The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will be hosting programs introducing participants to basic woodworking and rope splicing this spring. Both workshops will be held in CBMM’s Shipyard, and advanced registration is required.

Intro to Woodworking will be held from 9am–4:30pm on Saturday & Sunday, March 2–3. Seip Family Foundation Shipwright Apprentice Zack Haroth will lead this two-day program, in which both power and hand tools will be demonstrated. Each participant will create their own handmade mallet and leave with the confidence to work on projects at home. No prior experience is necessary, and materials and tools will be provided.

To sign up, visit cbmm.org/introwoodworking. The cost for this program is $130, with a 20% discount for CBMM members.

A one-day Intro to Three-Strand Rope Splicing workshop is scheduled for Saturday, March 23, from 9am–4pm. Participants will leave this course with a greater understanding of not only the structure and proper care of three-strand rope, but also how to form and use a variety of splices. CBMM’s lead rigger, Sam Hilgartner, will cover the eye splice, short splice, grommet, and long splice. If time and participation skill allow, he will also cover the chain splice and sailmakers eye splice.

The cost for this program is $50, with a 20% discount for CBMM members. For more details and to register, visit cbmm.org/ropesplicing.

CBMM’s Apprentice for a Day Shipyard Programs take place year-round, offering demonstrations, workshops, intensives with visiting master craftsmen, on-the-water experiences, and customized programming. Programs take place on weekends and select weekdays, and include a variety of programs for every interest and age. To find one that’s right for you, visit cbmm.org/shipyardprograms.

With the theme “Flower Power,” the 2019 Philadelphia Flower Show will pay tribute to the enormous impact of flowers on our lives. Join Adkins Arboretum on Mon., March 4 for a bus trip to experience the nation’s largest and longest-running horticultural event.

From the first blooms of spring in the home garden to the expansive fields that fuel whole economies, flowers influence how we think, feel and act in ways both small and global. Across 10 acres of floor space in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the world’s leading floral and garden designers will explore how flowers convey a wide range of emotions and messages in a universal language that transcends cultures and borders. Stunning landscapes, imaginative gardens and breathtaking floral displays will interpret the power of flowers to inspire, decorate, style and enrich our lives. Through imaginative exhibits, guests will see ideals such as community, transformation, healing, peace and hope brought to live in surprising and vibrant ways.

An optional early-afternoon guided tour of the Rail Park, an elevated park under construction in Philadelphia, will add even more adventure to the trip. Following this walking tour, participants can join the others for the Flower Show.

Tickets are $95 for Arboretum members/$120 for non-members for the Flower Show, and $130 for members/$155 for non-members for the Flower Show and the Rail Park tour. The fee includes include transportation, driver gratuity and applicable admissions. The bus departs from Aurora Park Drive in Easton at 10 a.m. with additional stops near Wye Mills and Chestertown. Return time is approximately 9 p.m.

The nation’s largest and longest-running horticultural event, the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show features stunning displays by the world’s premier floral and landscape designers. Started in 1829 by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the show introduces diverse and sustainable plant varieties and garden and design concepts. It has been honored as the best event in the world by the International Festivals & Events Association, competing with such events as the Kentucky Derby Parade, Tournament of Roses Parade and Indianapolis 500 Festival. Proceeds from the Flower Show benefit the year-round programs of PHS that have become national models of urban greening.

Advance registration is requested by Sat., Feb. 9. To register, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410.634.2847, ext. 0.

Chesapeake Women’s Network (CWN) of Queen Anne’s County is seeking applicants for its 2019-2020 scholarships, which will be awarded in June 2019.

To be considered for the scholarship program, applicants must be females at least 22 years of age, citizens of the United States, and live and/or work in Queen Anne’s County.  In addition, applicants must be high school graduates or have earned a GED, and they must be officially accepted (or in the acceptance process) into an accredited program or certificate program at a United States college or university, Also, they must carry a minimum of 3 credits per semester and cannot be in the process of earning a doctoral degree, such as a PhD, MD, DDS, DVM or JD.  Applicants must demonstrate financial need and clear career goals and objectives.    

CWN is an organization of professional women who seek to facilitate enrichment and professional growth through communication and support while stimulating business opportunities for professional women in the community. The organization’s main philanthropy is its scholarship program, which helps recipients improve their circumstances and their financial futures through higher education.

For more information about CWN scholarship opportunities or to obtain an application form, visit its website at www.cwnqac.org.  The deadline for application submissions is March 29, 2019.

