Nominations Open for 37th Audrey Robbins Humanitarian Awards
“You Definitely Know Someone.” With that theme to remind people that potential Audrey Robbins Humanitarian Award winners are neighbors, friends and colleagues they already know, nominations for the awards are open.
The Association of Community Services (ACS) is looking for nominees to be honored at the 37th Audrey Robbins Humanitarian Awards luncheon. ACS is accepting nominations for this year’s ceremony, which will be held on June 20.
Nominations are due April 27. Nominees can be volunteers, employees or a team of people who’ve given extraordinary service. Previous winners also can be nominated. Specific nomination criteria and forms can be found at www.acshoco.org. Nominations can be submitted by e-mail to info@acshoco.org, faxed to 410-715-9547 or mailed to ACS, 10480 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite 920, Columbia, MD 21044.
Howard Hospital Foundation Receives $1M Donation
The Howard Hospital Foundation received a $1 million gift from Dr. Sanford Berman and Dr. Kay Ota-Berman to support the hospital’s Campus Development Plan, which has now raised nearly $25 million toward its $30 million goal.
The hospital will name the atrium in its main lobby the Dr. Sanford A. Berman and Dr. Kay Y. Ota-Berman Atrium to recognize the gift. “Giving to the hospital was an emotional decision for us. We gave because we have good relationships with our doctors and like the environment the hospital has created. There is no other place that we felt we would like to give,” Berman said.
Howard’s Ulman Officially Opens Phase 1 of Blandair Park
Howard County Executive Ken Ulman was joined by the Department of Recreation & Parks in mid-March for the official grand opening of Blandair Park, Phase 1, which includes three lighted, synthetic-turf multipurpose fields, bleachers, press boxes, a playground and a parking lot.
Future amenities for Phase 1 will include a pavilion and comfort station. The grand opening also officially kicked off the start of the Gary J. Arthur Memorial Lacrosse Tournament, a pre-season tournament for club/select lacrosse teams in the region. Blandair Park is located at 5750 Oakland Mills Road in Columbia.
CA Set to Elect Village Board Reps on April 21
Each April, residents living on Columbia Association (CA)-assessed property elect residents of their village to represent them on the CA board of directors/their village community association board. This year, the following villages will have open seats available: Harper’s Choice, Hickory Ridge, Oakland Mills, Owen Brown, Town Center and Wilde Lake.
On Election Day, Saturday, April 21, each village will host elections. Election day times and locations, and number of seats available, are listed at http://issuu.com/ca-columbiaassociation/docs/newsletter-jan12. To learn more about board leadership opportunities, as well as various other volunteering opportunities in the community, visit ColumbiaAssociation.org/Leadership-Opportunities.
Columbia Foundation Awards Grant to Grassroots
The Columbia Foundation, Howard County’s community foundation, has awarded a grant of $14,000 to Grassroots to support its programs, including walk-in counseling, crisis intervention services, shelter program and the Grassroots Day Resource Center, which provides services to people without a permanent home.
Grassroots provides the county’s only emergency shelter and 24-hour crisis intervention services. Professional crisis counselors staff its 24-hour hotline; see walk-in clients in need of immediate counseling; operate the Mobile Crisis Team, which responds to community emergencies; and manage the county’s emergency shelter for homeless men, women and families. For information, visit www.grassrootscrisis.org.
Oberman Exhibit Set for Slayton House
The Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House, located at 10400 Cross Fox Lane, Columbia, has announced a solo exhibit in the galleries for April 2012. Michael Oberman will have a photography exhibit, entitled, “The Nature of Wilde Lake … The Final Chapter,” through April 28.
Oberman, of Columbia, has exhibited nationally and internationally, with permanent collections in the Utah Museum of Natural History and the Ontario (Canada) Science Centre. His work has been published in newspapers and magazines, including Parade magazine, the London Daily Mirror and Motoring and Leisure, as well as textbooks in Malaysia and Israel, and is on permanent display in U.S., Norway, Spain and Czechoslovakia. For more information, call 410-730-3987 or 301-596-4883.
Success In Style Relocates, Heightens Access for Disadvantaged Clients
Success in Style (SIS) has opened its new headquarters and consolidated Charity’s Closet and the Salon for Success into a new, larger space in Historic Savage Mill.
