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"Investing Where Baltimore Lives" |
September 7, 2007 |
Dear Friends:
This week I visited a number of Baltimore's senior centers, which is always a treat for me as I have always appreciated and admired the quiet dignity of so many of our senior citizens. Our seniors are the backbone of so many of Baltimore's neighborhoods. They teach us the timeless lessons of courage, sacrifice, and love. By sharing their wisdom and experience, they encourage us all to revisit great ideas that worked in the past—and help keep us from repeating past missteps. Their example shows us how to persevere in the face of hardship, care for others in need, and take pride in our communities.
 I also visited George Washington Elementary School to distribute backpacks to the students, who achieved excellent scores on the Maryland State Assessments. It is truly inspiring that 75 percent of these students are eligible for school lunches, and yet they performed among the best in Maryland. Our Baltimore Public School children are proving that your zip code does not determine your quality of education. Seeing the kids' faces this week took me back to my own childhood. I remember the first day of school: it was always a little more fun and exciting if you had some new supplies. I was able to relive that feeling at this event, watching those kids. This was a big deal, and it meant a lot to them. In a child’s early development, everything they experience matters, everything we do leaves its mark.
As Council President, I fight the good fight every day to plant seeds for the City's future, remedying the past, and you don’t often know your efforts will turn out. But when you create a moment like that for a child, you unequivocally know that you have done something good, creating some oasis of hope in their lives.
Certainly we have our challenges in Baltimore. But underlying so many of our social ills is that generations of City residents have wanted and needed hope that things could get better. I believe that as we weigh the decisions for the future of Baltimore, we need to bring to the table both the energy and curiosity of our young people and the wisdom and foresight of the elderly. They are our most vulnerable residents—and two of our most precious resources to building the future for Baltimore.
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
President, Baltimore City Council
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Each week in the President's SchoolSpot,
Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake highlights the outstanding accomplishments of Baltimore City Schools students and staff. |
City Middle School Receives Grant to Support Health and Fitness
Congratulations to Diggs-Johnson Middle School #162! The Southwest Baltimore school has received a $5,000 grant from The People’s Community Health Centers and the Morgan State University Center for Health Disparity Solutions. The funds will support the school's Liv'in and Learn'in FIT Club, which provides a health/fitness curriculum, workshops, nutritious cooking activities, field trips and needed equipment. The purpose of the enrichment program is to battle the increase in health disparity and obesity. Also, thanks to support from Arts in Education through the Maryland State Arts Council, the school has been approved for a dance residency program.
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Have an exciting news item on achievements
in Baltimore City Public Schools?
Let us know so that we can feature them in the President's SchoolSpot.
Call Council President Rawlings-Blake's office at 410-396-4804 or send an e-mail to Marva Williams at mwilliams@baltimorecitycouncil.com.
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City Council This Week
No meetings or hearings scheduled this week. The next Council meeting is Monday, Sept. 17.
Community Events
Friday, September 7
Summer Sounds at the Square
Belvedere Square, 6-9 pm
Free outdoor concert featuring: Sons of Pirates
Details at www.belvederesquare.com
First Fridays in Canton
Live music outdoors on the Can
Company circle!
Featuring:
Junkyard Saints
September 7-9
Defenders' Day - The Star-Spangled Banner Weekend
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. To celebrate Defenders' Day, this 3-day encampment and extravaganza is celebrated with parades, military bands, fireworks and much more!
Free 410-962-4290
Details at
www.nps.gov/fomc
September 8-9
Ukrainian Festival
A celebration featuring dance
groups, Ukrainian Easter Eggs demonstration, musicians,
pierogi eating contest, traditional crafts, Ukrainian
beer garden and children's activities, Saturday noon-10 p.m.
and Sunday 10a.m.-9 p.m., Patterson Park at Linwood and
Eastern avenues,
410-687-3465.
Baltimore Comic-Con
September 8 & 9 Baltimore Convention Center
Sat. 10am-6pm Sun. 10am-5pm
Tickets $15 Details at www.comicon.com/baltimore
Saturday, September 8
6th Annual Pigtown Festival
700-900 blocks of Washington Blvd. 11am-4pm
Details at
www.pigtownfestival.com
8th Annual Bug Fest
Carrie Murray Nature Center, 1901 Ridgetop Rd.
10am-4pm
$5 Please pre-register at 410-396-0808
Community Outreach Festival
St. Veronica Catholic Church, 806 Cherry Hill Rd
12pm 410-355-7466
SOBO Sports Breast Cancer Blitz Block Party
presented by MammoJam to raise funds for uninsured women in the city.
11am-7pm, corner of Wells and Light Streets $10
Details at
www.mammojammusicfestival.org
ABMW’s 3rd Annual Media Cook-Off featuring Chef G. Garvin of TV One
September 8, 7pm-11pm
Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park Museum, 1471 Thames St.
