Dayhoff Soundtrack

Monday, February 06, 2017

Feb. 7, 1936 MSP LODD: Maryland State Police Quartermaster Sergeant Wilbert V. Hunter died of exposure on 2/7/1936

Feb. 7, 1936 MSP LODD: Maryland State Police Quartermaster Sergeant Wilbert V. Hunter died of exposure on 2/7/1936 http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2017/02/feb-7-1936-msp-lodd-maryland-state.html

And Harford County Sheriff’s Deputies Patrick Dailey and Mark Logsdon were shot and killed on Feb. 10, 2016

Fortunately, throughout history, we have only lost one Maryland State Trooper in the month of February. On February 7^th, we remember Maryland State Police Quartermaster Sergeant Wilbert V. Hunter who died of exposure on February 7, 1936. https://www.odmp.org/agency/2367-maryland-state-police-maryland

Heavenly Father. We ask for your healing graces for the friends, family, and colleagues of Harford County Sheriff’s Deputies Patrick Dailey and Mark Logsdon who were shot and killed last year on Feb. 10, 2016 – and Maryland State Police Quartermaster Sergeant Wilbert V. Hunter, who died of exposure on 2/7/1936. Amen.

I think of Sgt. Hunter when I complain about the cold and snow of February and how much I do not like the winter. It puts things in perspective.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, “Quartermaster Sergeant Hunter died of exposure after falling through ice covering Tangier Sound. He was part of an expedition taking 2,000 pounds of food to stranded residents on Tangier Island during a blizzard. Sergeant Hunter (was 30-yrs old and) had served with the Maryland State Police for just under 8 years.” http://www.odmp.org/officer/reflections/6867-quartermaster-sergeant-wilbert-v-hunter

Time never diminishes respect and Harford County Sheriff’s Deputies Dailey and Logsdon, and Maryland State Police Sgt. Hunter will always be honored and revered. May they Rest In Peace.

The Officer Down Memorial Page reports that throughout history, in the United States, on Feb. 7, 79 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty. https://www.odmp.org/search/this_day_in_history/february/7

We lift them up into your loving arms. Hold them their family, friends, and colleagues in your heart and our prayers.

In your boundless compassion, console us who still mourn.

Remember our fallen servants. … Remember those who serve for our public safety and community.

We Pray and ask the Lord for the protection of our military personnel, law enforcement, firefighters and EMS personnel and their families. Keep us safe as we protect and serve. Amen ####

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Labels: LODD Line of Duty Death, MD co Harford Co, MD State Police MSP, MTA MD St Troopers Assoc. Lodge # 20, MTA MD St Troopers Assoc. Lodge # 20 Chaplain

February 6, 2017 MSP LODD MTA pray

http://www.mdtroopers.org/about-us/fallen-heroes.html

*****

Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net Explore Carroll: www.explorecarroll.com The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com

Sunday, February 05, 2017

Carroll County Times - Letter: Police salaries in Carroll among lowest in state

Carroll County Times - Letter: Police salaries in Carroll among lowest in state http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2017/02/letter-police-salaries-in-carroll-among.html

February 4, 2017 by Brandon Holland, Westminster, The writer is the president of Carroll County FOP Lodge 20.

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/opinion/letters/ph-cc-letters-0205-holland-20170204-story.html

Recently, the Carroll County Times reported on our sheriff and state's attorney seeking pay increases for the next election cycle. A related editorial asked whether the salaries for Carroll County employees' are too low. I am the president of Carroll County's Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 20, and I am writing to confirm that Carroll County has some of the lowest-paid police in the state.

Read much more here: http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/opinion/letters/ph-cc-letters-0205-holland-20170204-story.html

Every day the national media has a story about a police shooting, or a negative article claiming misconduct by an officer. The Times recently printed an article on local deputies leaving for higher pay or to start another career outside of law enforcement ("Sheriff's Office Loses Three Deputies" – Jan. 13, 2017). One deputy left the agency to start an entirely new career, citing the current negative atmosphere in law enforcement as his reason for leaving. Thankfully, that negative atmosphere is not evident in Carroll County and law enforcement is very well supported by our citizens.

