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ROSCOE R. NIX DISTINGUISHED COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD WINNERS
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Carol Trawick
Carol Trawick has devoted her time, talent, and treasure to serving others and promoting the arts. When Carol Trawick and her husband Jim sold their  successful information technology business in 2006, they established the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation with a mission to strengthen community organizations. The Foundation's innovative TeamUp grant making strategy requires nonprofits to collaborate in serving middle school students. Ms. Trawick initiated and funds The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards.
Ms. Trawick has served as Board chair of numerous community organizations, including The Music Center at Strathmore, Bethesda Urban Partnership, B-CC Chamber of Commerce, B-CC Rotary Club, and Bethesda Arts and Entertainment District. For her commitment to corporate social responsibility, Ms. Trawick has received many honors, including Washingtonian of the Year, the Community Foundation's Philanthropist of the Year, Leadership Montgomery's Outstanding Leader Award, Interfaith Works' Humanitarian of the Year, and the Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame.
Click here for video.
Odessa Shannon
Odessa Shannon has fought for human rights her entire life. As National Program Director at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she  worked with state and local human rights agencies across the nation. Ms. Shannon served as Special Assistant to County Executive Charles Gilchrist, Deputy Director of Family Resources, and Director of the Office of Human Rights. She founded the county's Human Rights Hall of Fame in 2001. Odessa Shannon became Montgomery County's first African American woman elected official when she was elected to the Board of Education in 1982. She was one of the original directors of the National Political Congress of Black Women. Ms. Shannon has served on many community boards, including NAACP and Montgomery Housing Partnership.
Ms. Shannon has been recognized with a number of prestigious awards, including the Human Rights Hall of Fame, the Hornbook Award for Outstanding Service to Education, the MLK Humanitarian Award, and the Women of Vision Award of the Commission for Women. Click here for video.
Teresa Rios Wright
Teresa Rios Wright is the quintessential community connector. From a key position within the school system, she has been the heart and soul of a  network of community organizations and government agencies dedicated to making Montgomery County one of the nation's most immigrant-friendly communities. Ms. Wright taught in Mexico and Illinois before she joined Montgomery County Public Schools in 1979. Since 1995, as a Parent Resource Teacher in MCPS's Division of ESOL and Bilingual Programs, Ms. Wright has worked to ensure that immigrant families and their children in the Gaithersburg and Watkins Mill clusters have an opportunity to achieve success. Ms. Wright has been honored with countless awards, including the Board of Education's Distinguished Service to Public Education, Leadership Montgomery's Outstanding Leader Award, the Montgomery County Collaboration Council's Time Well Spent for Montgomery's Children Award, and the League of Women Voters' Lavinia Engle Award. Click here for video.
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Montgomery Serves Awards Honorees
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In addition to recognizing the Roscoe Nix Award winners, The Montgomery Serves Awards event was also an occasion to honor the volunteer of the year in the categories of Individual, Group, Youth and Business. And to honor two individuals for a life time of service with the Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award.
Montgomery Serves Awards - Volunteer of the Year
Individual: Robert Zagorski volunteered hundreds of hours with many organizations, including mentoring a family with Lutheran Social Services, teaching youth financial literacy and more with Junior Achievement of Greater Washington, and much more.
Group: Montgomery County Alumnae Chapter of ���Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (MCAC) has over 300 members devoted to community service. In 2012 they provided countless services including programs for teens, collections for the homeless and an AIDS Day Symposium.
Youth: Alfredo Colina Iturralde, a senior at Gaithersburg High School, recognized for his leadership and accomplishments with students and parents at the school.
Business: MedImmune was recognized for thousands of hours of volunteer service, as well as building a playground for the Children's Inn at NIH.
Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award-A Lifetime of Service
Marcine D. Goodloe has been a leader in fire and rescue service for over 40 years. Joyce B. Siegel has been a community activist and leader in areas of housing and human rights in Montgomery County since 1962.
