Advocacy

The Washington County Community Partnership for Children & Families is seeking interested individuals to fill a board opening. Individual members can be private citizens who are residents of Washington County, including the professional and business community, recipients of services, child service volunteers, leaders from the religious community and providers of family services. Board members must live in Washington County and be committed to "Working together to improve the lives of children and families in Washington County.

SHIPPENSBURG, PA. -- Shippensburg University has issued a statement saying it is reviewing allegations made in a federal lawsuit claiming the university violated a 2004 settlement with a First Amendment advocacy group, but an official with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) Center said the suit is moving forward. On May 7, the ADF filed suit in federal court claiming, in part, that the university was using language in the student handbook Swataney, which violated the 2004 settlement.

HAGERSTOWN -- An innovative juggler and ventriloquist entertained the crowd Saturday night at The Maryland Theatre during the second annual Evening of Comedy & Magic, held to benefit Safe Place, Washington County's Child Advocacy Center. Kaitlyn Hollinger, 10, attended the event last year and thought it was exciting. This year, she brought a friend. "My best friend, Kaitlyn, said it was fun and I would have a great time," Angelina VanPelt said. Kaitlyn's little brother, 6-year-old Kameron Hollinger, called the magic show "very very cool.

Advocacy '07 Oct. 15 - Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce, Advocacy '07: How Government Affects You and Your Business with U.S. Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Four Points Sheraton, Dual Highway, east of Hagerstown. $25. Call 301-739-2015, ext. 100, e-mail chamber@hagerstown.org , or go to www.hagerstown.org . Disability Services Oct. 15-16; Oct. 22-23 - The Department of Rehabilitation Services at the Washington County One-Stop Job Center, 14 N. Potomac St., Suite 100, Hagerstown, 10 a.m. to noon.

The 15th annual run, Jane, run Women's Slo-Pitch Softball Tournament will be held today and Sunday at the Pinesburg Softball Complex on Md. 68 near Williamsport. Play starts today at 8 a.m. and the last game begins at 6 p.m. On Sunday, the action begins at 8:30 a.m., and championship games will be in the early afternoon. The tournament was started in 1992 with four teams. This year, 28 teams will participate. The tournament has raised approximately $175,000 over the past 14 years, according to organizers.

Stand up for clean water To the editor: Recently, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group released "Troubled Waters," a new report that reveals that 62 percent of major municipal and industrial facilities around the country dump more pollution into our waterways than is allowed by law. Instead of solving water pollution problems, the Bush administration is undermining clean water programs, allowing industries to dump more...

trishr@herald-mail.com BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - Ann Harkins, executive director of CASA of the Eastern Panhandle, and Valerie Smith, its co-founder, asked the Morgan County Commission on Thursday for $2,500 to fund the 2006 program. Harkins said CASA, or Court-Appointed Special Advocates, was established two years ago. Since then, CASA volunteers have helped 21 abused and neglected children in Morgan County. Harkins said the county has six volunteers, and two more will be trained by the first of the year.

Adult Day Care The following medical day-care facilities are licensed by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: Adult Day Services at Ravenwood Ravenwood Lutheran Village, 1109 Luther Drive, Hagerstown. Call 301-791-1030. Easter Seals Adult Day Services 11 W. Baltimore St., Hagerstown. Call 301-745-3828. Also a medical/social adult day-care program and is licensed by the Maryland Office on Aging and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

BALTIMORE - Darrin E. Brown has been appointed associate state director for advocacy of AARP Maryland. Brown, who will work out of the Baltimore office, primarily is responsible for the organization's local, state and federal government relations and advocacy efforts statewide. Prior to joining AARP, Brown worked in government relations for AEGON and State Farm. In both jobs, he communicated policy and legislative positions to state- and federal-level offices on regulatory improvement, highway safety, natural disaster recovery, technology/e-commerce/privacy and postal reform, among other issues.

andrear@herald-mail.com The boy clutched a little cloth doll for comfort after he was hit by a car in Washington County. Months after the accident, the child's mother told Juanita Gliniak how much the doll had meant to her son - so much, the mother said, that the boy still slept with it at night. That's when Gliniak knew for sure that the "comfort dolls" were accomplishing their mission, she said. The Triad SALT (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together) Council of Washington County in 2002 distributed about 900 dolls to county police, fire departments and ambulance companies to help calm children in such crisis situations as traffic accidents, domestic disputes and house fires, said Gliniak, the council's comfort doll program coordinator.