March 18, 2024
Annapolis, US 39 F

Trumbauer to be honored at Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner

Chris Trumbauer
District 6 Councilman, Chris Trumbauer

The 28th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Dinner will be held Friday, Jan. 15 at 6 pm. The largest celebration of Dr. King’s birthday in Anne Arundel County  will be held at La Fountaine Bleue in Glen Burnie.. Among the 11 honorees saluted at the event are: Anne Arundel County Councilman Chris Trumbauer for his dedication to diversity in government and bettering the educational opportunities in the County; Bay Wine and Spirits owner Charles “Chuck” Ferrar for his entrepreneurial spirit, generosity  and devotion to the community; Light House Board President Carol Brantley for championing the cause of the County’s homeless and less fortunate individuals, and Felicia Carroll who, after losing her only son to gun violence, has become an advocate for victim’s rights. The Naval Academy Gospel Choir will perform. Information at 301-538-6353.Tickets may be purchased by phone at 410-760-4115; by mail to MLK Jr. Committee, PO Box 371, Annapolis MD 21404; or on-line at www.mlkcskmd.org.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Dinner in Anne Arundel County was founded in 1988 by then Alderman Carl O. Snowden. Designed to pay homage to the memory of Dr. King, the dinner honors those whose deeds, words and actions have helped to keep his legacy alive. With honorees from the county and greetings from the County Executive Steve Shuh and members of Congress John Sarbanes, Chris Van Hollen, Dutch Ruppersberger and Donna Edwards, the banquet is a reflection on the best that Anne Arundel County has to offer.

Other individuals who will be recognized for their dedication to the ideals of Dr. King include: Richard Madaleno; Samaritan House; Zina Pierre; Pastor Jimmy Rollins; Anthony Smoot; Merchelle Halsey and Dr. Angela Leimkuhler Moran.

The MLK Jr. Awards Dinner is presented by the Annapolis based Martin Luther King Jr. Committee, Inc. at La Fontaine Bleue, 7514 Richie Highway, Glen Burnie. Dinner tickets are $60 ($65 after January 13). VIP tickets are $100 and include premium seating and a private reception before the dinner with hors d’oeuvres and an open bar. The Naval Academy Gospel Choir will provide entertainment..

LIST OF HONOREES

Morris H. Blum Humanitarian Award

Councilman Chris Trumbauer is the recipient of the Morris H. Blum Humanitarian Award. Trumbauer is serving his second term representing the 6th District on the Anne Arundel County Council, which includes the City of Annapolis and much of the greater Annapolis area. Interested in making positive change in the County, Trumbauer ran and was elected to the Anne Arundel County Council in 2010. His first order of business, as promised during his campaign, was to bring diversity to the Council by hiring Janice Hayes-Williams as a Legislative Aide to the 6th District on the Anne Arundel County Council, marking the first time ever that an African American held that position.

Trumbauer also has used his capacity as an elected official to make appointments to increase diversity on numerous Boards and Commissions including the Community Action Agency of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, the County Executive’s Community Center Task Force, the Anne Arundel County Boards of Appeals, Spending Affordability Committee, the Anne Arundel County Arts Commission, and the newly-created Clergy Advisory Board.

In addition to diversity, Trumbauer has been a strong advocate for the environment, education and improved communication between government and constituents. He lives in Annapolis with his wife Mary and their two young children.

Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Courageous Leadership Award

Senator Richard Madaleno is the winner of the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Courageous Leadership Award. Sen. Madaleno represents Maryland’s 18th Legislative District, which includes Kensington, Wheaton, Chevy Chase and Garrett Park, as well as parts of Silver Spring, Rockville and Bethesda. He currently is serving his third term as a member of the Maryland State Senate, having first served one term in the House of Delegates.  He is a leader in the fight against Homelessness and has sponsored civil rights legislation. 

Sen. Madaleno serves as the vice chairman of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, where he also is the chairman of the Health and Human Services Subcommittee, having previously chaired the Education Subcommittee. He is considered by many as an expert on the state’s budget and fiscal policy and has been recognized as one of the most effective legislators in a poll of veteran Annapolis watchers.

Sen. Madaleno also serves as the Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Ending Homelessness, and the Senate’s representative on the Maryland State Arts Council. At the national level, he is the co-chair of the National Council of State Legislature’s Budgets and Revenue Committee, and a member of the Council of State Governments’ Education Policy Committee.

Sen. Madaleno and his husband live with their 12 year-old daughter and 9 year-old son, along with a dog and cat, in Kensington.

We Share the Dream Award

The Samaritan House is the recipient of the We Share the Dream Award. Founded in 1971, Samaritan House is a state-certified treatment facility located in Annapolis. The 16-bed, long-term residential facility serves adult men who have completed a detoxification program, but still are recovering from alcohol or drug addiction. It also serves as a nine-bed transitional house for clients who wish to continue their treatment in a sober living environment. Clients may live at Samaritan House for up to one year to reinforce success in recovery. Executive Director Michael Goldfaden and President of the Board of Directors Kirk Noonan, both of Annapolis, will accept the award. 

