|
Reverend Ronald Sadjak, of Reaching Out 2 Africa, spoke about the “Lost Boys”. When watching a TV segment about “The Lost Boys of Sudan” in 2001, Rev. Sadjak had no idea that the small boy with the gentle eyes on the screen would one day be living in his home. The boy, Fidele Diing Dhan, literally walked a thousand miles, first to Ethiopia and then to Kenya, to escape the brutal civil war and atrocities in Sudan. As one of the few to survive the walk, Fidele spent 13 years in UN refugee camps. Then in 2003, Rev. Sajdak was asked to take-in a boy from Sudan, and the 25 year-old arrived at his doorstep. Three years later Fidele, a Univ. of Buffalo graduate, began the quest of returning to his homeland to seek out his family. He recounted his return to Sudan, and the tragic death of his brother 3 days after the two were re-united. He ultimately returned to his village, found his mother, and is now raising funds for a new medical clinic to serve the 50,000 Sudanese in his local fiefdom. |
|
|
Our speaker for the very “weather challenged” meeting was Sally Sternbach, Exec. Director of Rockville Economic Development Inc. (REDI) Their Board membership is composed of both business and local government leaders. Rockville’s traditional economic pillars are the fields of technology, health care, government, law, and education. The mission of REDI is to strengthen and broaden the economic base of Rockville. As part of that mission, REDI promotes Rockville as a great place to work and live. They assist businesses looking to relocate or expand in Rockville. The city benefits from proximity to NIH, and the over fifty additional federal laboratories in the area. The strong educational demographics and trained workforce is a means of attracting technology and health care companies. They are currently promoting a program to “Buy Rockville” to encourage local residents to patronize the local business. One of their larger programs is the Rockville Innovation Center opened in 2007. The RIC provides space and support programs for domestic technology startups, as well as for international technology companies interested in opening their first U.S. office. You can review their web site at http://www.rockvilleredi.org. If you have not been to the new Rockville Town Center, you are missing out on one of the area’s best re-development projects since the development of Bethesda. |
|
Agnes Leshner spoke about the needy in our area, specifically children. Her office handles cases in Montgomery County, for children up to the age of 21. The process can be lengthy, beginning with a concerned phone call about a child, sometimes through the legal system. If her office determines the parents aren’t able to properly care for a child, the child can be removed from the home. Hopefully, a relative can step in, but if not the child may be placed in a temporary, or foster home. Sometimes this can happen more than once in a year’s time, requiring the child to switch schools, because their new home is in a different school district. This makes it even harder for these children to succeed academically. |
|
|
Congressman Chris Van Hollen addressed the joint metroBethesda/B-CC meeting, where he spoke candidly about the significant economic challenges facing the new President, and provided an overview of the upcoming Economic Recovery and Investment Act. Main elements will include an investment package and tax relief measures, totaling $800B of economic stimulus actions. Key components will be: investment in existing infrastructure repair & improvements, an energy tax credit to promote energy efficiency, expansion of broad band access, & healthcare IT initiatives. The Congressman also discussed federal assistance for state and local jurisdictions in the area of health and education, expansion of unemployment compensation, tax relief for the majority of American households & the need to patch the AMT. Three major longer term initiatives were highlighted: comprehensive healthcare reform, energy efficiency & an overhaul of the financial regulatory framework. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page 11 of 14 |
Archive