Law enforcement personnel in Carroll County do an outstanding job, frequently resorting to their training and experience to diffuse and de-escalate difficult situations that could've brought the national spotlight to Carroll County. The crime rate in Carroll County is low and has been for years. That low crime rate is directly attributable to the quality of policing in the county. The same policing that is being underpaid. Compared to agencies of similar size and responsibilities like Harford, Frederick and St. Mary's counties, Carroll County Sheriff's patrol deputies are paid on average 11 percent lower than those agencies. The disparity continues as a deputy goes up in rank and takes on additional responsibilities, with an average of 20-30 percent lower pay than these same agencies. This is also the case for corrections deputies and officers from Carroll municipalities as they are paid significantly lower salaries across the board than their counterparts in other counties.

It is not my intention to paint a picture of doom and gloom as there are a lot of good benefits to working in Carroll County and I know that Carroll County Sheriff's deputies take special pride in the quality of their work. Nor should the current situation be attributed to the current Board of Commissioners as they inherited this problem; however, they do have an opportunity to right the ship and I think it is incumbent on them to do so.

Brandon Holland, Westminster, The writer is the president of Carroll County FOP Lodge 20.

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Welcome to the Sunday church service and Sunday school with Pastor Kevin at Grace Lutheran Church in Westminster

Welcome to the Sunday church service and Sunday school with Pastor Kevin at Grace Lutheran Church in Westminster 5Feb2017 www.gracelc.org

Saturday, February 04, 2017

Writer and author Joseph F. Steffen Jr., 57, died Fri. Jan. 27, 2017

Writer and author Joseph F. Steffen Jr., 57, died Fri. Jan. 27, 2017

By Jacques Kelly and Luke Broadwater, The Baltimore Sun, Feb. 1, 2017 http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bs-md-ob-joseph-steffen-20170201-story.html

Joseph F. Steffen Jr., a Republican political operative who enjoyed describing himself as the "Prince of Darkness," died of coronary disease Friday at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. The Dundalk resident was 57.

His daughter Jennifer Steffen, with whom he lived, said her father suffered two strokes several years ago.

Born in Baltimore and raised in Reisterstown, he was the son of Joseph F. Steffen Sr., a machinist, and Anne Steffen. He attended Sacred Heart School and was a 1977 Franklin High School graduate. He then did odd jobs before he began working as a speechwriter in Republican politics.

"He was noticed for an article he wrote in a Reisterstown newspaper, and went on to work for [conservative figures] Linda Chavez and Richard Viguerie," his daughter said. "On the basis of that initial article, he was noticed by the National Conservative Action Committee, and at age 23, he became a press secretary for it."

Mr. Steffen was best known for his work in the rough-and-tumble world of Maryland politics, including more than a decade working for former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

Read much more here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bs-md-ob-joseph-steffen-20170201-story.html

Writer and author Joseph F. Steffen Jr., 57, died Fri. Jan. 27, 2017 http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2017/02/writer-and-author-joseph-f-steffen-jr.html

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Thursday, February 02, 2017

Our prayers are with the family of the corrections officer at the Correctional Center in Smyrna, Delaware

This is so sad – and senseless. Corrections officers are the unsung heroes of public safety. It is an extremely dangerous job. Too often they are underpaid and underappreciated. Corrections officers selflessly serve for our public safety out of sight and out of mind until something stupid happened. At this difficult time our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the corrections officer at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna, Delaware.

The Washington Post is reporting: Corrections officer dead after day-long hostage standoff at Delaware prison – By Katie Mettler and Mark Berman https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/02/02/inmates-demanding-education-protesting-trump-take-hostages-at-delaware-prison/?utm_term=.f12b8cb240d9&wpisrc=al_alert-national

“The standoff inside Delaware's largest state prison for men ended early Thursday after state police stormed the building, finding one corrections official dead and rescuing another who was being held hostage. Officials did not immediately elaborate on a cause of death for the corrections officer.

“The standoff began Wednesday morning when inmates at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna, about 40 miles south of Wilmington, took four corrections department workers hostage, prompting a lockdown of prisons across the state.” Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/02/02/inmates-demanding-education-protesting-trump-take-hostages-at-delaware-prison/?utm_term=.f12b8cb240d9&wpisrc=al_alert-national

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Not everyone appreciated my story, “Carroll made great by many who have recently passed away.”

