Currently viewing the tag: "Catoctin Area Civitan Club"

Emmitsburg’s Inclusive Playground

By On · Add Comment · In Community News

Emmitsburg’s accessible playground ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Saturday, November 2, 2019. The ribbon was cut by Mayor Don Briggs with Commissioner Tim O’Donnell, Catoctin Area Civitan’s Ginger Malone, Commissioner T.J. Burns, Commissioner Cliff Sweeney, Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner, and Frederick County Councilman Michael Blue. This new playground will allow children of all abilities to play side-by-side for years to come.

Donors for this project include the Department of Housing and Community Development, Department of Natural Resource (Program Open Space), and the Catoctin Area Civitan Club.

Catoctin Area Civitan Club Donation

By On · Add Comment · In Community News

With help from the Foundation for Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, the Catoctin Area Civitan Club gave the Town of Emmitsburg $25,000 to help build an inclusive playground. Mayor Don Briggs accepted the check (pictured right).

Would you like to help people in your community? Check the Catoctin Area Civitan Club out. They meet on the second Monday of the month, from 6:30-8:00 p.m., at the Graceham Moravian Church, located at 8231 Rocky Ridge Road in Thurmont. Call 301-606-6891 for more information.

Thurmont May Get Small Libraries

By On · Add Comment · In Community News

James Rada, Jr.

Thurmont may soon get a number of new libraries in the town. The catch is that all of them will be no larger than a few square feet.

The Catoctin Area Civitan Club would like to place a Little Free Library at each of the town parks near a bench, as well as the state and federal parks and the little parks in developments.

The Little Free Library movement began in 2009,with Todd Bol in Hudson, Wisconsin. He built a model of a one-room schoolhouse and filled it with books as a way to honor his mother. She had been a teacher who loved reading. The idea was an immediate hit, as friends and neighbors began borrowing and returning books. Sometimes, they returned the same book they had borrowed; sometimes it was a different one. The idea soon spread, and now Little Free Libraries can be found in every state and roughly two dozen countries. Frederick County also has them.

“I see these everywhere I go,” said Mayor John Kinnaird. “I’ve actually stopped and utilized two of them.”

Club President-Elect Ginger Malone came up with the idea after seeing other Little Free Libraries in Frederick County. She also has a non-verbal nephew, who loves having books read to him.

“Reading is everything for the kids,” Malone said.

By placing the libraries near a park bench, it will be easy for parents to stop during a walk or have their children take a break from playing to read a story.

It is not limited to organizations like the Civitan Club. Anyone can start their own Little Free Library. While you can buy plans and kits to build a Little Free Library, some people decide to be original and build a library that reflects their personalities. The Civitan Clubs libraries will be built and painted by students in Frederick County Public School’s SUCCESS Program and will display the Civitan Club logo. SUCCESS is a program for special needs students, ages eighteen to twenty-one, who have completed four years towards a Maryland High School Certificate of Completion. It helps transition them into society.

The underlying idea behind Little Free Libraries is to give people easy access to books to encourage them to read. Little Free Libraries can’t replace public and school libraries, but they can supplement them, giving children and adults more ways to get their hands-on reading materials and their noses buried in books.

One of the nice things about the Little Free Libraries is that the books each one carries can be tailored to the preferences of the person running the library.

However, as patrons leave behind new books, users may find the types of books shifting to reflect the users’ tastes rather than the owners’. The Grifols plasma donation center in Frederick has agreed to donate books that can stock the libraries. A Frederick High School teacher and other individuals have also made book donations.

Ideally, once stocked, a Little Free Library should operate on its own, with each book being removed being replaced by another book. Weller said that she occasionally checks to make sure that there are enough books and to sometimes add new books.

There are more than 60,000 registered Little Free Libraries in more than 80 countries that loan millions of books, annually. If you are traveling and want to see if there is a Little Free Library near you, you can search the Little Free Library website (littlefreelibrary.org), where you can search by town or zip code to find the closest libraries near you.

Inclusive Playground Open for Play in Thurmont

By On · Add Comment · In Community News

The Town of Thurmont and the Catoctin Area Civitan Club hosted a dedication of the East End Park Inclusive Playground on Saturday, June 17, 2017. Community members, club members, and town and county representatives gathered at the playground, where Thurmont Mayor John Kinnaird gave a welcome and announced the completion of Phase I of the playground’s installation. He also announced that funds for Phase II are already in place, as well as funds for an ADA-compliant restroom in an existing building at the playground.

Catoctin Area Civitan Club members attended a town meeting and proposed the project, which took about a year and a half to complete to this point. The playground provides a space where physically and developmentally challenged individuals, as well as those without physical challenges, can have fun and play in the same place. Club President Ginger Malone explained that the Civitans help people with physical and intellectual disabilities. The national organization is celebrating its 100th year of service this year. Malone thanked the team who made the inclusive playground project come to life, including Jeff Barber, president of Playground Specialists, the company that installed the playground.

The totally inclusive playground is one of the first for the Frederick County region. Phases II and III will add a glider for children in wheelchairs, a cocoon for children with autism, and a music station. Malone thanked the residents of Thurmont for supporting the Civitans with fundraising from the blue toilet campaign. “If you get the traveling blue toilet, please make sure the recipients support it,” said Malone.

Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner had a good time trying out the zip line. Gardner said, “I think this is a great accomplishment for all of you, because it’s really important to the children of this town and Frederick County.” She presented a certificate of appreciation to the Catoctin Area Civitan Club for taking the lead to find the funding.

Mayor Kinnaird prompted Jeff Barber to express how great the town of Thurmont is. Barber explained that Phases II and III will tie in the pavilion with the playground. Barber explained, “Inclusive playgrounds feature pieces of equipment that are accessible to everyone and can be accessed at transfer height. So both challenged individuals and non-challenged individuals can play together.” He added, “The playground pieces need to be ‘cool’ enough to be fun for everyone. This will actually be one of the coolest and best playgrounds in all of Frederick County for all kids.”

Julie DeRoner, a Thurmont resident, is a parent of children with disabilities and works with children with disabilities at the Frederick County Developmental Center. She expressed that the playground, “is an excellent opportunity for inclusive play.”

Town of Thurmont officials, Frederick County officials, and members of the Catoctin Civitan Club are shown cutting the ribbon for the official opening of the Inclusive Playground in Thurmont.

Catoctin Civitan Club Hosts Police Appreciation Night

By On · Add Comment · In Community News

The Catoctin Area Civitan Club hosted a Police Appreciation Night at the Thurmont Main Street Center on August 15, 2016. Being a police officer today is a daunting job. Those that choose this career dedicate themselves to serving their community and to helping others; their commitment and professionalism is to be commended. Sincere gratitude is extended to Frederick County Sheriff’s Deputies, Lt. Col Hopkins, Dfc. Openshaw, Dfc. Sutton, and Dfc. Grove; and Thurmont Police Department’s Chief Eyler, Lt. Droneburg, Officer Minnick, and Cpl. Armstrong, for coming out and receiving a special “Thank You” from the Catoctin Civitan Club.

Civitans Selling White House Ornament

By On · Add Comment · In School News

The 2015 White House Christmas Ornament honors the administration of President Calvin Coolidge, who served as the 13th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. At $25.00 each, the ornaments are a fundraiser of the Catoctin Area Civitan Club. To order, please contact Nancy Shaffer by emailing nshaffer01@aol.com or calling 301-676-9752 or 301-271-3202.