Peace Maker Award

Charles “Chuck” Ferrar is a recipient of the Peace Maker Award. Ferrar is the owner of Bay Ridge Wine & Sprits in Annapolis and a former member of the Anne Arundel County Council. During his term he co-sponsored and passed legislation for additional funding for the Community Action Agency of Anne Arundel County and for the Anne Arundel County Library. He is known for his generosity in providing monetary support for youth in need.

He has been awarded the National Retailer of the Year Award by Brown Forman and last year received the Small Business of the Year Award from the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce. 

Ferrar and his wife Bev have been married 51 years and reside in Edgewater.

Drum Major Award

Zina Pierre is a recipient of a Drum Major Award. She is the founding president and chief executive officer of the Washington Linkage Group, Inc., and president and founder of The Breaking Room Ministry.

Author of the book, “Your Prayers Matter to God,” Pierre also is a noted speaker, business and community advocate, communications tactician and political strategist. Pierre provides advocacy, lobbying and international trade development to non-profit organizations, elected officials and corporate America. She conducts leadership and fund development training to faith-based and non-profits

Her extensive background in government relations at the federal, state and local levels has afforded her the opportunity to advise presidential, congressional, state and local candidates, as well as officials across the globe, including the African diaspora, India and China.

Pierre lives in Annapolis. 

Drum Major Award

Merchelle Halsey is a recipient of the Drum Major Award. With over 25 years in the telecommunications field, Halsey is a contractor for the Maryland Department of Information Technology, administering the PBX III State-wide contract. She is a longtime leader of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women and Jack and Jill of America. 

Halsey also serves as president of the Anne Arundel County Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. A member since 2009, she has worked on several committees, and served as corresponding secretary and has co-chaired the Youth Awards Recognition and Scholarship Committee for the past four years. 

Passionate about education, Halsey has been involved in educational advocacy at the elementary, middle and high school levels as a member of the PTA and PTSO organizations. She served on the South River High School Community Advisory Board as chair of the Media Center Revitalization Committee. During her tenure, Halsey helped secure a $50,000 Bond from the Maryland State House of Delegates for the media center. 

An Edgewater resident, Halsey has been married to husband Paul for more than 25 years.

Drum Major Award

Pastor Jimmy Rollins is a recipient of a Drum Major Award. Rollins serves as the lead pastor of i5 CHURCH in Odenton. Over the past three years, he has successfully led the church in the transition from a traditional, predominantly African-American institution to an ever-diversifying church. 

A passionate and innovative communicator, Rollins seeks to make the complex simple. He constantly challenges his audience to live beyond themselves. This is reflected in his church’s mission statement: “Impacting you to impact the world.” 

Over the last year, Rollins has traveled the country with a unique message of diversity that goes beyond race and ethnicity. Rollins also co-founded the first independent youth track club in Anne Arundel County, – i5 ELITE. This club provides mentoring, accountability and tutoring to over 350 youth on a weekly basis. The vision is to build a well-rounded youth, not just a supreme athlete.

Rollins, his wife Irene and their three children live in Odenton. 

Drum Major Award

Anthony Smoot is a recipient of the Drum Major Award. He is a member of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee, which is responsible for the Foot Soldier Memorial, MLK Jr. Monument at AACC,  Coretta Scott King Gardens and the Fannie Lou Hammer Fundraiser. Smoot worked for Domino Sugar Refineries, located in south Baltimore for more than 37 years, and in 1995, he started Anthony A. Smoot Productions, a video events production company.

He is a member of Community Baptist Church located in Patapsco Park and has served on the Senior Ushers Ministry, Male Chorus, and Sunday School Ministry as Young Adult Teacher, Senior Adult Teacher, Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent. Smoot presently serves as co-chairman of the Deacons Ministry. He also is a member of the executive board of Effective Body Of Believers, a non-profit organization that helps the needy in Jamaica, Glen Burnie and Baltimore. He is a 1964 graduate of Wiley H. Bates High School, Annapolis Maryland. 

A resident of Glen Burnie, Smoot is married to Geraldine, with whom he will celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary later this year. They have three daughters and eight grandchildren. 

Drum Major Award

Angela Leimkuhler Moran, Ph.D., is a recipient of a Drum Major Award. Dr. Moran joined the faculty of the United States Naval Academy Mechanical Engineering Department in the fall of 1993 as an expert in materials manufacturing and engineering. She has taken a leadership role in bringing STEM education to underserved students in Anne Arundel County.

