Women United in Giving award $17K in grants
Charles County Women United in Giving, an initiative of United Way of Charles County, announced the award of $17,190 to local nonprofit agencies to provide physical and mental health services to uninsured and underinsured women and children in Charles County.
The Catherine Foundation Pregnancy Care Center was awarded $2,500 to purchase new car seats and cribs for clients participating in childbirth or parenting classes.
The Center for Abused Persons received $2,790 to provide psycho-educational counseling for women inmates in the Charles County Detention Center.
Greater Baden Medical Services was granted $4,300 to fund a part-time social worker in La Plata.
Health Partners was awarded three separate grants totaling $5,600. The first grant of $1,500 will provide pharmacy assistance for women and children unable to afford prescribed medications.
The second grant, for $750 will provide cervical cancer screenings for uninsured women. The third grant of $3,350 will purchase key dental equipment including an endodontic motor and mixing machine for the Health Partners Dental Clinic.
The Promise Resource Center received $2,000 to host four women’s empowerment seminars.
Charles County Women United in Giving was established in 2004 under the leadership of former United Way board member Marian Bruemmer and former United Way CEO Dorothy Harper. The individuals who form the steering committee give leadership-level financial gifts to the initiative and make the decisions on how the money will be spent.
The current focus is to provide money for grants that provide physical and mental health services to uninsured and underinsured women and children who live in Charles County.
Since the first campaign, more than $200,000 has been raised. For more information on Charles County Women United in Giving, call 301-609-4844 or go to the United Way of Charles County website at unitedwaycharles.org.
Chaney accepting proposals for beautification grants
The Chaney Beautification Fund is making grants available to nonprofit organizations to encourage beautiful, sustainable landscapes in Southern Maryland and Virginia.
Grants of up to $1,000 are awarded annually to nonprofit groups, specifically 501(c)(3) organizations, public or private educational institutions, or government agencies. Beautification projects must be located in counties where Chaney Enterprises has a presence.
In Maryland, projects in the counties of Anne Arundel, Calvert, Caroline, Charles, southern Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s are eligible for grants.
Guidelines for the Chaney Beautification Fund Grants are available on the Community Foundation of Southern Maryland’s website at www.cfsomd. org/grants. Applicants are encouraged to submit projects that incorporate “green” gardening practices, such as water conservation measures, organic fertilizers, and native plant species.
Schools may use grants to incorporate beautification projects into the education curriculum.
Grant proposals must be submitted via email only by 5 p.m. June 17. Grant awards will be up to $1,000 and will be announced in August.
Organizations are required to match grant funds with cash or in-kind goods and services. Organizations receiving funds must commit and expend the full amount of the grant by Dec. 15. Only one application per applicant will be accepted, and applicants are advised to review the guidelines to ensure compliance prior to submitting applications.
Applications are available online at www.cfsomd.org/ grants. For more infor- mation, contact Gretchen Hardman, executive director of the Community Foundation of Southern Maryland, at 240-670-4483 or at Gretchen@cfsomd. org.
Vehicle weight limits change on Zekiah bridge beginning June 15
Starting Wednesday, June 15, the maximum vehicle weight requirements for Zekiah Swamp Run Bridge located on Poplar Hill Road will be modified. The maximum gross load for a single unit vehicle will be lowered to 15,000 pounds and the maximum gross load for a combination vehicle will be lowered to 20,000 pounds. Signs will be posted at the bridge.
For more information about the vehicle weight change, call the roads division at 301-932-3450. Citizens with special needs may contact the Maryland Relay Service at 711, or Relay Service TDD: 866-269-9006.
Livestock show for youth to take place in June
Registration is now open for the annual Southern Maryland Invitational Livestock Expo (SMILE), taking place June 24-June 26, at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds in Leonardtown.
The SMILE show in- cludes fitting and showing and market and breeding competitions for domestic livestock species of beef and dairy cows, pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits and guinea pigs plus educational and social activities for youth in agriculture.
Youth competitors from all five Southern Maryland counties (Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s) are eligible to participate. Links to entry forms, classes and the daily show schedule can be found at the SMILE Facebook page and on the SMILE show website at smile-inc.org. Entries are due by May 25.
SMILE is organized by SMILE Board and sponsored by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission and others.
State fire service encourages community risk reduction
The Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal is partnering with the Maryland State Fireman’s Association and the Maryland Fire Chief’s Association to have all fire and rescue departments promote the testing and installation of working smoke alarms in the state.
The statewide Community Risk Reduction Weekend will take place May 14-15 with participating fire departments across the state. This program has been designed as a through canvassing effort to provide fire safety education and the installations of 10-year longlife battery operated smoke alarms for the communities.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), nearly 70 percent of fire deaths result from fires in homes with non-working smoke alarms or no smoke alarms at all.
The goal is to ensure that citizens understand the importance and value of fire safety in their lives and to help protect their quality of life by checking and/or installing new smoke alarms as needed. The chances of surviving a home fire are increased by 50 percent when working smoke alarms are activated during a fire. The early notification of these devices provides a greater opportunity to escape the effects of fire. All smoke alarms should be replaced every ten years to help ensure these devices will operate properly when the need arises.
During the smoke alarm installation program, local fire department members will spread throughout areas within their local communities in an effort to promote this life saving effort. However, no fire safety program is complete without having a fire escape plan. Families should plan and practice escape routes together twice a year to help ensure everyone gets out safely in the event a fire occurs in the home.