Southern Maryland News

Great things are happening with Commission for Women

- Maxine Somerville, La Plata The writer is the chairperso­n for the Charles County Commission for Women.

The Charles County Commission for Women has been active in serving the community the past few months. We partnered with Charles County Public Schools on a “Tell Your Story” for March’s Women’s History month. Five Commission members participat­ed in going to all eight middle schools in the county, speaking to more than 500 middle school students regarding their personal stories and experience­s. Stories shared were about courage, bullying, sisterhood, compassion, and supporting your community.

On Saturday, April 22, we sponsored an Escalation Workshop at the Waldorf West library. This workshop was geared for youth ages 12 and above and their parents that talked about teen dating. The workshop was led by the One Love Foundation, a nonprofit organizati­on that was created based upon the story of Yeardley Love, who died in 2010 due to being killed by her boyfriend due to dating violence. This informativ­e, yet provocativ­e discussion with 15 individual­s gave an opportunit­y for honest discussion around the issues our youth are facing, and parent’s tips on how to address having these discussion­s at home.

On Saturday, April 29, the Commission for Women partnered with the Tabernacle of Praise Church in Waldorf to conduct a Financial Literacy workshop for children, youth and adults from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. This workshop gave 70 participan­ts an opportunit­y to be hands-on, learning how to budget, identifyin­g needs vs. wants, and establishi­ng/maintainin­g credit and credit score.

Five members participat­ed in the March for Babies on Sunday, May 7. The commission raised approximat­ely $300 to support this cause and volunteere­d at the Mission tent.

On May 23, the Maryland Commission for Women hosted a listening tour in Charles County to hear concerns regarding issues affecting women and children. Held at the College of Southern Maryland’s La Plata campus, these listening sessions called “Voices of Maryland Women” were held statewide. Approximat­ely 30 persons participat­ed in this interactiv­e discussion, and not only shared concerns, but discussed strategies for improvemen­t.

Seven members participat­ed as volunteers for the annual Project Graduation, an opportunit­y for seniors to celebrate their graduation achievemen­ts. Five members volunteere­d over the threenight event of June 1-3 at the College of Southern Maryland. Five members also participat­ed at Fox 5 DC’s Zip Trip near O’Donnell Lake in Waldorf on July 7, bringing attention to the commission and the needs of women and families.

We are excited about what the commission is doing in the community. We are happy to partner with various agencies in the county to better the lives of women and children in the county.

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