CHAMBER EVENTS   

NEWS FROM & FOR OUR MEMBERS 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Chesapeake is thrilled to now be offering its community based mentoring program in the Kent County area thanks to funding from Family & Community Partnerships of Kent County. 

In this program, youth ages 6-16 are matched with a volunteer mentor. These matches are professionally supported to monitor relationship growth and, most importantly, child safety. 

Interested in becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister?

 Want more information about the program?

Drop by and learn more!

    Saturday, January 18th

11am-1pm  

Kent County Public Library 

Chestertown Branch  

408 High Street 

  Mid-Shore Pro Bono, Inc.

 Providing Access to Justice Throughout the Mid-Shore

 8 South West Street

 Easton, Maryland 21601

 410-690-8128 www.midshoreprobono.org

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Cyndy Carrington Miller, Public Relations Consultant

410-770-9410, 443-521-2330 (cell)

January 6, 2014

Eastern Shore Lawyers Lead State In Pro Bono Service

A report released in late November shows Eastern Shore attorneys leading the state in providing pro bono legal services to their communities. The "Current Status of Pro Bono Service Among Maryland Lawyers" was compiled by ANASYS, Inc., for the Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts, and is based on 2012 data.

Maryland courts established a goal of 50 hours or more of pro bono service each year for full-time attorneys, with an emphasis on assistance to people of limited means. Lawyers certified to practice in the state are required to report annually on their pro bono activities. For reporting purposes, the state is divided into Eastern, Western, Southern, Central and Capital regions.

Sandy Brown, Executive Director of Mid-Shore Pro Bono, expressed her pride in what the report reveals about the volunteer efforts of Eastern Shore attorneys. "Overall, we have some of the state's most generous lawyers here on the Mid-Shore, in terms of the time they donate to people who need legal assistance," she said.

The Eastern Region leads Maryland in full-time lawyers providing at least some pro bono services, with 75.1 percent, just ahead of the Western Region's 75.0 percent. Rural areas show more pro bono participation than the more populated Central and Capital regions. Queen Anne's County has the highest attorney pro bono rate at 81.8 percent, with Talbot County coming in third statewide at 81.0 percent.

When it comes to meeting the 50-hours-a-year goal, Eastern Region attorneys further outpace their counterparts in the rest of the state, with almost 37 percent of the region's full-time lawyers offering at least 50 hours of pro bono service in 2012, compared to the runner-up Western Region's 32.8 percent and 22.2 percent for the state as a whole.

Talbot County attorneys lead Maryland with 48.8 percent meeting the 50-hour goal, a number that has increased over each of the past two years. Of the five counties in Mid-Shore Pro Bono's service area, three others join Talbot in the state's top ten for meeting the goal, with Queen Anne's County ranked fifth, Caroline sixth and Dorchester tenth. Kent County ranked sixteenth out of the 23 counties and Baltimore City.

Overall, lawyers certified to practice in the state of Maryland reported slightly lower rates of pro bono activities from the previous year. However, the Eastern Region posted increases in 2012, both in percentages of those providing pro bono services and percentages of those meeting the 50-hour goal.

With regard to the type of pro bono services provided, the report showed almost 58 percent of the Eastern Region's attorneys offered assistance to individuals of limited means in 2012.

While Mid-Shore Pro Bono also offers some specialized services without regard to the client's income, its primary mission is to provide access to free or reduced-fee civil legal services to low-income individuals, connecting those in need of assistance with attorneys willing to provide pro bono time.

The report demonstrated the success of the organization's efforts. Of the hours Eastern Region lawyers provided to individuals of limited means, more than 30 percent was on cases that came from a pro bono or legal services organization such as Mid-Shore Pro Bono, the highest percentage in the state.

With ongoing economic issues still affecting homeowners and their mortgages, the report placed special emphasis on the Foreclosure Prevention Pro Bono Project (FPPB), a program coordinated by the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland to help homeowners who need legal counsel in the foreclosure process.

It showed the Eastern Region having the second highest percentage of lawyers providing FPPB assistance, at 6.4 percent, and Talbot County ranking third statewide, at 10.3 percent. Attorneys provide assistance to homeowners in distress through Mid-Shore Pro Bono's Foreclosure Clinic and Foreclosure Prevention Workshops.

Brown applauds the pro bono efforts of the lawyers with whom her organization works and encourages the rest of the community to add its support. "We always have known that our Eastern Shore attorneys are amazingly generous with their time, both to our clients and to Mid-Shore Pro Bono itself," she said.

"It's exciting to have this validated and demonstrated in numbers for everyone to see.However," she added, "to ensure our doors remain open to provide this much needed service, we still need our community's financial support."

The full report offers additional information and refinement of the data by size of firm, type of law practiced and other criteria.