Click here to see more details for all these extraordinary community volunteers.
 | | Left to right: Odessa Shannon, Marcine Goodloe, Robert Zagorski, Alfredo Colina Iturralde, Carol Trawick, Joyce Siegel, Claire Nakashima Nelson from Medimmune, Teresa Rios Wright, Lorna Forde and Dr. LaWanda Peace from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority |
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Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity
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The Gilchrist Center has launched some tools to help you stay up to date on resources for the community. We completely redesigned our website to include information on programs and services that the Center is offering. You can download program flyers, our latest brochure, check volunteer opportunities, find our contact information and hours of operation, and more! See it for yourself at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/gilchrist
You can also receive weekly updates on upcoming program registrations, training opportunities, community events and other happenings by following our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/GilchristCenterforCulturalDiversity. We are constantly sharing information. Whether you are a provider of service and/or a community resident, check us out and let us know how we are doing! You can send your questions or comments to our email: gilchrist.center@montgomerycountymd.gov
or call us at (240)777-4940.
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May is Asian American Heritage Month!
County Executive Ike Leggett will present a proclamation in honor of Asian American Heritage Month to Asian American community leaders on May 28, 2013. Contact Diane Vu, Asian and Middle Eastern Liaison at diane.vu@montgomerycountymd.gov for details.
"The history of the AAPI community shows us how with hope and resolve, we can overcome the problems we face. We can reaffirm our legacy as a Nation where all things are possible for all people. So this month, as we recognize Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who are fulfilling that promise in every corner of our country, let us recommit to giving our children and grandchildren the same opportunity in the years ahead." -President Barack Obama
For full text of the Presidential Proclamation in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, visit www.whitehouse.gov.
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Middle Eastern American Community
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County Executive Ike Leggett hosted a reception for community leaders in honor of Arab American Heritage Month on April 30, 2013 at the Executive Office Building.
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The program included a poetry reading by Miss Junior Maryland Leyla Pelon, a presentation on the Arab Community by Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland Dr. Sahar Khamis, and presentations of proclamations from representatives from the national, state and local governments.
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Understanding Middle Eastern Culture
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Interfaith Community Liaison
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"Call for Unity and Partnership to Prevent Violence"
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In response to learning that the Boston bombers were Muslim the Faith Community Working Group called leaders of faith communities and public officials together at the International Cultural Center on April 25. A "Call for Unity and Partnership to Prevent Violence" was subsequently signed by over 70 individuals. Pictured to the left of County Executive, Ike Leggett, is Rabbi Batya Steinlouf, and to the right is Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi who Co-Chair the Faith Community Working Group. To the far right is Rev. Mansfield Kaseman, Interfaith Community Liaison with the Office of Community Partnerships.
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His Eminence Venerable Yangthang Tulku
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| The Revered Buddhist Master, His Eminence Venerable Yangthang Tulku, in a rare visit to the Kunzang Palyul Chorling Temple in Poolesville was presented a Proclamation from the County Executive by the Rev. Mansfield Kaseman. Subsequently the Interfaith Community Liaison was presented a stole by the 90 year old Lama who survived 23 years in a Chinese prison and today teaches and empowers people around the world.
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Arab American Heritage month celebrated
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| The Arab American Heritage Month was initiated on the Rockville Campus of Montgomery County on April 3 with a Proclamation from the County Executive, Ike Leggett, presented by Rev. Mansfield Kaseman. Pictured are faculty, students, speakers, Rev. Kaseman and Enas Elhanafi, Recruitment and College Access Coordinator.
