SSCAB is looking to appoint a 3rd representative to the SS TMD to represent North Silver Spring/West Silver Spring . This representative will join current representatives Harriet Quinn for Kemp Mill/4-Corners/East Silver Spring Sector Plan and Chris Perry for the Silver Spring Central Business District.

For more information on the SS TMD: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DOT-DIR/commuter/tmd/index.html#DSS
For more information on the SSCAB:
https://montgomerycountymd.gov/silverspring/boardscommittees/cab/index.html

If you're interested in representing this area please email me your humble newsletter editor: Shawn.Morris@montgomerycountymd.gov
 

Three local community serving organizations and some City of Takoma Park Library services will temporarily relocate (and in certain cases expand) out of spaces provided by the Adventist HealthCare Washington Adventist Hospital at their old Takoma Park campus. This effort was sparked by Delegate Lorig Charkoudian and Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart. The Silver Spring Region Director Reemberto Rodriguez facilitated the process. 

The organizations include (a) Small Things Matter; (b) Audelia Community Response Team (ACRT); and, (c) Clifton Park Baptist Church Food Hub/Hydroponics Operations. These organizations will use the space to continue their work alleviating food insecurity in our community. More information - including how you can contribute and donate to these wonderful organizations - can be found in their respective web-sites:  

SMALL THINGS MATTER – a locally serving non-profit 
https://smallthingsmatter.org/ 
The space will serve as a pantry; and it will be used for packaging and storage of canned food and nonperishables. 
 
AUDELIA COMMUNITY RESPONSE TEAM (ACRT) - a MutualAid organization. 
www.audeliacommunity.org 
The space will be used as food and essentials distribution to families in the organization’s program. 
 
CLIFTON PARK BAPTIST CHURCH Food Hub Operations - the designated County Food Hub for Silver Spring Region 
www.cpbc.net  
The use of the space will complement the Clifton Park Food Hub by growing produce for the community. 
 
THE CITY OF TAKOMA PARK  
www.takomparkmd.gov  
The City will use the space for some library services while the City's library is under construction. 
 

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Each week in March 2021, join the NOAA Live! Virtual Open House webinar series, and “visit” a few places where NOAA works across the country. Explore the hangar where NOAA keeps hurricane hunter planes, come inside the nation’s oldest public aquarium, sniff seafood at a NOAA seafood inspection lab, visit “mission control” where NOAA commands satellites in space, dive deep into an underwater sanctuary, and more - all from home!  

These free events are geared toward 2nd-8th graders, and they’re perfect for classrooms and families. All webinars are moderated and feature an American Sign Language interpreter.

Register now! Space is limited. Visit www.noaa.gov/openhouse for more details.

Join us for Virtual Visioning Sessions this March!

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our Visioning Phase! This is the phase where the Montgomery Planning team works with you to craft the vision for the future of Silver Spring. We will start in mid-March with the goal of arriving at a draft plan by the fall of 2021. There will be many ways to participate!
 
To get started, we will host five community virtual Visioning Sessions. These sessions will be held on Tuesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. throughout March and April. All of these sessions will be interactive - we will 'sketch' a plan and gather virtual sticky notes full of ideas for different areas of the plan. Because of the interactive format, we will be capping attendance at 40 people for each session.
 
We are organizing this initial stage of sessions by "Visioning Districts" to help us focus the discussion on each of these areas; all of the work from these sessions will be pulled together into one cohesive vision for the plan area. Please refer to the map below to understand how these “districts,” which are only a tool for the Visioning Sessions, are organized.

To register, click the links below (all events will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m.):
 
March 23 - South Silver Spring
March 30 - Metro Center/Ripley District
April 6 - Fenton Village
April 13 - Adjacent Communities
April 20 - North Silver Spring
 
If you register, you will receive a reminder 48 hours before the event, and a request to let us know if you cannot make it, so we can ensure we are not holding spots for those who are unable to attend. All sessions will be recorded and posted on the website.
 
