South Four Corners Citizens Association

There’s no place like home. By a wide margin, surveys of Americans 50 and older show that they want to remain in their current residences and communities as they age. Enter Silver Spring Village, part of the national village movement that provides volunteer assistance and a wide variety of enrichment activities to adults who wish to “age in place”. While each Village is unique, they all share the same vision: Caring neighbors of all ages helping older neighbors to thrive.

Please join us as we welcome Doug Gaddis, Executive Director of Silver Spring Village, Inc. to SFCCA’s upcoming community meeting. Mr. Gaddis’ presentation will focus on the Village’s activities, services and volunteer opportunities, while briefing us on its recent decision to expand its current reach into our neighborhood. Mr. Gaddis brings more than three decades of related experience to his leadership role in the Village. He completed coursework at American University towards a master’s degree in non­profit arts management, but has spent most of his career working in resource development for agencies focused on education, leadership development, disabilities and now seniors in the Washington, DC region. A native Kentuckian, Mr. Gaddis currently lives in Kensington and keeps active in the arts world as a professional lyric tenor.

Learn more about Silver Spring Village in our most recent Jan/Feb 2020 newsletter, https://southfourcorners.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/sfcca-20-jan-feb.pdf, page 7. And find out how to join and/or volunteer for Silver Spring Village by attending the meeting!

You’re invited! The Tamara Kucik Team is holding their bi-annual Go Green Day!

Free Shred, Donate, Dump event benefiting A Wider Circle. Please bring non-perishable canned and boxed food donations, such as stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, canned vegetables, boxed potatoes, mac & cheese, vegetable broth, cornbread mix, and/or Giant and Safeway gift cards (for perishables). Then jump right in on these FREE services:

• SHRED sensitive documents
• DONATE gently used household items, furniture and professional clothing to A Wider Circle (tax receipts provided)
• DUMP your junk—anything that can’t be reused will be properly disposed of or recycled
• DINE on fresh coffee and donuts!
• WHERE: 1030 Forest Glen Road at Argyle Park

Questions? Contact tk@tamara4homes.com

Please join us as we welcome Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich to our community meeting at the Schweinhaut Senior Center. He will first brief us on the priorities of his administration before spending the remainder of the meeting answering questions, and listening and responding to your observations and concerns.

Marc Elrich was sworn into office on December 3, 2018 as Montgomery County’s seventh elected Executive. As an At-large member of the County Council for 12 years prior to last year’s election, he represented each and every County resident. Before that, he served 19 years on the Takoma Park City Council, while teaching at Rolling Terrace Elementary School for 17 of those years. While Mr. Elrich has remained a strong advocate for middle class and lower-income individuals and families, for environmental and consumer protections, and for tenant rights throughout his long career in public service, he perhaps is most widely known for his consistent opposition to excessive, unsustainable land use and development policies, along with his insistence that developers pay their fair share of the additional public services and infrastructure costs that their projects have generated.

This is a great opportunity for all of us to interact, “up close and personal,” with
the head of our County government, so we hope to see you there!

Please join us at the upcoming meeting when we welcome Jamie Kuhns, our featured speaker. We are all fortunate to live in Montgomery County where we never have to travel far from our own backyard to a local park. Jamie Kuhns holds the position of Senior Historian in the Cultural Resources Stewardship Section for Montgomery Parks. It is her job to produce the research necessary to design the Parks’ museums and to develop interpretive tours.

Most recently, Ms. Kuhns worked on developing the Woodlawn Museum in Sandy Spring, which highlights the area’s agricultural landscape, the Underground Rail Road, local free black communities and the Quaker experience in Montgomery County. She is currently the cultural resources project manager for the new Josiah Henson Museum scheduled to open next year and the author of the just published, deeply researched biography of Reverend Henson, whose 1849 autobiography inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s landmark novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Ms. Kuhns has worked in various capacities at several museums and archives in Delaware and Virginia before coming to Montgomery Parks. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history, from Radford and James Madison Universities, respectively, and is currently completing a doctoral degree in the history of American civilization.

The Election of SFCCA Officers will also take place at this meeting. Members will nominate and elect the next President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary to serve our community. Join us and vote!

Sunday, May 5 at 11 am
Silver Spring Civic Building

The South Four Corners area could be dramatically impacted by the addition of four toll lanes to the Beltway. We need a good turnout from our neighborhood for this event – please join us! This meeting promises to be an informative event that should bring us up to date on where things stand, what we can expect next and what we can do to influence the direction of this project going forward. Let’s make our voices heard!

