Airy Net

Young people from Carroll, Frederick and Howard counties will gather in Mount Airy on Sunday afternoon to present a Community Christmas Choral Concert to benefit Mount Airy NET.Vocalists from South Carroll High School, Linganore High School and the Calvary United Methodist Youth Choir will be featured in the one-hour event that begins at 3 p.m. in the sanctuary of Calvary Church, 403 S. Main St., Mount Airy.Organizers are hoping the community will turn out for the free concert, which has been orchestrated as a fund-raiser for the nonprofit organization.

THEY ARE A Mount Airy family of four young children, a stay-at-home mom and a dad who works hard each day, and they have no extra money to make this a merry Christmas. "Sometimes it's a little hard. My husband works but he just doesn't make very much money," said the mother, who asked to remain anonymous. "There are months when I pay `this bill' and not `that one' and we have just enough food to get by. We just don't have the money to buy Christmas presents." This is one story from Mount Airy Net, a nonprofit organization that will help families like this get through the holiday season.

THE HOLIDAY season is in full swing for a group of Mount Airy residents trying to make this Thanksgiving and Christmas a plentiful one for every member of the community. They call themselves the Dashers and Splashers. Twice a week, at 6:15 a.m., they meet for a water aerobics class at Health Unlimited in Mount Airy. They also meet to plan holiday meal shopping and Christmas present buying for the two families they have adopted for the holiday season. "This is the second year we've adopted a family," Elaine Dean said.

THE HOLIDAY season is in full swing for a group of Mount Airy residents trying to make this Thanksgiving and Christmas a plentiful one for every member of the community. They call themselves the Dashers and Splashers. Twice a week, at 6:15 a.m., they meet for a water aerobics class at Health Unlimited in Mount Airy. They also meet to plan holiday meal shopping and Christmas present buying for the two families they have adopted for the holiday season. "This is the second year we've adopted a family," Elaine Dean said.

Mount Airy's Rotary Club is asking area residents to step up to home plate for Mount Airy NET.The service club is recruiting eight softball teams for its second annual Mount Airy Rotary Softball Tournament on Sept. 11 at Watkins Park in Mount Airy. The team entry fee for the one-day, single- elimination tournament is a $100 donation to Mount Airy NET. Trophies are planned for the tourney winners.Rotarian and project chairman Michael Zimmer said teams are committed from the local Rotary Club and the Mount Airy Area Jaycees.

Mount Airy Mayor Gerald Johnson got himself arrested yesterday. But it was all for a good cause.The mayor was taken into custody by Charles "Buzz" Norris, the town's unofficial policeman, for failing to pay Mr. Norris' special-issue parking tickets.The arrest was part of a fund-raising effort organized by Mount Airy Net, a nonprofit group organized by local churches that provides emergency help to Mount Airy families in need.Mount Airy Net officials hope to raise $2,500 from the arrest by collecting "bail" money for Mr. Johnson, said Diane Gittings, the group's treasurer, who organized yesterday's arrest.

Mount Airy NET is encouraging local residents to love their neighbors with their "hearts and soles" by hitting the sidewalks on Sunday afternoon to participate in the Second Annual NET 10K Walk.The event is a fund-raiser for Mount Airy NET, an ecumenical organization dedicated to helping local people.The walk will begin and end at the Mount Airy Senior Center, 705 Ridge Ave. Registration will begin at 1 p.m. Participants may register until 2:30 p.m. and may walk the marked, six-mile route at their own pace.

After months of planning and research, a new organization in Mount Airy has opened its doors to serve as a caring and sharing network dedicated to helping local people in need.Mount Airy NET, a nonprofit ecumenical agency, began operating last week at Calvary United Methodist Church at 403 S. Main St. in Mount Airy. The office will be open from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Fridays or by appointment.The organization's goal is to involve local clubs, civic groups, various levels of government, volunteers, and area churches to provide "food, clothing, shelter and other day-to-day essentials," said Mount Airy NET director Gail Costello.

The Rev. Robert Herzog sees Mount Airy as a community of goodwill -- waiting to be tapped for the needy in the four counties surrounding the town."[Our help] really is needed," said Mr. Herzog, who serves as pastor at St. James Episcopal Church. "And the one thing I keep finding is that the need is surprisingly geographical. I think the counties themselves would like to have an anchor in Mount Airy, where services could be delivered on more of a mutual basis."Tom Mitchell, program director at Calvary United Methodist Church, said the group was formed in response to requests to the churches for food and assistance.