Not everyone appreciated my story, “Carroll made great by many who have recently passed away.” http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2017/02/not-everyone-appreciated-my-story.html

February 1, 2017 Kevin Dayhoff

As will happen from time to time, not everyone appreciated my story, “Carroll made great by many who have recently passed away.” http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/columnists/features/history/ph-cc-dayhoff-012917-20170127-column.html

Go here: https://www.facebook.com/cctnews/posts/10155173261802018?comment_id=10155187374597018&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R1%22%7D

I am not into Facebook arguments – see http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/2016/05/beating-dead-horse.html. I like discussion and encourage folks with other points of view to share their thoughts with me. It is a relatively new “Facebook concept” that folks do not like others with whom they disagree. I like my friends, whether they agree with me or not. I am so easy. I like anybody who is nice to me.

Anyway, at least one reader really objected to when I wrote that, “When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground” is an old African proverb.

Usually I ignore comment trolls. I simply do not have the time to respond. But this one struck a nerve. The column was from the heart. And besides, it brought back memories of Dr. Earl Griswold’s anthropological and sociology research at Western Maryland College – see https://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2016/04/april-11-1992-dr-l-earl-griswold.html: all the wonderful things I learned in the Westminster United Methodist Church MYF - Methodist Youth Fellowship and the many-many lectures and programs at Western Maryland College in the 1960s… Folks and places that I recall where and when I was introduced to the concept of “When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground.”

So I wrote on the Carroll County Times’ Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/cctnews/?fref=nf: I’d like to thank everyone for their feedback. I appreciate this opportunity to shed some addition light on an important topic in a storied Carroll County that is rapidly changing.

From the comments below, it appears that many folks understand the thrust and theme of the story. I felt extremely sad when I wrote the piece and actually it was my editors who insisted that I have the story published. I am indebted to them.

For those I failed to reach, I apologize. Genevieve Frost wrote, “‘old’ African saying. This saying originated in 1960. Stop virtue signaling and rewriting history.” In a subsequent comment, Ms. Frost remarked, “Stating that something is old when it is not, isn't an opinion, it's misinformation.”

Well - - at an l’UNESCO conference in 1960, Amadou Hampâté Bâ, (1901– May 15, 1991,) an eminent Malian intellectual, writer, and ethnologist referred to the old African proverb when he said, “Un vieillard africain qui meurt, c’est une bibliothèque qui brûle.” - “In Africa, when an old man dies, it’s a library burning.”

This, according to multiple media sources, including, “Cahiers d’études africaines,” 1965, and Cote-d’ivoire by Dominique Desanti, 1962, “Selon la fulgurante formule d’un ethnologue malien, Amadou Hampâté Bâ: ‘Chaque vieillard qui meurt, c’est une bibliothèque qui brûle.’”

Actually what the distinguished ambassadeur du Mali à Abidjan paraphrased is indeed an ancient West African proverb. Much of the history, customs, and traditions of West Africa are in the form of unwritten oral history. And when an elder in the community dies, the community suffers a great loss of institutional knowledge, wisdom, and insight into our treasured customs and traditions.

My story was an appeal to folks to talk with older family members, colleagues, and community leaders before it is too late. It is an ageless universal appeal to interview our elders, learn from them – and record their stories.

The reference in my story, to the proverb “When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground,” was to provide me with a written vehicle to make the point that many of the eminent community leaders who passed away in Carroll County last year were quite elderly and profoundly wise. Although I had an opportunity to interview several of them while they were alive, I just wish that I had taken the time to get them to sit down for a recorded questions and answer interview.

This was the focus of the lament many of us felt when we gathered to pay our respects to Woody Swam and gathered in a circle to tell old Carroll County stories from many years ago, that will sadly be lost without a concerted effort to document them.

You just cannot “Google” this stuff. There is something lost in the translation… Some of the stories about state’s attorney Bryan McIntire are the stuff of legend. Annie Hoff carried forward Carroll County farming traditions from well into the 1800s. Dave Schaeffer was distinguished Carroll County businessman that stood witness to enormous changes in Carroll County.

