News

The United Way recently presented the 2026 Howard T. Rockwell Award to Julien Patrick Tete Wabo, a truly remarkable member of our community.

Through his work with HARC and the Asian American Center of Frederick’s ENOUGH Bilingual Community Workers, Julien Patrick consistently goes above and beyond to support families and make sure they have the resources, encouragement, and connections they need to thrive.

What makes Julien Patrick so special is not simply the work he does, but the heart he brings to it. He gives so much of himself to the families he serves, advocating for them, building relationships, and helping create a stronger, more connected community. His kindness and dedication have made a lasting difference in the lives of countless people.

The Howard T. Rockwell Award recognizes an individual who demonstrates an exceptional commitment to strengthening our community. Julien Patrick embodies that spirit in every way, and we are incredibly proud to honor him with this award.

Congratulations, Julien Patrick, and thank you for all that you do for our community!

 

FEMA has observed National Preparedness Month since 2004 to encourage Americans to prepare for emergencies. The month is a great time to take small steps to make a big difference in being prepared including at your House of Worship.

HOWs
Use these questions to help determine if your house of worship is prepared for emergencies, disasters, and security-related incidents.

• Do you have an Emergency Operations Plan? This plan should explain how
  your house of worship will respond during an emergency.
• Do you know whether your house of worship may qualify for FEMA
  assistance after a disaster? Learn about FEMA’s Public Assistance Program
  and what types of assistance may be available.
• Do you know what Federal or state grants may be available? The 2026 FEMA Nonprofit Security Grant Program may provide $150,000 to $200,000 per site for eligible applicants.
• Have you completed a vulnerability risk assessment? A current vulnerability risk assessment is required to apply for some security grants. You can complete a self-assessment or work with local, state, or federal partners.
• Do you know your local or state emergency management officials? Building relationships with your Office of Emergency Management before an emergency can help improve coordination and response.
• Who are your community partners during a disaster? Consider joining your county or state Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) to build partnerships before a disaster occurs.

 

As we begin the school year and school personnel collect permission slips for Micah’s Backpack, we are getting reports that some families don’t have a microwave oven for children to heat the food received in the bags. If you have a gently used microwave to donate or can purchase a new one, please contact Elizabeth at elizabeth@harc.datachievereview.xyz. New microwaves can be purchased and delivered directly to our office from our Wish List.

HARC grieves the loss of Dr. Michael Parsons, who passed on to the next life on September 2. Mike was an active member of HARC for many years as a lay representative of St. Joseph Catholic Church. He enjoyed participating in HARC’s Interfaith Team, attended nearly every HARC meeting until a stroke last year, and loved discussing books in the Interfaith Book Club.  See Mike’s obituary for more details about his well-lived life.

A viewing will be held at Rest Haven on Wednesday, September 9 from 5-7 pm. His funeral mass is Thursday, September 10 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church

A celebration of life will be held for William “Bill” Pike on Saturday, October 31 at 11:00 am at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Hagerstown.

Bill was a kind soul who loved to volunteer for his church, HARC, Reach, a shelter in Virginia, and in any other way he could help people. As a HARC Hike team member of many years, he loved to shop and prepare meals for both Hike events.  As a representative to HARC for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Hagerstown (UUCH), he made sure the congregation was up to date on all things HARC and participated in any way they could.

Bill served on the HARC board from 2017-2020 and on the board of Reach of Washington County.  If Reach needed a meal, Bill was happy to bring his friends and make one, and he often filled volunteer holes throughout the shelter during the cold weather season.

Most of all, Bill was a good friend who could always find the positive in any situation.  We grieve for his loss and will miss him greatly.

This summer, 22 multilingual children in HARC & AACF’s ENOUGH program read books in some of their free time instead of playing with their phones or watching TV. In the “I Read A Book” program, children read and reported on books to earn credit toward purchasing back-to-school clothing and school supplies. This program culminated in a celebration on August 14.

The “I Read A Book” celebration included certificates and words of praise and encouragement for each child, and each received a backpack of goodies donated by the United Way of Washington County. Joy and exuberance filled the air as each child accepted their award, and the pride of parents was evident.

