CHAMBER EVENTS   

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Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Queen Anne's and Kent Counties will be holding its Fall Pre-Service Training Class Wednesdays and Thursday evenings from 5:00-9:00 p.m. October 23rd through November 14th at the Queen Anne's County Sheriff's Office located at 505 Railroad Avenue, Centreville, MD.

CASA of Queen Anne's and Kent Counties is a non-profit organization developed to advocate for children who are under the protection of the juvenile court system due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Our organization recruits and trains community volunteers to speak on the behalf of these abused and neglected children currently placed in the foster care system. CASA volunteers protect a child's right to be safe, to be treated with dignity and respect.   

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer and would like to attend the upcoming training class, please call Lisa Michaels at 410-758-8610 or email   casework@casaqackent.org. Visit our website for additional information and to download a volunteer application www.casaqackent.org.   

         410-778-1661; www.kent.umd.edu

Romance blooms on Maryland's Eastern Shore, which is listed among the 25 best wedding destinations in the United States, according to Destination Weddings and Honeymoons magazine. (Photo courtesy of MyEasternShoreWedding.com, a website that features only Eastern Shore-based vendors)

Contact:  Amy Steward, Steward Writing & Communications 410-829-0436 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (EASTON, MD - JULY 30, 2013)

Maryland's Eastern Shore on List of 25 Best Wedding Destinations

What does Maryland's Eastern Shore have in common with Santa Fe, Vail, Newport, New York and Williamsburg, to name a few famously posh, pretty and sophisticated cities in the US? Only that it is among heady company in a list of the 25 best wedding destinations in the United States, according to Destination Weddings and Honeymoons magazine.

"It's hard to top this nine-county swath of salt-sprayed villages on the Chesapeake Bay" for waterfront nuptials, the magazine says. With so many beautiful wedding venues, lovely waterfront estates and Inns, this slice of verdant land tucked between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean is chock full of charm. Add to that the region's reputation for succulent seafood, most notably the blue crab, and more and more couples are choosing to say "I do" here.

Just ask Jaime Bargo from Richmond, VA, who got married at The Oaks Waterfront Inn in the quaint village of Royal Oak, MD, last year: "Since our families are from different states, we wanted a place that everyone could drive to. The Eastern Shore gave us that as well as so many wonderful options for venues where our families and guests could relax, kick back and enjoy great food, lodging and stunning views. Many of our guests stayed for a mini-vacation and explored the Shore."

Towns like Easton, Oxford, St. Michaels, Chestertown and Cambridge all have gorgeous waterfront venues and feature upscale shopping and dining. There is plenty to offer guests - bicycle paths, art galleries, live music (check out Easton's historic Avalon Theatre which brings in national acts like Joan Baez, The English Beat, Little Feat, Shawn Colvin, to name a few).  Guests can spot eagles at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge or set sail or kayak on one of the many rivers that lead to the famous Chesapeake Bay.

"Maryland's Eastern Shore is a great place to be married. It's close to major east coast cities, convenient and easily accessed. You don't have to ask your guests to absorb the cost to fly to the Caribbean to have a destination waterfront wedding. And, the area also has top-notch wedding vendors to support any size wedding, says Melissa Grimes-Guy, editor and owner of the wedding resource website MyEasternShoreWedding.com, a website that features only Eastern Shore-based vendors.

The area has an abundance of businesses ready to help any bride plan her day.  Bargo adds, "My experiences with vendors on the Shore was especially wonderful- they really gave me such a sense of calm and reassurance during a very hectic time in my life and I still keep in touch with many of them a year later. They went above and beyond the call of duty."

With a temperate climate, the wedding season extends well into the fall with September and October being some of the more popular months to be married.

"There's truly something special about Maryland's Eastern Shore. It's a wonderful place for making memories, especially ones that will last a lifetime," says Cassandra M. Vanhooser, Tourism Director for Talbot County, which is located at the heart of the region.

In addition to being known as the nation's "crab capital" by Destination Weddings and Honeymoons magazine, this bucolic spot has become the Mid-Atlantic's dream wedding spot.

Smigiel Announces to Fill Pipkin's Senate Seat

August 6, 2013 by Daniel Menefee  - Chestertown Spy

Maryland Delegate Mike Smigiel said he has put his name in for the nomination to replace Senator E.J. Pipkin, who will resign on August 12 after serving 11 years in the Maryland Senate  - with two years as Minority Leader.

Pipkin announced Monday he would resign to earn a masters degree in sports management at Southern Methodist University in Texas.

