Amir Ledbetter, Tariek Wil-

liamson, Deandra harris ,

Janelle Rios, George Parson,

and A’Jare’ Jones. Third

Grade - Lindsey Adams,

Navee Malik, Dalana Miller,

Imani Mustaf, Cheish Savoy,

Davon Sm i th , As i a

Sherman, and Robert Neal.

Fourth Grade - Jamiy Kirk-

land, Ashley Richardson,

Shaelyn Snipes, Nigel Lewis,

and Taylor Anderson. Fifth

Grade - Fakoya Abdulfatia,

Jaelin Browne, Eric Garcia,

and Diamond Harris. Sixth

Grade - Joshua Pooranmal,

Jeffrey Dowtin, Kayla Garces,

Jordanna Frazier, Kaila

Crosse, Karis Speed, and

Chelsea Adeleye.

We are proud to acknowl-

edge and praise the young

scholars at Patuxent Elemen-

tary School. These out-

standing students , because of

their excellent academic

achievement, received all

“A’s” on their first quarter

report card. Pictured with

the Principal, Judy Dent,

are students from the sec-

ond grade to the sixth

grade.

Our community is commit-

ted to encouraging and

supporting education. We

will be sponsoring an educa-

tional fund raiser on June 6,

2009. Our students deserve

the very best that we can

offer them.

More information about the

fund raiser will be found in

the article below.

The students on the Princi-

pal’s “A List” are as follows:

Second Grade - Nadira Al-

Salam, Monique Anemene,

MiKamocha Mondoua, Alvin

Atuonah, Jayla James, Trelyn

Moore, Jaredd Session, Ade-

labu Afe, James Demery,

On June 6, 2009, we will

launch our annual “Marlboro

Meadows Day Fair! This is

most exciting! It will be held

on the parking lot of Patuxent

Elementary School. There

will be games, crafts, artwork,

and yard sale items. Help us

make this fair a “community

affair”. We welcome all arts

and crafts, and “yard sale”

items. You will not be al-

lowed to sell food or bever-

ages.

If you are interested, please

fill out the attached applica-

tion for a space, which is $20.

The money will go to the

“MMCDC Educational Fund”.

This fund will allow us to

continue our scholarship

program and contributions to

Patuxent Elementary School.

Only YOUR participation can

make our fair a success! Sign

up for a space today! The

deadline is May1, 2009.

Caption describing picture

or graphic.

Patuxent Elementary School Boasts

Straight “A” Students

“Get Ready To Celebrate”

Marlboro Meadows Day Fair Is Coming!

M A R L B O R O M E A D O W S

C O M M U N I T Y D E V E L O P M E N T

C O R P O R A T I O N

E M A I L : M M C D C . N E T

The Meadowlark M A R C H 2 0 0 9 N E W S L E T T E R

S P E C I A L

P O I N T S

O F I N T E R -

E S T :

White House

Internship

Program

Summer

Programs for

Youths

Nominations

Easter Egg

Hunt

Marlboro

Meadows Day

Fair

INSIDE

THIS ISSUE

Highlights of Meetings 2

Spring Is Coming 3

Why I Do Not Want

A Neighborhood

Watch Program 3

Alice E. Matthews 4

Scholarship

Application 5

Scholarship

Guidelines 6

Neighborhood

Watch Program 7

Parent’s Guide to 7

Gangs

ADDI Home Buyers 9

Program

Fair Application 11

Highlights of MMCDC Meetings December 2, 2008

The meeting was called to order with

a welcome by James Smith (1st Vice

President). The “Clean-Up Brigade”

was discussed. It was

decided that volunteers

would clean the streets

that they live on, after

first meeting at the front

of the development.

Howard Lee announced

that the volunteers were

welcome to pick-up

cleaning equipment from

his home. The Christmas

Lights Contest was dis-

cussed. Howard Lee

announced his resignation as Presi-

dent. Robin Mazyck (Acting President)

reintroduced the mission statement

and the new goals:

MMCDC MISSION STATEMENT

Bring People Together: Community Val-

ues

Help Greater Upper Marlboro individuals:

Quality of Life

Preserve/Maintain Our Neighborhoods:

Physical, Spiritual, Financial, Education and

Growth

Lead Community Development and Edu-

cation: Housing, Assisting Small Busi-

nesses, and Supporting Schools

Develop Political and Business Partners to

benefit Greater Upper Marlboro

January 5, 2009

The meeting was led in prayer by Pas-

tor Reginald A. Slade. A panel discus-

sion on crime prevention and

neighbor support was held. The panel

consisted of guests speakers Lieuten-

ant Terence Sheppard (Prince

George’s County Police Department),

Diane Privette (McGruff Safe House

Program), and Ford Johnson and Rod-

ney Henderson (Koba Institute).

The winners of the Outdoor Christ-

m a s

Decorat-

ing Con-

test were

a n -

nounced.

