Talbot Department of Social Services recently provided a presentation on autism for foster parents across the Mid-Shore as part of its ongoing educational training. Sean Logie, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Talbot Child Psychology, LLC, shared experiences of children diagnosed with autism and explained important considerations of children with autism, including comorbid disorders, social communication, sensory processing, sleep, and school. He also presented success stories and how important autism evaluations and applied behavioral analysis are to caring for children with autism.

“A diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder tells you very little about a child. Children with this diagnosis vary widely in the gifts that they have and the challenges they face. It’s important for parents to know that there are many services and resources available to help with most challenges. This includes medical and mental health services, sleep, feeding, sensory integration, and navigating school,” Dr. Logie commented.

“It’s important for parents involved in a child’s life to be their strongest advocate. If you are facing a challenge that you think is unique, chances are that it’s not. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, rally for support, and challenge any system that is not able to provide what your child needs.” 

Christine Montague, Coordinator, Option Respite & Parent Education for the Talbot County Department of Social Services, who organizes these foster parent training, states, “Programs like this one are so valuable to our foster parents, especially now as they have to meet a variety of needs in the children whom they foster. This program was enlightening to many of our parents and provided a great addition to their skill sets.”

For further information on becoming a foster or adoptive parent, call the Talbot County Department of Social Services at 410-820-7371 or visit midshoreresourceparents.com.

Guest Artist Soprano Rochelle Bard Featured in Songs of the Season

The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra once again ushers in the Christmas and Holiday Season with its annual “Holiday Joy” concert. This year the much-anticipated event features Soprano Rochelle Bard in carols, arias, and other songs of the season.

“We are pleased to be able to showcase the wonderful soprano Rochelle Bard at this year’s Holiday Joy concerts,” said MSO General Manager Dane Krich. “This is always such a special and joyous occasion for both our audience and the MSO Board, staff, and musicians. This concert continues to be the most popular concert of the year, inspiring our audiences and filling them with the joy of the holiday season.”

Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride — a “Holiday Joy” tradition with its sleigh bells and horse whinnies – once again opens the program. The concert continues with selections from around the world through several centuries of music with traditional carols, music of more recent vintage, opera arias, and salutes to some of our many holiday traditions.

Concertgoers at the Chesapeake College and Ocean City events are invited to special events at those two locations. The Atrium at Chesapeake College will be the site for pre-concert cocktails and a post-concert dinner. The Ocean City event will be a post-concert event with heavy hors d’oeuvres and other surprises. Separate tickets are required for these events and are available on the MSO’s website (www.midatlanticsymphony.org).

A note on the guest artist: Soprano Rochelle Bard has been described by critics as an ‘exquisite’ and ‘poignant’ singing actress. Ms. Bard earned a Master’s degree from the New England Conservatory and was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music from her alma mater, The College of the Holy Cross. With a focus on bel canto and Verdi roles, she has been a soloist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Hartford Symphony, Tanglewood, and with Opera Orchestra of New York and the MidAtlantic Opera at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

   …CONCERT DETAILS FOLLOW…

WHEN and WHERE: This concert will be performed at three venues on three days on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Thursday, December 1, 2022 – 7:00 PM – Chesapeake College’s Todd Performing Arts Center, Wye Mills, Maryland

Saturday, December 3, 7:00 PM – Cape Henlopen High School, Lewes, Delaware.

Sunday, December 4, 3:00 PM – Performing Arts Center, Ocean City, MD.

TICKETS

Individual tickets for this concert are $55 per person at each venue and are available at midatlanticsymphony.org/tickets. Tickets for the additional events at Chesapeake College and at Ocean City are also available at that Web site.

The Mid-Atlantic Symphony offers a group discount for the purchase of 10 or more tickets to a single concert. The Orchestra also makes a limited number of free tickets available for students 18 years and under; tickets for accompanying parents are $10 each. Reservations are required for the free tickets and may be made by calling 888-846-8600.

PODCASTS

Podcasts for the season preview, previews of each concert, and for special MSO events are available on the MSO Web site at midatlanticsymphony.org. Podcasts are posted on the site approximately 7 to 10 days before a concert or event.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about the 2022-2023 season, or to order tickets, please visit www.midatlanticsymphony.org. Tickets may be ordered by telephone at 888-846-8600.

ABOUT THE MID-ATLANTIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is the only professional symphony orchestra serving southern Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore with a full season of programs. The MSO is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council; the Talbot County Arts Council; the Worcester County Arts Council; the Sussex County, Delaware Council; and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, Inc.