I use the old African proverb, “When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground,’ often in memorial services, in my capacity as a fire, military and police chaplain.

The saying is also used by American historians. I often remember it in the context of southern gothic literature in relationship to the sadness of a community when an elder passes away. Tennessee Williams described Southern Gothic as a style that captured "an intuition, of an underlying dreadfulness in modern experience."

In Carroll County, the subplot, the dog whistle, if you will, is that with the death of many of these individuals; passes a certain Carroll County way-of-life that is going away forever. This concept is greeted with a certain dread by many in the community.

Although, the Carroll History project coordinated by the Community Media Center and developed by the Carroll County Public Library, Carroll County NAACP, the Human Relations Commission of Carroll County, the Historical Society of Carroll County and the Carroll County Genealogical Society has attempted to address the importance of capturing Carroll County oral history; much more remains to be done.

A big thank you to everyone who read the column and gave me positive feedback. The column was from the heart. God Bless.

*****

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

I'll just leave this right here.

Monday, January 30, 2017

2017 Horse Fair Tack Sale to benefit the 4-H Therapeutic Riding March 26, 2017

2017 Horse Fair Tack Sale to benefit the 4-H Therapeutic Riding March 26, 2017 http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2017/01/2017-horse-fair-tack-sale-to-benefit-4.html

Join us at the 2017 Horse Fair Tack Sale to benefit the 4-H Therapeutic Riding

Program of Carroll County on March 26, 2017

When: March 26, 2017

Time: 9:00 AM- 2:00 PM

Where: Shipley Arena at the Carroll County Ag Center

What: Tack sale/swap

New and Used tack, equipment, clothes, and supplies, just in time for spring riding!

No Entry Fee Just come and shop!

Spaces are available for you or your organization to sell your horse related goods, services and supplies: 10x12 ft space is $30 for the first space, $20 for each additional space for more information or to reserve a space, email Karen at trp4h@comcast.net

Shots and Coggins Clinic: Make a reservation now to bring your horses and have shots done on the trailer Contact Mary at mstheretreat99@gmail.com or call her at 443-465-7809.

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20070721 For more posts on Soundtrack about the 4H TRP

For more posts on the 4-H Therapeutic Riding Program of Carroll County on “Soundtrack”go here: http://tinyurl.com/qltzfn The web site may be found here: http://www.trp4h.org/

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/search/label/4H%20Therapeutic%20Riding%20Prog

Disclosure: I volunteer with the 4-H Therapeutic Riding Program of Carroll County

4H, 4H Therapeutic Riding Prog, Babylon Mrs Owl, Ag, Ag Carroll Co MD Ag Center, Animals horses, 4H Carroll Co 4H FFA Fair,

4-H Therapeutic Riding Program of Carroll County

About 4-H Therapeutic Riding Program of Carroll County - http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2001/01/20010100-about-4h-therapeutic-riding.html

African orphans make special visit Mar 19, 2007 3:00 AM by Kelsey Volkmann, The Examiner - http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2007/03/20070319-african-orphans-make-special.html

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2006/01/tall-in-saddle-by-katie-v-jones-4-h.html Tall in the Saddle By Katie V. Jones Westminster Eagle 01/03/2006

Our community lost a number of distinguished community leaders in 2016

Our community lost a number of distinguished community leaders in 2016 http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2017/01/our-community-lost-number-of.html

Dayhoff: Carroll made great by many who have recently passed away

By Kevin Dayhoff January 27, 2017 Our community lost a number of distinguished community leaders in 2016. http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/columnists/features/history/ph-cc-dayhoff-012917-20170127-column.html

Recently, a number of us gathered to trade stories and pay our respects to Woody Swam at the Eckhardt Funeral Chapel in Manchester.

[…]

“An old African proverb says, "When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground." This winter I have attended more funerals than I care to recall. Many of the folks were in their 80s or 90s. Community leaders, who by their sacrifice, hard work, and endeavor, helped make Carroll County what it is we enjoy today. In their passing, they take volumes of history with them…”

[…]

Our community lost a number of distinguished community leaders in 2016. Folks such as T. Bryan McIntire, who passed away on Dec. 16 at age 86. McIntire served as the Carroll County state's attorney from 1962 to 1970.