The move into the larger space represents SIS’s second wave into the mill’s New Weave Building. The charitable group, formerly located in a smaller location in Ellicott City, first moved Charity’s Closet into Savage Mill last August to take advantage of increased visibility and easier customer access. Combining SIS’s space with Charity’s Closet allows for greater efficiencies, offering meeting space for its clients and consolidating support services into a central locale.
The new Salon for Success initiative will help SIS to further meet the needs of its underprivileged clients. Teen volunteer Hannah Roth provided the energy for Salon for Success and has earned a Gold Award, the highest achievement that a Girl Scout can earn, for her efforts. With the opening of the salon, expert stylists will volunteer their time and talents to SIS.
For further information, contact Jeannette Kendall at 443-538-3843 and at successinstyle@verizon.net.
TownePlace Suites at Baltimore/BWI Airport Helps Hopkins Children’s Center Patients
When Johns Hopkins Children’s Center patients move into The Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s Center on April 29 and 30, they will be given a handmade fleece blanket as a warm welcome to the $1.1 billion state-of-the-art children’s hospital, thanks to the efforts of TownePlace Suites Baltimore/BWI Airport.
“It was all hands on deck,” said General Manager Michelle Emley. “Everyone from staff to guests to clients and corporate management [came] together on Feb. 23 for a blanketmaking kickoff party to trim and cut 908 pieces of fabric and tie more than 67,500 knots to make 454 blankets by moving day.” To learn more about the project, call 410-694-0060.
Special Olympics Offers Scholarships for Howard’s Outstanding Student Volunteers
Special Olympics Howard County will award three scholarships to outstanding student volunteers who have demonstrated their commitment to the program by volunteering and advocating for the athletes.
The Jackie Burk Memorial Award for Outstanding Student Volunteer for Special Olympics Howard County, valued at $1,500, was created in 2004 by Jack and Linda Burk in memory of their daughter, Jackie, a special friend and volunteer to the organization.
The Allan Homes Award, valued at $1,000, was established in 2005 by Allan Waschak, long-time Special Olympics Howard County management team member and aquatics coordinator, and his wife, Kathy. This year, an additional $500 scholarship will be awarded to an outstanding student volunteer in memory of Kathy Lindner, who was the nonprofit’s first volunteer coordinator and a dedicated volunteer in a number of sports, including the annual Softball Invitational.
Questions should be addressed to info@somdhc.org or by calling 410-740-0500.
Registration Open for Glen Mar Golf Classic to Benefit Grassroots
Registration is now open for a new golf tournament, The Glen Mar Golf Classic, set for Monday, May 7, at the Timbers of Troy Golf Course in Elkridge. The event, hosted by Glen Mar United Methodist Church, will benefit Grassroots, Howard County’s 24-hour crisis intervention center, which shelters individuals and families who are homeless.
The tournament includes a continental breakfast, silent auction and luncheon. In addition to trophies for the three foursomes having the lowest scores, prizes will be awarded for “longest drive” and “closest to the pin.” There will also be a putting contest, an opportunity to “Use the Pro” on a par 5 and “Hit the Circle” on a par 3.
The tournament fee is $125 per player or $500 per foursome. Non-golfers may attend at $25 per person to join the luncheon and participate in the silent auction, which will include items such as tickets to sporting events and concerts, passes to local golf courses, sports equipment and opportunities to bid on vacation packages.
Sponsorships are available from $2,500 to $250. All proceeds from tournament sponsorships, fees and the silent auction will support operations at Grassroots. Golfers can register at www.glenmargolfclassic.com. For information about sponsorships, call 410-465-4995.
JA of Central Maryland Launches Adult Scholarship Program
Junior Achievement (JA) of Central Maryland has announced that the University of Phoenix and its parent company, Apollo Group, will offer 15 full-tuition scholarships to JA staff members, teachers and volunteers looking to obtain undergraduate or master’s degrees.
To be eligible, recipients must continue to teach or host at least one JA class or serve 10 hours as a JA volunteer per year for each year throughout the duration of the scholarship. Also, applicants must not be currently enrolled nor in the process of enrolling at any University of Phoenix campus or in any online program at any time prior to the scholarship award date.
Scholarship applications are due by April 12. The winners will be announced May 24. For applications, visit www.phoenix.edu/i-scholarships or contact dabdallah@ja.org for more information.
Gov’s Grants Office Publishes Online Grants Manual
The Maryland Governor’s Grants Office has created an online grants manual at www.grants.maryland.gov. The manual will be updated to keep grants and grant program professionals at state agencies, local governments and nonprofits up-to-date with technical information about the grants process on the federal and state levels.
