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WSM Celebrates National Apprenticeship Week 2022

WorkSource Montgomery & the Montgomery County Workforce Development Board Celebrates the 85th Anniversary of the National Apprenticeship Act

ROCKVILLE, MD — In honor of the 85th Anniversary of the National Apprenticeship Act, WorkSource Montgomery (WSM) and the Montgomery County Workforce Development Board will be celebrating the U.S. Department of Labor’s eighth annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) that begins on November 14th and ends on November 20th. WSM will host a couple of events during this week aimed at informing and educating both young and adult jobseekers about apprenticeship opportunities available in the county.

“Registered Apprenticeship is a proven way for community members to obtain pathways to secure, high-paying careers in a wide variety of occupations,” said Anthony Featherstone, Executive Director. “We are proud to support National Apprenticeship Week and to showcase the impact apprenticeships have on building the workforce in this country.”

In partnership with Montgomery County Public School System (MCPS), WSM will host an informational session aimed at targeting MCPS’s transition students. Several presentations on apprenticeship opportunities in the county will be introduced to young people nearing graduation and who may want to pursue a path other than a 4-year secondary education. This will be a virtual event and will take place on November 17th from 9:00 am to 11:00 am.  For more information on this event or to register for it, go to https://worksourcemontgomery.com/event-details/youth-apprenticeship-program-information-session-11-17-2022/.

The second event will be a job fair at our East County location focusing on adult job seekers where we will present exciting apprenticeship opportunities. Our goal is to connect county residents with options for the training and job skills needed that provide a pathway to stable, well paying, family sustaining careers. This event will take place at the East County Regional Services Center located at 3300 Briggs Chaney Road, Silver Spring, MD 20904, on November 16th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. All Montgomery County residents are welcome to attend! For more information or to register for this event, go to https://worksourcemontgomery.com/event-details/east-county-registered-apprenticeship-fair-11-16-2022/.

NAW was established by the U.S. Department of Labor to celebrate the significant impact Registered Apprenticeship programs have had in re-building our economy, advancing racial and gender equity, building a pipeline to good, quality jobs, and supporting underserved communities. Hundreds of NAW events and activities will be taking place all over the country, to include open houses, skill competitions, community forums, apprentice graduations, business open houses, high school and college career fairs, apprenticeship signing days, industry roundtable events, diversity, and inclusion dialogues, and more.

WSM has demonstrated our commitment to Registered Apprenticeship (RA) by connecting Montgomery County residents to RA’s in the construction, automotive, IT, and accounting industries. Apprenticeships are a great way to start a career by giving participants the opportunity to earn while they learn. As a gateway to apprenticeships in the county, WSM is committed to developing key partnerships with local Registered Apprenticeship Providers so that we can continue to offer as many opportunities as possible to local residents.

If you’re an employer interested in learning more about how Registered Apprenticeship can strengthen your workforce, contact Cynthia Grissom at cgrissom@worksourcemontgomery.com. If you are a job seeker interested on how you can earn top wages while receiving top quality training, contact Melissa Cunningham at mcunningham@worksourcemontgomery.com.

About WorkSource Montgomery (WSM)

WSM is the fiduciary agent for Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding in Montgomery County. The organization operates the American Job Centers in Wheaton and Germantown and provides employment services to Montgomery County residents who are unemployed or underemployed. Programs and initiatives offered by WSM are supported in part by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor as part of an award totaling $4,699,403. WSM engages employers in various industries throughout the county to ensure that their workforce needs are being met. For more information about WorkSource Montgomery and current recruitment opportunities, events, and workshops, visit our website at worksourcemontgomery.com.

About National Apprenticeship Week

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) is a nationwide celebration that offers established by the U.S. Department of Labor to bring together leading business, labor, education, apprentices, and other critical partners to showcase the impact Registered Apprenticeship programs have on building the American workforce, as well as highlight the successes and value of Registered Apprenticeship for re-building our economy, advancing racial and gender equity, building a pipeline to good, quality jobs, and supporting underserved communities. Registered Apprenticeships provide the opportunity to assist and propel individuals who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality by allowing apprentices to earn while they learn and providing a pathway to well-paying careers.

