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November 27, 2022

Cambridge Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Cambridge Community

News News Notes

Mid-Shore Pro Bono Announces Sandy Brown Public Interest Fall Interns

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Mid-Shore Pro Bono has named Katrina Hibdon of Dunkirk, Md., and Emily Marshall of East New Market, Md. as the nonprofit’s 2022 Sandy Brown Public Interest fall interns.

The paid internship program was established to honor MSPB’s previous executive director Sandy Brown—who stepped down in Dec. 2021—and is supported by the Rural Maryland Council and the Maryland Bar Foundation. The donor-funded program provides undergraduate and law school students with a stipend while learning in the areas of public interest law, non-profit management, community service, and basic work experience.

Katrina Hibdon

Katrina Hibdon is in her final year at Salisbury University pursuing bachelor of arts degrees in political science and history, with a minor in economics. Hibdon consistently has earned placement on the Dean’s List since 2019 and is a recipient of numerous scholarships.

She has served in several leadership positions, including as Salisbury University’s SGA Chief Justice and Academic Chair of the Panhellenic Council. Hibdon is a member of the Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority, Salisbury University’s Student Government Association, National Panhellenic Conference, Phi Eta Sigma, Pi Sigma Alpha, Order of Omega, and Phi Alpha Theta.

“Mid-Shore Pro Bono has opened my eyes to a deeper understanding of the legal process and community,” says Hibdon. “The care that goes into the community from this organization is unrivaled and I am grateful to be part of a team as supportive as this one. This internship has given me more reasons and more motivation to continue in the field of law.”

Emily Marshall

Emily Marshall received her bachelor of arts in philosophy from Salisbury University with a minor in psychology and cognitive science. Her academic honors include placement on the Dean’s List and as a 2021 Regional Ethics Bowl Researcher and 2022 National Ethics Bowl Researcher.

Marshall is the recipient of numerous scholarships and has served as Senator, Deputy Director, and Director with Salisbury University’s Student Government Association. Her volunteer work includes serving as a zone leader with Big Event, and in other roles with Halo Ministry and the Salisbury Zoo.

“The Sandy Brown Public Interest Internship with Mid-Shore Pro Bono has provided me the opportunity to step foot in a courtroom and observe the enormous impact of pro bono involvement,” said Marshall. “This experience has helped me discover my commitment to practicing law.”

“We’re honored to have Katrina and Emily interning and learning about civil justice with us,” said Mid-Shore Pro Bono Executive Director Meredith Lathbury Girard. “We’re also grateful to the donors to our Sandy Brown Public Interest Internship fund so that we can provide a stipend to our interns.”

Girard says the nonprofit is uniquely positioned to expose students who are interested in the practice of law, social work, and public interest work through hands-on experiences working with rural populations lacking access to the legal system.

“This program engages students in a wide range of legal-related hands-on experiences in a high quality and well-supervised professional setting,” she says. “This is a perfect opportunity for students in law school, graduate and undergraduate programs who are interested in social justice, nonprofit management, social work, and other civic-minded careers.”

Mid-Shore Pro Bono delivers a mission of helping Maryland’s Eastern Shore residents obtain access to legal assistance through a network of volunteers, with offices in Easton and Salisbury. Donations to the Sandy Brown Public Interest Internship Fund can be made online using the donate button at www.midshoreprobono.org.

Business and Professional Women of Maryland Honor Beth Anne Dorman, CEO of For All Seasons

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Beth Anne Dorman

The Business and Professional Women of Maryland (BPWM/MD) recently honored Beth Anne Dorman, CEO of For All Seasons during National Business Women’s Week as Maryland’s 2022 Woman of Achievement. The organization honors and recognizes women who are making invaluable contributions to women and their communities.

“Beth Anne Dorman’s exceptional leadership of For All Seasons has developed a critical lifeline for over 200,000 rural Marylanders. She has been instrumental in establishing For All Seasons as a trauma center of excellence, becoming one of the region’s largest employers, as well as expanding operations to include mental healthcare for youth and adults throughout the region. She launched telehealth during the COVID pandemic and is a leader shaping the administration and funding of mental health and victim services throughout Maryland,” BPWM/MD said.