$50 Tanesha 443-629-0187
Drop-In Hands-On Art Activities: People of the Sun
in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month
Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St.
Saturdays through September 30
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Walters Art Museum and Port
Discovery Children's Museum are collaborating to uncover the secrets of
the people of central and southern America. Create art inspired by the ancient American peoples' masks, vessles, and golden treasures during our Saturday drop-in program.
Details at www.thewalters.org
Sunday, September 9
BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter) Fundraiser Yard Sale
301 Stockholm St. 9am-3pm 410-396-4695
www.baltimoreanimalrescue.org
Baltimore Museum of Art Free Family Sundays
10 Art Museum Drive, 410-573-1700
http://www.artbma.org/families/sundays.html
Monday, September 10
Hands-On Holidays Rosh Hashanah Party
Weinberg Park Heights Jewish Community Center, 5700 Park Heights Ave.
10:30am-11:30am Children 18 months to 3 years old
$5-$8 410-542-4900
Tuesday, September 11
Upcoming/Ongoing
Salvation Army Holiday Assistance Programs
The Salvation Army is holding walk-in registrations for its Holiday Assistance Programs, September 10-28, 9am-3pm. Bring a photo ID, proof of income and residency and Social Security cards for all household members. 410-783-2920. Details at www.tsabaltimore.org
Fences, a play by August Wilson
Vagabond Players, 806 S. Broadway. Weekends through September 30.
Tickets $15 410-563-9135
FOR TEACHERS AND EDUCATORS
Port Discovery: Free Grant-Paid Field Trips
Call to reserve your free field trip while funds last. Pre-K to 5th grades. Money provided by Maryland Board of Education. Port Discovery offers free school in-services, free school guides, free lesson plans, free book and website listings to support teachers. Call (410) 864-2664 or e-mail kgulick@portdiscovery.org.
Details at www.portdiscovery.org
Homeschoolers: Call Port Discovery to reserve your free educational field trips on Friday afternoons at Port Discovery in September! Money provided by Maryland Board of Education. 2 hours free, 3 hours $2.75. Space and funds limited. Hours 1pm-3pm or 1pm-4pm. Must call to reserve space. |
Men’s Blue Suit Health Awareness Weekend
September 14-16 For information call "Doc" Cheatham at 410-669-8683.
Hampdenfest
Saturday, September 15, 36th Street in Hampden 11 am- 7pm
The William E. Proudford Sickle Cell Fund 2nd Annual Fundraiser
Saturday, September 15, 6pm Renaissance Harborplace Hotel
Featuring Dr. Robin L. Smith, from the Oprah Winfrey Show
Tickets $60 443-629-0187 Tanesha
Mt. Vernon Ghost Tours
Beginning September 15, 7pm at the Belvedere Hotel.
Details at
www.baltimoreghosttours.com
Adult Literacy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
Greater Homewood Community Corporation is offering Adult Literacy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Fall classes for adults begin the first week in October. Free basic reading and math classes, and low-cost English for Speakers of Other Languages. Registration begins
September 17th from 10 am-12 pm and
September 18th from 6-8 pm at
University Baptist Church, 3501 North Charles Street,
Lower Level.
Near buses 3, 11, 22, and 61.
Download Spanish registration form
Download French registration form
Download Korean registration form
High Zero Festival of Experimental and Improvised Music
September 20 - October 3 Featuring concerts at Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St.
Sound installations at Current Space, 30 S. Calvert St. and music workshops at various locations. Details at www.highzero.org
Korean American Festival
September 22, War Memorial Plaza 410-625-2442
CommUNITYFEST 2007
September 22, sponsored by Lexington Market and the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), 11am-3pm, free health screenings, information booths and more. 410-685-6169
Baltimore Book Festival
September 28 - 30,
Mount Vernon Place,
600 block of North Charles Street.
Line-up includes Poet Nikki Giovanni, White House Chef Walter Scheib, soap actress Victoria Rowell and more. To volunteer email BOPAvolunteer@promotionandarts.com
Details at
www.baltimorebookfestival.com.
Historic Federal Hill Street Beat Festival
Sunday, September 30, 2007
11am to 7pm
S. Charles & Cross Streets in Historic Federal Hill.
Fells Point Fun Festival
October 6 and 7
Columbus Day Parade
October 7, Mt Vernon Place
Parade steps off at 2pm
Walk to D'Feet ALS
Sunday, October 14, 2007 Druid Hill Park,10 am
Lace up your shoes and help the ALS Association-DC/MD/VA Chapter fight Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Participants raise crucial funds that allow the ALS Association to offer programs and support to local ALS patients and families and to support national research projects. Phone: 866-348-3257 Details at www.ALSinfo.org
Russian Festival
October 19-21, Holy
Trinity Russian Orthodox Church, 1723 E. Fairmount
Ave.
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