Donations

As many as one-third of Maryland lawmakers have not returned a portion of their legislative salaries - despite having been urged to show solidarity with state workers facing furloughs. Amid budget woes, General Assembly leaders had encouraged lawmakers - whose pay is constitutionally protected - to voluntarily take payroll deductions or write a check to the state for the equivalent of as many as five days' pay. That's $605 for most members, and $785 for presiding officers. The initiative could raise more than $100,000, a tiny sum that won't make much difference in a $14 billion operating budget suffering from huge revenue shortfalls.

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has edged past former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in campaign donations from Maryland, but the Republican presidential candidates lag far behind Democrats in contributions coming from the state. According to the latest campaign finance reports, nearly one of every two Maryland dollars given to a presidential campaign between July 1 and Sept. 30 went to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who widened her local money advantage over her nearest rival, Sen. Barack Obama.

At the Salvation Army thrift store in Southwest Baltimore, the loot beckons from the lawn -- a like-new stair stepper, wooden chairs, a dinette set with a retro look that now is cool again.The store started placing some of its best goods outside about two months ago, hoping to lure passersby inside and to unload the flood of castoffs that now frequently fill its 20,000-square-foot warehouse to the bursting point.As the holiday season begins, the Salvation Army's windfall is shared by charities throughout the region and nation -- the beneficiaries of an booming that encourages the weeding out of yesterday's goods.

The 1,300 local United Ways raised $3.4 billion last year, a 4.7 percent increase over the $3.25 billion raised in 1996 and the second year in a row that giving to the nation's largest private donor to social services charities has increased significantly faster than the rate of inflation."

While trailing in the hunt for money in the governor's race, Republican Ellen R. Sauerbrey has tapped into a broad base of small-dollar but ardent contributors who could generate important support for her at the polls.Even as Sauerbrey is making inroads into the state's business community for larger donations, she is drawing significant numbers of contributions -- $25 and $50 at a time -- from the believers who buoyed her candidacy in 1994."These are the folks that are the hardest to convince to contribute to a political campaign," said Bruce E. Mentzer, a national GOP media consultant based in Towson.

Red Cross Blood Services for the Baltimore and Washington regions said yesterday its blood supply was critically short because of meager holiday donations, and urged healthy people to make appointments to give blood this week by calling 1-800 GIVE BLOOD.Surgeries would have to be canceled if blood shortages continue, the Red Cross said.Pub Date: 1/07/98

When Winnie Bullock placed an ad in The Freedom Fighter, a South Carroll residents' publication, he thought it would generate appointments for cuts and shaves at his Eldersburg barbershop. Instead, it has sparked a flurry of angry calls to his business.What Bullock didn't realize when he paid $25 for the ad was that this issue of The Freedom Fighter, circulation 12,000, would be dedicated to the charter debate. And that all of the articles supported a change in the way this once-rural county's government is run. When charter opponents read it, the phone started ringing, and it hasn't stopped.

Aiming for its fourth straight year of increased donations, United Way of Central Maryland announced yesterday a goal of $39.4 million for 1998, a 4.2 percent jump over last year's pledges."

At this annual time of giving, the Armiger Volunteer Fire Department in Pasadena is wondering why so few gave.Engine Company 30 on Mountain Road brought in $40,000 less than usual during its fall fund drive, perplexing its members and Anne Arundel County officials.In years past, the mailing has brought in almost $50,000. This year, $11,253 came in.One resident wrote, "I make my donation when I pay my county taxes." County money does not pay for volunteer squads.Without donations, fire officials have no idea how they will pay the $31,132 annual engine payment that was due last month.

HOSPICE OF THE Chesapeake opens Chesapeake Treasures, its new community thrift store, May 8.Chesapeake Treasures will be in the same location as the thrift store the Cancer Resource and Support Center used to run before it dissolved this winter and transferred its assets to the hospice."

On October 31, 2009, Ilene S Funeral from the E.F. Lassahn Funeral Home (Kingsville) on Tuesday at 10:30 A.M. Visiting on Monday, 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 PM. Interment Holly Hill Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Stella Maris.