NAW gives employers, including sponsors and providers, the opportunity to showcase their programs, facilities, and apprentices so that career seekers can learn more about the benefits of Registered Apprenticeship and the programs that are available in their communities. During NAW events, apprentices have a platform to share their apprenticeship experience and how it has transformed their lives. For more information, visit apprenticeship.gov/NAW.

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Peddicord Plumbing serves customers with ‘heart’

Peddicord Plumbing Services is a local family-owned business. Owners Dan & Patricia Peddicord are both Olney natives, and “opened their doors” to Peddicord Plumbing Services in August of 2011. Collectively, their team has decades of experience in the plumbing trade.

Peddicord Plumbing Services focuses on residential & light commercial service plumbing repairs, which include toilets, faucets, water heaters, sump pump, copper/plastic pipes, backflow testing, etc. The high level of customer service satisfaction, offered by Peddicord Plumbing Services, is proven by the consistent referrals and positive reviews that circulate throughout Rockville and the surrounding areas.

Its Mission:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters… It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23”

Contact Peddicord Plumbing Services at (301) 774-1227.

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SkyPoint FCU’s Clothing Drive

OCTOBER 17 – NOVEMBER 11

We invite you to support the SkyPoint Federal Credit Union Community Development Team in our 2022 Clothing Drive!

The drive will run from Monday, October 17 to Friday, November 11, 2022, for benefit of Frederick Rescue Mission. Frederick Rescue Mission’s “Rescued Treasures Clothing Program” provides free clothing, coats, shoes, backpacks, sleeping bags and linens for those in need in the Frederick area.

Please keep in mind, all donations should be in DIGNITY CONDITION (as if you were giving to a family member or friend), and only NEW underclothes (underwear, socks, and undershirts) will be accepted. For your shopping convenience, we have provided a QR code to our Target registry for the underclothes (use of this registry is optional).

What a great opportunity to clean out those closets and help someone in the process! You can drop your items off at our Germantown and Rockville locations. Contact Jordy Guerrero, Community Development Representative at jguerrero@skypointfcu.org or 301-279-1964 ext. 8002 with questions, and we thank you in advance!

Germantown Branch – 19785 Crystal Rock Drive, Suite 201, Germantown, MD 20874

Rockville Branch – 20 Courthouse Square #101, Rockville, MD 20850

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The Montgomery County Office of Procurement is hosting a Procurement Fair

***Advance registration is full, but we will accept walk-ins on the day of the event.***

The Montgomery County Office of Procurement invites you to attend our Procurement Fair!

This event is held in partnership with the East County Regional Services Center and the Montgomery County Department of Recreation.

Learn about exciting upcoming procurement opportunities and network with your peers at this half-day event.

Panel discussions include:

  • 10:00am: Minority, Female and Disabled-Owned Business (MFD) Certifying Agencies Panel
  • 11:00am: Upcoming Procurement Opportunities from around the County
  • 12:00pm: Business Resources Panel
  • 1:00pm: Adjourn

Who should attend:

Any business interested in contracting opportunities with Montgomery County, MD.

Location and Parking:

This event will be held in-person at the East County Community Recreation Center, 3310 Gateshead Manor Way, Silver Spring, MD 20904.

Free parking is available in the outdoor parking lot adjacent to the building. :

This is a FREE event.

The event will be livestreamed on the Montgomery County Cable Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CountyCableMoCo.

Questions? Contact Bethany Manimbo, Marketing and Outreach Manager, bethany.manimbo@montgomerycountymd.gov.

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Geneva Day School’s Student-Scientists Spread their Wings: How Cultivating Butterfly Gardens Advance Monarch Preservation

What has scales yet does not measure weight?

What is colorful yet does not glimmer as a rainbow?

What flies yet does not flutter as a bird?

This riddle and others like it challenge students at Geneva Day School. For years, the school has cultivated a butterfly-friendly campus, earning its status as a Monarch Butterfly Waystation.  Scholars, therefore, know to answer this brainteaser with a resounding “Monarch Butterfly”!

