Towne Spotlight Local

 Youth Sailing Program Awarded $20,000 Grant The Brendan Sailing Program for Youth with Learning Differences was recently awarded $20,000 from local Annapolis foundation, the Kathy and Jerry Wood Foundation. The grant funding has been earmarked for camper scholarships and will provide current and prospective students financial opportunities to participate in Brendan Sailing’s Annapolis and St. Mary’s summer programs at little to no cost. “At Brendan Sailing, we never turn down a child for financial reasons,” says James P. Muldoon, Brendan Founder and Chairman of the Board. “It is important that these children have the same opportunities to build social skills and teamwork, regardless of their financial position. On behalf of the organization, I want to thank the Wood Foundation for their continued commitment to Brendan. They have believed in our mission from the beginning and over the years have become a truly special partner.”

LOCALLY-OWNED BUSINESS LAUNCHES DELICIOUS ROSÉ IN

MARYLAND  NautiLife, a new and innovative wine brand, is launching its first California rosé ($12.99 SRP) in Maryland and is proudly distributed locally by Artisan & Vines Distribution. NautiLife is the first full-sized bottle of wine (750ml) packaged fully in 100 percent recyclable PET plastic produced in the U.S. With a majority of public spaces forbidding glass in the area, options for sharing a bottle of wine among friends were limited to cans and box bladders. Knowing there had to be a better way…NautiLife was born. NautiLife is Arnold-based and a part of GoodLife

Brands, LLC, a family-owned and female-founded company. NautiLife is currently available at Mills Fine Wine and Spirits and Bella’s Liquors.

BUCK DISTRIBUTING SOLD TO HAMMOND BEV GROUP

Hammond Beverage Group will buy Buck Distributing Company in Upper Marlboro, with the deal expected to close in June, pending supplier approval. Employees were notified in April. Owner Betty Buck, the first female chairman of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, will be forming HM2 Buck for Hope Foundation. Buck will leave the company in “great hands to grow and move forward, while I pursue my new dream of HM2 Buck for Hope Foundation.” The foundation formed after her son Daniel, a Navy Corpsman with the rank HM2, committed suicide last year. The foundation will focus on the problems of suicide and sexual abuse in the military. Meanwhile, Buck’s daughter Erin will stay on and continue in the day-to-day leadership of Buck Distributing.

Leadership Anne Arundel Announces New Leaders Honorees Leadership Anne Arundel (LAA), the premier leadership training and networking institute in Anne Arundel County, has announced their 2020 New Leaders Honorees. Honorees were nominated by LAA

Alumni and the community at large. Nominees do not have to be a graduate of a LAA program and were selected based on commencing an accepted, appointed or elected leadership role that serves and/ or impacts the Anne Arundel County Community since March of 2019. The position can be held in a Non-Profit, Government, or For-Profit organization. This year, due to the COVID-19 health crisis, the in-person event has been postponed to a future date to be determined. In the meantime, New Leader Honorees will be featured and celebrated virtually. According to LAA President & CEO Kris Valerio Shock, “While we very much look forward to celebrating these local leaders in-person when it is safe to do so, we cannot wait to recognize their leadership and commitment to our community, as many are newly appointed in key roles facing challenges the current crisis presents. We are deeply grateful for their commitment to our community.” For the full list of honorees and short bios, visit leadershipaa.org.

SEVERNA PARK TEEN HELPING COVID CARE WORKERS

Delia Fishburne didn’t quite know what to do with herself in the first two weeks of the state’s stay-athome order due to COVID-19. Inspired by a cousin who was sewing facemasks for her community in Virginia, Fishburne turned to social media for ideas on what she could do and learned about ear savers, plastic bands with hooks that allow people to remove the elastic bands of surgical masks from behind their ears. Fishburne found 3D digital printing designs online and got to work. She says it takes about five hours to make 10 ear savers. She has made more than 460 so far for COVID care nurses, delivery room care teams and trace team members, including an order of 150 for Hospice of the Chesapeake. Photo by Rebecca Fishburne.

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MARYLAND DISTILLERIES ANSWER URGENT CALL FOR SANITIZER

In response to COVID-19, Maryland distilleries shifted production to surface and hand sanitizers for front line personnel. The Maryland Distillers Guild (MDG) announced in April that they have produced over 50,000 gallons of sanitizer. At least 17 Maryland distillers, including Blackwater Distilling in Stevensville and Windon Distilling (Lyon Rum) in St. Michaels, with the help of some Maryland breweries and wineries, jumped into action in mid-March, after learning of a severe shortage of sanitizer. “We don’t know how to sew or make masks, but we do know how to distill and blend. So shifting from making whiskey to hand sanitizer seemed like an obvious way for us to do our part for the community while keeping our employees working,” said Arch Watkins, co-founder of Old Line Spirits in Baltimore. Although it currently remains unclear just how long distillers will be authorized to manufacture sanitizer under federal rules, many of them have committed to continuing with their production for at least a few more months.