It may be found online at www.courts.state.md.us/probono/pdfs/probonoreport2012.pdf.

For more information or to make a donation, call Mid-Shore Pro Bono at 410-690-8128 or visit www.midshoreprobono.org.

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Delmarva Power and PJM Continue Call for Energy Conservation

Frigid Temperatures Push Electricity Use Higher

SALISBURY, Md. - Delmarva Power, on behalf of PJM Interconnection, the electricity grid operator for more than 51 million people in 13 states and the District of Columbia, is asking its customers to voluntarily conserve electricity.

PJM's call for conservation was promoted by extremely high demand for electricity because of continuing frigid weather and the weather-related loss of some generation. PJM is implementing all emergency procedures to ensure all generation is available.

Demand for electricity is expected to increase as the extremely cold weather lingers for the next several days. Delmarva Power and PJM ask customers to consider conserving electricity, if health permits - especially today from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Customers can take these simple electricity conservation steps:

• Set thermostats lower than usual, if health permits.
• Turn off electric lights and appliances that you do not need or are not using.
• Gather in a central room where you have alternative heat. At night, cover windows with drapes or blankets to minimize heat loss. During the day, open blinds to let sun warm the space.

Conserving electricity will help ensure adequate power supplies. Delmarva Power will continue to carefully monitor power supply conditions.

Delmarva Power will ensure that all available personnel are ready to respond to any service interruptions. Customers are asked to please call in any outages and stay away from any downed wires. To report outages or downed wires, please call 1-800-898-8042 (New Castle, Cecil and Harford counties) or 1-800-898-8045 (Kent and Sussex counties and the Eastern Shore of Maryland). Follow the prompts and ask for a call back to confirm that power has been restored. Outages also may be reported through www.delmarva.com or through our mobile app. For natural gas emergencies in New Castle County, call 1-302-454-0317.

Find additional information by visiting www.delmarva.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/delmarvapower and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/delmarvaconnect. Our mobile app is available at www.delmarva.com/mobileapp.

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COMING EVENTS

UME Kent County Agriculture ..............................................................FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Every TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY, 8:30 a.m.-Noon, Sabine Harvey, Horticulture Program Assistant & Master Gardener. Free service. Help with home horticulture problems & questions. Call 410-778-1661 or stop in and talk to Sabine. Bring plant samples with you for cultivar & disease identification. University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all persons and  will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, or national origin, marital status, genetic information, or political affiliation, or gender identity and expression.

JANUARY 2014

   01  -  UME Kent Office closed.

   07  -  Grain Marketing, 6:30 a.m., Sudlersville Methodist Church Hall, 103 N. Church Street, Sudlersville, MD. $10 breakfast buffet.

   16  -  Poultry Mortality Composting Short Course & Demo, Poultry Research Ctr., UMES, Princess Anne, MD, 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

17-18-  Future Harvest CASA's 15th Annual Farming for Profit and Stewardship Conference, UMUC Inn/Conf. Ctr., College Park.

   18  -  Mid-Atlantic Small Flock Poultry Mini-Expo. Chesapeake College, Wye Mills, MD. Register & details at: www.smallflockpoultryexpo.eventbrite.com See details: http://extension. umd.edu/poultry/small-flock-production/mid-atlantic-small-flock-poultry-expo

   21  -  Cecil County Agronomy Day, 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Calvert Grange, 2357 Telegraph Rd., Rising Sun, MD. Call 410-996-5280 and ask for Doris or Patty.

   21  -  Grain Marketing, 6:30 a.m., Sudlersville Methodist Church Hall, 103 N. Church Street, Sudlersville, MD. $10 breakfast buffet.

   21  -  AgrAbility Workshop, Cecil Co., Elkton, MD. Register by calling, 410-996-5280 and ask for Doris or Patty.

   21  -  Crop Improvement Association Meeting, Holiday Inn, Grasonville, MD, Kent Narrows. Call Bobbi at 410-758-1936.

   23  -  Centreville Farmer's Market: Lunch Planning Meeting, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Centreville. Details

   29  -  Lower Shore Agronomy Day, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Call Wicomico Co. Extension Office for details: 1-410-749-6141.

   30  -  AgrAbility Workshop, Cecil Co., Elkton, MD. 8:30 a.m.-Noon, Cecil Co. Admin. Bldg., Elk Room, 200 Chesapeake Blvd., Elkton, MD. Register by calling 410-996-5280 and ask for Doris or Patty.

FEBRUARY 2014:

   04  -  MD Agricultural Pesticide Conference, Legends Restaurant in the Frederick Hampton Inn. Call Extension office for details.

   04  -  Grain Marketing, 6:30 a.m., Sudlersville Methodist Church Hall, 103 N. Church Street, Sudlersville, MD. $10 breakfast buffet.

   06  -  Taste of MD Agriculture, 6:30 p.m., Glen Burnie, MD. Call Extension Office for details.