“At Geneva, students learn about the incredible migration that these butterflies undertake each year, flying thousands of miles to California and central Mexico for the winter,” stated Environmental Education Instructor, Ms. Anna Piper. 

Also the school’s mascot, this splendid insect evokes the “distance” that young scholars undergo as they metamorphose into more mature students. Environmental Education advances Monarch-related lessons throughout the school’s spiraling curriculum.

Often led by Ms. Piper, “students get the unique experience to observe the lifecycle close-up in the Monarch Butterfly Waystation housed on Geneva grounds,” she explained. 

Younger students listen to a telling of “The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar”; older students chart their observations of the indoor-reared caterpillars, and PreK and Kindergarten students release the fully formed butterflies from captivity. 

Yet now that the Monarch has been dubbed an “endangered species,” the school redoubles its efforts to instill an appreciation of this important pollinator and inform as many as possible about how to assist. 

“I am saddened that the Monarch Butterfly was officially designated as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, but I am also hopeful that this designation will shine a spotlight on the declining numbers of Monarch Butterflies and encourage individuals to take action,” said Ms. Piper.

Monarchs require points at which to rest, feed, regroup, and take off again for their final destination. They also need gentle habitats in which to lay their eggs so that young caterpillars may thrive, eventually weaving their chrysalises and metamorphosing into these “tigers of the sky.”

Students plant milkweed and when the moment is right, they harvest it. Providing “specimen caterpillars” reared indoors with this sumptuous feast, students get a refined view with magnifying glasses. They sing songs about them, practice flying with their “own wings,” and imagine what it is like to undertake the “natural wonder” of their migratory pattern.

“ Due to the number of Monarch Butterflies declining, there has also been a noticeable decline in Monarchs around Geneva,” explained Ms. Piper, who is hopeful that change might blossom, literally, from grassroots efforts.  

Even the most meager of milkweed plantings could exert positive change. Small plots of land at home, for example, could contribute to a trail of Monarch Butterfly sanctuaries. As of this summer, Geneva’s smallest hands assisted in planting not only its traditional Monarch Butterfly Garden with milkweed but also its International Gardens, which now devote their beds to this essential plant.

As Ms. Piper says, “Monarch Butterflies are possibly the most notable butterfly with their beautiful orange colors.” Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for their exceptional flight and moments of much-deserved rest. . . Their wings are comprised of delicate scales and any handling could compromise their hopes for aerodynamism.

So keep hands off and hopes high; the quest to assist Monarch Butterflies is the larger riddle worth solving.

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Sandstone Care helps teens, young adults & their families overcome challenges of substance abuse

At Sandstone Care, we help teens, young adults and their families overcome challenges with drugs, alcohol, mental health, trauma and addiction. 

We understand the hassle of finding a new care provider while stepping down through treatment, which is why we provide a full continuum of care so that you can focus solely on your recovery. 

Programs include extended residential, day treatment, intensive outpatient treatment, after-school recovery, and sober living.

Whether you or a loved one is struggling with substance use, addiction, or mental health, our highly-qualified clinicians are here to help and provide the motivation, tools, and community that will produce lasting recovery.

Why Sandstone Care?

Every individual is unique, and at Sandstone Care we recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for treating substance use or mental health conditions. This is why we provide personalized programs, age-specific care, and evidence-based treatment that allows our clients to receive proper care and achieve their goals.

Our individual, group and family therapy provide a safe environment where teens and young adults can learn healthy coping mechanisms, feel understood, and give the entire family a chance to begin the healing process.

You are more than your addiction, mental health, or co-occurring conditions. You have goals and ambitions, but you may be feeling lost and distracted. Through our ongoing academic and vocational support, along with the help of our highly credentialed clinicians, Sandstone Care is able to help you or a loved one rediscover passions and fill life with a sense of purpose and accomplishment.

Visit www.sandstonecare.com/maryland/bethesda to learn more about how we can help.

(301) 321-7362; Admissions email: admissionteam@sandstonecare.com

This content is submitted by marketing rep Daniel.lopez@sandstonecare.com.

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