North Point High School. I have been trying for many years to bring the quilt back to our county again after a long absence, and so I am very appreciative of their support and proactive efforts to do so.  I also thank Steve Proctor for his sponsorship of the quilt without which this visit would not be possible.

This is only a portion of the 46,000 panels that make up the entire quilt length, which now spans approximately 30 football fields. This memorial represents the tragedy that the AIDS disease inflicts on its victims, their families and their friends. It also brings hope for a long sought cure.

Here at North Point, it will also serve as a reminder and learning tool for young people that this disease can attack anyone, and only through responsible life choices can we protect ourselves from it. The students will be receiving additional information about AIDS throughout the time that the display is in the building.

I’d like to acknowledge three courageous speakers from the morning ceremony. They are Alexander (left), Toni (center), and Janis (right). Each bravely gave witness through their own HIV/AIDS stories and from Janis  Russello’s beautiful poem in order to educate us and the North Point student body on the reality of living with the disease.

This storied quilt will be on display for the public in the North Point High School gymnasium until May 2, 2013, and I urge everyone to come take a look at it. Among the stitches, you will find tributes to some famous names that you know, including tennis player Arthur Ashe, Washington Redskins’ Jerry Smith, Queen’s lead singer Freddie Mercury, and actors Tony Perkins, Robert Reed, and Rock Hudson. So please come see this moving tribute.

I was very proud to meet Ms. Sydnee E. Sullivan of Maurice J. McDonough High School who was named the 2012 – 2013 Career Research and Development Program Student of the Year. She had the opportunity to work for the Environmental Protection Agency, and will be attending the College of Southern Maryland in the fall. Congratulations to Sydnee!

SFC Hunter is a 1992 graduate of La Plata High School and his family continues to reside in Charles County. Throughout his 20 years of active duty in the United States Army, he has been decorated numerous times for his service to our country. I could not be prouder to call him one of our own as he enters a new phase in his working career. I send to Michael and his family my very best wishes and congratulations on a job well done!

This was a well deserved acknowledgement to the Rices who were chosen on the basis of their best management practices to protect the properties they own from soil erosion and to prevent water runoff from their farm. These include the addition of two shallow water areas and a pond, planting riparian herbaceous buffers and critical area seeding, their use of conservation crop rotation, advanced nutrient management, and no-till residue management on the 543 acres that encompass all their operational  farms. This brings outstanding environmental benefits to our region, and I thank them for it.

Congratulations to the Rices on being good stewards of their property. Well done!

The guest speaker for the dinner was Charles County Commissioner Ken Robinson of nearby Swan Point. He gave an excellent overview of the current topics facing us as the county comes to a crossroads between the old ways and the new. These issues included the county budget’s focus on education and public safety; the new state gas tax that will bring transportation projects to our county; the study phase of new light rail transit; the need for educator pay increases to attract good teachers; his support for North Point High School Principal  Kimberly Hill’s candidacy for School Superintendent; the availability of charter government as Charles County grows to be one of the largest counties and the likelihood of a public vote on it; the possibility of new members on the Planning Commission; the Morgantown plant turning off at planned intervals when it’s not needed; the disappointing outcome of state legislative efforts for the allowance of golf carts on Cobb Island; and finally, his own 2014 re-election campaign.

This club holds informative, enjoyable dinner meetings, and I would encourage all my constituents to join in at their own local political clubs to learn about, and become involved in, county and state issues.

Let’s take this opportunity to pledge that we are not going to be part of the problem, rather part of the solution. Don’t litter yourself, and encourage your friends and family to properly dispose of trash. Let’s not forget about recycling either. Collect those soda cans, water bottles, glass bottles, plastic bags, newspapers, and magazines and take them to your nearest recycle center. For large furniture and appliance items that you don’t need anymore, call the county government to check on roadside pick up. Remember, if we want clean waterways and abundant, healthy marine life, we need to keep their habitat trash free.

This was a very moving ceremony that included a reading of the names of the fallen and a moment of silence for those men and women who answered the call for our state and country, eventually giving the ultimate sacrifice.

I send a big thank you to Larry Abell of the Maryland Veterans Memorial Museum for coordinating my guests’ visit, and I hope that you all will have the opportunity to visit this fine museum in the near future.

Library Director Emily Ferren provided the Governor and I with a detailed tour of the new facility which was in part paid for with funding by Maryland’s Board of Public Works. The Governor was duly impressed with the building, its innovations, and its staff. I was honored that Governor O’Malley fit this side trip into his schedule, and that we were able to show him the excellence Charles County has produced with the funding assistance of the State of Maryland.

Craig Renner is an accomplished member of the business community working for the St. Charles Companies, and is also known in my district as an advocate for our community in order to help it thrive. I am excited by Craig’s enthusiasm to bring new ideas forward, and I heartily congratulate him for taking on this new responsibility.

Among the speakers were the dynamic Pastor Mike Hilson from our local New Life Wesleyan Church, “Moe” Diggs, Senior Pastor from Healing Place Church, Janice Wilson, President of the Charles County Branch of the NAACP, and Nu Zeta Omega Chapter/Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. members.