Dorman also provides vital leadership on multiple statewide Boards and Commissions, serving as a Commissioner on the Maryland Commission for Women, as the Chair of the Board for the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and as a board member for Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women. In 2016, she co-authored a bill, along with Maryland Delegate Jeff Ghrist, to decrease barriers to care that was signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan.

“I am blessed to do what I love and work with an incredible team, and I am honored to be recognized by the Business Professional Women of Maryland. So many women step up every day to make Maryland a healthier and safer place, so to be included in this recognition is very meaningful to me personally,” states Dorman.

Talbot Family Network and Academy Art Museum Partner for Conversation on Race

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Talbot Family Network is collaborating with the Academy Art Museum for the upcoming session of Conversations on Race, a program that brings together interested community members for thoughtful and productive dialogue about the impact of race on their lives and in our community. Each monthly session has a new theme, allowing first time and returning participants to take part in the facilitated discussion.  For the Thursday, December 1, 2022 session, art will be used as a lens through which participants can explore and share their perspectives and experiences.

“This is a community of practice project,” explains Nancy Andrew, Talbot Family Network executive director. “Communities of practice are about groups of people who share a concern or passion for something learning how to do it better by interacting together. The aim is to support collective learning by practicing how to talk about race in ways that are respectful and useful.”

Conversations on Race is open to any interested community member. Sessions run from 5:30-7:30pm with a light meal and refreshments provided. Advance registration is required at https://tinyurl.com/CORDec2022 or by emailing director@talbotfamilynetwork.org. The Academy Art Museum is located at 106 South Street in Easton.

“We’re honored to partner with the Talbot Family Network on their important and necessary initiative Conversations on Race,” says Academy Art Museum director Sarah Jesse.“There are so few public spaces where diverse groups of people can engage in productive civic dialogue. The Academy Art Museum is one of them.” Session participants will discover how looking closely and critically at contemporary art can foster reflection, shift perceptions, and humanize difference.

Talbot Family Network is the Local Management Board (LMB) for Talbot County. LMBs are community-based organizations serving all 23 counties in Maryland, and Baltimore City, focused on improving outcomes for Maryland’s children and their families. They were created to promote improved, coordinated local decision-making that focuses on results and accountability. The premise was, and continues to be, that health, education, economic, and social outcomes are more likely to be improved if decisions about programs and strategies are made by local jurisdictions with the funding, support, guidelines, and accountability managed by the State. In 2021, under Governor Larry Hogan, the Maryland Children’s Cabinet directed LMBs to address racial and ethnic disparities in all of their programs and to incorporate into their collective work strategies that create more racially equitable organizations and partnerships.

For more information about Talbot Family Network, visit https://healthytalbot.org/about/talbot-family-network/.

Chester Valley Ministers Association Celebrates Thanksgiving Gathering in Chestertown

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All are invited to this special community service celebrating the season of gratitude. The gathering is sponsored by the Chester Valley Ministers Association (CVMA) and will be held on Sunday, November 20 at 4 p.m. at Bethel AME Church, 237 N College Ave, Chestertown, MD (adjacent to Washington College).  

The service will include music, stories, readings and messages drawn from our many traditions.

After a few years of virtual services, we’re returning this year to an in person gathering. Light refreshments will follow the service. All are welcome! 

Calling all Singers – This year they will have a ‘pop up’ choir as a part of the service. All who would like to be a part of this choir-for-a-day please come to Bethel AME at 3:15 p.m. to learn one song that will be a part of the service. 

CYMA is grateful to Rev. Robert Brown and the congregation of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church for opening their beautiful sanctuary to the community for this CVMA gathering.  

CAN Notes: November 14 Cambridge City Council Meeting

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Mayor Rideout opened the meeting at 6pm immediately after a special session on the Hearn Building (which is reported separately).

Presentation by Alpha Genesis on plans for Cannery Way and the “Take my Hand” area.  These include a canopy over the mural, a stage area, and construction of a replica of the Ben Ross Cabin, Harriet Tubman father, restrooms and extensive landscaping.

Ashley Clark, Director of the Area Health Education spoke on her non-profit trying to promote better health programs in Dorchester.  The organization has a wide range of actives including training programs in the health field, assistants to disable people, oral health for children, elderly health care programs and diabetes education and assistance.  Need dollar support and volunteers.

