Outreach

HAGERSTOWN --Steve Gatz showed a crowd a chameleon, a bull frog, a lizard and other animals during a block party at the Hagerstown Seventh-day Adventist Church on Robinwood Drive Sunday afternoon. Then he needed some help. He looked around for youths who could help him lift a snake out of a plastic box. But this was no small specimen. It was a 14-foot, 130-pound Burmese python, and Gatz and several other people worked to stretch the snake out for spectators to see. "And he's half-grown.

Hagerstown City Council members said Tuesday they will attempt to hold public meetings in city neighborhoods when an issue arises that affects a particular neighborhood. City Administrator Bruce Zimmerman broached the topic of neighborhood meetings because elected officials had said in the past they were interested. Councilwoman Susan Saum-Wicklein said she would favor having neighborhood meetings if they were rotated among neighborhoods and were extra meetings so the council could still hold work sessions at City Hall.

When she still was in middle school, Ashley Jeter went with a group of girls from her church to serve at the REACH Cold Weather Shelter. By the time she left, she had decided she was going to open a homeless shelter of her own. In the words of her mother, Sandy Jeter, 49, of Smithsburg, “She was hooked.” “As a parent, you don't want to discourage your kids, but you need to make them realize that you can't just do something like that,” Sandy...

Artists are invited to teach classes and display their artwork at Contemporary School of the Arts and Gallery, 4 W. Franklin St., Hagerstown. Teachers for the fall outreach art program are needed. Programs run about one hour once or twice a week. For information, call Ron Lytle at 301-791-6191.

The Alzheimer's Association presents "Alzheimer's Action Day on the Square" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, on Public Square in Hagerstown. A community outreach table will be on the square and anyone touched by Alzheimer's disease is can stop by to learn more about Alzheimer's Association programs and services. For information about Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, call 800-272-3900 or go to alz.org/maryland .

The Bowl for the Cure Committe recently presented a $10,667 check to Alexandra Lee, community outreach advocate volunteer for the Susan G. Komen organization. On Feb. 27, the second annual Bowl for the Cure event was held at Southside Bowl in Halfway. The bowl attracted 111 bowlers to the event, which raises money for Susan G. Komen organization, an international organization dedicated to breast cancer awareness, education and research.  For more information about the event go to www.hagerstownbowlforthecure.co m or call Judi Quelland at 301-582-1499 or 301-223-6366.

Members of the community are invited to apply by Feb. 10 to become Maryland Woodland Stewards, a program of University of Maryland Extension. The training process teaches participants how sound woodland management practices can be used to make wildlife healthier, more diverse and abundant, while enhancing other forest benefits. Each year, a select group of 25 woodland owners, managers and/or environmentally concerned citizens are chosen from applicants to participate in a 3 1/2-day seminar that emphasizes education through demonstration.

Luncheon planned Greater Campher Temple will hold a luncheon Saturday at Bethel Gardens Community Center, 356 Henry Drive in Hagerstown. The luncheon will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The menu includes fried chicken, green beans, potato salad, cake and drinks. The lunch costs $8. It will be eat in or carry out. To have the food delivered, call 240-217-9581. The event is sponsored by the Pastor's Aide Committee. Community outreach On Thursday, Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Commission on Aging will host an outreach event at the Bethel Gardens Community Center.

MAY 28, 1958-MARCH 9, 2009 BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - Kathy LuAnn Warren, 50, of Berkeley Springs, and formerly of Martinsburg, W.Va., died Monday, March 9, 2009, at her home while under the care of Hospice of the Panhandle. Born May 28, 1958, in Rogersville, Tenn., she was the daughter of Guy Warren of Baltimore and the late Virgie Ann McPeak Warren. She was a 1976 graduate of Western High School in Baltimore and attended Howard Community College in Columbia, Md. She worked as a missionary with Outreach to Asia Nationals, Winchester, Va. She served in the U.S. Air Force.

HAGERSTOWN - She clasped an award honoring her volunteerism close to her heart, but Marge S. Peters said love of community spurred her service. "I never have done this to be honored for anything. I just love helping in the community wherever I can," said Peters, who was one of two women recognized Thursday for leadership. About 45 people, including the women's husbands and families, turned out at Fountain Head Country Club as members of Women At The Table, a political-action committee that encourages women to pursue roles in public life, paid tribute to Peters and Sharon Chirgott, Funkstown Town Council's only female member.