Currently in his third term in Annapolis, Smigiel is now the longest serving delegate in the 36th District among his colleagues, Del. Jay Jacobs, R-Kent, and Del. Stephen Hershey, R- Queen Anne's.

"I have great respect for Hershey and Jacobs," Smigiel, R-Cecil, said in a brief phone interview with the Spy on Tuesday. "They have been very effective leaders in their first terms, but I believe my experience in passing legislation and advocating on the floor in the House makes me the best choice to carry on the fight for the Shore in the Senate."

Smigiel believes he is the most qualified member of the 36^th District because of his history of moving bills in a legislature dominated 2-1 by Democrats. He said he would run for Pipkin's seat in 2015 whether he gets the nomination or not.

The central committees in Kent, Queen Anne's, Caroline, and Cecil counties must nominate Pipkin's replacement within 30 days of his resignation or Gov. Martin O'Malley will get to fill the seat. Party insiders say there is no chance the leaders in the central committees will miss that deadline.

Smigiel said he will miss working with Pipkin.

"E.J has been my best friend for the last 11 years in Annapolis, fighting for the interests of 36^th District and all of the Shore," Smigiel said. "He has been very successful as a businessman and as legislator, and he will be missed by the party in Annapolis."

Jacobs said on Tuesday that he has considered putting his name in for the nomination - but wanted to wait until he meets with Hershey and Smigiel on Wednesday evening.

"We all work well together, and collectively, we all get a lot of things done for the District," Jacobs said by phone. "No matter who gets the nomination, our good working relationship will continue."

Hershey said that he too was surprised of Pipkin's resignation and wanted to wait until the three men met on Wednesday before deciding his own future.

"I have received a number of text messages, emails, and phone calls encouraging me to pursue the process to succeed E.J in the Maryland Senate," Hershey wrote in an email to the Spy on Tuesday. "I am certainly going to think about it and have plans to speak to my colleagues and supporters in the next few days. I think it's my responsibility to determine the best capacity which I can serve the residents of the 36th District."

Former Delegate Richard Sossi has also put his name in for the nomination. Sossi lost to Hershey in 2010 by a mere 124 votes after Hershey's campaign published pictures of Sossi falling asleep during a session in the House. Sossi had served two terms.

Dear Eastern Chamber Friends,

Every August our elected officials return to their home districts to meet with constituent groups, walk in parades, and hear from their local chambers of commerce.  We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to schedule a visit or forum with your local business leaders.

Members of the U.S. House in particular are weighing immigration reform in the coming months and need to hear from the business community while home.

In addition, it is clear from the results of our Small Business Survey that many business people have concerns about health care reform and how it will impact them.  A meeting between key members and your Representative can be a good way for your members to provide concrete examples of the bill's impact.

If you need more information or assistance in designing a program on any federal issues, please let us know and we'd be happy to help.

Thanks for taking a look and for all your work on behalf of the business community.

Geoff O'Hara

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Nona@mbrt.org, joyce@mbrt.org 

ACHIEVEMENT COUNTS SPEAKERS BUREAU NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

BALTIMORE, MD (7/24/13 - 8/31/13) ---Want to make a difference in a young person's life? There's still time to be a Maryland Scholars Speakers Bureau volunteer.

The Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT) currently is recruiting volunteers from the state's business community to participate in its national award-winning Speakers Bureau.

Over the past decade, more than 3,000 speakers have made presentations about the importance of working hard in school and completing rigorous coursework to half a million seventh - ninth graders statewide. Now it's your turn. The Maryland Scholars Speakers Bureau needs volunteers to step up and participate in this year's program.

Speakers Bureau volunteers attend a three-hour training session in September through November and are asked to make four 50-minute classroom presentations during the school year. They are able to choose the school, dates, and times that are most convenient for them and fit best with their work schedules.

"Volunteers talk to students about their own work and school experiences, sending a positive message to students about the need to take schoolwork seriously right now, not when they are high school seniors," explains June Streckfus, Executive Director of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT).

"It is important for those of us who have entered the professional world to show these students that there is someone out there who cares about their futures," says one Speakers Bureau volunteer. "It is very rewarding to witness that light bulb moment ... the moment when you see the excitement in their eyes and know that the Achievement Counts message has reached that student."

The Maryland Business Roundtable for Education is a coalition of nearly 100 major Maryland employers committed to improving student achievement in the state.

To register online or get more information, visit www.mbrt.org/speak or contact Nona Carroll at 410-788-0333 or by email at Nona@mbrt.org.