Ordinances:

Ordinance 1207- first reading to enact a curfew at 10 pm on weekdays and 11pm on weekends for children 15 and under.  This ordinance was the hot topic of the night.  More later in this report.

Ordinance 1208- First reading to buy property on Pine St. 

Ordinance 1205 – Second reading to update the City’s Ethics Code to the new State guidelines. Passed 5/0

Ordinance 1206 – Second reading to buy property on Pine St as part of the City’s effort to demolish or rehab old houses in Cambridge,  Passed 5/0

Old Business:  Council approved 6 contracts with non-profits who received money from the ARPA funds the City received from the Federal government.

New Business

    1. Approved 5/0 to install 2 Electronic Charging stations on Washington St.
  • Approved 5/0 to raise the trash pickup rate $4 a month for the next 3 years.
  1. Approved a committee to be named later to look at changes to the City Charter as it pertains to elections.  
  2. Approved 5/0 to add stop signs at Travers and Choptank, Travers and Oakley, School and Choptank and School and Oakley for speed reduction.
  3. Traffic calming – a listening session is scheduled for Dec.5th at the Council Chambers.  Discussion to talk about circles and other methods.
  4. Fishing piers – Approved Commissioner Chad Malkus to work with the new Cambridge Harbor group to establish fishing piers in light of the fact that the old route 50 bridge will be demolished as unsafe.

Meetings: 

  1. Resident Utility Rate Listing Session – proposed increases to sewer and water rates – Nov 15, at 6pm at Council Chambers.
  2. Mayor’s Youth Forum- Nov. 28th at 6pm at Council Chambers to talk about the curfew.
  3. Listening session on traffic calming, Dec 5 at Council Chambers, 6pm
  4. HPC meeting on Nov. 16 at Council Chambers
  5. Planning and Zoning meeting Dec 6. At Council Chambers at 6pm

Public Comment:

  1. Amy Craig spoke about traffic calming on Somerset St. and her involvement in developing community involvement.  Also comments on needed improvements at Gerry Boyle Great Marsh Park including cameras to stop drug transactions.
  2. Greg Meekins spoke about the speed on Pine St. and thanked police for their help with his non-profit event.
  3. LaShon Foster spoke on the curfew asking for statistics or other background information on which to make the decision.  Spoke against fines of $100 and $200 against parents and the lack of police to enforce the measure.
  4. A citizen spoke against the curfew (twice) and noted that Salisbury had rejected a similar proposal.
  5. Ms. Jackson spoke against the curfew and instead stressed the need to promote literacy in our young people.
  6. Germaine Anderson stated that the curfew would be one tool in the toolbox but more was needed in the City.
  7. A citizen spoke against the curfew.
  8. Another citizen spoke against the curfew.
  9. Will Bishop thanked the Council for his wife, Leslie for supporting Meals til Monday which will allow the organization to provide some food to children over the weekends.  Also spoke on the excessive speed on Mill St.
  10. Theresa Stafford supports the curfew but wants more.
  11. Mr. Mohammad noted that his car was hit by a rock by youths
  12. Ms. Woods supports the curfew but noted that it would be difficult to enforce and hard on parents.  The City needs to expand support to youth organizations.
  13. A Citizen from High St. was concerned that all areas of Cambridge be involved in deciding the curfew issue.

(Some speakers did not state their names clearly)

Department Heads:

  1. Police Chief Todd talked about the police giving out dinners and turkeys for Thanksgiving.  Nice effort in community policing.
  2. The Fire Chief noted that the new Tower Truck is arriving.

Adjourned at 8pm.  

 

One Mission Cambridge Impacts Hunger and Homelessness

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When you stop by One Mission Cambridge at 614 Race Street in Cambridge on any given day, you will meet a variety of people seeking food, resource referral, or just a listening ear. The range of services the organization offers is diverse and includes food items, counseling, and connection to resources such as health care, financial assistance, and jobs.

“Our goal is to show everyone who comes through the door love – just as Jesus loved us,” states Krista Pettit, leader of One Mission Cambridge’s efforts. Pettit credits volunteers, financial supporters, and churches for helping to meet the needs of an average of 227 people a month and keeping food on the pantry shelves.

