October 2013 - Issue 66:

The Gilchrist Center has launched a new Spanish Literacy program in partnership with CENAES (Centro de Alfabetización en Español) at the Long Branch Library.

Thanks to this great partnership, residents who never had a chance to learn how to read and write in their native Spanish language finally get an opportunity to overcome this hurdle, enabling them to later transition into learning English, valuable life skills, and even GED, in the Long Branch neighborhood.

This program is free of charge and runs every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm at the Long Branch Library. In addition, students also benefit from accessing Library services, meeting its staff, and learning about other programs available to them and their children. For more

The Gilchrist Center Resources offers a webpage with the Affordable Care Act presentation given at the Down County Network meeting on September 11, 2013. It provides a good overview of how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will be implemented in Montgomery county. All legal residents of Maryland that do not have health coverage from their employer are eligible.

Affordable Care Act presentation (September 2013) Gilchrist Center Resource Guides  http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/gilchrist/gc-resources/index.html

Get personal assistance with enrollment. See our calendar of events.
http://capitalhealthconnection.org/calendar/

Montgomery County will host a Spanish language information session on ACA on October 29th in Wheaton. Additional details will be provided shortly.
For more information contact:
Karla Silvestre
Manager, Gilchrist Center; Community Liason, Latino Communitiesand New Immigrants' Issues. 240-777-2525, karla.silvestre@montgomerycountymd.gov.
Se habla español.

Pictured in this photo (L to R): Montgomery County Councilmembers Hans Reimer and Roger Berliner, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, Mayor of Xi'an Dong Jun, and President of Sister Cities International  Mary Kane.

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett led a joint economic development and Sister City trip to China from September 15 - September 25. The purpose of the economic development activities of the trip was to open more doors for County businesses in China and to encourage China investment in high-tech and bio-tech projects in the County. While the Sister City purpose of the trip was to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Xi'an, China. This is Montgomery County's third Sister City. The first was Morazán, El Salvador and Gondar, Ethiopia the second. Sister Cities create relationships based on cultural, educational and trade exchanges, creating lifelong friendships that provide prosperity and mutual benefits through "citizen diplomacy." For more photos of the trip, please visit

The picnic will be co-hosted by the Montgomery County Committee on Hate/Violence, the Human Rights Commission, the Office of Community Partnerships and the Montgomery County Executive's Faith Community Working Group.
Anyone who wishes to attend can RSVP by email to mocofriendshippicnic@gmail.com
or by calling 240-777-8456.

The Executive Committee of the Faith Community Advisory Council is pictured with the County Executive, Isiah Leggett, in a meeting of some 70 leaders of Eastern and Western faith traditions on September 10.  The session included reports from the Religious Land Use Working Group, Faith Community Working Group and Committees on Intervention and Prevention of Violence, Solidarity Programming and Clergy Response to Acts of Hate and Violence.  For further information contact the Interfaith Community Liaison, Rev. Mansfield Kaseman mmkaseman@icloud.com or call 240-447-1715.

The Faith Community Role in Public Safety and Preventing Violent Extremism was the topic sponsored by the County Executive's Faith Community Working Group at the Muslim Community Center on August 28.  Seventy-one enjoyed dinner followed by an address from Chief Manger and discussion of a model engaging faith communities with government, non-profits and Department of Police.  Pictured from right to left are Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi, Chair of the Faith Community Working Group Committee on Intervention and Prevention, Rev. Mansfield Kaseman, Interfaith Community Liaison, Imam Mohamed Abdullahi of the Muslim Community Center, Chief Tom Manger, and Rashid Makhdoom, President of the Montgomery County Muslim Council.  

October 7, 6 - 7:15 p.m. -- the City of Gaithersburg's "Hispanic Heritage Event featuring Bolivia." Boher Park Community Center, 506 S. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg.

October 7, 10:30 a.m. -- Bilingual Story time Spanish/English, a special six-week series of stories, songs and rhymes in Spanish and English. Little Falls Library, 5501 Massachusetts Ave., Bethesda.

October 9, 7:30 p.m. -- Jaime Salazar, a.k.a. Gato, singer-guitarist. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman La., North Bethesda.*

October 10, 6 - 11 p.m. -- Second Annual Montgomery County Hispanic Heritage Celebration and Awards Ceremony, Noche de Estrellas. Silver Spring Civic Building, 1 Veterans Place.*

October 20, Noon - 5 p.m. -- World of Montgomery Multicultural Festival featuring four countries, including El Salvador. Westfield Wheaton, 11160 Viers Mill Rd.

Thank you for sharing this historic evening with us!
Visit Photos & Photo Album: http://www.montgomeryhispanicgala.org/

Sponsored by Fund for Montgomery and organized by KID Museum, the free festival includes an international village, a global kitchen with chef demonstrations of traditional ethnic food, a craft market, a Parade of Cultures, two performance stages of traditional dance and music, connections through service, traditional arts and music.

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation's (MCDOT) Resident's Guide to Services is now available in Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. The guide provides phone, website and email contacts that direct residents to more information about all of MCDOT's basic services as well as those provided by the Maryland State Highway Administration.
More.

YOU ARE INVITED!
Program Topics: Health/Human Services, Education, Housing, Transportation, Public Safety and Economic Development County Officials and Agency Heads, Homeowner Associations, Business Organizations, Civic Groups, Religious Institutions, Education Professionals and Residents of Eastern Montgomery County coming together to discuss and prioritize the most pressing issues in the Eastern Region.    View Calendar for more information.

