In the News
USO Girls at Asbury
When the DJ spun the platter of Benny Goodman’s orchestra playing “Let’s Dance” last Friday night, dozens of couples, many of them in their 70s and 80s, joyfully swung into the jitterbug on the dance floor in the main dining room of Asbury-Solomons Island.
Too old? Too dangerous?
Not at all, according to Dennis Poremski, Asbury’s director of wellness, who initiated the program with the enthusiastic help of several Asbury residents. ”Dancing is just a basic activity that people love to do,” Poremski said during a break from the dance floor. “It’s fun.”… read on!
via: SoMdNews.com
Red Cross WWII Roles
Sixty-six years ago on Aug. 7, 1943, the 1st Marine Division landed on Guadalcanal in the Solomons and nearby Pacific islands, launching the first major amphibious campaign of World War II.
On the anniversary of that event this year, residents of Solomons celebrated “USO Night” on the boardwalk pavilion commemorating those who fought in that historic battle; they also recalled the role of their own hometown in that long-ago battle. Solomons is known as the “cradle of invasion” because, in the 1940s, it was a top-secret amphibious training base …. read on!
via: SoMdNews.com
Celebrating WWII History
Sixty-six years ago on Aug. 7, 1943, the 1st Marine Division landed on Guadalcanal in the Solomons and nearby Pacific islands launching the first major amphibious campaign of World War II.
Last Friday evening, the anniversary of that event, residents of Solomons celebrated “USO Night” on the Boardwalk pavilion commemorating those who fought in that historic battle; they also recalled the role of their own hometown in that long-ago battle. Solomons is known as the “cradle of invasion” because, in the 1940s, it was a top secret …. read more!
via: SoMDNews.com
Job Shadow 2009
On Monday, April 27, 20 workplaces throughout Calvert County — a variety of organizations, agencies and businesses — opened their doors to host teenage “shadows,” eighth-graders who wanted to see how adults spend their work days and what a full-time job is all about. The students were given assignments by each host and got to see, for about four hours, an actual job.Job Shadow Day 2009, an offspring of National Mentoring Month, is designed to give younger students — 13- and 14-year-olds —a real-life job experience. This age group was targeted because the kids have very little experience of actual places of work. Older students often have some experience through part-time or summer jobs or school programs, but younger kids don’t usually have work experience except perhaps babysitting.
Job Shadow Day began four years ago, said Brian Davis, a drug court coordinator of the state’s Juvenile Drug Court. Davis and some others who are concerned about our teenagers got together and asked local business owners to a meeting to discuss the possibility of allowing younger teenagers to follow them around for a day at work. The business leaders thought it was a good idea, and were willing to try it out at their workplaces. Many state and county agencies, and private businesses have supported the program by making a place at work for the students for a day, giving them real tasks, and by contributing funds, volunteers and other resources…. read on!
via: SoMdNews.com
Article #2: Thank You!
On April 27, the 32 Calvert eighth graders who participated in Job Shadow Day 2009 took a step toward their future by finding out what it’s like to spend a day in the workplace. During the five-hour job shadow experience, students were exposed to the inner workings of these companies and the business leaders had a unique opportunity to become mentors for a day.
Jim Hitchcock from Southern Automotive said the day was “a good experience to show young people a job that most people don’t even know exists and show them what it is like to run a small business.” Thank you to the organizations that transported students to and from the job sites: Arc of Southern Maryland, Prime Time Children’s Center, SmartRide Inc. and the Tri-County Youth Services Bureau Inc… read on!
via: SoMdNews.com
Pirate Walk Success
To the many Calvert County’s local businesses, the Calvert County’s community service organizations and all our individual volunteers that participated this year in our fourth Calvert Crusade for Children “Pirates of the Chesapeake Family Treasure Walk,” I’d like to publicly say thank you for all your support. I believe that with all the enthusiasm coming from everyone who was involved in making the event so successful, even the weather decided to contribute, making Annmarie Garden an even more wonderful place to have the event. The excitement from the children who attended was worth all the effort put in by all those who contributed. In the Crusade’s short four-year history of organizing this event, clearly the 2009 Treasure Walk was our most successful ever…. read on!
via: SoMdNews.com
Mentors Annual breakfast
Business leaders and mentoring organizations came together at the fourth annual National Mentoring Month Breakfast held last Thursday to promote and celebrate their efforts, and encourage businesses to participate and make a difference in the lives of Calvert’s youth. ”We are here to celebrate mentoring and what it has done in your life,” said Lorraine Joyner, chair of Calvert County Mentoring Partnership, which links youth with organizations and businesses and promotes mentoring opportunities to foster positive youth development.
