Podlasek and an exam room in the Anti-Coagulation Clinic will be named for Johns Hopkins Medical Laboratories in recognition of its generosity. Including the pledge from Hopkins, contributions to the plan total $21.3 million toward the $30 million goal.

KBE Establishes Collage Scholarship
Columbia-based KBE Building Corp. (formerly Konover Construction Corp.), one of the nation's leading firms providing preconstruction, construction management, design-build and general contracting services, has established the KBE Scholarship at historic St Mary's College of Maryland.
Under the plan, KBE will provide $2,500 to a rising senior affiliated with the college's River Center crew and sailing facility. KBE will fund the scholarship for the next four years for a total commitment of $10,000.

Harper's Choice Middle Wins Stock Market Game Competition
A combination of shrewd investing and a little bit of luck helped students from Harper's Choice Middle School earn a simulated $15,510 and a second place middle school award in the recent Central Region Stock Market Game competition, organized by the Maryland Council on Economic Education (MCEE).
Teacher Nan Dove taught the curricular extension unit as a real-world application of math, research and analysis skills. Sixth-grade team members Colin Murray, Shane Nelson, Conor Shimabukuro and Brandon Williams started with an imaginary $100,000 and, during a 10-week period, invested in corporations on the New York, American and NASDAQ markets in an attempt to increase the size of their portfolio.

HCGH Announces Aronson Memorial Award Recipients
Howard County General Hospital (HCGH) has announced that Samantha Ferraro from Marriotts Ridge High School and Magid Waheed from Oakland Mills High School are the 2009 recipients of the Aronson Memorial Award.
The recipients each receive a $2,000 scholarship and were chosen for maintaining the highest grade point average while participating in at least two varsity sports. The Aronson Memorial Award, sponsored by the professional staff of HCGH, is dedicated to the late Barry Aronson, M.D., a fellow member of the professional staff who was an enthusiastic supporter and coach of school athletics.

New Playground Set for
Laurel Elementary
More than 200 volunteers from Laurel Elementary School and residents of the Laurel community recently joined forces to build a new, safe playground at Laurel Elementary School. The new playground's design is based on drawings provided by children who attended a Design Week event in February.
The new playground will provide more than 500 children in the Laurel community a safe place to play. It was made possible by a $50,000 grant from national nonprofit KaBOOM! and Stonyfield Farms, which came from the partnership's Double Play Program in an effort to increase healthy lifestyle options for communities nationwide.

Arundel Agency Accepts Sponsorships
The Anne Arundel County Department of Aging and Disabilities is offering partnership and sponsorship opportunities to businesses and other private sector agencies. Opportunities include the Family Caregiver Workshop Series, the annual Caregivers' Wellness Day, the annual Caregivers' Conference, the Planning for the Future Workshop Series, and sponsorships for publications and various products.
Sponsorship categories start at $500, with the sponsor receiving various recognition depending on the level of participation. Call 410-222-4257, ext. 3051, for more information.

Edwards Helps Raise $145,000 at 17th Annual Culinary Extravaganza
Jerry Edwards, owner of Chef's Expressions Catering, has supported Meals on Wheels for several years and is one of the original chefs of the Culinary Extravaganza Fundraiser. This year, news anchor and Mistress of Ceremonies Jessica Kartalija of WJZ-TV and 350 guests enjoyed the culinary creations of 20 prestigious chefs from around Baltimore, including Edwards and his executive chef, John Walsh.
In addition to the walkaround tasting, a live and silent auction that raised $43,000 was held. In total, the event raised $145,000 for Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland.

E-Structors Honored by The Arc
Elkridge-based E-Structors has received a Celebration of Excellence Award from The Arc of Howard County for providing employment opportunities for adults with disabilities. "We are fortunate to have a variety of activities taking place throughout our facility that allow a number of skill sets to be utilized," said Mike Keough, president, E-Structors.
"We believe in the importance of providing equal employment opportunities for everyone," Keough added, noting that E-Structors also participates in an employment program for students of the Linwood Center, which services children and adults with autism.

The Columbia Bank Teaches Kids
About Saving Money
Eleven employees from The Columbia Bank recently went back to school, not to learn, but to teach: The bank employees taught savings lessons to 630 students at four schools throughout Maryland.
The Teach Children to Save Day program is sponsored by the ABA Education Foundation, a nonprofit subsidiary of the American Bankers Association. Participating schools included Walkersville Elementary School, Arrowhead Elementary School, Harper's Choice Middle School and Thunder Hill Elementary School.

Ellicott City Lions Club Continues
HCC Student Scholarship
The Ellicott City Lions Club recently presented Howard Community College (HCC) with its annual $16,000 check for the scholarship fund the club established in 2002 for HCC students.
It is the option of the Lions Club to name one of the scholarship awards in honor of the late Franklin Baker, one of the club's charter members. Half of the annual Ellicott City Lions Club Scholarship fund is intended to award scholarships to HCC business and computer-related majors in financial need, and the remaining half is to be awarded to students participating in Division I or II athletics at HCC.

HCAC Receives $10,000 Grant to Support Head StART in ART
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced that the Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) has been awarded a $10,000 Learning in the Arts for Children & Youth grant for its Head StART in ART program.
The Head Start Program is a federally funded program that has been helping low-income families and pre-school children across the country since 1965. It offers pre-school programs for 3-, 4- and 5-year-old children from low-income families by providing them with a stimulating and educational experience in a group setting. Call 410-313-2787 or visit www.hocoarts.org for more information.

Anne Arundel County Offers STEPS to Surviving the Economy
A new booklet, "STEPS to Surviving the Economy," has been prepared by the Anne Arundel County Department of Aging & Disabilities to assist its clients, seniors and the disabled during these turbulent times.
The booklet includes suggestions for handling your personal finances and assistance with unemployment benefits, employment searches, education and training for jobs, etc. To obtain a copy, call 410-222-4257 or visit www.aacounty.org/aging and click on STEPS in the Special Notices section.

Sandy Spring Bank Invests in
Senior Housing Facilities
Sandy Spring Bank has sponsored the nationally acclaimed Senior Crimestoppers program at Wilson Health Care Center located in Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg.
The Senior Crimestoppers program works much like a neighborhood watch, where senior facilities with a strong commitment to crime prevention implement increased awareness and a zero tolerance policy.
Benefits of the program include personal lock boxes provided for each resident, cash rewards paid for anonymous information that helps solve an incident, a 24/7 call center tips line operated by Senior Crimestoppers and ongoing education promoting zero tolerance.
It produces outstanding results nationwide, with participating centers experiencing a collective reduction in total crime incidents of 91.38% for the last reporting period. For more information, visit www.seniorcrimestoppers.org.

Yard Sales Raise More Than
$800 for WGC
A community Yard Sale-A-Thon to benefit the Women's Giving Circle (WGC) of Howard County raised more than $800.
Participants held individual and group yard sales around the county and then donated the proceeds to the Women's Giving Circle. The next Yard Sale-A-Thon to benefit WGC is set for the fall at a central location and individual homes. For information, visit www.womensgivingcircle.org.