   08  -  Mid-Atlantic Small Flock Poultry Mini-Expo, UMD Montgomery Co Office, Derwood, MD. Register & details at: www.smallflockpoultryexpo.eventbrite.com See details: http://extension. umd.edu/poultry/small-flock-production/mid-atlantic-small-flock-poultry-expo

   18  -  Grain Marketing, 6:30 a.m., Sudlersville Methodist Church Hall, 103 N. Church Street, Sudlersville, MD. $10 breakfast buffet.

   20  -  Women In Ag Regional Conference, Dover Downs Hotel and Casino, Dover, DE. Details enclosed.

   22  -  Maryland Dairy Convention, 8:30 a.m.; Registration, 9:20 a.m.; Program, 6:30 p.m. Holiday Inn and Conference Center at the FSK Mall, Frederick, MD.

   26  -  2014 Bay Area Fruit Meeting, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Pesticide and CCA credits offered. For program questions contact Mike Newell, mnewell@umd.edu; 410-827-7388

   28  -  Queen Anne's Co. Agronomy Day, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. 410-758-0166. Get your Private Pesticide Applicator Recertification and renew your Nutrient Management Voucher Certificate.

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{Request for Applications}

Kent County Kids Who 

Family & Community Partnerships of Kent County (FCPKC) is calling on young change-makers to apply for our Kent County Kids Who Care Award.  The winner(s) will receive an award of up to $1,000 to help make a lasting, positive change in the world.  

Who are we looking for?  Young people who are or want to create a lasting, positive change through volunteer and community service projects.  We are especially interested in ongoing, youth-led projects that highlight the creativity of young people working to meet the needs of others.

What is our goal?  To recognize community change-makers, and help them in their mission to help others. 

For more information, an overview of the application can be found here.     

Click here for the online application.  Paper copies of the application will be accepted.  Copies will also be provided to students at local schools, and can be requested by contacting our office at any time.     

Family & Community Partnerships of Kent County

(Kent County's Local Management Board)

400 High Street, Court House Annex

Chestertown, MD  21620

Phone: 410.810.2673

 LaToya Murray, Program Administration & Monitoring Specialist: lmurray@kentgov.org

Pamela J (PJ) Dill is recognized for 40 years of employment with Shore Bancshares.  Left to right:  Donna Stevens, Shore Bancshares Chief Operations Officer; Ms. Dill, Shore Bancshares Chief Human Resources Officer; Scott Beatty, Shore Bancshares Chief Executive Officer.

Shore Bancshares Celebrates Pamela J. Dill's 40th Anniversary

Shore Bancshares, Inc. is pleased to announce Pamela J (PJ) Dill's 40 year anniversary with the financial holding company headquartered in Easton, MD.  Ms. Dill joined CNB (formerly Centreville National Bank), a member of the Shore Bancshares community of companies, in 1973 as a Bookkeeper.  Over the years she held various positions with increasing responsibility, eventually becoming a Vice President of CNB in 1991.  Since 2005, Ms. Dill has served as Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Shore Bancshares.

Ms. Dill earned an Associate's Degree in Business Management from Chesapeake College in 1982.  She is also a graduate of the Maryland Banking School, the School of Bank Marketing, and the Dale Carnegie Course in Human Relations and Communications.  In 2004, Ms. Dill received certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources.  "It has been a pleasure working with PJ," said Scott Beatty, Shore Bancshares Chief Executive Officer.  "Her integrity, work ethic, and interaction with customers and fellow employees have made her a highly respected member of our team as well as our community.  Everyone at Shore Bancshares and its community of companies are pleased to celebrate her 40 years of service."

Ms. Dill resides in Queen Anne with her husband Michael Dill.  In addition to the many years of dedicated service that she has provided Shore Bancshares, Ms. Dill has also delivered the same level of commitment to the betterment of our community.  She previously served as Chairman of the Maryland Banker's Young Bankers Committee, Chairman of the Maryland Banker's Personal Economics Program, and Treasurer of the Queen Anne's County Economic Development Commission.  Ms. Dill was a member of the Board of Trustees of American Institute of Banking, President of Queen Anne's County Red Cross, and a member of the Board of Trustees for Wildfowl Trust of North America.  She has served as President of the Centreville Rotary Club, Treasurer of Queen Anne's County United Way, a Character Counts Coach at the Centreville Middle School, and President of the Memorial Hospital Association.  Ms. Dill currently serves as a member of the Shore Regional Health System Patient Quality and Safety Committee, Secretary of American Legion Post #18 Ladies Auxiliary, and Finance Officer of the Wounded Veterans Waterfowl Weekend. 

Maryland Business Reception

January 16, 2014 - Annapolis, MD

Maryland Chamber President 

Kathy Snyder to Retire