The manual displays consolidated information on best practices and other federal grants information in one reference document.
“We have enjoyed such great success with people tuning into our webinar training series that we decided to add a technical grants manual to the mix of resources provided at grants.maryland.gov to expand our reach to constituents who need some help with the sometimes daunting task of finding, winning and managing a grant,” said Eric Brenner, director of the governor’s grants office.
The Meeting House Gallery Unveils ‘Nature Interpreted’
The new exhibit at the Meeting House Gallery in Columbia, “Nature Interpreted,” features the works of Maryland artists Maureen Bannon, Carol Carey, Gerry Czajkowski, David Pumplin and Shared Vision Photography (Coriolana Simon and Doug Wolters).
The Meeting House Gallery is located in The Oakland Mills Interfaith Center at 5885 Robert Oliver Place in Columbia and is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The exhibit runs until May 20. For additional information, call 410-730-4090.
Run of the Mill Explores Maryland’s Mills April 12
What does archaeology and architecture say about Maryland’s mill history and Laurel? Join James Gibbs on April 12 at the Laurel Pool Room and find out as he explores how mills, driven by water through rough wooden gears and wide leather belts, fed Marylanders from the middle of the 18th century to the turn of the 20th.
Gibbs is an experienced archaeologist with extensive field research experience and numerous publications. He is also an adjunct professor at Stevenson University. In addition to recent work on Port Tobacco and work on Maryland’s mills, he conducted the archaeological survey of the Laurel Museum building.
The event is co-sponsored by the Laurel Historical Society with the Maryland Humanities Council. It will start at 7 p.m. at the pool room, which is located at 9th and Main Street. Admission is free.
Sanderson Farms Board Member to Speak at Network 2000 Event
Network 2000, which promotes the advancement of women in professional and executive roles, will hold its annual Roadmap to the Boardroom symposium Wednesday, April 18, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at The Center Club, which is located at 100 Light Street in Baltimore.
The event will feature keynote speaker Dianne Mooney, vice chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee, Sanderson Farms, and founder of Southern Living at Home and Cut It Out salons Against Domestic Violence. Tickets cost $55. Register and pay online at www.network2000md.org/women_on_boards. For additional information, call 410-783-8225.
HoCoPoLitSo’s ‘The Writing Life’ Now on YouTube
Just in time for National Poetry Month, the Howard County Poetry & Literature Society’s (HoCoPoLitSo) award-winning cable television program, “The Writing Life,” a writer-to-writer talk show, can now be seen at YouTube.
Viewers can take the opportunity to hear poetry read by the poet and to listen to the stories behind the novels, produced by the literary experts of HoCoPoLitSo. Distinguished writers interview featured guests, asking questions about craft and process. Viewers can check back for new editions daily.
Several of these half-hour shows have been honored by the National Hometown Video Festival and the Bravo network’s “Arts for Change” Award. “The Writing Life” is produced at HCC-TV on the campus of Howard Community College.
“The format is ingenious. … [One] comes away with the privileged feeling of having eavesdropped on a private conversation between two artists talking shop,” said critic Geoffrey Himes. Select editions of “The Writing Life” are available at the Howard County Public Library, the Howard Community College library at www.howardcc.edu/twl or for purchase from HoCoPoLitSo.
CSC Seeks High-School-Age Performers
The Chesapeake Shakespeare Co. (CSC) is looking for interested 14- to 17-year-olds who would like to perform in the CSC’s High School Acting Company productions of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Much Ado About Nothing” and work with the CSC professional company’s summer productions of “Romeo and Juliet” and “Pride and Prejudice.”
High school company members will work with CSC’s professional artists and teachers in a combination performance/apprenticeship/training experience. Rehearsals begin June 2, and occur Saturday and Sunday afternoons through July 15 in Ellicott City.
Performances take place July 17 and 18 on the CSC’s main stage at the Patapsco Female Institute. Rain dates for performances will be July 23 and 24. For more information, contact Patrick Kilpatrick at kilpatrick@chesapeakeshakespeare.com or at 410-313-8874.
Nominations Being Accepted for YWCA’s 27th Annual TWIN Awards
Nominations for Anne Arundel County’s TWIN (Tribute to Women in Industry) Awards, an annual program that honors executive and professional women for their outstanding contributions to their workplace and community, are being accepted.