Current mentors spoke about the encouragement and self-confidence they received from a mentor when they were younger and spoke about the benefits of being a mentor themselves. Brenda Tyrell, owner/director of Prime Time Children’s Center, who participates in mentoring at her center, said mentoring is valuable to both youth and to businesses. ”It was a wonderful experience. It did take a little bit of time planning,” she said. Tyrell, who was honorary chair for the breakfast, encouraged businesses to participate in job shadowing and to “share your knowledge and experience with youth.” Through mentoring, youth learn to develop relationships and organizational skills and businesses build team work skills and improve morale and its public image, Joyner said… read on!
via: SoMdNews.com
Internship into Inspiration
Seventeen-year-old Theresa Vogt was a big fan of the band Hanson. It could have ended there, but it didn’t. Instead she is now behind the donation of hundreds of pairs of shoes to children in third world countries as an intern for the company TOMS Shoes. Vogt, a senior at Northern High School, learned about the organization through her favorite band who she said partners with the company. She said that Hanson “does a barefoot walk with fans before concerts to know what it’s like to walk without shoes on.”
Along with the Hanson connection, TOMS Shoes also was appealing to Vogt because of the reason the company was formed in the first place. ”Their goal from the start was to give. They didn’t start a company and then think ‘we’ll give [once the company has established itself],’” Vogt said. One day when she was browsing the TOMS Shoes’ Web site, Vogt decided it was time to get involved,… read on!
via: SoMdNews.com
2008 USO Night
Veterans who served in any of the major wars were honored last Friday with a tribute on Solomons Island in the tradition of the United Service Organization, better known as the USO. Originally hosted by the Calvert Marine Museum, the event was taken over by The Circle of Angels Initiative last year. The director of the organization, Roseanna Vogt of Chesapeake Beach, was inspired by a friend to restart the program. When she started last year, Vogt had a boom box and a friend who was a veteran with a broken back.
That inspired her to reach higher for the next USO night. ‘‘This is something that needs to be done to honor the veterans,” Vogt said. ‘‘We believe that our fighting forces should be honored.” The USO has been responsible for boosting the morale and improving the welfare of America’s Armed Forces since 1941. During the event, passersby were treated to music from WWII. John ‘‘Captain John” Pomerville of Leonardtown played music from the Big Band era… read on!
via: SoMdNews.com
Article #2: USO Night Tribute
On Friday, Aug. 8, Circle of Angels paid tribute to World War II veterans with its USO Night. Speaking at the affair was USAF Lt. Col. (Ret.) Vernon Garner.
During his speech, Garner talked about his work while waiting to enter the service in WWII building the secret military base on Solomons, dubbed the “Cradle of The Invasion.” The base at one time supported over 60,000 Marines, Navy and Army amphibious military personnel who later were part of invasions of Normandy, Guadalcanal, Solomons Islands and other strategic areas of the Allied war effort from 1942 until the end of the war… read on!
via: TheBayNet.com
Garner Still Serves Country
After having flown missions in two of the most important wars of the past century, and being stationed in Thailand during a third, giving a speech before a crowd of people in his home county must have been easy for veteran Vern Garner. Garner, of Solomons, gave the opening speech during last Friday’s USO re-enactment at the river walk pavilion in Solomons. The 85-year-old veteran of World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars also received honors for all his years of service, along with other veterans during the event, which recreated typical USO shows from the WWII era. Garner was born the second of eight children in Solomons. Growing up, he worked on a 300-acre tobacco farm with his grandfather. He also worked on a dairy farm for his aunt and uncle… read on!
via: SoMdNews.com
Women honored by Governor
Two Calvert County women who were sworn in by Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) to seats on the Maryland State Commission for Women don’t prance around social issues, they jump in with both feet, advocating and volunteering their time. Maryland Speaker of the House Michael Busch appointed Roseanna Vogt, and Dixie Miller was appointed by Maryland Senate President Thomas V. ‘‘Mike” Miller (D) after they sent their resumes and biographical statements in for review.
‘‘I’m extremely honored to be among such accomplished women,” Miller said of the 24-member commission. The commission was established in 1971 to promote social, political, and economic equality of Maryland women.
Vogt, who said she was on the priority list of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiative, was honored and excited about the appointment. She is the founding director of Circle of Angels, a faith-based initiative that helps people through crisis and focuses on issues such as domestic violence, teen pregnancy and chemical addition. The initiative assists people abroad and locally and was instrumental in the creation of the county’s mentoring program, she said.
‘‘Education is very important to me, and mentoring assists young women with their career goals,” she said.
Vogt, a member of the Calvert County Juvenile Drug Court Steering Committee, said, ‘‘We’ve pushed mentoring in the juvenile drug court.” Coordinator of the Juvenile Drug Court Brian Davis said Vogt has the same interest as he does, advocating for kids and improving the community. He said he has crossed paths with her in the many different organizations she is involved with…. read on!
via: SoMdNews.com
