For Immediate Release: Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Eight local volunteers and community-minded schools were honored for their contributions to the Montgomery County community by being named recipients of the 2009 Marriott Spirit to Serve Community Service awards at a ceremony on May 5 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.
The annual event was sponsored by the Montgomery County Volunteer Center and Marriott International. Awards were presented by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, County Council President Phil Andrews and Montgomery County Public School Superintendent Dr. Jerry Weast. Marriott Executive Vice President Stephen Marriott gave brief remarks.
The Marriott Spirit to Serve Community Service Award is the County’s preeminent award, recognizing volunteers, groups and schools whose efforts have provided outstanding service to Montgomery County. Eight honorees from across the county were selected, and Marriott International donated $500 to the charity of each of the honorees' choosing.
Individual and Group Awards were presented to:
Bruce Pearlman, Potomac. Since the death of his wife, who lived with an extremely debilitating form of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Pearlman has freely given of his time, energy, and experience to put a face on the MS experience and to lend his expertise to advance the fight against MS. In her memory, Pearlman established the Ellen Carol Segal Scholarship fund and formed Team ES to participate in Walk MS. Over the years, thanks to the two efforts, Pearlman has raised more than $130,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Last year, through generous contributions to the Ellen Carol Segal scholarship fund, five $3,000 scholarships were awarded to students whose parents live with MS. Pearlman has also given presentations at the MS Society’s Young Adult’s Day Education Program and has served on the MS Chapter’s Board of Trustees and Audit Committee. His efforts have impacted thousands of members of the National Capital Chapter of the National MS Society.
Dr. Joseph Swift, Chevy Chase. A distinguished endocrinologist and internist in Montgomery County and the District of Columbia for 45 years, Swift has also been a faithful volunteer physician and dynamic force in the Mercy Health Clinic since it opened in October 2000. Located in Gaithersburg, the free Mercy Health Clinic serves the medical needs of uninsured, low-income residents of Montgomery County.
Swift helped establish the clinic when a group of residents realized that more than 40,000 Montgomery County residents were without medical insurance and lived below the federal poverty level. Due to his dedication and the dedication of 52 other volunteer physicians, last year 5,684 patients were seen at Mercy Health Clinic. Responding to another need, Swift also established a diabetic clinic and a special endocrine clinic as part of Mercy. He has also helped obtain essential medication and supplies, recruited other volunteer physicians and persuaded his colleagues to provide medical services free of charge. In addition to his work at Mercy, Swift has been a consultant in endocrinology at Bread for the City, a medical clinic for the poor and homeless in the District of Columbia, as well as serving as part of a medical mission team to Haiti. Dr. Swift is a dedicated physician who brings vast knowledge and experience to the service of the poor.
Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Community, Potomac. Several members of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Community conceived SCAMP Camp over 10 years ago. The camp is a week long non-residential day camp that provides an exciting summer camp experience for children from a low-income parish in the Anacostia area of Washington, DC. Since its inception, nearly 400 Montgomery County teens have served as counselors and established friendships with more than 1,000 disadvantaged children. Members of the Mercy Parish, a volunteer physician, Coughlin Transportation Company, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, and several local businesses unite each summer to make this camp a great success.
Volunteers for Transitions and Hospice at Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA). The JSSA’s Transitions and Hospice programs provide individualized and cohesive medical, emotional and spiritual support to thousands of patients and their families coping with chronic or terminal illness. Volunteers are a vital part of this program and in many ways are the cornerstones of the agency’s care. Volunteers bring comfort, respite and companionship at a time when compassionate support is so critically needed. They visit seriously ill and dying patients in their homes for several hours each week -- keeping them company, listening and supporting them, reading to them, and sometimes just sitting and holding their hands. The volunteers’ critical work reminds people struggling with serious illness or who are near death that they are not alone, that they are remembered, and that they are valued even during their last days.
In addition, the following four schools were honored for their efforts to get students involved in the community:
The Academy of the Holy Cross, Kensington. Issues of local and global significance are discussed and integrated into the school’s curriculum, while students are reminded of their commitment to service and the emphasis on the spirit of giving. Twice a week, students provide tutoring and aftercare assistance at the Center City Public Charter School. Twice a month they distribute food through McKenna’s Wagon of Martha’s Table. Items are collected for babies and new mothers for Northwest Pregnancy Shelter and Maternity Home. This past year they worked in New Orleans with the St. Bernard Project to rebuild homes damaged by Katrina and also helped to repair homes of low-income families in Appalachia with St. Joseph’s Housing Repair.
Westover Elementary School, Silver Spring. The school principal and student council sponsor provide the leadership critical for effective community service projects. Once a need is determined, the student council body is responsible for determining the tasks necessary to complete the project. For example, it was learned that there was a food shortage at a local food bank. From this need, the “Harvest for the Hungry” project was created. More than 1,000 pounds of canned food was collected by students. Students also made placemats and baskets of toiletries for the National Adventist Senior Living Center, hosted a toy drive to support Toys for Tots, made valentines for Westover’s elementary autism classes and wrote letters to community workers as part of Public Service Recognition Week. Furthermore, as part of the seven-day National Learn and Serve Challenge, Westover collected 475 pounds of clothing for Planet Aid and over $900 for Stepping Stones Shelter.
James Hubert Blake High School, Silver Spring. Students, faculty and parents are all important sources of service project ideas at Blake. Activities included various school supply, food and toy drives; local clean ups; a sandwich making project that delivered over 1,000 sandwiches to DC Central Kitchen; two Blood Drives with INOVA Hospital; the Nike Reuse a Shoe Program; Walk for the Homeless; and making and selling bracelets for the Students Taking Action Now: Darfur group. Students helped numerous individuals afflicted with blood cancers and educated the school community about blood cancers and the services of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. They sponsored a Bengal Ball Tournament, Dance for a Chance and organized three restaurant nights. These efforts raised over $12,000.
Albert Einstein High School, Kensington. The school community held a fundraiser for Heifer International, an organization that helps to provide food sources for families in developing countries. Other service activities included holding a kids crafts fair; conducting several blood drives; holding various food, clothing and toy drives to support local shelters, Toys for Tots, Planet Aid, and UNICEF; participating in Walk the Homeless, Light the Night and Autism Speaks events. A Halloween Extravaganza for the children at Stepping Stones Shelter was organized, with face painting, crafts, cookies, and games.
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Department Contact: Reed Dewey, 240-777-2613