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Montgomery County Executive Hispanic Gala
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Save the Date for the Montgomery County Executive Hispanic Gala on September 12th 2013. All proceeds from this volunteer-led event will go to scholarships for Latino youth. Please spread the word about the scholarships and encourage students to apply before June 30th. The application, as well as event sponsorship opportunities, can be found on the event website at
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Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County, MD, Inc. (HFH-MC)
Global Village Trip to Morazan, El Salvador,
July 27 to August 4, 2013
Are you loking for an adventure that will expand your mind, help you into better physical shape, and touch your heart and spirit all at once? Then join us on an excursion to beautiful El Salvador while we build some homes for the El Barrial Community in Morazan, El Salvador. You will learn about the country and the people in a way that ordinary travel never could. If you are interested in learning more about this trip to El Salvador, please contact John Paukstis at: john.paukstis@habitat-mc.org
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Celebrating Service & Honoring Excellence
I have often heard Ike Leggett explain that the two major challenges he faced in taking office as County Executive in 2006 were getting our County budget back on a fiscally responsible, sustainable path and managing change in Montgomery County. His words have never been more meaningful to me than they were on Monday night April 29. Presiding over the Second Annual Montgomery Serves Awards event at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, the County Executive explained the role Roscoe Nix played in preparing Montgomery County to be a community welcome to change. Without Roscoe Nix's persistent, insistent, and passionate commitment to social justice, the County Executive explained, Montgomery County would not be the place it is today.
In 2011, County Executive Leggett established the Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Leadership Award to honor his mentor, a community leader who helped shape the modern Montgomery County. He presented the first award posthumously to Roscoe Nix. The two other inaugural year awardees were business leader Chuck Lyons and public servant Connie Morella.
The 2013 honorees all spoke about how Roscoe Nix helped shape their service to Montgomery County. Former Director of the Office of Human Rights Odessa Shannon worked side-by-side with Roscoe Nix in the battle for human rights. Business leader Carol Trawick spoke about how Roscoe Nix helped shape her philanthropy. The indefatigable community connector Teresa Rios Wright paid tribute to Mr. Nix's leadership in celebrating the academic achievement of our students. |
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 | | 2013 Nix Award Winners Teresa Rios Wright, Odessa Shannon, and Carol Trawick. |
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Both winners of the Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award said they were honored to receive an award recognizing a man who dedicated his life to making Montgomery County an exemplary community. Housing advocate Joyce Siegel and fire and rescue volunteer leader Marcine Goodloe both had the privilege of working with former County Executive and Councilmember Neal Potter. Neal Potter was a great mentor to the County Executive and to me right from the start of our public service, and Joyce Siegel has been a personal inspiration to me for four decades.
We received more than 100 nominations for the Potter award and the 2013 Montgomery Serves Awards. Congratulations to the winners of the Montgomery Serves Awards for service during 2012: Alfredo Colina (youth), MedImmune (business), Robert Zagorski (individual), and the Montgomery County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (community group).
Thanks to all the volunteers and partners for a terrific evening celebrating the community service spirit that makes Montgomery County special. My special thanks go to Imagination Stage, emcee Andrea Roane from W*USA 9, the awesome staff and volunteers from the Montgomery County Volunteer Center, our partners at the Corporate Volunteer Center, and the generous supporters of the Fund for Montgomery.
For more information about the event and to read the inspiring stories of the awardees, please log onto: www.montgomeryserves.org
Happy Mother's Day! |
Bruce Adams
Director, Office of Community Partnerships
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Share your immigrant story today and be part of this debate:
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Join us for the 2nd Annual
It Takes A Village
Awards Breakfast
| What? | The 2nd Annual Nonprofit Village It Takes A Village Awards Breakfast | | | When? | Thursday, May 16, 2013
7:30-8:00 AM Registration & Networking
8:00-9:30 AM Keynote Speaker and Awards Program | | | Where? | Hyatt Regency Bethesda
One Bethesda Metro Center
Bethesda, MD 20814
Register here |
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 Bike To Work Day on May 17, 2013
It's an annual celebration organized by the Washington Area Bicycling Association (WABA), with the support of local sponsors. Many downcounty residents, including those in Takoma/Langley, bike to work, part of about 10,000 bike commuters in the DC region who like bicycling as a clean, fun and healthy way to get to work.
