Montgomery County, MD Messenger

April – June 2015, Volume 3, Issue 2
Montgomery County, MD Messenger
National Council of Negro Women, Montgomery County Section, P. O. Box 1625, Silver Spring, MD 20915
Website: ncnw-montgomerycounty-md.org
ANNUAL INSPIRATIONAL BRUNCH
The Annual Inspirational Brunch held on November 8, 2014 at the Hilton in Rockville was remarkable and impressive.
The theme was, “A Life of Faith and Service.” We were thrilled and inspired by the dynamic message delivered by the
Rev. Dr. Duane T. Kay, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of North Brentwood, Maryland. The uplifting musical
selections by soloist, Ms. Natalie Barrens-Rogers made a pleasant complement. Pictures below depict notable moments:
Bethune/Height Achievers and new Life Members were also recognized. The section presented Community Service
Awards to Rev. Matthew L. Watley of Reid Temple AME Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Ms. Tina Fundt, founder
of Courtney House in Washington, D.C. Guests and members generously donated a total of $1,325.00 to Courtney’s
House in support of Ms. Fundt’s crusade to help victims escape from the horrendous crime of sex trafficking.
Thanks to our gracious Mistress of Ceremonies, Mrs. Patricia Grant, the presenters, various committee and section
members for making the 2014 Inspirational Brunch a great success.
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35th Anniversary of the Women’s Legislative Briefing
On Sunday, January 25, 2015, nine members of the section attended the 35th Anniversary of the Women’s Legislative
Briefing at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville. The purpose of this event was to inform Marylanders about the
legislative proposals before the Maryland General Assembly and the U.S. Congress that address issues of specific
concern to women and their families.
Section members had opportunities to meet with county and state elected officials, and representatives of county, state
and national organizations.
The seminars were energizing and thought-provoking! There were various topics such as advocacy, economic
empowerment for women; health and safety for women and girls; and caring for aging women.
The section’s exhibit included various publications and pamphlets on our history, program and activities to showcase our
commitment to the Montgomery County community. Several people stopped by our table including Senator Barbara
Mikulski’s Special Assistant Laurie Edberg. She expressed an interest in having a conversation with President Juanita
Goudy concerning possible future collaborative efforts between the section and the senator’s office.
Section members Irma Cuellar, Carolyn Fisher, Juanita Goudy, Pamela Queen, Jennifer Washington, Barbara Williams,
Brenda Wolff, Junella Young and Toian Vaughn attended the briefing.
Black History Program
“A Century of Black Life, History and Culture" was the theme of the 2015 Black History Program. The mistress of
ceremony was Cheryl Kelley who did a wonderful job.
The keynote speaker was Delia Johnson, who served as the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the International
Broadcasting Bureau. Her speech focused on growing up black, our past, and how far we have come, and the distance
we still have to go. She concluded that there is much more work to be done.
Storyteller June McAbee (Nanna) talked about the meaning of twelve cards in a deck of cards in biblical terms. She
thrilled the audience with her delightful storytelling.
Chaplain Katie Whitley delivered a beautiful inspirational prayer and Irma Cuellar performed the libation.
Black History Program Chair Theola Myo Khin thanks Jennifer Washington, Patricia Grant, the Hospitality and Black
History Committee members and all who helped to make the program a huge success.
AFTERNOON OF MUSIC
The 2015 Afternoon of Music was a great success with almost 650 people in attendance. The event was held on Sunday,
April 12, 2015 at Martin’s Crosswinds in Greenbelt. The Mistress of Ceremonies Dr. Pamela Queen did an excellent job.
We enjoyed a sumptuous meal and were entertained by The Jonathan Davis Band and Comedian Joseph Recca.
Vendors were on site, with art, women’s fashion, and men’s and women’s accessories. Below are pictures of the event,
which show how everyone had an enjoyable afternoon.
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Health Committee
The Health Committee’s main focus has been in spreading the word about the Affordable Care Act to our community and
partnering with the African American Heath Program.
Section member Pat Grant has been very instrumental in providing health insurance information and directing individuals
who were in need of health benefits to the appropriate site.
The section was a sponsor of the Second Annual African American Health Program Health Fair, which was held on
Saturday, April 18, 2015 at the Silver Spring Civic Center. More than 40 members volunteered this year.
Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards whose picture is below stopped by the section’s table at the health fair. First Vice
President Glenda Harris is in the picture with the congresswoman.
Health Committee Chair Jasmin Flagg extends her heartfelt thanks to the committee and section members for their
participation at the fair and their commitment to health issues.
Education Committee
The Education Committee, in conjunction with the James Hubert Blake’s (Blake) NAACP Parents’ Council, supports an
intervention program to help chronically ineligible Blake students whose Grade Point Averages (GPA) are below 2.0.