Throughout her career, Dr. Moran has demonstrated a high level of commitment to the Naval Academy midshipmen and the nation through her efforts involving Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). As the Odgers STEM Chair, she has developed and implemented the USNA STEM Center for Education and Outreach, launching extremely successful programs aimed at attracting students locally as well as from across the country to USNA sponsored STEM programs aimed at recruiting and retaining tomorrow’s scientists and engineers. Last year alone, her programs touched more than 17,000 students and involved 60 faculty and staff and 200+ midshipmen. 

Dr. Moran was awarded the USNA Civilian Service Award as well as the National Women of Color Corporate Promotion of Education Award and Meritorious Civilian Service Award for her outreach efforts. Additionally, she is the recipient of the Maryland’s Outstanding Young Engineer of the Year, Employee of the Year Naval Surface Warfare Center, and the Women in Science and Engineering Achievement Award for most outstanding female engineer in the Federal Government.

Dr. Moran resides in Annapolis.

Drum Major Award

Carol Brantley is a recipient of a Drum Major Award. Brantley is the president of the board for The Light House, Inc., in Annapolis. The Light House provides shelter and services to prevent and break the cycle of homelessness and empower people to transition toward self-sufficiency. She has turned around the financial health of the Light House and grown its services to its clients. 

During her tenure, the Light House has undergone a dramatic expansion of client services, doubled its annual revenue. Maryland Nonprofits also approved the facility for Tier One Standards for Excellence certification in 2015. 

After moving to Annapolis in 2000, she was looking for a way to use her skills to make a difference in the community and became involved in homelessness.  In 2009 she joined the Light House Board of Directors representing Annapolis Friends Quaker Meeting and became President of the Board in 2010 as they were moving from a facility that sheltered 15 homeless clients nightly to its current facility of 24,000 square feet with capacity to house 70 men, women and families. 

Under her leadership The Light House refocused its mission and vision to ‘breaking’ and ‘preventing’ the cycle of homelessness; expanded from 8 to 30 staff; doubled its volunteer base to 2,700; and, significantly increased donor and grant funding to provide a full range of services and programs for both current residents and community members at risk of becoming homeless. 

In partnership with Elizabeth Kinney, Executive Director of the Light House, Brantley lead a number of initiatives including Building Employment Success Training (B.E.S.T.), an internship training program in Culinary Arts and Facilities Maintenance and Landscaping and recent ventures into the Social Enterprise arena.  BEST Catering was created and ground was broken for a 50-seat Bistro and Culinary Training Center in Annapolis with four permanent apartments.

An Annapolis resident, Brantley also is a consultant, coach and project manager for a number of Fortune 500 firms.

Dream Keepers Award

Felicia Carroll is a recipient of a Dream Keepers Award. Carroll’s only son Kendall lost his life to gun violence in September 2013, in one of a growing number of cases in which an unarmed black man was shot and killed. Although there was an arrest and an indictment, the Judge dismissed the case without prejudice. She has become an effective victim’s rights advocate.

With the assistance of the NAACP and African American Caucus, Carroll has participated in meetings, brainstorming sessions and rallies for domestic violence and victim advocacy with Capital Gazette Newspaper, States Attorney’s Office, and Anne Arundel County Police. This past October, she spoke to the Commission Board in Baltimore City on behalf of Commissioner Kevin Davis.

Once a single mother, Carroll knows and understands that it takes a village to raise a child. Over the years she has “stood in the gap” for many children. Although the loss of her son was great, she now knows that pain has pushed her into purpose and opened her eyes to the fact that “the struggle continues.”

Carroll resides in Glen Burnie. 

The Annapolis based Martin Luther King Jr. Committee Inc., founded in 1988, hosts two major events each year, the annual Fannie Lou Hamer Reception in October honoring woman of different racial backgrounds who have made contributions to the community, state and nation.  The second event is the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Dinner held in January to honor those local citizens whose leadership in civil and human rights has helped keep Dr. King’s legacy alive.  The proceeds from this year’s dinner is being used to pay off the debt incurred by building the Civil Rights Foot Soldiers Memorial in Annapolis.

The MLK Jr. Committee has successfully placed three memorials to the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Anne Arundel County funded by private donations. A bronze statue of King was erected at Anne Arundel Community College in 2006 after the Committee raised more than $250,000. In 2011, the Committee dedicated a plaque and garden tribute to Dr. King’s wife, Coretta Scott King, at Sojourner Douglass College in Edgewater, MD (just south of Annapolis).  Most recently, in August 2013, the nation’s first Civil Rights Foot Soldiers Memorial was dedicated on the 50th anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” March on Washington. The $50,000 memorial is located in Annapolis’s Whitmore Park on the corner of Clay and Calvert Streets. The names of over 500 of the 250,000 ordinary citizens who marched in the demonstration and risked the threat of personal harm to underline support for the civil rights leaders who spoke that day are engraved in the monument.  For further information write MLK Jr. Committee, PO Box 371, Annapolis MD 21404, call 443-871-5656, www.mlkcskmd.org , or Facebook sites, www.facebook.com/FootSoldiersMemorial or www.facebook.com/mlkmd

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