Center Of Howard

The Domestic Violence Center of Howard County is experiencing a serious shortage of food for the women and children seeking safety in its five shelters. Food, money and grocery store gift certificates are needed.Especially needed are chicken, ground beef, pasta and sauce, hot dogs, lunch meats, sliced cheese, cereal, canned soups and vegetables, frozen orange juice, disposable diapers (large) and dessert mixes.Information: 997-0304.POLICE LOG* Long Reach: 6400 block of Waterloo Road: Someone destroyed a home's mailbox early last week.

Redistricting panel to hold public session Aug. 23 in Columbia The Governor's Redistricting Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 23 in Howard Community College's Smith Theatre, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. This is the seventh of 12 public meetings designed to give Marylanders an opportunity to express concerns and ask questions about the redistricting process for Maryland's eight congressional districts and 47 state legislative districts. People will be invited to comment on any facet of the redistricting process and offer suggestions on how Maryland's political boundaries should be determined.

Citizens Against Spousal Assault has officially changed its name to The Domestic Violence Center of Howard County.The purpose of the name change, which was effective Dec. 1, is to avoid confusion with other agencies also using the acronym CASA.The Domestic Violence Center provides services to anyone who has experienced a violent relationship, not just spouses. Help is also available to elderly parents who are abused, people in abusive dating relationships, children in violent homes and abusive homosexual relationships.

Early last year a woman was driving through Howard County, trying to escape her abusive husband, who was following her, honking his car's horn, flashing its lights and screaming. She picked up her cellular phone and called the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County, where counselors gave her directions to a local police station and safety. It is an example of how powerful and helpful a cellular phone can be, domestic violence experts and authorities say. To get cellular phones into the hands of more domestic violence victims to increase their safety, the Howard County Sheriff's Office is asking for donations.

The Great Columbia Bike Ride, held May 4, raised more than $4,000 for the Children's Care Center of Howard County General Hospital and the Howard County Police Foundation. More than 1,100 cyclists participated in this year's event.Alan Davis, of Princeton Sports and Travel and president of the Great Columbia Bike Ride, presented a $2,000 check to Victor Broccolino, president and chief executive officer of Howard County General Hospital.Another check for the same amount was presented to Gee Gosper, president of the Howard County Police Foundation.

Howard County agencies that provide food for the needy are stocking their pantries, even as they prepare to serve holiday dinners and deliver staples to the less fortunate.Shelter and pantry coordinators say their biggest challenge is keeping their shelves stocked for days other than Thanksgiving and Christmas."If people want to donate food, I'll never turn it away," said Beverly Covert, coordinator for the Howard County branch of the Salvation Army.The local Salvation Army branch acts as a clearinghouse for holiday food distribution in the county so that the same people aren't served by different organizations.

The Oscar-winning film "Defending Our Lives," a documentary about several women imprisoned for killing their abusers, will be made available free to community groups through the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County.The 41-minute film, which won this year's award for Best Documentary Short Subject, recounts the real-life stories of a group of women who were sentenced to a Massachusetts prison for killing the men who abused them.Workers at the Columbia-based Domestic Violence Center said they believe the film is important to the community because it uses the personal testimonies of the women to expose the "magnitude and severity of domestic violence in this country."

When the Children of Separation and Divorce Center counsels kids from broken homes, the United Way helps Howard County.When Meals on Wheels delivers food to homebound seniors, the United Way helps Howard County.When the Mediation and Conflict Resolution Center keeps a troubled family from letting anger turn into violence, the United Way helps Howard County.Last year, the United Way of Central Maryland provided services such as those cited above to 800,000 people in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties.

IT WOULD BE easy to forget that affluent Howard County has needs. But as invisible as those needs may be in one of the nation's wealthiest counties, families here depend on the generosity that Howard County shows each year through contributions to the United Way of Central Maryland.There are families who fear, as winter approaches, the choice between whether they will have heat or something to eat: That is when Dorothy Moore and her Howard County Community Action Council make sure they have both.

The Columbia Foundation, an independent foundation serving Howard County, is granting $161,000 to 28 local charitable organizations.Twice a year, the foundation accepts proposals for possible funding. Programs benefiting county residents are selected for funding in the areas of human services, arts and culture, and education.The 16 groups receiving $114,800 in human service grants are:* Adaptive Living -- $1,800 to maintain a supervised residential program for the developmentally disabled.

