Programs For Children

In its largest gift to support public schools in the mid-Atlantic region, NationsBank has given $250,000 to pay for Baltimore programs to improve children's health and fitness and increase parental involvement.The grant will allow two elementary and middle schools -- Westport Elementary/Middle School and Lakeland Elementary/Middle School -- to take advantage of well-proven programs from the Johns Hopkins University and the Harvard School of Public Health.Children will receive help from mentors, take part in drug abuse prevention programs and have opportunities to be part of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Maryland.

Former New York Gov. Mario M. Cuomo urged a conference of child advocates and Methodist leaders yesterday to band together with a "heroic message" and grab their share of government surpluses to reduce the ranks of the nation's poor children."

ROB HARPER helped children learn the "3 R's" this summer -- respect for self, for neighbors and for community -- much as his father had taught him when he grew up in East Baltimore some years ago.Harper helped create the Orchard Summer Recreation and Education Program in his neighborhood, Orchard Crossing, a rental community near Routes 100 and 108.More than 60 children, ages 5 to 14, were bused to Ellicott Mills Middle School five days a week for six...

A nationally recognized program of "adventure learning" today brings President Clinton and Vice President Gore to Baltimore.Its most visible programs include sailboats, such as the Lady Maryland, that have introduced thousands of Maryland schoolchildren to sailing and the need to protect the Chesapeake Bay.The schooner is the popular flagship of the Living Classrooms Foundation (LCF), the 13-year-old nonprofit organization that has gained a national reputation with its sea and land-based environmental education program.

WHITE MARSH -- An open house, featuring video identification and fingerprinting programs for children, will be VTC held Saturday at the Police Department's White Marsh Precinct, 8220 Perry Hall Blvd.The program, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., will also help precinct members celebrate their 10th anniversary. The event will feature demonstrations by SWAT team members, the Aviation Unit, police dogs and their handlers, and other specialty groups.Information: 410-887-5035.Pub Date: 10/01/97

TEMPTATION KNOCKS LOUDLY on the doors of middle-school students whose parents are still at work when they return from school. These three or four hours provide a window when teen-age pregnancy happens, when juvenile crime soars, when children become crime victims, when teens use drugs. Without structure, these are some of the pitfalls awaiting latchkey children.Although it may sound childish to youths who feel like adults trapped in children's bodies, middle-school students could benefit from after-school programs that provide recreation and academic help.

*TC AN ITEM in last week's column gave the wrong information number for the county Department of Recreation and Parks' liberal arts programs for children.The correct number is 410-222-7300.I'm sorry for the inconvenience.Pub Date: 9/14/97

From the outside, the spires of Bolton Hill's Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church rise splendidly heavenward, making it easy miss what's going on down below, where barriers are rapidly toppling."

A statewide children's advocacy group honored six area television stations yesterday for outstanding locally produced programs for children.The winners, chosen by Advocates for Children and Youth (ACY) in its second annual Kids' TV Campaign were:WBFF (Channel 45), for a special called "How I Spent my Summer Vacation."WJZ (Channel 13), for the long-running, regularly scheduled program "It's Academic."WMDT-TV (Channel 47, Salisbury) for the public service announcement "Kids Safety."WDCA (Channel 20, Bethesda)

I HAD A new perspective on the Fourth of July fireworks last week, that also made me reflect on the popular political phrase "family values." Three of us were on a boat in Annapolis harbor, and it was fabulous; a happy, gracious gathering of hundreds of boats of all sizes, passengers patient in the waiting, wildly appreciative of the show, and politely efficient in dispersing.The only bug in the wonderful evening was the man in a 42-foot sailboat who had anchored just inside the eastern edge of the "no boat" zone, shortly after eight or 10 of us had been told, politely, to move back behind the buoys that we hadn't originally seen.

Tucked away in a meeting room in the back of the Abingdon YMCA, a group of children sat around a table, chatting and eating a quick dinner of chicken fingers, vegetables, fruit and a cookie for dessert. When the plates were cleared, the children directed their attention to the front of the room. "Why are we here today?" asked Patsy Astarita, a clinical oncology social worker. "Because one of our people in our family has cancer," answered Ned Maxwell of Hickory. "And we want to learn more about what cancer is."