We recommend participants join these sessions via computer or tablet, as it will be more challenging to follow the session on a smartphone. Participants will be allowed to join via phone, and facilitators will work to include them in the event, even if they cannot see the screen.
 

 

This February, residents of the Long Branch neighborhood began signing on to a campaign to save their neighborhood restaurants. The campaign, called Pledge to Preserve, was launched Feb. 5 by the Long Branch Business League and MHP.

Zeroing in on the many restaurants in the Long Branch neighborhood that have suffered enormous financial losses over the past year of pandemic-related damages, the initiative asks community members to voluntarily commit to purchasing meals at least three times a month from any Long Branch restaurant.

At the end of the campaign’s first week, already twenty-eight local residents had signed on to the campaign.  “If we can get every person on our list to convince one friend to pledge, we can double that number soon,” said Catherine Rytkonen, the Business League’s marketing manager.

The Pledge to Preserve webpage lists the 15 participating Long Branch restaurants — along with their cuisine type, menu, and social media connections.  

The initiative represents a local Long Branch response to a wider national crisis. According to the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC), one in four jobs lost during the pandemic have been in the food and beverage industry. That’s the equivalent of 5.9 million jobs lost.

According to the same study, if no direct aid is provided some 85 percent of independent restaurants will likely close by the end of this year.

The pandemic-related crisis hit a small business sector that could ill afford such a challenge.

“Even in normal, non-pandemic years it is difficult to run a restaurant and keep it in the black,” the Pledge to Preserve webpage points out.  “Many restaurants generate as much as half their annual income from  weddings, parties, and  holiday-related events (Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Christmas). This year all that has been cancelled.” 

What is more, even though Long Branch’s restaurants have so far managed to keep their doors open, there is no guarantee they will all survive the coming months without vigorous and, indeed, greatly increased support from private persons and the public sector.

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FY 2021 Funding Opportunity Announcement via OMH

 

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services administers grant programs to support projects that implement innovative models to improve minority health and reduce health disparities.

OMH has released the following notice of funding opportunity for which applications are now being accepted.

Announcement Number: MP-CPI-21-006
Opportunity Title: Advancing Health Literacy to Enhance Equitable Community Responses to COVID-19
Award Amount: up to $4,000,000 for urban communities; up to $3,000,000 for rural communities
Estimated Total: $250,000,000
Application Due Date: April 20, 2021, 6:00 PM ET

This notice solicits applications for projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of local government implementation of evidence-based health literacy strategies that are culturally appropriate to enhance COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and/or other mitigation measures (e.g., public health prevention practices and vaccination) in racial and ethnic minority populations and other socially vulnerable populations, including racial and ethnic minority rural communities. Applicant eligibility is limited to localities (e.g., cities, counties, parishes, or other similar subdivisions). OMH encourages applicants to partner with a Minority Serving Institution for quality improvement activities and program evaluation.

Click here to access the notice of funding opportunity.

The technical assistance webinar for potential applicants was held on March 17. Watch the Replay .

Visit our Promotional Resource Page for resources to help you share this funding opportunity.

Thanks to our SSCAB member John Seelke for bringing this grant to our attention!

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CREATE is seeking a
new Treasurer for our Board of Directors.
Will it be you?

 

We're looking for an energetic self-starter who is passionate about making a difference in our local community. We welcome all treasurer candidates who are interested in being a part of a fast-growing organization committed to providing quality arts programs and art therapy/mental health services to people in Montgomery County and across the DMV. Board members do NOT have to have a background in art.

As an officer of the corporation and member of the Board, the primary responsibility of the Treasurer is to oversee the reporting of the organization’s finances. In this position, the Treasurer works closely with our Executive Director to review budgets and audits, and monitor our financial health. The Treasurer is expected to attend all Board meetings (virtually). 

CREATE provides art education programs for all ages, community arts partnerships to strengthen community ties, and art therapy services to people living with mental health challenges and developmental disabilities. Board Members should be willing, able and enthusiastic about utilizing their expertise and community networks to further the organization’s mission and goals. 

Please direct inquiries to Linda Marson, Executive Director, linda@createartscenter.org.