|
November 24, 2015
Dear friends,
As we approach Thanksgiving and the conclusion of my first year as a member of the Prince George's County
 Council, I am writing to say thank you.
Thank you for your support. Thank you for the work you do in our community. Thank you for contacting me with your questions, comments, concerns, and ideas. Serving the residents of District 3 and our entire County over the past year has been more rewarding--and humbling--than I could ever have imagined. While you and I may not have agreed on every issue, please know that I work hard to listen to all sides and ask a lot of questions. With one year under my belt, I am spending some time reflecting on the past year and looking forward to next year. On Thanksgiving I will give thanks for many things in my life such as my family, my health, and the opportunity to serve you; I hope that you have much to give thanks for as well. Even as I give thanks, I am also taking time to remember several community leaders who passed away in 2015. Ron Minor, Krista Williams, and Lulu Alexander were dedicated community leaders and they are each deeply missed. We all know what comes immediately after Thanksgiving Day--Black Friday. Those sale advertisements have already started dominating the newspaper circulars and airways. But do you know about Shop Local Saturday? Shop Local Saturday is a day to focus on supporting our local, small businesses.  We have many small businesses in District 3 and throughout Prince George's County. Even as we work hard to attract additional retail to our County, it is incredibly important to support the small businesses we do have. I encourage you join me and Shop Local on Saturday, November 28, and throughout the holiday season. If you own or patronize a local small business, please share it on my Facebook or Twitter page with the hashtag #ShopLocalSaturday between November 26 and 28. And if you're looking for a great local shop to patronize you can visit my Facebook or Twitter page on those days to see what places others recommend.  Another day that was branded in the past few years is Giving Tuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This year, Giving Tuesday is on December 1. It's a day to focus on giving back, especially within our local community. During my first year as your County Council representative, I have worked to strengthen our incredible nonprofit organizations doing work in District 3 and across Prince George's County. As a County, financially we are limited with how we can support our social services network. This means we rely greatly on our nonprofit sector to fill many unmet needs throughout the community. I hope you will join me on #GivingTuesday by making a gift to one of the many nonprofits working in our community. If you work for or give to a local nonprofit, please share it on my Facebook or Twitter page with the hashtag #GivingTuesday between November 29 and December 1. If you're looking for a great local nonprofit to donate to you can visit my Facebook or Twitter page on those days to see what others recommend. I send my warmest wishes to you and your loved ones for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. Together Strengthening Our Community,
| 
