Message from the President
By: Ron Dhindsa
Dear MLW Family:
I
hope that 2010 is off to a great start for you and your families. In
case you haven't heard already, MLW is gearing up for an exciting year.
Not only are we celebrating
our 55th anniversary, but we are also focusing on long-term
sustainability with the creation of a Board of Trustees. While we will
keep much of the existing infrastructure as a 501(c)(3), we hope this
will allow us to continue to create the MLW magic and transform
the lives of even more young leaders.
I
am pleased to announce that MLW has obtained a $50,000 grant ($25,000
per year for 2010 and 2011) from Comcast's national foundation to both
expand our community
outreach programming and provide year-round follow up with students
served in both our community outreach and core summer programs. MLW's
largest prior non-government grant was $10,000. This is a testament to
our mission and a powerful shot in the arm as we
launch our new organizational structure.
MLW
has also obtained $32,000 in Community Investment Tax Credits from the
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. We will sell
these tax credits
for $2 each, thereby resulting in total revenue of $64,000. These tax
credits will support programming in 2010, 2011 and 2012 in some or all
of the following jurisdictions: Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City,
Calvert County, and Harford County.
In other news, MLW's current and alumni staff gathered on December 23rd
at Strathmore Mansion for the annual MLW holiday party (aka corporation
meeting). We reflected on the lives MLW has impacted over the years.
The holiday
party brought out a bunch of MLW legends including Jon Burr, Bill
Caltrider, Karen Crawford, Charlie Gayle, Aimee Guidera, Holly Bamber
Huntley, Irv Morgan, Dan Navarro, Jen Olsen, Chan Park, Eliot
Pfanstiehl, Erik Rogstad, Amy Startt, and Darren Thompson.
The MLW vibe was definitely in full effect!!! This bodes well for what
should be an extremely fun and enjoyable 55 year celebration this fall!
(Date TBA very soon).
We
thank you for your past support and ongoing support of our mission to
create the MLW magic and indelibly transform the lives of society's
greatest resource -
youth.
Warmest regards,
Ron Dhindsa
President
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Pictures from the Holiday Party
For those of you that were unable to attend MLW's annual corporation meeting (aka holiday party), here are two pictures from the evening.  |
News from our Alumni
By: Lauren Hanson Lee
MLW would like to send our sincerest congratulations to the following people:
Josh Michael is going to doing Teach for America - Baltimore. Brianna O'Brien is recently engaged, to her fiance Johnny Lowndes. Lauren
Lee got accepted and will be starting a Masters in
Education/Certification Program at the University of Maryland this
summer.
Karen Crawford was selected as a Student Service Learning Fellow for
Maryland. There were 9 Fellows accepted this year. That makes 221
since 1993. Darren Thompson is engaged to Verisha Saulet. Kathryn Cohen got a role in Gypsy at her school this spring. Go
check her out at Paint Branch High School on March 12, 13, 18, and 19! |
SAIL Recap
By: Zack Jamison
This past January, the MLW family was excited to reunite once again for
our annual SAIL event held at Atholton High School. Delegates and staff
from the 2009 SHW and MSEL summer programs reconvened
to share how MLW has changed their lives since they've been back at
school, as well as how delegates can continue to better themselves as
leaders and individuals. Throughout the day, delegates got to spend
time reconnecting with old friends, as well as working towards ways to
help in improving the program for the new delegates that will get to
experience the MLW magic this coming summer! As well as providing
feedback on the program, delegates discussed different ethical dilemmas
that are prevalent in our schools and society at large. Parents also had the opportunity to get involved, and provide feedback to the
directors on how their sons and daughters have grown since the summer,
and what MLW can do to serve the families of student leaders across the
state. Toward the end of the day delegates were given the opportunity
to design their own workshop that they feel would be beneficial to
include into the program, and presented it to the staff. SAIL was a
fantastic experience for all involved to not just relive some of the
amazing experiences of 2009, but also to get everyone pumped and
excited for another life changing summer at Maryland Leadership
Workshops! Applications for summer programs are currently online. Visit our website to download an application.
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MLW is on Facebook
Yes, MLW is finally on Facebook! Become a fan of this great organization by clicking here. And tell others to check us out as well! |
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Alum Spotlight - Cathy Vitale
By: Lauren Hanson Lee
Below is an interview MLW conducted with former delegate, Cathy Vitale.
What do you do for a living?
What do you enjoy most about it?