Women and their sponsoring companies receive an award at the dinner, which will be held on June 6 at the Westin Annapolis. Sponsorship will be provided by Severn Savings Bank and The Main Ingredient. WRNR-FM personality Alex Cortright will emcee the event, which benefits the TWIN program and YWCA services for victims of domestic violence.
Nomination information, individual tickets and sponsorship packages are available online at www.annapolisywca.org or by contacting Stephen Isler at 410-626-7800, ext. 118, or sisler@ywcaaac.org. Tickets are $85 per person; a discounted rate of $65 is available for previous TWIN honorees.
The Columbia Foundation to Hold 30th Annual Spring Party
The Columbia Foundation, which raises, manages and distributes funds to support Howard County nonprofits, will hold its 30th annual Spring Party Tuesday, May 15, from 5:45 to 8:30 p.m. at a new location: the Horowitz Visual & Performing Arts Center at Howard Community College (HCC).
The event, which benefits the foundation, draws nearly 600 community leaders and friends for two hours of fun, food and networking. Tickets cost $75 each. The foundation’s initiative, twentyfivefortyfive, encourages philanthropy among citizens from 25 to 45 and will host the annual after-party.
Guests can park in the west garage at HCC. For more information and tickets, visit www.columbiafoundation.org or call at 410-730-7840.
5K Race to Benefit Grassroots Day Resource Center
Registration is now open for the Hope for the Homeless 5K trail race set for Saturday, May 5, at Rockburn Park in Elkridge. The event is a benefit for the Grassroots Day Resource Center, which provides services, meals and limited medical care to people who are chronically homeless.
The 5K trail run features a shady one-loop course with beautiful scenery in the woods on low impact surfaces. Pets are allowed on the course. The entry fee for both the 5k and the fun walk/run is $20 for those who register by April 15. Late registrants pay $30. Race day registration starts at 8 a.m. Register at www.hopeforhomeless5k.com or www.active.com. For more information, call 410-549-7156.
Neighbor Ride Celebrating Volunteer Appreciation Month
In celebration of Volunteer Appreciation Month, Neighbor Ride is offering no-cost transportation to and from volunteer activities for Howard County seniors, age 60 and older, through April 30. New and existing passengers are encouraged to take advantage of this special opportunity to reach out to others in the community.
Seniors wondering where their special skills and talents are needed are invited to contact the Volunteer Center Serving Howard County at info@volunteerhoward.org or 410-715-3172. Information is also available on the web at www.volunteerhoward.org.
Next, senior volunteers may contact Neighbor Ride at 410-884-RIDE or via www.neighborride.org, for information about registering as passengers and scheduling their no-cost rides.
No-cost rides for volunteer activities are provided during the month of April through support from the Ascend One EDGE Fund.
Calling All Friends of Community Action
The Anne Arundel County Community Action Agency is reaching out to all former employees, board members, volunteers, senior aides, customers and friends of the organization to participate in a homecoming event scheduled for Thursday, May 17, at La Fontaine Bleu in Glen Burnie.
The event has been planned to serve as a reunion and also to celebrate the first five recipients of the agency’s new Hall of Fame. Community Action would like to annually acknowledge the individuals who have been instrumental in shaping the agency and its successful programs.
Community Action staff and volunteers have been hard at work going through the archives of photos and other historical materials to pull together a display for attendees to enjoy. In addition, a videographer will be in at the event to record attendees’ experiences and memories of the agency.
If you are a friend of Community Action, contact Julie Snyder at 410-626-1900, ext. 1026, or jsnyder@aaccaa.org to share your contact information.
Horizon Foundation Announces Grant Program
The Horizon Foundation is seeking letters of intent from nonprofit and public entities for grants of $50,000 to $150,000 to fund projects in Howard County that reduce consumption of sugar sweetened beverages by children and their families.
The effort is intended to promote healthful eating, physical activity and other positive lifestyle changes by “at-risk” populations, increase access to health care for “at-risk” populations, and support nonprofit health and human service organizations in addressing social determinants of health in the community.
To be eligible for the foundation’s Level III Grant Funding, organizations must meet Better Business Bureau Standards of Accountability, Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations Standards of Excellence or other similar industry-specific standards.
All letters of intent must be submitted online at www.thehorizonfoundation.org by April 13. For more information, visit www.thehorizonfoundation.org or contact Rosimar Melendez at 410-715-0311 or rmelendez@thehorioznfoundation.org.