Bilingual Community Workers Julien Patrick Tete Wabo and Jane Powell created the “I Read A Book” program with the objective to provide children with an alternative to phone use and to strengthen relationships within families.  Books were provided by United Way and Children In Need.

The children who participated were excited about reading, enthusiastic about coming to the office for their interviews, and equally excited about earning money to help purchase back-to-school items. Their engagement was evident not only in their participation, but also in the pride they took in completing the program requirements.

One girl read a book each week and consistently went above and beyond the program’s expectations. Each time she returned a book, she also brought a drawing of a character from the story, sharing her artistic talent with the ENOUGH team (one picture shown here).

Another child chose a book that he loved that was, he later admitted, too challenging for his reading level. However, he did not return the book. He, with the help of his father and brother, persevered. His brother helped with the reading of the book. His father helped with the homework and drew pencil lines on the sheet to enable the son to write neatly and legibly. With the help of his family, the son completed the book and earned the $10 credit.

In the same family on another occasion, the elder brother borrowed a book about deep water ocean life.  With clear exuberance, he literally LUNGED for the book when he saw it, as he just about breathlessly explained what he knew about the subject.  He returned the book with the same exuberance and an improved knowledge about the adaptations of and species found in the ocean depths.

At the celebration, a boy who read six books over the summer was asked if he read a lot before this. “No,” he replied. “I never liked to read.” When asked if he likes to read now, he said “Yes!”

  

HARC is in need of a locking file cabinet, either a 2-drawer or 4-drawer upright unit would work. Wider file cabinets won’t fit in our space. If you have one to donate, please contact Kathy at kathy@harc.datachievereview.xyz or 301-842-4272.

St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (Hagerstown, MD) seeks a qualified and dependable Organist/Choir Director to provide musical leadership on a part-time basis. The position covers the 1st, 3rd, and (when applicable) 5th Sundays of each month.

Key Responsibilities

• Service playing — Lead worship using the church’s Möller organ and grand piano.
• Music planning — Select hymns and service music in coordination with the Pastor.
• Seasonal services — Provide music for major liturgical holidays and special services.

Qualifications

• Organ performance proficiency in traditional liturgical settings.
• Experience leading hymns for congregational worship.
• Effective collaboration with clergy and staff.
• Professional reliability and respect for Lutheran worship traditions.

Compensation: Salary commensurate with experience.

For more information, please visit our website (stmarkslc.org) and click on the job description icon.

To Apply: Submit a résumé and cover letter to patakelley@aol.com. Links to audio or video samples of organ performance are welcome. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Amica Center is preparing to file a lawsuit in U.S.  District Court challenging ICE’s unlawful arrests without warrants in the state of Maryland.  The lawsuit is modeled after their successful warrantless arrest lawsuit in DC, which they filed with a number of partner organizations.

As they did in the DC warrantless arrest case, they are seeking to file several amicus briefs in the Maryland warrantless arrest case, including one signed by members of Maryland’s faith community.

These amicus briefs will help demonstrate the larger chilling effect, i.e. how ICE’s mass arrests have caused wide-ranging harm on different key sectors of Maryland life and community.  An amicus brief from religious organizations will focus on the warrantless arrests of parishioners or other community members, and the resulting impairment of the members of the religious organization to freely practice their faith. However, the brief will also emphasize the moral obligation to treat immigrants with dignity, building from the recent statements of Pope Leo, the Archbishop of Washington’s homily and statements calling for compassion and justice. Therefore, religious groups do not need to have members impacted to sign on.

The number of signatories/potential signatories for the amicus brief continues to increase! There are now 24 faith communities that have either agreed to sign on or are seriously considering it, pending reviewing the brief.  Amica Center would love to grow this number!  The deadline to sign on will be sometime around September 9.  If you and/or your faith community are interested in signing on, please contact Kathy at kathy@harc.datachievereview.xyz.

Dominion Ministries is in need of a refrigerator. It can be a used one. On occasions they have dinners at the church and feed the hungry. They will come and pick it up. Call 227-239-3214 or email shirleymaynard@myactv.net.