The organization, which opened in June, has proved ideal to serve some of the community’s most vulnerable populations. By consolidating some of the area’s food pantries, One Mission Cambridge offers a food pantry store where people can shop for what they need in a dignified manner. In addition, the center offers community navigation with computers onsite for people to research jobs and complete job applications, and look up resources to help them connect to community services.

Pictured is a stocked food pantry at One Mission Cambridge. The organization is working hard to keep food on the pantry shelves to keep up with current demand.

Talking with clients served by One Mission Cambridge, it is evidenced that love abounds in the welcoming storefront.

Client Christopher, who is legally blind, visited the food pantry at One Mission Cambridge for the second time stating, “I have never wanted to burden anyone. I never had a full-time job. I have just pieced things together over the years and have been able to do it.”

“It is nice to be able to choose food items here myself because I get what I want and what I need. I feel loved.”

Client Carolyn of Cambridge came to One Mission Cambridge when she couldn’t afford to purchase much-needed eyeglasses.  She knows people who volunteer at One Mission Cambridge. The organization connected her to affordable eyeglasses

“A lot of us need help. If I don’t need help, I am not going to ask for it. I used to go to food banks, but they gave me too much food and I wasted it. Here, I can pick food items that I need,” she comments.

“It shows that people care about us. Everybody is treated just the same here.”

The building includes a storefront on Race Street and a large communal space in the rear of the building which offers monthly Community Dinners.

Client Darin of Cambridge ended up homeless in another county but was unable to find resources there.

“The Community Dinner by One Mission Cambridge offers great fellowship and great people. They have blessed me.”

“I was on the street for a few weeks when I got to Cambridge before I found One Mission Cambridge. They gave me all kinds of resources and information about everything from shelters to food pantries to clothing. They’ve been such a blessing. God’s got them on a heck of a mission.”

One Mission Cambridge is open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, from 1 to 6 p.m. and the second Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. The next Community Dinner will be held on December 5 at its location at 614 Race Street in Cambridge. Visit One Mission Cambridge on Facebook at OneMissionCam or Instagram or their website at onemissioncambridge.org or call 410-901-3959. Donations can be made to One Mission Cambridge, P.O. Box 815, Cambridge, MD 21613.

Jack Gottschalk Appointed Haven Ministries Board of Directors President

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Pictured is Jack Gottschalk of Wye Mills, the new Board President of Haven Ministries.

Jack Gottschalk of Wye Mills has been appointed President of the Haven Ministries Board of Directors. Gottschalk served as a business consultant and has also held several executive-level positions in Fortune 500 corporations that included plastics, rubber, military products, electronics, railroad, education, food, and health care. He worked with the Hershey Foods Corporation and retired from Children’s National Medical Center as Vice President of Human Resources. He holds a Ph.D. in Organization Behavior and a master’s degree in Human Resources. He has served on the Haven Ministries Board of Directors for three years.

“While serving on the Board of Directors, I quickly discovered how sincerely and completely committed our leadership, staff, volunteers, and member churches are to fulfilling God’s work by helping others. It is so very rewarding for our entire team to know we are directly making a difference in the lives of others,” Gottschalk comments.

Gottschalk is working with Haven Ministries Executive Director to improve efficiencies in its programs to meet the growing needs for assisting men, women, and children in Queen Anne’s County caught in the cycle of poverty.

“Peter and I would like to continue the great work and tradition of our founder Krista Pettit and we will look for growth opportunities that will enhance the services that Haven Ministries provides to our community,” Gottschalk adds.

“We are thrilled to have Jack as our Board President. He brings tremendous experience from a wide range of business environments and can lead us to creative solutions as we continue to grow our organization,” states Peter Grim, Executive Director of Haven Ministries.

Love shapes the ministry, love transforms people, and hope prevails at Haven Ministries.  Haven Ministries operates a seasonal Homeless Shelter, a Resource Center, and Food Pantry in Queenstown, Our Daily Thread Store in Chester, Hope Warehouse in Queenstown, and a Food Pantry Truck in Sudlersville.