Please join us for the next SFCCA meeting as we welcome Montgomery County historian Ralph Buglass, who will give an illustrated PowerPoint presentation on his “Top 10” lesser­known, but important historical places and spectacular nature spots in our County. Learn about some famous residents’ homes and houses designed by prominent architects, spots with connections to events of national significance, oases of natural beauty, unique museums, still­-standing relics of our past, and more.

Ralph Buglass, a Montgomery County native and avid history buff, has taught at lifelong learning institutes associated with Johns Hopkins and American universities, as well as Montgomery College. He speaks frequently to community and business groups, as well as at national conferences. Mr. Buglass, who has a B.A. in American history from Cornell and an M.A. in journalism from American University, is also a docent at Montgomery Parks’ restored Kingsley schoolhouse in Clarksburg’s Little Bennett Park.

Join us on the 18th for this informative and entertaining program!

Please join us as we welcome newly elected District 20 Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, who will represent us in the Maryland state legislature once it convenes this coming January. She will preview what we might expect during the legislature’s annual 90-day session, while sharing with us her own goals and priorities as a first-term Delegate. Following her presentation, you are encouraged to ask questions, express your concerns and suggest to her what issues you would most like her to focus on in Annapolis.

Dr. Charkoudian, who holds a Ph.D. in economics from Johns Hopkins University, is the long-­time Executive Director of Community Mediation MD which develops ways to address social challenges and works with state agencies to implement those approaches. Over the years, she has worked on dozens of legislative initiatives in Annapolis, championing issues such as support for small businesses, criminal justice reform, and healthy food for low ­income communities.

Dr. Charkoudian has served in leadership roles with numerous community organizations. She has coached youth baseball and is an avid runner, having recently completed a 70 ­mile run over two days from Hagerstown to Baltimore to raise funds for the Maryland state re-entry mediation program.

Join us for SFCCA Community Day!!!

Where: Schweinhaut Senior Center, 1000 Forest Glen Road
When: Saturday, October 20, 3-6 pm

We have loads of fun activities and entertainment planned along with community tables from local businesses and organizations. This year our Halloween Parade will be part of Community Day. All ghosts, goblins, superheroes and company are invited to meet at the front doors of the Senior Center at 4 pm in costume. We’ll parade up Portland Road and back down Dallas Avenue, ending at South Four Corners Park. Donations of cookies or treats are welcome and can be dropped off at the park starting at 3:45 pm. Other events include:

Crafts and Games for Kids
Snacks and Drinks
Photo Booth
Pumpkin Putt Putt
Cake Walk
Montgomery County Fire Department
Plant/Seed Swap, and
Food Drive—please bring a non-perishable item to donate to a local Food Bank

This is also a great time to renew your SFCCA membership for the year—only $15 per family. A membership table will be set up with more information.

Community Day set up begins at 2 pm and clean up is at 6 pm. Volunteers are needed to help with this! Email Earl Shoop at eshoop@verizon.net if you can help.

Come out and join the fun!!!

Please join us for a special two-part meeting:

1. Featured Guest Speakers: Officers Laurie Reyes and Tara Bond from the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) Autism/IDD/Alzheimer’s Outreach Program. Officers Reyes and Bond will provide an overview of the program, which supports people with these conditions, their caregivers and the community through education, outreach, empowerment, follow up and response.
2. Community Forum to Discuss Beltway Expansion. Immediately following, we will have an open forum to share information and resources pertaining to Governor Hogan’s proposal to widen the Beltway. Involved neighbors and SFCCA officers will be on hand to answer questions. Refer to the articles on pages 4 and 5 of the most recent newsletter for up­-to­-date information on this important topic: https://southfourcorners.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sfcca-18-sept-oct.pdf

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is conducting an I-495 & I-270 “Managed Lanes Study” to evaluate alternatives for expanding travel on or along these interstate highways.  As noted in a press release, “Any selected build alternative is likely to have significant effects on parkland and . . . significant community impacts.”  Please join your neighbors in learning more, attending one of the public presentations on July 24 and 25, and providing input.  To learn more, see the attached flyer.  You can also follow developments at:

https://www.facebook.com/Citizens-Against-Beltway-Expansion-377186249458615/