CENTREVILLE — Compass Regional Hospice is restructuring its Recovery After a Substance Passing grief support group to be more engaging and welcoming to those who are suffering the loss of a loved one due to overdose death.

The group meets from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at Compass Regional Hospice, 255 Comet Drive, Centreville. The group will meet this winter on Jan. 17, Feb. 21 and March 21.

Grief Support Supervisor Rhonda Knotts said the group now will include dinner, fellowship, guided conversation or activities and the occasional guest speaker.

January’s guest speaker will be Bonnie Scott, a Kent County native who has been in addiction recovery since 2004. She will talk about her experiences with loss due to overdose.

Scott attended Kent County High School and for the past 13 years has lived in Easton as a personal trainer, first at BodyWatts and now as a self-employed personal trainer focusing on seniors over age 55 and people facing orthopedic issues.

In May 2012, Scott lost her only son to an overdose. In 2013, she received her Grief Recovery Specialist certification through the Grief Recovery Institute.

Today, she also is a grandmother to three and an ordained minister that performs weddings and, occasionally, funerals, all over Maryland and Delaware. She enjoys crocheting, photography, reading and anything she can make or paint.

Compass Regional Hospice Executive Director Heather Guerieri said supporting families who have lost a loved one due to substance overdose is a natural fit for Compass Regional Hospice.

“Compass Regional Hospice offers assistance to those who are suffering the loss of a loved one after addiction and overdose,” Guerieri said. “The RASP support group is offered to anyone, regardless of whether or not they have been served by Compass. We are honored to offer this support to the communities and patients we serve in Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties, and we never turn anyone away from these groups based on an inability to pay; they are open to everyone.”

Knotts said grief following a drug overdose is often very complicated and can be different from other forms of grieving. The untimely and traumatic death can cause intense emotional reactions in loved ones, including guilt, shame/stigma, anger, anxiety and fear, and isolation.

“These can be very destructive and toxic emotions in those grieving, and can also be difficult to overcome,” Knotts said. “Survivors often feel the people around them can’t or don’t care to understand their situation or their complex emotions. This leads to survivors oftentimes left to grieve alone. We want you to know that you aren’t alone and that this is a safe space for you to come and open up, or don’t, maybe just listen or enjoy a time of fellowship with those who understand your situation and can help you bridge the path to healing.”

Knotts said the most important thing to know, is that if you are suffering, you are not alone.

“If you know someone who’s suffering from this type of loss, please let them know they are not alone,” Knotts said. “We are here for them, there are things they can do to help themselves, and there are many others out there who truly understand because they are going through the same thing.”   

To learn more about the RASP grief support group, to register or to learn about other grief support programs and services available through Compass Regional Hospice, contact Knotts at 443-262-4109 or rknotts@compassregionalhospice.org.

EASTON – University of Maryland Community Medical Group (UM CMG), announces the addition of Easton-based nurse practitioner Ashley Schmitz, PhD, MS, CRNP, to its Surgical Care practice.

Ashley specializes in general surgery and is seeing patients at 500 Cadmus Lane in Easton, Suite 205. Patients may make an appointment with her by calling 410-822-4553.

UM CMG is a University of Maryland Medical System-owned network of more than 300 primary care physicians, specialists- and advanced practice clinicians. As part of UM CMG, Ashley is affiliated with UM Shore Regional Health.

Ashley is a graduate of Ohio State University, where she received her Master of Science degree with a major of Family Nurse Practitioner, and her PhD in Human Nutrition. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Marian University.

“We are very pleased Ashley has chosen to join the team at University of Maryland Community Medical Group – Surgical Care practice,” comments Dr. William Huffner, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs at UM Shore Regional Health. “Ashley’s compassionate and comprehensive approach will be a great asset to both our practice and patients here on the Eastern Shore.”

UM CMG consists of community-based provider practices affiliated with UM Shore Regional Health, UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center, UM Charles Regional Medical Center and University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus.  A list of UM CMG providers is available at http://docfind.umms.org/cmg.

From 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, January 19, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md., is offering an Electronic Navigation for Non-Technical People workshop, with class size limited and registration needed.

Participants will join Capt. Jerry Friedman, a USCG-licensed Master, as he provides short non-technical descriptions of how GPS, GPS chart plotters, radar, depth sounders, and automated identification systems work.

