05-12-2023 MAW - Flipbook - Page 7
Baltimore Sun Media | Friday, May 12, 2023 7
Chamber hosting ‘Pinwheels for Patriots,’ luncheon
By Jason Fontelieu
The Harford County Chamber of
Commerce’s Military Affairs Committee
works with Aberdeen Proving Ground and
the local defense community on military
supportinitiatives.Thecommitteeorganizes
several events throughout the year, such as
the “Pinwheels for Patriots” fundraiser and
its annual Military Appreciation Luncheon.
Natalie Prixley, the chamber’s director of
strategic partnerships, said the chamber is
proud to celebrate the military community,
not just in May, during Military Appreciation Month, but all year round.
“We have a huge military community
in Harford County,” Prixley said. “And it’s
really awesome that we get to be the home
forAPG,andwewanttobeapartof,notonly
to give back to that community as we can,
but to help educate the civilian population
that might not know what goes on at APG.”
Members of the Harford community can
honor a veteran or active-duty member
of the military by purchasing a pinwheel
through the chamber’s “Pinwheels for
Patriots” fundraiser in time for Memorial
Day. A portion of the proceeds will benefit
veterans at nearby Perry Point VA Medical Center.
Pinwheels are $20 each and come with a
recognition name tag. Local businesses are
also encouraged to purchase 25 pinwheels
for $500 and receive recognition at this
year’s Military Appreciation Luncheon
held by the chamber. They are available for
purchase through the chamber’s website:
harfordchamber.org.
Pinwheels can be picked up from the
Harford Chamber of Commerce, 108 S.
Bond Street in Bel Air, May 15 through May
24 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This year’s Military Appreciation
Luncheon will be held May 18 from 11 a.m.
to 1:30 p.m. at Top of the Bay at Aberdeen
Proving Ground. The business community
will gather with the APG community to
recognize the service of men and women
in the military.
Prixley said the luncheon is a way of
bringing the business and military communities together.
“It’s a great opportunity to just come
together, enjoy a meal together and learn
what efforts APG is currently working on,”
Prixley said.
Cheryl Rawes, executive director of the
Veterans Benefits Administration, will be
the keynote speaker at the 46th annual
luncheon.
Schools debuts virtual military family welcome center
By Tony Roberts
Harford County Public Schools, which
has about 3,000 military-connected children, has introduced a virtual military
family welcome center on its website to
help military-connected families with
challenges transitioning to a new area
during an academic year.
“HCPS understands the challenges
military-connected families may experience with frequent transitioning from one
installation to the next and often relocating during the middle of an academic year,”
the school system said in a news release.
“HCPS thanks all Harford County military
families for their service.”
The military family welcome center is
easily accessible from the homepage of
hcps.org, linked under the ‘Parents’ tab. In
addition to featuring links to HCPS registration, school, academic and athletic
information, the page includes military
and veteran resources.
Military families are encouraged to
email AskHCPS@hcps.org if they need
additional information and support.
Members of the HCPS Customer Service
Task Force came up with the idea to
develop a military family welcome center
for families to access information they
need to get started with HCPS and other
community resources to help them acclimate to the area.
The HCPS Parent Academy worked
closely with representatives from Aberdeen Proving Ground to see this project
finished in time for Veterans Day, when the
virtual center launched, said a spokesperson for the school system.