Volunteers in Howard County rally to help refugees
When Kathy Gross, a parishioner at St. John the Evangelist in Columbia, visited the Afghan family of seven that her church had been asked to help, she found them in a two-bedroom apartment in Elkridge with almost nothing in it except for a mattress and a crib. So Gross created a wish list of household items and sent it to friends and neighbors. “It went out the next day around noon... READ MORE
Volunteers in Baltimore rally to help refugees
In January, an Afghan family of five arrived in the Baltimore area. They had been evacuated to the United States in August and had spent months on a U.S. military base in Wisconsin. Julie Simon and seven others from Baltimore Hebrew Congregation sprang into action. They helped the family move into an apartment in Baltimore County, register their children for public school, sign up for... READ MORE
Candid and courageous conversations
Sitting around a table sharing food is an ancient ritual, one that’s at the heart of Coming to the Table (CTTT) — a national organization founded by Virginians 15 years ago to promote racial healing. Food can foster camaraderie and conversation. At the group’s dinners, everyone eats together at round tables of eight, where they share views, stories and fears on race-related topics. ... READ MORE
Jazz heats up Saturday nights
Even on the coldest nights of winter, for many WAMU listeners, the evening grows hot as Rob Bamberger ramps up the rhythm on his three-hour weekly radio show, “Hot Jazz Saturday Night.” Bamberger inspires listeners to dance around the kitchen or tap to the beat on pots or toasters. Some fans go from waltzing to Louie Armstrong’s “Up a Lazy River” to toe-tapping to the... READ MORE
Radio host writes of her journeys
For 24 years at the same microphone, radio host Judith Krummeck, her well-modulated voice sounding both authoritative and soothingly sweet, has rattled off breaking news while queuing up the next classical music piece from Dvorak to Mozart. During her four-hour weekday presentation, Krummeck unveils a fount of selections featuring piano and violin sonatas, oboe concertos, wind quintets... READ MORE
Wounded vets find fishing can be healing
Tony Escalona’s head was “rattled,” he said, after he suffered several concussions during 31 years of U.S. Army service all over the world, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. As he wound up treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder at Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, a counselor urged him to go upstairs and learn about fly fishing, a sport new to him. A volunteer... READ MORE
Restaurateur: Let them eat steak
When D.C. restaurant owner Mark Bucher has a gut feeling, he acts on it. In the early days of the pandemic, Bucher, who owns Medium Rare, a chain of steakhouses, sent out a message over Twitter: “If anyone knows of anyone over 70 in the DMV that is quarantined, at home and needs a meal tonight, please [contact] me. We will make sure they get dinner.” Bucher, 53, acted on instinct, ... READ MORE
Columbia Yoga Center reaches 30
At the beginning of a yoga class, the teacher may ask students to “set an intention” for their practice — a goal they hope to achieve, whether it is a deeper stretch or a calm mind. It’s been hard to set intentions the last few years, as the pandemic has wreaked havoc on day-to-day routines, let alone trying to make future plans. But as the Yoga Center of Columbia celebrates... READ MORE
Parents of adults living with autism
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night nor COVID-19 can keep David Marmer from the Hunt Valley Giant supermarket, where he has worked for the past 11 years as a part-time courtesy clerk. With the assistance of a job coach from the Abilities Network, a Maryland nonprofit that provides support and community for individuals with disabilities, Marmer, 35, is responsible for bringing... READ MORE
Waller & Co. Jewelers offers spring bling
At age 8, David Waller swept the floor and wiped the glass counters at his family’s jewelry store, Waller Jewelers, in downtown Richmond. By age 12, Waller understood how watches worked and could do minor repairs. “I grew up in it,” said Waller, now in his 50s, in an interview with Fifty Plus. The venerable family business has been thriving for the past 122 years. In 1881,... READ MORE
Cover Stories 2022