Charles Henry "Chuck" Wills A funeral service will be held Saturday, October 31 at 10 A.M. in the Mattingly-Gardiner Funeral Home and Chapel, Leonardtown, MD. Visitation is Friday, October 30 from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. in the funeral home. Prayers will be said at 7 P.M. In lieu of flowers the family will gratefully receive donations to a trust fund for Autumn Elizabeth Wills, c/o Alma Wills, 7731 North Point Creek Road, Baltimore MD 21219.

Suddenly on October 20, 2009, EVANS, devoted husband of Mirian. He is also survived by one daughter, two sons, five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, two sisters, three brothers-in-law, four sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and a host of other relatives and friends. Friends may call at the Carlton C. Douglass Funeral Service P.A., 1701 McCulloh Street, on Thursday 3 to 9 PM. Family will receive friends on Friday 10 to 11 AM at the Grace Baptist Church, Alameda and 32nd Street, with services following.

On October 22, 2009, John B. Nolan, Jr A Memorial Mass will be held at St. Marks Church, 30 Melvin Avenue, Catonsville, MD 21228 at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. Inurnment will follow the service at New Cathedral Cemetery, 4300 Old Frederick Road, Baltimore, MD 21229. Donations may be made in memory of John to MOSAIC Community Service, 1925 Greenspring Drive, Timonium, MD 21093.

Sometimes, politics is so entwined with community-based good works and elected officials' public service that it can be hard to separate them. The eighth annual Howard County Muslim Council food drive and picnic last week is a good example. The event, conceived after the Sept. 11 attacks to help combat stereotypes, combined the local Muslim community's desire to help the poor and be a vital part of the county's public life with the Community Action Council's need for help with its food bank.

On October 17, 2009, Mary Louise Engers Friends may call at the family-owned AMBROSE FUNERAL HOME, 1328 Sulphur Spring Road, Arbutus Tuesday from 3-5 and 7-9pm, where recitation of the rosary will be held at 8pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Benedict Church, Wednesday 11am. Interment to immediately follow at Loudon Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Little Sisters of the Poor, 601 Maiden Choice Lane, Baltimore, MD 21228 and St. Benedict Pantry, 2612 Wilkens Avenue, Baltimore , MD 21223 . Send condolences to www.ambrosefuneralhomes.

On Friday, October 9, 2009, Nordulf Debye Family and friends will honor Nordulf's life on Saturday, October 17, at the family owned Evans Funeral Chapel & Cremation Services - Bel Air, 3 Newport Drive (Rts 23 & 24, Forest Hill) from 4:00 to 6:00. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to be made in Nordulf's name to: the Lymphoma Society Donor Services, P.O. Box 4072, Pittsfield, MA 01202. Memory tributes may be sent to: www.evansfuneralchapel.

Fundraising efforts to save the Baltimore Police Department's vaunted horseback unit are off to a slow start, but officials say they have had conversations with potential donors and are optimistic that the unit can be kept intact. Only $550 in donations have been received in the days since the agency announced that it would need to come up with $200,000 in private money to keep the unit intact for the next year. An official from the Baltimore Community Foundation, which is managing the fundraising efforts for the police, said the donations have mostly come from individuals in chunks of $25 to $50. Sheryl Goldstein, director of the Mayor's Office on Criminal Justice, said those donations have come via the Internet and that any checks sent via mail likely haven't arrived yet. Meanwhile, Goldstein said a few people have talked to the police commissioner's office about making "sizable" donations, and the Downtown Partnership is soliciting contributions from businesses.

Charities that receive money from the United Way of Central Maryland could benefit from lower fees levied when donors designate which nonprofits should receive their contributions, United Way officials say. For 2009 campaigns, the organization will charge a minimum $5 "designation" fee for all earmarked donations under $100, and 5 percent for larger donations. Fees will be capped at $500. In the past, the United Way charged 17.5 percent for pledges entered on paper and 12.5 percent for electronic pledges.

Joseph Holzen "Jay" M In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Jay's name to the Joseph H. McClean Scholarship Trust. Donations should be sent to W.H. Wilkerson, fund administrator, PO Box 75, Parsonsburg, MD 21849