Thursday, June 28, 2012 at 8:00 am at The Center Club in Baltimore.

Address:

100 Light St # 16

Baltimore, MD 21202

Purchase tickets online here.

After the Spring Gala I raced up and over to Dundalk to the County Seal Democratic Party Luau which was hands down one of the most well-attended events thus far this season.  More than 250 people came together to have fun, talk politics, and enjoy the summer-like weather.  I spent some time catching up my good friends Johnny O., Jr and Johnny O., Sr., a dynamic father-son team who represent East Baltimore County respectively in Annapolis and Towson. I also met some great local business owners who are running successful shops throughout the County. One thing is for sure, this a a strong group of Democrats who care deeply about their community and it shows.  We have an army of foot soldiers like no other in East Baltimore and I was so proud to spend a little time with them this weekend. I’d like to that Ron Yeatman for all the work he and the Club do in the County and congratulate them on a great event.

I also want to extend my sincerest thanks to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Prince George’s Councilwoman Ingrid Turner, Delegate Bill Frick, and Biz and his team for making this one of Maryland’s most memorable political fundraisers of the season.

Jaki and I cannot thank our friends, old and new, for sharing such a special night with us. I am encouraged by your support and confidence in my abilities as we work together to continue focusing on our shared priorities and strengthening our quality of life across Maryland.  Thank you again for your continued support, and stay tuned for the next great Ulman event!

And Special Guests Dj Biz Markie & Kevin Liles.

Date: May 10, 2012.

Location: Maple Lawn Clubhouse, Fulton, MD 20759.

Time: 7pm – 9pm.

Purchase tickets online at http://www.kenulman.com/blackandwhite

That’s the mantra that the family of Howard County teen Grace McComas hopes will prevail in confronting incidents of bullying. Addressing a group of parents and school leaders Saturday, they said the emerging epidemic played a part in Grace, a 15-year-old, ending her own life on Easter Sunday.

The McComas family joined forces with Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice to send a powerful message in a forum called “A Ray of Hope: A Pro-kindness, Anti-bullying, Teen Suicide Prevention Outreach,” at Howard High School.

“This situation has really gotten out of hand,” Rice, the co-host of the event, told the audience of more than 100, adding that he was devastated to see that bullying incidents are now a factor in suicide. “That struck a nerve in my body, and everything I stand for.”

A host of local and state leaders, including County Councilman Calvin Ball who co-hosted the forum, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, and Maryland first lady Katie O’Malley, gathered to hear and air concerns about bullying.

Saying that his own sister was bullied, Rice told members of the crowd that they had to tackle the issue together to give a voice to those suffering in silence. “Football aside, I want to be a voice in this,” he said.

The McComas family said that Grace, who attended Glenelg High School, committed suicide after months of online torment via Twitter. On Saturday, the family released some of the tweets their daughter had received in the months leading up to her death.

According to tweets read aloud at the event, Grace was told repeatedly that she was hated and that her existence was God’s sense of humor. She was encouraged to kill herself.

Mother Chris McComas told the crowd that Grace was kind, exuberantly happy, and tender-hearted. “Too tender-hearted, in fact, in a world that can be cruel,” she said, as the girl’s sisters sat weeping.

Fighting tears, father Dave McComas told the crowd that a tweet was like “an instant auditorium,” and that the name cyber-bullying doesn’t capture the impact of social media harassment. “It should be called water-boarding … it is constant torture. Grace was in constant torture.”

By the end of the forum, tensions ran high as parents and students shared stories about enduring layers of bureaucracy in the Howard County school system to get help in bullying situations. O’Malley, who has created Maryland’s Bullying Awareness Week, said that protocols requiring victims to fill out a state-issued reporting form aren’t enough.

“It’s the schools that need to do the snitching for the kids,” O’Malley said. “We can’t make the victim [do it]; they’re already fragile. They’re not brave, so we have to be brave for them. The forms are great, but they’re just one avenue.”

Pam Blackwell, director of student services for Howard County, said that “bullying is a symptom of a school climate not working,” and that professional development programs about bullying are a high priority. She said most cyber-bullying takes place on devices at home, and the system would need parents’ help to ensure that students are being monitored.

Incidents of bullying, harassment and intimidation affected nearly 4,700 Maryland students last year, according to the most recent statistics published by the Maryland State Department of Education. Last year, there were 409 cases in Anne Arundel County, 541 in Baltimore City, 510 in Baltimore County, 314 in Carroll, 54 in Harford, and 300 in Howard.

Parents and students said that the forum was overdue in Howard County.

“It was an eye-opening opportunity for the school system,” said Ginger Dudek, the parent of a Reservoir High School freshman who was bullied for years until he fought back for the first time this year. “They have forms and stuff, but there’s no support.”

Dudek’s son, Chris, was glad that attendees, as well as experts and officials, heard students’ voices.

“It seems like they don’t care as much as they should,” Chris said. “It will be good to see something change.”

erica.green@baltsun.com

Copyright Baltimore Sun

Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, and Ken Ulman, his counterpart in Howard County, are scheduled to participate Friday in a live fire simulation event organized by the International Association of Fire Firefighters.

County Executive Ken Ulman this week announced the program, which will provide full-time jobs this summer for 40 young people, ages 16 to 22, and six adult crew leaders building rain gardens on private property in the county. PATH, a coalition of faith groups, will work with its members to help identify sites for the rain gardens.

“This is really a pilot to see that this project will accomplish its goals and then we’ll evaluate it moving forward,” Ulman said.

The county has dedicated millions of dollars over the past few years to implement storm water controls, such as rain gardens and storm water ponds, on county-owned property to meet state and federal mandates for reducing runoff in the Chesapeake Bay. But to meet the mandates, Ulman said, storm water controls also have to be built on private property, and the jobs program will help.

“This seemed like a great way to get started with the building of many on-site storm water facilities that are going to be needed,” said Jim Caldwell, the county’s storm water manager.

The county is providing a $432,000 grant for the program, which will be administered by three local nonprofits: Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay will manage the program and employee the youth; Parks and People Foundation will train the youth on how to build rain gardens; and Maryland Sea Grant will assist in planning the designs for each site.

Caldwell said the grant requires the program to produce enough rain gardens to control storm water runoff on 120,000 square feet of impervious area, such as parking lots and driveways.

“Hopefully we will be educating kids along the way to have extra sensitivity to the environment,” he said.