Howard High Staff Improves Fitness
Faculty and staff at Howard High School have been participating in a functional fitness class taught by fitness specialist Cathy Smith, a coordinator for the Horizon Councils. The class is designed to help participants move more efficiently through improved strength, balance and flexibility. The program is sponsored by the Elkridge Horizon Council in support of The Horizon Foundation’s focus on lifestyle improvement.
The mission of the foundation is to improve the health and wellness of people living and working in Howard County. Participants in the fitness class included, top row, from left, Lorraine Johnson, Jennifer O’Neill, Connie Evans, Katie Hyams; and, bottom row, from left, Daneace Jeffrey, Kedre Fairley and Sharon Sowada.
Change Matters at CA Facilities
The Columbia Association (CA) is collaborating with the Horizon Councils to raise awareness and funds for Grassroots, which provides Howard County’s only emergency shelter program and 24-hour crisis intervention services.
The campaign, called Change Matters, involves the collection of coins from members and visitors to Columbia Association recreation facilities and offices. The community service and philanthropy initiative was launched in 2008 at local high schools, and campaigns are now held in high and middle schools. A pilot project involving Hollifield Station Elementary School, St. John’s Lane Elementary School and Deep Run Elementary School will be held this spring.
The Horizon Councils are geographic-based advisory groups made up of people who live/work in the Elkridge, Ellicott City, southeast and western areas of the county. The groups advise The Horizon Foundation about issues of significance to their communities and engage in community service activities.
The Arc of Howard County Honors Eckers
Former County Executive Charles Ecker and his wife, Peggy, are this year’s winners of The Arc of Howard County’s Jim Greenfield Compassionate Leadership Award. The Eckers will receive the award at a dinner in their honor on June 28 at the Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville.
Although Ecker served two terms as Howard County executive, he devoted most of his professional life to education, working for the Howard County Public School System from 1974 to 1989. He joined the Carroll County Public School System in 2000 as interim superintendent and served as superintendent from 2002 to 2010.
The tribute to the Eckers will include a country buffet and a program featuring family and friends. Individual tickets are $100 for the general public and $75 for public school educators. Proceeds will benefit housing and services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
For information, call 410-730-0638 or e-mail kswanson@archoward.org.
Registration Open for Glen Mar Golf Classic to Benefit Grassroots
Registration is now open for a new golf tournament, The Glen Mar Golf Classic, set for Monday, May 7, at the Timbers of Troy Golf Course in Elkridge. The event, hosted by Glen Mar United Methodist Church, will benefit Grassroots, Howard County’s 24-hour crisis intervention center.
The format is “Captain’s Choice” (scramble); all tee boxes will be permitted. Registration and breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. followed by a shotgun start at 8:30. The tournament fee is $125 per player, or $500 per foursome. Non-golfers may attend at $25 per person to join the luncheon and participate in the silent auction.
A buffet lunch, silent auction and awards program will begin at 1:30 p.m. The silent auction will include items such as tickets to sporting events and concerts, passes to local golf courses, sports equipment and opportunities to bid on vacation packages.
Sponsorships are available from $2,500 (corporate level) to $250 (signage on one of the 18 holes). Golfers can register online at www.glenmargolfclassic.com. For information about sponsorships, call 410-465-4995.
WGC to Host Wealth Coach
The first event in the 2012 Women’s Giving Circle Speaker Series features wealth coach Deborah Owens, author of A Purse of Your Own, on Thursday, May 3, from 6 p.m., at Lord & Taylor at The Mall in Columbia.
Sponsored by Fidelity Investments and Legg Mason, Owens will discuss “seven wealthy habits” and how to apply them to become financially secure. Creating a well-balance portfolio and understanding investing will also be covered. The free event is open to the public. For information, visit www.womensgivingcircle.org.
Ten Oaks Cup Set for June 23
Polo has made its way to Howard County and is back again for the seventh annual Ten Oaks Cup, which will be held on Saturday, June 23, in Clarksville, for the benefit of the Our Daily Bread meal program.
Gates will open at noon with the first of two games beginning at about 1:30 p.m. The featured match will begin at 2:30 p.m. Tailgating will be offered before, during and after the games. The attendance is expected to exceed 750 guests this year with a goal to raise more than $60,000. To date, the event has raised nearly $300,000.
Sponsorships and program ads are available. General Admission is $30 per car in advance and $50 day of event. Each tailgate parking location is right alongside the field of play at $130 per spot in advance and $150 at the gate. For more information, contact Timothy Lewis at 410-537-5988, ext. 107, or tlewis@ccabalt.com.