The Columbia Association's Teen Advisory Committee will sponsor a Teen Showcase from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at the Columbia lakefront. The concert will feature a break dance club, Anti-Lock Brakes, and four teen bands: Parking Lot Nights, American Diary, Hence Reverie and The Drop Out Year. Information: Carol Wasser, 410-715-5523. Registration is on for tot play groups The Town Center Community Association is accepting registration for its fall session of Parents & Tots Play Groups, which begin the week of Sept.

Library offers workshops on effective home schooling Monthly workshops are available at the Harford County Public Library in Bel Air to help parents who are home schooling their children do so more effectively. A panel of home educators will discuss getting the year off to a great start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The workshop is open to new or experienced parents with children of any age. "The Beginning Years," a workshop for parents with children in prekindergarten to first grade, will be offered at 6:30 p.m. Sept.

Harford Community College offering summer programs for children and teenagers Harford Community College is offering a variety of summer camps and programs for children and teens. A teen boat-building class is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 1-5 at the Havre de Grace Maritime Museum. Using precut parts, glue, nails and paint, participants will build double-paddle canoes. A fee of $390 is due at orientation. Information: 410-836-4376 or 410-679-8920, ext. 376. Olympic Games Camps for boys and girls in grades one through nine are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 8-12.

Railway museum to offer summer youth programs The Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum will present "Summer Fun" programs for children of various age groups on Thursdays through Aug. 12. The museum is at 4155 Mears Ave., Chesapeake Beach. Groups larger than five people must call in advance. Each program will include light refreshments and activities to take home. Children can enjoy poems, songs, stories and games that celebrate the days of railroading and early resort life in Chesapeake Beach.

Gordon Mumpower to lead the Arc's Chocolate Ball Gordon M. Mumpower Jr., owner of Commercial Insurance Managers, will be chairman of the Arc of Howard County's Chocolate Ball for the seventh year. The ball will be from 7 p.m. to midnight March 20 at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory's Kossiakoff Center. The event includes an auction, dinner catered by Putting on the Ritz and dancing to the music of Opus One. Tickets are $100. Mumpower's team for the Chocolate Ball includes Walter von Rauzenkranz, Chip McAuliffe, Kari Meachum, Pam Guzzone, Anne Ryan and Nancy McLay of the Arc. Last year's Chocolate Ball raised more than $75,000 for the Arc, which provides vocational and residential support and services, respite care, educational advocacy, and other programs for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Jared Spencer, a fifth-grader at Dasher Green Elementary, is giving up an entire week of his summer vacation to go back to school -- and it took only a little prodding from his parents. "At first, I thought I didn't want to do it," he said. "But after I saw the classes, I thought it was pretty cool." Jared is one of about 65 children participating in Howard County's first Gifted and Talented Summer Institute, a program designed to offer children of varied academic backgrounds a way to exercise their minds while school is out and still have fun. "We'd heard of some other offerings that were similar -- residential programs on the other side of the state -- but they were too far away and way too expensive," said Kim Eubanks, the program's coordinator and lead teacher.

Church supports Bestgate Village plan I am the pastor of Fowler United Methodist Church, which is one of the oldest churches on Bestgate Road and has served the community over 125 years. Our property is adjacent to the proposed Village at Bestgate, therefore we would be most directly affected by this project. We have discussed the pros and cons of the Village, and the alternative and decided to support the village for several reasons. First, we will get a quality development similar to what was done at the Village at Waugh Chapel.

Legislators sharply criticized top officials from several state agencies yesterday for ignoring the General Assembly's wishes in how Maryland should be helping young children. Members of the Joint Committee on Children, Youth and Families said that although the Assembly has decided that the state's top priority should be ensuring children enter school ready to learn, some agencies are acting too slowly and setting their own agendas. "We've been trying to get the subcabinet to focus on this priority as the wedge to crack the big problem open, which would help all of the other problems," said Del. Anne Healey, a Prince George's Democrat.

Piney Run Park will offer children's nature programs - "Mother Nature, Mom and Me" and "Babes in the Woods" - beginning next month. Children will learn about nature through hands-on activities, crafts, songs and stories. Each session is 45 minutes long and is devoted to a different topic each month. The cost is $10 for children of members, and $12 for children of nonmembers. "Mother Nature, Mom and Me," for ages 4 to 5, will be offered at 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. one day a week, Sept.