The Takoma/Langley Crossroads Development Authority is once again hosting a pitstop for bike commuters at Kirklynn Drive and New Hampshire Avenue near the bike rack. We will serve refreshments and give out t-shirts to all registered riders who stop. Two other Takoma Park pitstops will host bikers on May 17: one at the Gazebo in Old Takoma, and another on Sligo Creek Trail at New Hampshire Ave. Registration is free and opens in March. Participants receive a free T-shirt, refreshments, and are entered into a raffle for a free bicycle! To learn more, see:
http://biketoworkmetrodc.com
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 Small Business Awards 2013
Join the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development and several hundred of your colleagues from throughout the County's diverse business community as we honor individuals and local organizations who have made significant contributions to the vitality of our local economy. On Friday May 24 awards will be presented to eight companies in the following categories: | Bioscience Company of the Year | | IT Company of the Year | | Montgomery County BIN Company of the Year | | Small Business Award (1-10 Employees) | | Small Business Award (11-50 Employees) | | Small Business Award (51-200 Employees) | | Start-up Business of the Year | | Workforce Development Award |
Learn more and register to attend |
 WE NEED YOU!
County Executive Isiah Leggett is committed to representation on all of the County's boards, committees, and commissions that is reflective of, and responsive to, our County's residents. Public participation contributes to the work of County government and provides an important service to the community when a variety of issues, concerns, and viewpoints are presented. Currently, there is a valuable opportunity to serve on the following: | Commission on Landlord-Tenant Affairs | | Property Tax Assessment Appeal Board | | Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission | | Washington Suburban Transit Commission | | The deadline for application is May 22, 2013. |
More. |
High School Summer Crew
Casey Trees works to restore, enhance and protect the tree canopy of the nation's capital. Their Summer Crew is a high school jobs program where students serve as caretakers for D.C.'s trees in the summer. General responsibilities include watering, weeding and mulching trees. Crew members work 35 hours per week at $9 per hour and travel to worksites by truck and bicycle teams under adult supervision. The 2013 Summer Crew session will run from June 27 to August 9. Applications must be submitted by Saturday May 18, 2013
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Submit Nominations for the 30th Annual
Governor's Service Awards
The Governor's Service Awards will recognize Maryland residents for their significant contributions to the life and health of the State and its people during 2012 (or longer for a lifetime achievement award). Selected recipients will receive the awards during an event in the fall.
Nominations are now being accepted! To submit a nomination, and to find out more, visit GOSV.maryland.gov.
Nominations are due on June 3, 2013 by 5:00 pm.
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| Go to www.MarylandWBC.org and click on StartRight. |
Celebrate Mother's Day
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Mother's Day Tea and Cupcakes
Celebrate Mother's Day with your favorite lady at MCHS! From 1 to 3 p.m., there will be a variety of crafts* (including cupcake decorating!), tea, and tours of the Beall-Dawson House and the Stonestreet Museum of 19th Century Medicine. Reservations are required in order to participate in the tea and crafts, as space is limited. Price of admission is $20 ($15 for MCHS members) - mothers receive free admission**.
Please RSVP by May 8 to Vanessa Herndon at vherndon@montgomeryhistory.org or 301-340-2825.
*Ages 5+
**Only one free admission per group
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Subscribe to My Green Montgomery
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Residents are encouraged to subscribe to a new e-newsletter launched this week by the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) entitled "Your Green Montgomery." The monthly publication about how to live a green life will include a calendar of events, a Community Corner, a Green Living idea of the month and three articles on a variety of environmental, recreation, social and health topics.
The first newsletter features articles on Earth Month activities in the County, the importance of community greening organizations and the Sierra Club's work to promote energy efficiency education.
Sign up for the newsletter at MyGreenMontgomery.org.
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 May 16, 2013 - 6:00-9:00 PMCarnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square L'Enfant Map Room 801 K Street NW Washington, DC Near Chinatown (Red) & Mt. Vernon Sq. (Yellow & Green) Metro Stops Tickets for a donation of $150 can be purchased online or by contacting Elise Webb elise@ayuda.com, 202-387-4848. |
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