Wye Lecture Presents Case Study on Religion and the Public Good

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Dr. Joseph Prud’homme

The 2022 Old Wye Lecture Series concludes with a presentation focusing on the underappreciated man who in the late 17th and early 18th centuries spearheaded the first major effort to establish libraries in the New World.  That man was the Reverend Thomas Bray, indefatigable minister, philanthropist, and commissary to the Province of Maryland.  The lecture, to be given by Dr. Joseph Prud’homme of Washington College, will take place in the Parish Hall of Old Wye Church, 14114 Old Wye Mills Rd. in Wye Mills at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16.

The title of Dr. Prud’homme’s lecture is “Rev. Thomas Bray and Colonial Maryland: A Case Study in Religion and the Public Good.”Bray’s plan for establishing public libraries housed in parish churches and used for teaching purposes was conceived with the specific aim of bringing the benefits of education and Christian religion to enslaved persons, native Americans, and impoverished debtors.  During his lifetime Bray succeeded in creating more than three dozen such libraries in the American colonies, several here on the Eastern Shore.  Ultimately, due to the society he founded to carry on his work, almost one hundred Bray libraries were created in colonial America.  Bray himself was also opposed to the evil of slavery, and saw religion as a key force for human liberation.

Dr. Prud’homme is the founding Director of the Institute for Religion, Politics, and Culture at Washington College, which is co-sponsoring the Old Wye Lecture Series in partnership with the Wye Episcopal Parish. Dr. Prud’homme, who currently teaches at Washington College, is a widely-published scholar who received his doctorate from Princeton and has held fellowships at Harvard and Oxford.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a gathering for Discussion and Refreshments. For questions or further information about the lecture, call Wye Parish, 410-827-8484.

For immediate release/contact: Mary Campbell 410-758-3071.

Get Set for the Holidays at CBMM with Gift-Making Workshops

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Heading into the holiday season, CBMM is offering guests several opportunities to create unique gifts via festive hands-on projects.

CBMM’s Rising Tide after-school program will hold three holiday gift-making workshops for students in grades 6-9 in the coming weeks with the sessions titled Knottical Ornaments (Nov. 29-Dec. 1), Mystery Box (Dec. 5-7), and Sensational Scraps (Dec. 12-14).

All necessary tools and materials are provided at the free workshops held in Rising Tide’s Workshop Annex, and no prior woodworking experience is necessary. Projects will be revealed at the first session of each workshop, and participants must attend all days in a given session to complete it.

CBMM’s Shipyard will host a holiday workshop in which participants join shipwrights to construct bandsaw reindeer and decorative light boxes.

In each workshop, participants will construct a different gift, so signing up for multiple sessions is encouraged. Transportation will be provided from the Easton YMCA and St. Michaels Middle/High School and back to the Easton YMCA. Register at bit.ly/RisingTideHolidayWorkshop or email risingtide@cbmm.org for more information.

Rising Tide will also serve as host for December’s CBMM Member Night. On Dec. 8, members are invited to grab a cup of hot cocoa and join Workshop Education Manager Kendall Wallace and Youth Programs Coordinator Sophie Stuart to create a maritime-inspired craft for the holiday season. Registration is required and available at bit.ly/RisingTideMemberNight for this free event that promises fun for the whole family.

In addition, the Shipyard will be bustling with festive cheer in December, hosting its own holiday workshop. Over four meetings (Dec. 6, 8, 13, 15), participants will join CBMM shipwrights to construct bandsaw reindeer and decorative light boxes. Attendance is required at all four sessions to complete the projects.

The cost is $120, with a 20 percent discount for members. Materials are included in the cost of registration. Register at bit.ly/CBMMHolidayWorkshop.

CAN Next Meeting Set for November 9

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CAN’s next meeting will held at 6:30 pm ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9 in the Dorchester County (Cambridge) Public Library (303 Gay St) Basement Meeting room. Our guest speaker will be Mayor Steve Rideout who will give brief remarks and then take questions from the audience. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet with our newest elected official. If you’d like to submit questions beforehand, email them to tom.puglisi@comcast.net.

Also, CAN’s Judd Vickers will give an overview of the City’s new “Short Term Rental” (STR) Ordinance. Anyone, who rents out their house to athletes or other visitors, needs to know about the new rules pertaining to STRs.