When Vera Case was found slain in her Mount Airy home in January, workers at the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County felt a pang of defeat.They wondered how Case, 31, could become the victim of her husband's brutal and jealous rage after center workers spent two decades educating Howard residents about domestic abuse."

The Great Columbia Bike Ride, held May 4, raised more than $4,000 for the Children's Care Center of Howard County General Hospital and the Howard County Police Foundation. More than 1,100 cyclists participated in this year's event.Alan Davis, of Princeton Sports and Travel and president of the Great Columbia Bike Ride, presented a $2,000 check to Victor Broccolino, president and chief executive officer of Howard County General Hospital.Another check for the same amount was presented to Gee Gosper, president of the Howard County Police Foundation.

IT WOULD BE easy to forget that affluent Howard County has needs. But as invisible as those needs may be in one of the nation's wealthiest counties, families here depend on the generosity that Howard County shows each year through contributions to the United Way of Central Maryland.There are families who fear, as winter approaches, the choice between whether they will have heat or something to eat: That is when Dorothy Moore and her Howard County Community Action Council make sure they have both.

The Columbia Foundation, an independent foundation serving Howard County, is granting $161,000 to 28 local charitable organizations.Twice a year, the foundation accepts proposals for possible funding. Programs benefiting county residents are selected for funding in the areas of human services, arts and culture, and education.The 16 groups receiving $114,800 in human service grants are:* Adaptive Living -- $1,800 to maintain a supervised residential program for the developmentally disabled.

Open a bookAnd peek inside,Come along forA magical ride.You can go to Egypt,Or maybe Spain --Ride a boat,Or a flying train.See a tiger sleep.Hear a lion roar.Take a lookAt books galore.Take a tripTo outer space.Win an OlympicDogsled raceBooks can beSo much fun.Why don't youTry reading one?-- Elizabeth GrayThe poem above, written by 12-year-old Elizabeth Gray, a sixth-grade student at Oakland Mills Middle School, won a second-place award in the 10- to 13-year-old category and was published in Hopscotch magazine.

Howard County agencies that provide food for the needy are stocking their pantries, even as they prepare to serve holiday dinners and deliver staples to the less fortunate.Shelter and pantry coordinators say their biggest challenge is keeping their shelves stocked for days other than Thanksgiving and Christmas."If people want to donate food, I'll never turn it away," said Beverly Covert, coordinator for the Howard County branch of the Salvation Army.The local Salvation Army branch acts as a clearinghouse for holiday food distribution in the county so that the same people aren't served by different organizations.

When Vera Case was found slain in her Mount Airy home in January, workers at the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County felt a pang of defeat.They wondered how Case, 31, could become the victim of her husband's brutal and jealous rage after center workers spent two decades educating Howard residents about domestic abuse."

Early last year a woman was driving through Howard County, trying to escape her abusive husband, who was following her, honking his car's horn, flashing its lights and screaming. She picked up her cellular phone and called the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County, where counselors gave her directions to a local police station and safety. It is an example of how powerful and helpful a cellular phone can be, domestic violence experts and authorities say. To get cellular phones into the hands of more domestic violence victims to increase their safety, the Howard County Sheriff's Office is asking for donations.

When the Children of Separation and Divorce Center counsels kids from broken homes, the United Way helps Howard County.When Meals on Wheels delivers food to homebound seniors, the United Way helps Howard County.When the Mediation and Conflict Resolution Center keeps a troubled family from letting anger turn into violence, the United Way helps Howard County.Last year, the United Way of Central Maryland provided services such as those cited above to 800,000 people in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties.

The Oscar-winning film "Defending Our Lives," a documentary about several women imprisoned for killing their abusers, will be made available free to community groups through the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County.The 41-minute film, which won this year's award for Best Documentary Short Subject, recounts the real-life stories of a group of women who were sentenced to a Massachusetts prison for killing the men who abused them.Workers at the Columbia-based Domestic Violence Center said they believe the film is important to the community because it uses the personal testimonies of the women to expose the "magnitude and severity of domestic violence in this country."