A complete schedule of the 2022-2023 season’s Masterworks and Ensembles programs, venues, times, and other information is available at www.midatlanticsymphony.org

Earth Data recently completed trail maintenance at Pickering Creek Audubon Center as part of its Earth Data Gives program. The Center’s property features a variety of habitats including mature hardwood forest, fresh and brackish marsh, meadow, tidal and non-tidal wetlands, over a mile of shoreline on a tidal creek, and cropland.

The Earth Data Gives program was started by the company to give back to the community. Over the years, Earth Data employees have helped support the health of the Chesapeake Bay, Cub Scouts’ summer camps, ending the global vision epidemic, stocking fish with the Department of Natural Resources, building oyster cages, and providing CarePacks to local students.

“Earth Data believes that giving makes our communities thrive, our employees passionate about more than work, and Earth Data an encouragement to those around us. Pickering Creek is an important environmental nonprofit that is teaching about the importance of environmental stewardship – something my employees care a lot about,” said Mark Williams, CEO, of Earth Data, Inc.

Samantha Pitts, Community Partnerships Coordinator, at Pickering Creek Audubon Center, said that Earth Data brought an energetic crew of 10 volunteers to do trail maintenance at the Center’s site in Easton. 

“The Earth Data employees worked together well as individual volunteers and great as a team. They brought cheer and joy to the job and I feel like they enjoyed it too.  The trail looked fantastic when they were done,” she stated.

Pitts shared that Pickering Creek Audubon Center is committed to maintaining its trails for visitor use. The organization’s mission is to conserve natural habitats on Maryland’s Eastern Shore by engaging and empowering the community through exploration, education, and stewardship. Volunteers donate thousands of hours each year maintaining trails, monitoring the 60 nest box Eastern Bluebird trail, implementing habitat restoration projects, and tending the gardens, buildings, and grounds.

“We enjoy having organizations like Earth Data volunteer with us. It was especially nice that they reached out to us and share our environmental values. That’s important to us,” she added.

In addition to giving back through its environmental work, the Earth Data Giving Program encourages all Earth Data Incorporated employees to help others. It provides employees with paid public-service hours for volunteer work done to support local charities and others, such as helping feed school kids on the weekends, cleaning hiking trails, supporting elementary school reading programs, and teaching kids about the world around them by using maps and GIS.  

For 47 years, Earth Data, Inc. has been providing field-oriented water resources and geospatial consulting services using high-tech tools to collect, analyze, manage, and distribute data in sophisticated ways. For further information, visit earthdatainc.com.

University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton, a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), has received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade in The Leapfrog Group’s fall 2022 reporting period. This marks the fifth consecutive period that the hospital has received an ‘A’.
Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grade is a national distinction recognizing a hospital’s achievements in providing safer healthcare by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors.
“We are extremely pleased to once again achieve The Leapfrog Group’s highest safety grade,” said Ken Kozel, President and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health. “This national award reflects the tremendous dedication and commitment of our doctors, nurses and all team members who work hard every day to provide the highest-quality medical care to our patients.”
“I applaud the hospital leadership and workforce for their strong commitment to safety and transparency,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a sign that hospitals are continuously evaluating their performance, so that they can best protect patients. Your hospital team should be extremely proud of their dedication and achievement.”
The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization with a 10-year history of assigning letter grades to general hospitals throughout the United States, based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. Hospital Safety Grade results are based on more than 30 national performance measures and are updated each fall and spring.

New, unwrapped toys are being sought to benefit Bay Hundred area children this holiday season, with drop-off locations including the St. Michaels Community Center, The LumberYard in St. Michaels, Perkins Family YMCA, and Fairbank Tackle. The toy drive is organized by St. Michaels Granite Lodge #177, with donated toys being accepted through Dec. 21.  

SMCC additionally is seeking donations of non-perishables, toiletries, and household goods, which can also be dropped off or shipped directly to SMCC at its temporary program location of 207 N. Talbot St., next to The Wildset Hotel, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Donated toys and household goods with “for the holiday drive” noted can also be dropped off at Treasure Cove Thrift Shop at 200 Railroad Ave. Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Suggested donations include toys suited for children of all ages; personal hygiene items like toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, soap, and shampoo; family homecare items like detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products, and sponges; and food items like canned chicken, tuna, roast beef, ravioli, pasta, stew, peanut butter, rice, soup, crackers, pudding, and fruit cups.

SMCC also provides emergency clothing and household goods through its Treasure Cove Thrift Shop on Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels, which is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Donations to the Thrift Store of gently used clothing, toys, household goods, and furniture are gratefully accepted Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The St. Michaels Community Center’s mission is to serve, empower, and connect the community, with year-round essential human services programs and activities for children, families, and adults. Donations to SMCC and proceeds from its Treasure Cove Thrift Shop on Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels help the nonprofit provide year-round programs, services, and community events for people in St. Michaels and the Bay Hundred’s communities, with more at www.stmichaelscc.org.