MLK, Jr.’s legacy inspires us to continue in our own lives to find our common causes and similarities as we work together toward equality and justice for all, and events like these help us to foster that goal.

In his welcome, CSM President Brad Gottfried noted that the youngest graduate was 18 years old, and the oldest graduate was 63 years old. The lesson being that you are never too old to learn and improve your mind.

The inspiring commencement address was given by guest Romergryko G. Geocadin, MD who is presently an associate professor for Neurology, Anesthesiology – Critical Care, Neurosurgery and Medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Geocadin overcame many obstacles to reach his current success, and was motivated by his own sister’s fatal brain tumor to work in the field of brain medicine. His message to the graduates was to be ready for your opportunities, and step forward to contribute the best of what you are in order to be helpful to others rather than just yourself. I consider these wise words for us all.

Congratulations to all the graduates!

I was inspired by this evening’s 3rd annual Reaching Out Now, Inc.’s Inspired to Lead and Lotus Program Banquet at the Waldorf Jaycees Community Center. Reaching Out Now  affirms the positive impact of devotion and understanding in the lives of young people. The organization’s founder Samantha Christian, its volunteers, supporters, and the impressive young people who take part in the “Inspired to Lead” and “Lotus” programs are succeeding in their efforts to enrich Charles County and beyond with empowered and encouraged young citizens.

The confident and deserving young award recipients from these programs succeeded despite various challenges and sometimes humbling circumstances, and they continue to persevere on their paths to success. RON, Inc. demonstrates that these lives matter, their aspirations deserve encouragement, and that ultimately these programs work.

Critical community organizations like these remind us all that when we see a need, we should reach out now in large and small ways to make a difference. Indeed.

Library services are more essential today than ever as an academic and entertainment resource, as well as providing a meeting place for social and self help groups, and for public officials’ Town Hall meetings. I hope that you will all come out to see the magnificent features and services available here that will truly benefit our community.

Thank you to all my constituents who came out to my town hall presentations around Charles County over the last two weeks. I held these in Nanjemoy, Indian Head, La Plata, Newburg, and Waldorf as a way to help inform the public on the 7 ballot questions and what they will mean for the State of Maryland as we go out to vote. I had a great time, and I hope that you all felt that you had a clearer understanding on these ballot issues. Now, don’t forget to go out to VOTE! The Board of Elections will be holding early voting starting on October 27th. Election Day is on November 6th.

Environmental issues and the health of our Chesapeake Bay are great concerns of mine, and to Maryland’s Governor O’Malley. He has called for September 29th to be an Interfaith Day of Service to aid childhood hunger and to protect the environment. On this day, Maryland joins neighborhoods in DC, Virginia, and West Virginia in doing community service projects. In light of that, I ask you to come help protect the Chesapeake Bay, and show pride in a litter-free Rosewick Road on Saturday. Parking is available for volunteers at Rosewick Crossing Shopping Center, and a tent will be set up at the intersection of Washington Ave. and Rosewick Rd. as an organizing station. I hope to see you there!

Today I was honored to stand with the Charles County Commissioners in a ceremony marking Charles as the first county in Maryland to permanently fly the POW/MIA flag over the County Government Building. This action came to pass through the great efforts of Rolling Thunder’s James Shekleton who persisted and found a sympathetic supporter in Commissioner President Candice Quinn Kelly. In her bringing James to the Board of Commissioners, he passionately described the plight of the only MIA army soldier from Charles County, PFC Francis Desales Wills, who volunteered to serve in Viet Nam, and has never returned. The Wills family has suffered for decades not knowing his fate, and in today’s ceremony he was brought home again in spirit. It was my great pleasure to present citations on behalf of the entire Charles County Delegation to both James Shekleton and to the Wills Family in memorial. In honoring him, representatives from the offices of Maryland State Senator Middleton and Delegate C.T. Wilson, from U.S. Senators Mikulski and Cardin, and from Congressman Steny Hoyer’s office were all there as well. In raising the POW/MIA flag daily, the great sacrifice of PFC Wills, his family, and all the other POW’S and MIA’s who have served our nation will never be forgotten in Charles County.

I was so glad to see so many of my friends, family, and supporters today for my breakfast fundraiser at Greenweigh on the Potomac River. Good food, good music, and good company made it a real success. The weather was perfect too. On top of that, there were two very special guests who came to be with us as well. I was honored to host U.S. Senator Ben Cardin this morning, who does great work for us on the environment, finance, and senior citizens’ issues. He had finished up the congressional session at 1:30 a.m., but still made it down to Charles County to be with us, and I appreciate that. We also had a visit from Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler who spent some time talking about the importance of the menhaden fish, and their decline. This issue is a big concern of mine and to the fishermen among you. Many of you know the good impact that menhaden have in cleaning the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, and providing nourishment to all other marine life. I look forward to the Attorney General’s next legal actions on behalf of these fish.

I want to especially thank all of you who came this morning to support me. I work everyday as your representative in the House of Delegates because I care about you, and your issues in the State of Maryland. I appreciate your allowing me to serve on your behalf everyday.