Leadership Washington County celebrates its scholarship winners

Leadership Washington County celebrates its scholarship recipients

Scholarship recipients, from left to right: April Crohare, Advocate for Children & Individuals with Disabilities; Robyn Sumner, Washington County Historical Society; Bernadette Wagner, Prime Time for Women Inc; Jill Zamostny, REACH of Washington County

Written by TARA BOCKSTANZ

As the 2022-23 program year begins, Leadership Washington County (LWC) congratulates this year’s scholarship recipients. Each year LWC awards scholarships to applicants who work for small-businesses, nonprofits or who are self-funded. LWC is proud to be able to offer scholarships to deserving individuals. LWC awarded 12 total scholarships this year. Recipients of a LWC scholarship were: April Crohare, Advocate for Children & Individuals with Disabilities; Robyn Sumner, Washington County Historical Society; Bernadette Wagner, Prime Time for Women; and Jill Zamostny, REACH of Washington County.

In addition, several external scholarships were awarded to class members on behalf of our sponsors. A First Energy Foundation Scholarship was awarded to Anastasia Broadus of Community Mediation Maryland. The Patriot Federal Credit Union Scholarship was awarded to Shelia Evers of WCPS Education Foundation. The Mary Hudgins (LWC Class of 2022 - #35) Scholarship was awarded to Kelli Tencer with United Way of Washington County. The Women’s Giving Circle Scholarship was awarded to Cherish McMillan, The F.O.C.U.S. Trainer. The Hamilton Family Foundation Scholarship was received by Kim Gembe with Lasting Change. The LWC Class 30 “Be Nice” scholarship was presented to Kellie Mele with Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. Dan Greenwald (LH Class of 1989 - #2) sponsored The Judy Greenwald (LH Class of 1994 - #7) Scholarship which was presented to Carrie Tressler with the Washington County Mental Health Authority. Lastly,

Class #36 participates in their first program day centered on Human Services.

the Visit Hagerstown Scholarship was awarded to Sarah Nadeau with the Washington County Free Library. A huge thank-you goes out to each of our sponsors for joining LWC in increasing access to the core program through scholarship support!

Early in October, LWC Class #36 participated in their first program day centered on Human Services. They explored the thesis How is Washington County meeting the challenges and opportunities around homelessness and housing, poverty and access to food, and meeting other basic needs such as clothing and help with utilities? During the program day the class heard from many a range of human service organizations including Washington County Community Foundation, United Way of Washington County, Washington County Community Action Council, Hagerstown Housing Authority and Washington County Housing Authority. As the day continued, the class broke into small groups and visited organizations in downtown Hagerstown. These organizations included The Watch Center for Hagerstown Police Department, TruHealing Hagerstown, It’s a Blessing to be a Blessing, and Potomac Case Management. Later that day, class members had the opportunity to visit Goodwill with CEO, Dave Shuster, REACH with Executive Director Jeanne Asbury and Children in Need with Executive Director Anne Martin. It was an insightful day learning about the resources, services, and agencies available within Washington County.

The class experienced an Education/ Workforce Development program day on Nov 4. During this session, class members had an opportunity to see how Meritus, the largest employer in Washington County, is developing and engaging their workforce for the benefit of the entire community. The class participated in sessions led by Dr. Maulik Joshi, president & CEO of Meritus Health, and his colleagues, focusing on building a culture of health in our community. Class #36 had a chance to familiarize themselves with the Go for

LWC Graduate Members participated in a tour of the Global Village, featuring villages in Guatemala, Thailand, Kenya and Mozambique

Bold initiative, a movement dedicated to creating a healthy community with a goal of losing one million pounds over 10 years. The LWC class was also able to explore Meritus’ mobile clinic and hear the latest news on the proposed Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine. The class also had a unique opportunity to hear about Meritus-led community outreach programs from two of their own classmates, Lynnae Messner and Kristie Carbaugh.

The LWC class then traveled to Hagerstown Community College to hear from Washington County Public Schools (WCPS) about educational programs for children from Pre-K through 12th grade. Led by LWC graduates Dr. Gary Willow, associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction (LWC Class of 2022 - #35) and Kim Duncan, Community Schools Specialist Coordinator (LWC Class of 2021 - #34), presenters shared ways WCPS is offering opportunities for students in all grade levels. Class members were given an overview of Judy Centers, Community Schools and Career & Technical Education Pathways within our school system. In addition, they explored enrollment, attendance and family engagement for students in Washington County. Directors from the Boys & Girls Club, Girl’s Inc. and the Hagerstown YMCA were able to share information on opportunities available for extended learning partnerships and school year programming. Lastly, Class #36 heard from Hagerstown Community College’s Dean of Instruction regarding the AA Pathways program offered to high school students. Overall, the day was a success as LWC class members discovered how our schools are preparing today’s students for the future.

On Oct. 18, LWC Graduate Members had a unique opportunity to connect and collaborate at Shepherd’s Spring in Sharpsburg, Md. LWC Graduate Members participated in a tour of the Global Village, featuring villages in Guatemala, Thailand, Kenya and Mozambique. Teams explored the topic of food scarcity and discussed how people in the poverty-stricken villages use their resources to survive. Each team prepared lunch native to a country represented in the Global Village with limited resources, in an outdoor kitchen or open fire. The team at Shepherd’s Spring provided us with a wealth of information on our visit.

LWC Graduate Members also had the opportunity to attend our Best Lunch Ever series on November 9 in the Schindel-Rohrer Ballroom for lunch catered by 28 South and sponsored by Hagerstown-Washington County Industrial Foundation (CHIEF). The lunch highlighted how the Multi-Use Sports and Events Complex will affect economic development in downtown Hagerstown. During lunch LWC Graduate Members heard from Greg Snook, CEO and president of CHIEF, Linda Ebersole, representative of Downtown Baseball, LLC (Graduate of LWC Class of 2010 - #23), and Atlantic League Team owners Blackie Bowen and Jim Holzapfel. The roundtable discussion format allowed for a lively and in-depth conversation.

All of our graduates and LWC Class members enjoyed themselves at our Annual Holiday Party on Dec. 15. The party provided a fabulous, festive atmosphere to meet the current class, reconnect with classmates and remind everyone that their class was the best class ever!

Tara Bockstanz is the Director of Graduate Engagement at Leadership Washington County.