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NEWS RELEASE

March 5, 2008

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Howard County “Volunteer of the Year” Announced

ELLICOTT CITY-- County Executive Ken Ulman and County Council Chairperson Courtney Watson honored outstanding volunteers last night in a ceremony that recognized the generosity and achievements of 44 individuals and eight community groups. The annual event also included the announcement of Howard County’s Volunteer of the Year and other special award recipients. The honorees were:

Volunteer of the Year: Ron Kline, Columbia
Since 1999 when he “retired,” Ron Kline has been volunteering 25-30 hours each week at Howard County’s Foreign-Born Information and Referral Network (FIRN), as their “IT Genius.” He took an outdated database and wrote extensive software to provide FIRN with an efficient, effective system to help the staff serve their clients. He maintains and services all of FIRN’s computers and servers, trains staff and has helped the office define system requirements. In 2007 alone, FIRN served over 1,200 clients from 69 countries, helping them become self-sufficient contributing citizens. His work has made it easier for FIRN to provide equal access to community resources for all foreign-born individuals.

Community Organization of the Year: Elkridge Adult Athletic Association
Thirty years ago, a group of men got together to start a softball league. At the end of their first year, they had $45 left in their treasury, and they donated the money to the new Rockburn Branch Park. Today the Elkridge Adult Athletic Association (EAAA) has moved far past managing softball leagues and now devote their time to community service. For the past 16 years EAAA has organized and hosted Haunted Halloween in Rockburn Park. They also organize the popular Easter Egg Hunts and summer concerts. Each year they give approximately $10,000 back to the community to organizations like Dick Gelfman’s Ride Across MD, the MS Walk, the Elkridge Food Bank, Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department and the American Cancer Society. They take the “plunge” every winter for Special Olympics and award college scholarships to local students. In 2007 alone, they donated over 1,500 hours of service to their community.

“Student of the Year” Award: Timothy Stapleton, Elkridge
This junior at Loyola Blakefield High School in Towson planned and raised funds to build a sensory stimulation room for the developmentally disabled clients of the ARC of Howard County as part of his Eagle Scout project. What started out as a 100-hour project, turned into a 400+ hour project; but Tim just raised more money to cover the additional costs and kept working until the room was complete. For the past three summers, Tim has traveled to Appalachia to repair homes for the less fortunate. He has also been a golf coach for Special Olympics and was paired with an athlete competing in the MD State Special Olympics Golf Project.

“Humanitarian of the Year” Award: Joseph Murray, Sr., Columbia
Joseph Murray’s work with children, developmentally disabled individuals, homeless families and arts organizations shows his true commitment to making a positive difference in Howard County. He is the President of the Board of Directors for the ARC of Howard County, mentors young boys in need of a positive male role model through Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Central Maryland, and is a classroom consultant for the Junior Achievement Program. He is a member of the Howard County Committee to End Homelessness and has served on the Volunteer Center Serving HC Advisory Committee since 2004 (two years as its Chair). He also supports the Lazarus Foundation, Grassroots, and Congregations Concerned for the Homeless through volunteerism and charitable giving. Mr. Murray was recently appointed to serve on the Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism.