Montgomery County saw an amazing outpouring of volunteerism for the Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service. There were park clean ups, food and clothing collections, a huge volunteer fair and celebrations of the life of Dr. King and how we can all follow in his footsteps and be involved in service in our community.

     

2,300 participated in the Volunteer Center's event at the Marriott. They decorated and assembled snacks for foster care children; made fleece scarves and blankets for Montgomery Hospice; made 1,500 lunches for shelters with Whole Foods Market; braided paracord bracelets to go to veterans and active military through Operation Gratitude; learned about year-round volunteer opportunities from the nonprofits in the Volunteer Fair, and much more.

500 volunteers participated in the MLK Day event at the Silver Spring Civic building hosted by Montgomery County (MD) Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Just a few of the projects volunteers completed there were Care Kits for domestic violence victims at Betty Ann Krahnake Center; pillows for seniors; letters for troops; and cards for children at Holy Cross Hospital.

    

The International Cultural Center and Seneca Creek Community Church also hosted hundreds of volunteers for many projects including packaging food and "move-in kits" for the homeless, giving blood, and making dog toys for animal shelters.  

  

  

Volunteer Center Builds Partnerships  

  

Lynn Arndt, CMR Deputy Director; Theresa Testoni, Governor's Office on Service & Volunteerism; Molly Callaway and Kathleen Meaney Stobie from the Volunteer Center; and Agnes Saenz, CMR Executive Director.  

 

The Volunteer Center was recognized by Community Ministries of Rockville (CMR) at their annual meeting as a valuable partner for their role in connecting skilled volunteers with CMR.

One of the great aspects of my job is that I get to see wonderful people doing amazing things nearly every day. Martin Luther King, Jr Day is, of course, one of the most inspiring days of the year. By 7:30 in the morning, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity has filled the banquet hall at the Conference Center to honor Dr. King. Later that morning, more than 500 people were doing service projects under the leadership of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority at the Silver Spring Civic Building. By early afternoon, the Conference Center was filled again with two thousand volunteers under the guidance of our Volunteer Center. By mid-afternoon the Concert Hall at Strathmore was full of people celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King thanks to the Fund for Montgomery and the MLK Commemorative Committee. And these were just a few of the activities in honor of Dr. King going on across the county that I was able to experience.

There isn't a MLK Day every week, but every week in Montgomery County is packed with community building activities that are the reason Montgomery County is such a special place. Last Sunday night, hundreds of people packed the Cabin John Middle School to celebrate the 2014 Chinese New Year (Year of the Horse) under the leadership of the Northwestern Chinese American Association of Greater Washington, our partners with our Xi'an Sister City. Thursday night we celebrated Karla Silvestre's five excellent years of service as Latino liaison and then the County Executive met with his Latin American Advisory Group to discuss the Latino community's priorities for the FY15 budget year. Saturday morning was particularly meaningful for me as I was able to attend the dedication of the Leonard D. Jackson Ken Gar Center in his beloved Ken Gar community. Leonard Jackson was a great crusader for fair housing and equal rights. He was one of the very first people I met when I returned home from college in 1970. As County Executive Leggett said at the dedication, Montgomery County would not be the welcoming community it is today if it were not for the good works of Leonard Jackson.

So, in that spirit, I urge you to think about the people and organizations that have made a difference in your life and take 30 minutes to nominate one of them for a Montgomery Serves Award. The Third Annual Montgomery Serves Awards event brought to you by the Fund for Montgomery and the Volunteer Center will be held on Monday April 28 at Imagination Stage. This event, along with the MLK Day events, Community Service Day, and our World of Montgomery Festival are the days that most inspire me and best showcase the wonderful and welcoming Montgomery County that we are working together to build. Here's the link to find out how to submit a nomination for a Montgomery Serves Award. The nomination deadline is Friday February 28.

 

Bruce Adams

Director, Office of Community Partnerships

P.S. Thanks to Valerie Bonk at Montgomery Community Media for her story about the Office of Community Partnerships: http://www.mymcmedia.org/bruce-adams-helps-county-pioneer-community-engagement-video/. To have your story told, contact Valerie at: vbonk@mymcmedia.org.

Senior Fellow Position Open to Serve Middle Eastern Community

The Office of Community Partnerships has an opening for a Senior Fellow. The Senior Fellow position will work with the director and staff of the Office of Community Partnerships to support the County's outreach and engagement with the Middle Eastern community. The Senior Fellows program provides temporary part-time job opportunities for experienced and seasoned professionals. For more information about the Senior Fellows Program, please go to the County's web site, click on careers, scroll down the page to find the Internship/Fellowship Program information.

Applications will be due by February 20, 2014 with the hope that we will be able to fill the position by early April. To apply for the Senior Fellow job, candidates should use the main link to the Office of Human Resources recruitment, create an account, and then apply for the position (IRC 13411).