THEY ARE A Mount Airy family of four young children, a stay-at-home mom and a dad who works hard each day, and they have no extra money to make this a merry Christmas. "Sometimes it's a little hard. My husband works but he just doesn't make very much money," said the mother, who asked to remain anonymous. "There are months when I pay `this bill' and not `that one' and we have just enough food to get by. We just don't have the money to buy Christmas presents." This is one story from Mount Airy Net, a nonprofit organization that will help families like this get through the holiday season.

AMOUNT AIRY community has joined together to make this a joyful holiday for those less fortunate. On Saturday, 15 children from toddlers to first-graders set out pulling wagons along the streets of the White Oak subdivision to collect food, presents and money for Mount Airy Net. "We knew that by collecting for Mount Airy Net, our efforts would affect our entire community," said organizer Casey Coulehan. "I wanted the children to know that there are less fortunate people right here in our own community and that we can help them.

THEY'VE BEEN meeting weekly for coffee for more than 15 years. They're friends, women who live on a lane in a Mount Airy neighborhood, have shared joys and disappointments, and struggled over child-raising issues - issues that for some have evolved into grandparent questions. But now they are making a difference in the fight against the No. 1 health issue for women today: breast cancer. The seven have joined thousands from across the country, each making a handcrafted quilt square in honor of someone who has survived breast cancer or in memory of a loved one who died from the disease.

PUPILS AT MOUNT Airy Middle School have once again proven that when they rally together they can meet nearly any challenge. The middle school recently wrapped up a two-week, schoolwide fund-raising effort to benefit Mount Airy NET. Mount Airy NET provides emergency assistance to those in need throughout the Mount Airy area. Tied into the school's Character Education Program, the fund-raiser incorporated December's emphasis on service to others into the holiday community service project.

RESPECT. RESPONSIBILITY. Cooperation. Integrity. Courtesy. Ask any Mount Airy Middle School pupil what these words mean and chances are, he or she will be able to tell you exactly what these character traits are and how they should fit into our daily lives. The middle school has adopted a yearlong Character Education Program. The program is based on the belief that pupils will become more confident and accepting of themselves and others if they share their talents, abilities, skills and interests.

THE MOUNT AIRY Food Pantry has been serving the needs of community members for years. Now the pantry needs help from the community to continue its worthwhile efforts. The food pantry is a program of Mount Airy NET, an organization dedicated to providing emergency supplies and relief to community members, and offering an opportunity for people to volunteer their time and efforts to help their neighbors. Over the years the pantry has teamed with area schools, churches, businesses and service groups to collect canned, boxed and dried food.

TO BEGIN THE holiday season, Mount Airy merchants and businesses will celebrate with an open house Saturday and Sunday.Refreshments will be available at each participating location and customers will have a chance to win door prizes. Participating businesses will be identified by their fresh green door swags with red ribbons, fashioned by St. James Episcopal Church.Traditional Peace, a Celtic musical group, will offer live entertainment Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and live harp music will be featured at the Black Sheep Gift Shop, 228 S. Main St.Containers will be available for donations of canned goods for Mount Airy Net, a community emergency assistance organization.

THE ANNUAL TONY Green Memorial Walk/Run will be held at 1 p.m. Sept. 27 at Watkins Park in Mount Airy.This event is sponsored by Mount Airy NET, a nonprofit organization that helps residents who need emergency assistance. Registration fees and/or sponsor money will be used to help neighbors in need.Registration for the walk/run will begin at 12: 15 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Watkins Park pavilion at Route 27 and Center Street.Walkers and runners will begin at 1 p.m. and may complete the one-mile Richard A. Wilson Trail as many times as they choose.

MOUNT AIRY NET has provided emergency relief to people in need throughout the Mount Airy community.It needs help from residents to restock its Food Pantry at Calvary United Methodist Church, 403 S. Main St.The Food Pantry provides food to families.The following items are needed to ensure that needy families will have nutritious meals: canned vegetables and fruits, canned fish and meat, packaged dinners (macaroni and cheese, etc.), soups, pasta, dry goods (flour, sugar, crackers, pancake mix, etc.)