When she still was in middle school, Ashley Jeter went with a group of girls from her church to serve at the REACH Cold Weather Shelter. By the time she left, she had decided she was going to open a homeless shelter of her own. In the words of her mother, Sandy Jeter, 49, of Smithsburg, “She was hooked.” “As a parent, you don't want to discourage your kids, but you need to make them realize that you can't just do something like that,” Sandy...

Friday night lights. Gridiron glory. With the start of a new school year comes another fall ritual - the return of football. But as teams step onto the field, coaches are chalking more than Xs and Os. Concussions are now part of their play books. There was a time when head traumas were called dingers and playing with injury was a sign of toughness. You got your bell rung, you sat out a play and then went right back into the huddle. But with former National Football League players bringing more public attention to the topic, the affects of concussions are being addressed at all levels of athletics, including youth programs.

Members of the community are invited to apply by Feb. 10 to become Maryland Woodland Stewards, a program of University of Maryland Extension. The training process teaches participants how sound woodland management practices can be used to make wildlife healthier, more diverse and abundant, while enhancing other forest benefits. Each year, a select group of 25 woodland owners, managers and/or environmentally concerned citizens are chosen from applicants to participate in a 3 1/2-day seminar that emphasizes education through demonstration.

For years, every time Winston and Susan Herbst would pass by an abandoned building in Hagerstown, they could only see the potential. "We'd say, 'That would make a good youth center,'" Winston said during a telephone interview. The Herbsts, who had spent nearly 30 years as youth directors at Hagerstown Church of the Brethren, wanted a place where tweens to young adults could come, hang out in a drug- and alcohol-free environment, be safe and be surrounded by basic Christian values.

The Alzheimer's Association presents "Alzheimer's Action Day on the Square" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, on Public Square in Hagerstown. A community outreach table will be on the square and anyone touched by Alzheimer's disease is can stop by to learn more about Alzheimer's Association programs and services. For information about Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, call 800-272-3900 or go to alz.org/maryland .

The Bowl for the Cure Committe recently presented a $10,667 check to Alexandra Lee, community outreach advocate volunteer for the Susan G. Komen organization. On Feb. 27, the second annual Bowl for the Cure event was held at Southside Bowl in Halfway. The bowl attracted 111 bowlers to the event, which raises money for Susan G. Komen organization, an international organization dedicated to breast cancer awareness, education and research.  For more information about the event go to www.hagerstownbowlforthecure.co m or call Judi Quelland at 301-582-1499 or 301-223-6366.

When Sophie Warren says her prayers at night, the room often starts to tremble. "I would like to say it's because of my powerful connection to God," she smiled. But it's all about location. Warren lives in a two-room apartment near a long stretch of railroad tracks. "It's not much, but it's home," she said. "Many people have no place to live. I know I'm blessed. " Although she's unemployed and has health problems, Warren, 55, said she tries to stay positive.

Luncheon planned Greater Campher Temple will hold a luncheon Saturday at Bethel Gardens Community Center, 356 Henry Drive in Hagerstown. The luncheon will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The menu includes fried chicken, green beans, potato salad, cake and drinks. The lunch costs $8. It will be eat in or carry out. To have the food delivered, call 240-217-9581. The event is sponsored by the Pastor's Aide Committee. Community outreach On Thursday, Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Commission on Aging will host an outreach event at the Bethel Gardens Community Center.

HAGERSTOWN --Steve Gatz showed a crowd a chameleon, a bull frog, a lizard and other animals during a block party at the Hagerstown Seventh-day Adventist Church on Robinwood Drive Sunday afternoon. Then he needed some help. He looked around for youths who could help him lift a snake out of a plastic box. But this was no small specimen. It was a 14-foot, 130-pound Burmese python, and Gatz and several other people worked to stretch the snake out for spectators to see. "And he's half-grown.

State Farm Insurance Companies donated $5,000 to Children's Village of Washington County on Nov. 4. The money will be used to fund programs that use uniformed firefighters and police officers to teach fire, traffic, water, pedestrian and other personal safety skills to county elementary students. Nearly 2,000 second-graders in Washington County attend the center each school year. Annual family outreach is estimated at 10,000. An annual open house draws another 2,000 people to the center.