Students who are chronically ineligible are not allowed to participate in extracurricular activities. The goal is to help Blake
students in need of academic support through existing Blake intervention programs.
The Education Committee celebrated the accomplishment of 13 students whose GPA was above 2.0 on March 31, 2015.
These students met the academic intervention requirements for the third marking period. One student’s GPA increased
from 1.9 to 3.1. President Juanita Goudy encouraged the students with an inspirational pep talk. Each student received a
certificate, a McDonald’s gift card and was treated to lunch.
The Education Committee continues to meet with the Blake girls of the Alliance for Academic Achievement. The
committee arranged for the former Howard University’s Director of Admissions Linda Hawkins to speak about the college
admission process, writing essays, and choosing the right school. The girls were very interested and asked a lot of
questions. They thanked the committee for inviting Ms. Hawkins because they felt the information was very beneficial.
The Education Committee continues the legacy of Mary McLeod Bethune.
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Notes from the Retreat Committee
2015 ANNUAL RETREAT
We are looking forward to having you join us at our Annual Retreat on Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27 in
Wilmington, Delaware.
As we plan our section’s future, please come with innovative ideas of how we can continue to be a viable entity in
Montgomery County. Come with comments and suggestions of how each of us can make a continued positive difference
in the lives of others. If you are unable to attend this year, please submit your ideas to Willie F. Barrett or any member of
the Retreat Committee for inclusion at the retreat.
“Getting To Know You” will be our integrated theme of the retreat. Friday evening will be dedicated to getting to know and
reacquaint us with one another. We will enjoy a good meal, and then relax with good conversation, snacks, games, or
doing whatever we can to have a good time together. Hopefully, we will get to know each other better and perhaps
discover a skill, talent, or interest that a fellow member may be willing to share to enhance the section.
The costs, including lodging, transportation, two lunches, and dinner are:
$160 (double occupancy) and $222 (single occupancy)
An installment amount of $80 or $111 is due on April 29 and final payment on May 22.
Amenities
Dear Sisters,
Our thoughts, concerns and prayers go out to our sisters, Ann H. Davis, Laurette A. Davis, Sarvilla Pope, Valerie Hall,
Mary Alice Tabb and Mikki Henson (former member who now resides in St Louis, MO).
We are happy to report that our sister, Francene Davis has returned from caring for her father in Virginia. We also
missed Sandra Kelly who is attending to her mother in Chicago. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.
We were shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Beverly Johnson's grandson and Chery Kelley's nephew. Toure
Kelley was only 26 years old.
We received good wishes, happy thoughts and a donation for the Afternoon of Music from Betty Buttram, our former
chaplain who now resides in Fort Wayne, IN.
Save The Date: Membership Tea and Hats
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2014-2015 Calendar
Date
Activity/ Event
Where
May 2, 2015
Mother’s Day Basket Assembly
Pat Bradley’s Home
May 30, 2015
Senior Citizen’s Program
Aspenwood Senior Living, Silver Spring, MD
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
June 26-27, 2015
September 26, 2015
Annual Retreat
Wilmington, DE
Tea and Hats/Membership Drive
Bauer Drive Community Recreation Center
Section Meeting
Bauer Drive Community Recreation Center
October 24, 2015
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Birthdays
Katie Whitley
April
July
Linda Hale
Brenda Dorsey
Hazel Fair
Carol Jefferson
Eva Daniels
Arletha Malloy
3
3
5
5
12
21
Patricia Cherry
Esther J. Bates
Neolia Parson
Cheryl Kelley
12
15
24
29
**The Newsletter Committee apologizes if we
May
Patricia Laney
Francene Davis
Donna Smith
Jasmin Flagg
Alice Scipio
Tonya Winston
Connie Blake
Lillie M. Joyner
Theola Myo Khin
30
inadvertently omitted your birthday. Please contact
Evalena Washington to update your birthday information.
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5
5
14
15
19
26
30
31
The Newsletter Committee requests that chairs submit
their information by July 15, 2015 for the July
newsletter.
June
Juanita Goudy
Faye K. Gregg
Ruth Giles
Sandra Rutherford
Patricia Bradley
Sandra Chambers
Janice M. Jeter
Yaminah Legget-Wells
Regina Washington
Spurgeon Stanard
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3
4
9
10
14
15
18
22
26
Dr. Cohloe-Shai R. Shelton
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Newsletter Committee
Chair: Crystal Lee
Co-chair: Carole Hyman
Tiffany Cobb
Ann H. Davis
Cheryl Kelley
Cheryl Lammy
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Carolyn Fisher
Alice Scipio