The Montgomery County Council, which for the past several years has held Town Hall Meetings throughout the County in its efforts to find out what issues most concern residents, will learn what is on the mind of younger residents when it hosts its fourth-ever Town Hall Meeting for Students on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the Council Office Building in Rockville. The meeting, in the Council's Third Floor Hearing Room, will start at 7 p.m. A pre-meeting reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the building's second-floor cafeteria.

Are you looking 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 homes for the El Barrial Community in Morazán, El Salvador.  You will learn about the country and the people in a way that isn't possible with ordinary travel.
For more contact: john.paukstis@habitat-mc.org

The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services is holding a community forum to gather input from the public on the department's FY2015 operating budget.

The forum will be held on Monday, October 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Children's Resource Center in Rockville.  A representative from the Office of Management and Budget will present an overview of the County's fiscal forecast for FY2013, followed by HHS Director Uma Ahluwalia, who will review the department's priorities.  Following the briefing, participants will have an opportunity to help identify services that will help ensure the department's goal of building a safe, healthy and strong community.
Commissions and boards will have three minutes to speak and all others will have two minutes to speak.  To sign up to speak, call 240-777-1211 (voice) or 301-251-4580 (TTY) by close of business October 9or email CommunityBudget.Forum@montgomerycountymd.gov by close of business October 19.

If you're over 50 - or love someone who is - don't miss the 14th annual 50+Expo taking place on Sunday, Oct. 13 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza, co-sponsored by Montgomery County Government. (A similar event takes place the prior Sunday, October 6, at Ballston Common Mall in Arlington, Va.) Parking is free in the county garage across the street.
Hear Dr. Luigi Ferrucci, scientific director of the National Institute on Aging at NIH, speaking about research teaching us how we can live longer and better. Attendees can also obtain free health screenings, a flu shot, gather information about local services and products for older adults, and enjoy exercise classes.
For more.

The College Park/Sandy Springs Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi will be hosting its annual College Tour. The event will take place on Thursday, October 17th-19th, during which time, participants will visit and experience college life on several college campuses including: Vanderbilt University, Tennessee State University, Fisk University, Meharry Medical College, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Winston-Salem University, North Carolina A&T University and North Carolina Central University.   

The purpose of the tour is to give high school students the chance to experience the culture of campus life at universities of different sizes and locations, and to help these students begin to realize their dream of higher education.  It will be an experience of a lifetime. Give this gift to a student in need today!

The cost of $300 for college tour participants will cover travel, food, lodging and the football game ticket.  Payments for participating in the college tour can only be made via Paypal using the following link http://www.cpsskapsi.org .  All payments via Paypal must be posted by October 11 th. . For more information about the college tour, please contact the committee chairman, Byron Holmes at 202-603-3664 or nupe80@aol.com

The first session of this series will include an open-ended conversation among attendees, in order to bring forth relevant issues affecting fundraising in the nonprofit sector. The second session will include a facilitated conversation - and tentatively a guest speaker - to present on a topic deemed pressing by the group.

Thursday, October 17, 2013 9:00AM - 10:30AM
Registration is limited to 15.  For registration.

Montgomery County Recreation Department Director Gabriel Albornoz has received the National Football League's (NFL) Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award. The award is presented by Courtyard by Marriott during Hispanic Heritage Month in all 32 NFL markets nationally. Albornoz was recognized onstage during a star-studded 26th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and was introduced by NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Muñoz. The prestigious Hispanic Heritage Leadership Awards were created by The White House to honor notable Latinos who have distinguished themselves in various fields and made an impact on America and beyond. 

Residents interested in learning more about the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and what it means for seniors are invited to attend any one of a series of community events sponsored by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and the Montgomery County Department of Recreation that will be held in October.
County Executive Isiah Leggett and a representative from the Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) will address the myths surrounding the effect the ACA will have on seniors.  Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about Maryland's plan for implementing the ACA, which mandates that legal residents age 18 to 64 have health insurance coverage beginning January 1, 2014 or face a penalty.
County Executive Isiah Leggett and a representative from the Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) will address the myths surrounding the effect the ACA will have on seniors.  Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about Maryland's plan for implementing the ACA, which mandates that legal residents age 18 to 64 have health insurance coverage beginning January 1, 2014 or face a penalty.
For more

Working group membership is free and open to all County residents. Join a working group that matches your interest and expertise, and have an impact on the local food system!
As a working group member, you will have the opportunity to share your concerns facing your organization regarding its role in the Montgomery County food network. You can share your insights and influence food-related decision making and strategies implemented at the local level.
Contact Food Council Coordinator, Jessica Weiss, 301-537-7422, or e-mail mocofoodcouncil@gmail.com
http://www.mocofoodcouncil.org/

A few of the workshops that may be of particular interest to those already in business include the Protecting YourBrand - Intellectual Property for Business Owners, Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns and our monthly QuickBooks workshop.

For more information contact:  Alicia@MarylandWBC.org
www.MarylandWBC.org

The Office of Community Partnerships is looking for a lead volunteer to create this monthly e-newsletter! You will work with the online software Constant Contact and work closely with the Office of Community Partnerships team to keep this community resource going. Work can be done either at home or at the Office of Community Partnerships office in Rockville or Germantown. Orientation and some training will be provided. Volunteer should have good computer skills and comfort with online software. 

This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to use their writing skills and gain experience using popular email marketing software. Also a chance to learn more about events and issues in the county and network with community leaders. 

For more information contact volunteer@montgomerycountymd.gov

Our organizers are in need of enthusiastic and dedicated Network Guides to support their work with Opportunity Circles in Wheaton. If you are interested in becoming a Network Guide please check out our website for more information.