As we enter the season of giving, Haven Ministries is asking the public to support its efforts in sheltering and feeding Queen Anne’s County residents in need the year-end giving program.

Through its new Homes of Hope in Stevensville, which opened in June, Haven Ministries is providing clients with affordable housing while leading them to a permanent housing solution. While participating in the Haven Ministries Housing Assistance Program, participants work closely with a Haven Ministries case manager to ensure that they are positioned for success to secure safe and stable long-term housing once their respective program period is over, usually within two years.

“To date, both homes are filled and staff is working with clients toward long-term housing solutions. We are thrilled with being able to implement our Housing Assistance Program. The need for affordable housing on the Mid-Shore has never been greater and we rely upon our donors to help us bridge the gap,” comments Peter Grim, Executive Director of Haven Ministries.

Individuals and families who live in Queen Anne’s County can apply for the program, must pass the background checks, pay a program fee, and voluntarily agree to work with a case manager. Haven Ministries will connect participants to area resources such as education, jobs, and job training, allowing individuals and families to stabilize, build up their resources, and successfully move on toward safe and affordable housing.

In addition to Homes of Hope, Haven Ministries is continuing to operate its seasonal shelter at Kent Island Methodist Church in Stevensville to offer emergency overnight safe and warm accommodations for individuals and families who do not have a dedicated location in which to sleep. The shelter operates from October through April each year.

In addition to shelter needs, Haven Ministries is seeing a growing need for food pantry items at its Food Pantry/Resource Center location at 206 Del Rhodes Avenue in Queenstown. Haven Ministries also operates a Mobile Food Pantry Truck where residents in northern Queen Anne’s County can go and “shop” for needed food items. The “store on wheels” is parked at Faith Bible Church at 407 Dudley Corner Road in Sudlersville every week on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., offering a selection of non-cooked food items for area residents.  Haven Ministries partners with The Judy Center/Queen Anne’s County Public Schools to supply food to this part of the county.

“The demand for food items at both these locations has increased by 40 percent since the pandemic began. We are now serving an average of 500 people per month through our food pantry program. The need is great and we rely upon the public’s support to keep up with this growing demand,” adds Grim.

Financial donations between now and December 2, 2023, will be matched 

On November 5, Fred Pomeroy was named the third recipient of the ShoreRivers Award for Environmental Stewardship during the organization’s Riverboat Rendezvous & Race. The award recognizes an individual or entity in the Chesapeake Bay watershed for their transformational accomplishments as a steward of the environment.

The founding President of Dorchester Citizens for Planned Growth, Pomeroy serves as a watchdog and protector for his community. He is a conservationist when it comes to farming and, in addition to working with ShoreRivers on a wetland project, he has implemented acres of buffers, additional wetlands, and quail habitat on his farmland.

“It’s our responsibility as citizens who want to leave a better world to the coming generations to forsake the easy path of cynicism and apathy. In doing so we need to broaden our coalitions by reaching out to underserved folks and those whose political persuasions are different from our own,” Pomeroy, a lifelong waterman, Century Farm owner, poet, former teacher, and courageous citizen activist, said while accepting his award. “[Let’s] resolve to keep speaking up for the environment with a glad heart and a generous spirit.”

Pomeroy also brings a conservationist mindset to the water where he operates several acres of oyster leases near Stoney Cove in the Little Choptank River and from where he gets many of the oysters he’s donated for ShoreRivers’ events. He has also served as an advisor and mentor for ShoreRivers staff on major issues related to Chesapeake Bay fisheries, nutrient pollution, irresponsible development, and other threats that undermine a fundamental right to clean water.

“Fred’s ‘leave it for the next generation’ attitude inspires us all to work harder to ensure that generations to come are able to enjoy fishable, swimmable, boatable rivers on the Eastern Shore,” said Matt Pluta, ShoreRivers Director of Riverkeeper Programs, who presented the award. “He’s an invaluable asset to our region, and someone I’m proud to call a mentor, and a friend.”

ShoreRivers—and the 250 supporters in attendance at the event—were proud to recognize Pomeroy, a true renaissance man and champion of the environment, with this year’s award. After the reception, attendees boarded two turn-of the-century paddlewheelers at the Choptank Riverboat Company and raced to a photo finish where expert helmsmen encouraged more than $44,000 in gifts to support the Riverkeeper program. Visit shorerivers.org to learn more.