I am a full time practicing attorney and member of the Anne
Arundel County Council. In sum, I'm an advocate. Regardless of which job
I am in the role of at the moment, I have an opportunity to advocate for those
that I represent on the County Council or in my legal capacity. I have been
practicing law since 1989 and have been a member of the county council since
2000.
When did you participate in MLW
and in what capacity?
My first introduction to MLW was through its middle school program,
that would have been the summer of 1978 at St. Mary's College of MD. I had a wonderful experience and
wonderful memories. I was a delegate for four summers.
What do you remember most about
MLW? Or favorite memory?
Back then we had junior high school
instead of middle school. I was asked to participate in the
Maryland Association of Student Councils (MASC) in one of their junior high
areas and then went to MLW. Even MASC was an opportunity that expanded because
of MLW. I had met several of the staff who were high schoolers in MASC and got
to know them. I have to admit that I'm one of those people that saves memories (aka someone who saves absolutely everything). We were looking at old photos at
home and my son asked about the old group photo that we take at the end of the week. Even my son wanted to know how he could participate after I told
him some of the stories. He is currently a delegate to his school SGA. Last summer
I received an email from Mary Alex and it happened to be about MLW. It was so nice, and it
immediately brought back summers, and team building, the dance, the whole experience.
And what a great opportunity it was, even back then, to meet kids from all over
the state of Maryland.
How did MLW affect your life?
I learned how to build consensus and how to work on a project.
I find myself thinking so often, I learned this in 7th grade! The
skills that were learned during those summers at MLW, turned out to be skills
that I use in my position as an elected official. I would love to go back and
look at the curriculum that existed when I went through the
program. I guarantee you every skill that I use, is one that I learned back
then. In Leadership Anne Arundel, it was the same thing again: the
sharing of ideas and opportunities and being open and not being afraid to share
ideas. MLW leadership training, at least for me, became an opportunity
literally to begin practicing skills that I had no idea I was going to be
needing. They function in everyday life and are applicable as an attorney, in
negotiations, and county council situations. It is one of two foundational
opportunities I've been a part of that has an impact on who I am and how I mold
and approach strategies today.
What advice would you give to
young MLW staffers now that are just starting their adult lives?
To the staffers I would have to say that you shouldn't
forget the lessons that we all learned as delegates. They are the tools that we
learned and practice and will use as adults.
I'm grateful for the opportunities that MLW has provided me.
At the time I was unable to comprehend or appreciate how important the
lessons were. I hope to step up in my participation in MLW in hope of helping
future leaders. (Perhaps one day, it will be my son you are interviewing!)
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What's Our Impact?
By: Barrie Moorman
In the fall of 2009, the MLW Policy Board developed a strategic plan to
work toward the goal of achieving sustainability and being recognized
as a cutting-edge, leadership development organization that creates a
measurable impact on Maryland's diverse youth. Measuring MLW's impact
in a way that can be shared with friends of the organization, policy
makers, funders, and other people who are interested in youth
development is an important component of the organization's
sustainability. While those of us who have been through the program
can articulate ways that we have felt and continue to feel the MLW
magic in our every day lives, we want to be able to prove what we do to
outsiders - and to ourselves.
Some staff members go through the summer
unsure of what impact they are having and having a clear set of
objectives and strategies for measuring delegates' progress toward
those objectives would give staff members a clear indication of the
impact they are having on delegates and help them focus their energy to
facilitate growth in areas where delegates have not shown as much
progress. Having a clear set of outcomes for delegates, which are
measurable, that drive curricular decisions and staff training, is a
critical component of MLW's continued growth and sustainability.
Right
now, the Impact Committee is setting objectives and researching the
world of data analysis, but we hope to develop tools that will be
useful for internal and external purposes to better measure the impact
that our programs have on our delegates year after year. If you are
passionate about data measurement, please join us in our effort to
measure MLW's impact! Please contact Barrie Moorman (barrie.moorman@gmail.com) or Rourke O'Brien (rourke.obrien@gmail.com) for more information or to share your ideas.
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Help Us Impact More Youth
By: Bri O'Brien
We all know the
impact MLW has made on our lives. We've witnessed the impact our summer
programs have had on students, whether it was the
delegate who did not have the confidence to speak in front of a group or the
delegate who had a passion but was not quite sure what to do with it.
You may or may not
know, but the cost of MLW's programs is significantly more than what we charge.
The actual cost per delegate is $900. We ask that you make a contribution
of any size to help us change the lives of more youth in Maryland. To
make a contribution, visit our online donation site by clicking here or simply
call our office at 301-527-8222 to find out other ways to make your contribution. |
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