Dave Schaeffer, 96, died on Dec. 20. After Schaeffer served in the Army during World War II, he started the Schaeffer Lumber Company in 1946 with his dad, and his brother.

“My Westminster High School class of 1971 classmates Bob Hyer and Doug Menchey died in 2016. Menchey worked for many folks in Carroll County with the Menchey Construction Company. Hyer was a 1975 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy…”

Chaplain, Dayhoff Carroll County Times, Dayhoff Carroll County Times Time Flies, People Tributes, Tributes

Please read much more here: http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/columnists/features/history/ph-cc-dayhoff-012917-20170127-column.html

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Sunday, January 29, 2017

Pastor Martin Niemoeller, German clergyman (1892-1984)

"First they came for the Communists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,

and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,

and by that time no one was left to speak up."

Pastor Martin Niemoeller, German clergyman (1892-1984)

who opposed Nazism.

*****

We demand that the US government create a Lutheran registry

We demand that the US government create a Lutheran registry. Just saying.

I’ll just leave this right here:

"As Lutherans, many of our ancestors faced the pain of having to flee our homes and the joy of being welcomed in new communities across the United States. As we have done throughout history, I urge our elected officials to honor our biblical witness as well as the best of our nation’s traditions of refuge and stand firmly against any policies that result in scaling back the refugee resettlement program." - The Rev. Elisabeth A. Eaton, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – Retrieved Jan. 27, 2017

I am a Matthew chapter 25 chaplain to give voice to those often without a voice, to give form to my love of "other,” because I hate bullies and bullying, because God has called me as a chaplain to be welcoming and showing hospitality and mercy to all.

Leviticus 19:34: The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

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Washington Post: Judge halts deportations as refugee ban causes worldwide furor By Jerry Markon, Emma Brown and Katherine Shaver January 29 at 2:19 AM http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2017/01/washington-post-judge-halts.html

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York Emergency Motion for Stay of Removal January 28, 2017

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York Emergency Motion for Stay of Removal Janu... by Kevin Earl Dayhoff on Scribd

In New York, lawyers for two Iraqi men detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport — one of whom served the U.S. military mission in Iraq — filed a federal lawsuit challenging the order as unconstitutional.

[Read the complaint] http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/local/petition-for-writ-of-habeas-corpus-on-behalf-of-iraqi-refugees-detained-at-jfk-airport/2311/

Case 1:17-cv-00480 United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York Emergency Motion for Stay of Removal January 28, 2017

One of the men, Hameed Khalid Darweesh, was released Saturday afternoon without explanation from federal officials. “This is the humanity, this is the soul of America,’’ he told reporters. “This is what pushed me to move, to leave my country and come here … America is the land of freedom — the land of freedom, the land of the right.’’

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/refugees-detained-at-us-airports-challenge-trumps-executive-order/2017/01/28/e69501a2-e562-11e6-a547-5fb9411d332c_story.html?utm_term=.7c52e7b8d793&wpisrc=al_alert-COMBO-politics%252Bnation

"First they came for the Communists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,

and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,

and by that time no one was left to speak up."

Pastor Martin Niemoeller, German clergyman (1892-1984)

who opposed Nazism.

*****

Washington Post: Judge halts deportations as refugee ban causes worldwide furor

Washington Post: Judge halts deportations as refugee ban causes worldwide furor By Jerry Markon, Emma Brown and Katherine Shaver January 29 at 2:19 AM

[Read the complaint] http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/local/petition-for-writ-of-habeas-corpus-on-behalf-of-iraqi-refugees-detained-at-jfk-airport/2311/

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Saturday, January 28, 2017

1962 in Ocean City: The Great March Storm of 1962

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The next meeting “Carroll CAN” will take place at the Carroll County Public Library in Westminster on Feb. 12, 2017 2 p.m.

Updated pictures - Feb. 18, 2017

The next meeting “Carroll CAN” will take place at the Carroll County Public Library in Westminster on Feb. 12, 2017 2 p.m.

