Thirty-two years ago, a small nonprofit seeing the absence of after-school programs for young people began life in a small closet at the local elementary school as the St. Michael Community Center. And from those humble beginnings, the SMCC has grown substantially in both the programs they offer and the number of families they serve throughout the entire Bay Hundred region of Talbot County.

In fact, after a few temporary homes, the St. Michaels Community Center took the bold step to lease an old warehouse in the historic district in 2009 to meet the growing demand for children programming, teen outreach efforts, and senior citizen support. And in 2015, the organization’s board made another courageous decision to purchase the 5,000 sq foot facility to create a permanent home for these vital services.

And while its location on Railroad Avenue was ideal, given its proximity to many of the families needing those programs, an old warehouse was still an old warehouse. In addition to the crude lighting and the lack of heat for many rooms, most of the facility was simply no match for the community’s growing needs for educational and nutrition programs.

Almost from the day the building was purchased, the SMCC board of directors knew that they either had to renovate what they had or once again start a search for a more appropriate facility. And after a careful evaluation of options, the leaders concluded that the Railroad location would be ideal if only funds could be raised to redesign the structure and expand its operational use.

So, with fingers crossed and with the help of old pros like the SCMM president and campaign chair, Langley Shook (who had led the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s fundraising efforts while serving as President), the board voted to launch the organization’s first capital campaign to fulfill that mission.

With a stated goal of $3.5 million, Langley and his volunteer campaign leaders thought there was a reasonable chance that the community would generously respond to the initiative. They were correct in their assumption. Almost $3 million has been raised in cash or government grants to date.

But what Shook and his team could not have imagined when the goal was set was the unprecedented disruption that the COVID pandemic has caused in the worldwide supply chain. Already hard costs have risen by over $400,000 since they began the quiet phase of their fundraising effort, and, as Langley notes in his interview with the Spy from last week, he and his colleagues are finding themselves in a race to finish the campaign before the second wave of price increases forces even more costs to the project.

The Spy talked to Langley about those challenges and his team’s determination to break ground as soon as possible on the innovative plan that architect Mark McInturff designed.

This video is approximately four minutes in length. For more information or to make a donation to the St. Michaels Community Center campaign please go here.

 

 

 

The Spy was particularly impressed with a few of the Commissioners remarks last night at the Cambridge Council meeting. At the end of the two-hour meeting, the agenda calls for comments from each ward representative. Commissioners Lajan Cephas and Brian RocheRouch spoke about the process regarding a current review of the City’s form of government and the role of the city mayor in the future.

We were impressed with their comments enough to share with our readers.

This video is approximately four minutes in length.

Libby Anderson Cater Halaby, who served as First Lady of Washington College during President Douglass Cater’s tenure  from 1982 to 1990, passed away last night in San Rafael, CA, at the age of 96 years old.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Libby Anderson started her remarkable public service career early as the first female SGA President at The University of Alabama. After marrying Cater in 1950, the couple would make Washington, D.C. home for the next three decades, where she became a staff member for Congressman Laurie C. Battle, raised her family of four children, and eventually joined the Johnson Administration as special assistant to Lady Bird Johnson. In the 1970s, she served in a similar capacity at the National Endowment for the Arts, the Aspen Institute, and President Jimmy Carter’s Commission on Women.

When her husband became president of Washington College in 1982, she became his primary partner in significantly raising the school’s profile nationally as the couple hosted the Who’s Who of American politics and culture in Chestertown with such novel events like their annual Celebration on the Chesapeake weekend.

As the college’s first lady, she became one of the key fundraisers for the school’s $41 million capital campaign, which lead to dramatic improvements of the college’s campus and financial equilibrium. The college awarded her an honorary degree for Public Service in 1990.

After Douglass Cater’s death in 1995, she married Najeeb Halaby, the celebrated aviator and the father of Queen Noor of Jordan in 1997. During that time, she joined the Board of Visitors and Governors of Washington College, as well as served on the the board of Maryland Public Television. She was also an advisor to the Spy Newspapers.

The Spy will have more to say about Libby and her remarkable contributions to the Mid-Shore of Maryland over the next few days.