A retired electrical engineering executive, Friedman has held a USCG captain’s license for 60 years. During that time, he also operated an emergency service towboat for BoatUS, assisting boaters along the Chesapeake Bay in distress, delivering boats around the Chesapeake and from Florida and Long Island to Annapolis, teaching navigation courses, editing a monthly professional captains’ publication, and providing instruction to boat owners in the operation of their boats. He currently holds a 100-ton Master’s license and serves as the volunteer lead captain of CBMM’s 1920 buyboat Winnie Estelle.

Friedman will also be leading a Boating Essentials class February 9-10, and a Chart Navigation class March 2-3 at CBMM, with more information at cbmm.org/shipyardprograms.

CBMM’s 18-acre campus is situated in a park-like setting along the Miles River and St. Michaels harbor, and is within walking distance to the shops, restaurants, inns, and other attractions within St. Michaels’ historic district.

The Jan. 19 Electronic Navigation workshop will be held in CBMM’s Van Lennep Auditorium and is $20 per participant, with a 20% discount to CBMM members and pre-registration at bit.ly/navigation19.

The Queen Anne’s County Commissioners voted unanimously to appoint Lynda Thomas to the position of Deputy Executive Assistant to the County Commissioners. Thomas, pictured with her hand up, took the oath of office during the commissioners’ January 8, 2019 meeting. Thomas has worked for the commissioners’ office since 2005. Also recognized that evening, was Executive Assistant Margie Houck, pictured seated, who recently completed her 25^th year with Queen Anne’s County. Thomas is the first Queen Anne’s County employee to hold the title of Deputy Executive Assistant to the County Commissioners.

Ron Lewis, shown at right, has joined UM Shore Regional Health as security director, Brian Leutner,  executive director, UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester and UM Shore Regional Health Oncology Services, has announced.

Lewis comes to UM Shore Regional Health from Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services System (MIEMSS), where he had served since August 2017 as associate regional manager for Region IV (Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, Worcester counties). Prior to joining MIEMSS, he spent 28 years in progressively responsible positions with Maryland State Police, including commander, Traffic Safety Division (2006-2007); commander, Special Operations Division (2007-2011); commander, Eastern Troop (2011-2015) and ultimately major-commander, Maryland State Police Southern Command (2015-2017).

A subject matter expert for medical emergency training programs, Lewis has vast experience working as a nationally registered paramedic program instructor He also over 20 years of flight paramedic experience in two separate Medevac programs and is a subject matter expert for medical emergency training programs.

Currently pursuing a master’s degree in criminal justice with a concentration in homeland security from Liberty University, Lewis holds a B.S. degree in management studies and criminal justice from University of Maryland University College and an A.A. degree in criminal justice from Wor-Wic Community College.

“Ron Lewis is an experienced leader in law enforcement,” says Leutner. “His resume includes a full complement of law enforcement work including oversight of SWAT, K-9, incident command and control, search and rescue, major event emergency management and tactical medical unit management. We are very fortunate to have him at the helm of our security programs here at Shore Regional Health.”

On Saturday, January 26 from 10:00-12:00 noon, all children and parents are invited to attend the annual STEM event at Kiddie Academy in Stevensville.  There will be a variety of engaging and fun science, technology, engineering and math activities for children 2 years old through school aged.  No skills are required and the event is free of charge.

Dana Barnhart and her husband, Scott, own the Kent Island Kiddie Academy.  Dana said, “The STEM event is one of my favorites of the year.  There are a lot of hands-on, interactive things to do for the kids.  It’s a lot of fun.”

Last year some of the activities included exploring rockets and volcanoes.  A kid favorite – the wind tunnel! – will be there again this year.  Dana said, “The children use things like coffee filters, paper cups and plates, and tape to create the design they want. Then they put it in the wind tunnel to see if it will fly.  Kids really love it.”

Kiddie Academy offers childcare for babies six weeks to 12 years old.  There is currently a wait-list for the infants and toddlers classrooms, but there are openings for older children.  Dana, Scott and their friendly staff welcome you to come visit the classrooms and see what the Kiddie Academy of Kent Island is all about.  They feel that the days of children should be structured around learning and fun and consider the most effective environment for learning a safe and cozy one. 

Children that attend Kiddie Academy love the family-style meals and organized play they enjoy each day, whether they are infants, toddlers or kindergartners. The teachers are nurturing, and well versed in the best practices of early childhood education.  Their dedication makes all the difference for your children.

To register for the STEM event, please visit their Facebook page: Kiddie Academy of Kent Island.  Kiddie Academy is located at 113 St. Claire Place in Stevensville.  For more information call 410-643-3932 or go to www.kentislandkiddieacademy.net.