At the January 26^th, 2017 meeting of the Carroll County NAACP, Pam Zappardino reported that a grass roots organization has formed in Carroll to advocate for positive changes in the community.

The next meeting “Carroll CAN” - organized by “Together We Will,” will take place at the Carroll County Public Library in Westminster on Feb. 12, 2017 2 p.m. This will be about the 3^rd meeting. More information may be found on the organization’s website here: https://carrollcan.org/

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The next meeting “Carroll CAN” will take place at the Carroll County Public Library in Westminster on Feb. 12, 2017 2 p.m.

According to recent information on the Carroll Can listserve:

“…Come to the Carroll CAN meeting at Westminster library at 2pm today! -AND/OR- If you are able to do so, please sign up to help with a committee that you may have an interest in or maybe even start your own if there is a need. We'd love to have some more people offer their knowledge on specific topics as well to add content to our website and keep the group informed.

“Some examples of the volunteer needs are: Writer of Weekly/Monthly newsletter and Representatives’ Calendars Liaison - report to communications/social media chairs when representatives will have town halls”

“Are you new to Carroll CAN? Are you wondering who we are and what we have done?

We began with a meeting in November 2016 at a Denny’s in Westminster. We used the time to feel empowered and encouraged that a group had formed (we were only 300 members on a Facebook group site at the time, but just that was so exciting at the time!). We shared our stories about why we had come, and there was a common theme of “I thought I was the only one.” The overwhelming feeling was one of relief to have found fellow Carroll County residents who shared the same values and concerns.

And then we hit the ground running!

We developed an organizational and leadership structure, which continues to grow as we find our groove.

We organized a bus to attend the Women’s March on Washington. That wound up becoming 3 buses, with 136 passengers! For many, it was their first march and their first moment of activism! We had a volunteer design our green “March On” buttons that we now wear proudly. After the march, a group of marchers went to a local restaurant for dinner, still in their pink hats, and they received applause and invited others to join our group!

We programmed our representatives’ numbers into our phones, and faced our nervousness and discomfort by making calls to their offices. We have now become comfortable with something that most of us had never done before 2017!

We met for monthly meetings, and the rooms were packed with energy and ideas.

We developed a list of local businesses to support due to our common values and interests.

We built a website, and received donations to host the site for the next year!

Some awesome stats: Our website has had 3,952 views in the last 30 days (as of 2/8/17).

We made a public Carroll CAN Facebook page so people can find us and see our calls to action.

Some more awesome stats: In just the first eight days of February, we have had 696 visits! Our Carroll CAN public Facebook page grew at 14.5% last week, which is better than the Together We Will USA page and Pantsuit District page. We engage more users than Indivisible, TWW-MD, and Pantsuit District!

We have a Call to Action team that verifies and disseminates an action item that we can do every day! They post these calls to action on the website, facebook page and twitter.

We increased communication by having an email liaison send the content of the facebook page to those who are not on facebook.

We developed a logo that signifies our awareness that we are stronger as a united team. We once felt alone because of our values, and now we have both comfort and unified action because of our togetherness.

We had members who went to BWI to show support to refugees and immigrants on the day the bad went into effect. We have members who gather on Main Street in Westminster on Saturdays with signs that have messages of inclusion, kindness, and support.

We have organized a Town Hall Meeting on 3/2/17 focused on the Affordable Care Act! We have invited our representatives to attend, and we are hopeful they will.

We organized small groups that meet at local restaurants for support and brainstorming.

We have amazing passion and motivation! People who have never been engaged in anything like this before have stepped up to lead a subcommittee! People who made a suggestion wound up being willing to make that suggestion happen! All it takes is that first thought of “Can I do ___?” and you will get a resounding and supportive, “Yes you CAN!”

We have managed to add activism and volunteering to our already full plates. We have given our talents without expectation of recognition nor reimbursement. We have learned new skills and been willing to go outside our comfort zones.

We are Carroll CAN—an action-focused, action-packed community network of kind, compassionate, and dedicated Carroll County residents. Together, we have, we will, and we CAN.

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