The prize

w i n n e r s

w e r e :

F i r s t

p l a c e

( $ 5 0 ) ,

4 1 0 6

Bishopmill Drive; Second Place ($30),

17309 Newton Court; and Third

Place ($20), 16404 Village Drive

West.

One group award for Honorable

Mention was given to twelve homes

from 17308-17319 Brookmeadow

Lane. Four other homes received

Honorable Mention Certificates:

17130-32 Fairway View Lane, and

16404 Village Drive West.

Volunteer Appreciation Certificates

and T-Shirts were awarded to the

three judges: Sadie Farrow, Emma

Brown, and Steve Dawkins.

February 2, 2009

The meeting was led by Robin

Mazyck. The following information

was discussed:

The community fair day

Shopping Mall development: the

company has not secured the

land as of yet

Another shopping center and day

care facility is planned on the land

to the north of our entrance

Training opportunities for anyone

wanting to serve on the Board

Nomination Committee Progress,

chaired by Janet Dickerson; no

nomination as of yet

Scholarship Committee Progress;

chaired by LaShawn Jackson; the

application will be in the March

issue of the newsletter– deadline

May 1, 2009

School Bus issue– signatures are

still being collected to be sent to

school superintendent, school law

office, and local politicians. This

issue is concerning the fact that

the children have to walk pass the

woods belonging to the Dept. of

Parks and Planning.

2

Ford Johnson, Koba House, and Robin Mazyck

LaShawn Jackson and Lieutenant Terrance

Sheppard, PG Police Department

Diane Privette, McGruff Safe House Program

Spring Is Coming Spring is almost here! Soon, we

will be cutting grass, painting,

planting, and doing repairs.

Don’t forget to replace the

mailbox, if it looks old and

worn. The appearance of our

property says a lot about our

community. So many of us have

much pride, and work hard to

keep this a beautiful community.

We have to be proud of where

we live. We cannot and will

not tolerate spoilers. Please,

please DO NOT STORE

YOUR TRASH CANS ON THE

FRONT!

cern about the problem and about

making the block or neighborhood

a better place to live. Your friends

outside your neighborhood cannot

provide surveillance of your home

when you're gone, or provide im-

mediate assistance with a problem

you might have on your block.

3. "I don't want to get involved and give up my privacy and ano-

nymity."

Many people have discovered that

giving up a little privacy is more

than a fair trade for increased secu-

rity and peace of mind. No one is

forcing you to tear down your

fences and tell your neighbors

where you are every minute. There

are however, suggestions for in-

creasing security that might imply a

little less privacy. For example, it

might be suggested that a fence,

while defining territory, still allows

for surveillance.

4. "I would never call the police

for fear of retaliation by the

offender."

If you have joined with your

neighbors you can all report an

incident and there will be a force of

people to retaliate against, not just

one. The fear of retaliation is

greater than the reality. Check with

your police about actual incidents

of retaliation. Retaliation is some-

thing that is built up in movies and

TV shows, but it is not as serious a

problem as most people think. The

alternative to not reporting is to

become further victims of fear and

slaves to the offender.

5. Why should I report crime?

The criminal justice system (the

courts and corrections) are re-

volving doors; nothing happens

to the ones who are caught."

There are many problems with the courts and corrections. That is why

crime prevention is so important.

The idea is to prevent the crime

from occurring in the first place.

Keep juveniles out of the system by

making it so difficult to commit a

crime that they won't.

Once people get together, there

are a number of things they can do,

including getting to the parents of

problem kids and finding answers

to some of their problems with the

system, e.g., court watch programs.

Often stiff convictions cannot be

gotten, because people are unwill-

ing to be witnesses.

There are programs now to aid and

support witnesses and victims.

Neighborhood residents must be

made aware of these and encour-

aged to utilize them. This is what

neighborhood channels of commu-

nication are all about.

6. "We can't do anything about

it."

WRONG. You can do a lot!

1. "Organizing block clubs?

That's a great idea, but it'll

never work in my neighborhood.

The neighbors don't even know

each other."

That's the problem and the solu-

tion. How can you prevent burglary

if you don't know your neighbors

well enough, or care enough, to

recognize and report suspicious

activity? Some people need an ex-

cuse to get to know each other,

and organizing around a common

concern like crime can be just that

excuse. Once organized, the group

can go on to solve other common

problems IF they want to! Experi-

ence has shown that residents re-

spond to their neighbors` hospital-

ity.

2. "I don't want to be forced to

become buddies with my

neighbors. I've got my own set of

friends outside the neighbor-

hood."

Getting involved in a block club or

block watch program doesn't nec-

essarily mean you've got to be

friends with your neighbors or

even like your neighbors (although

that might be ideal). It just means

that you agree to cooperate to

make your block a safer place to

live by providing some mutual sur-

veillance and support.

While you may not particularly

like your neighbor, a prerequisite is

that you have some level of con-

Why I Do Not Want A Neighborhood Watch Program

“I Don’t want

to get involved

and give up my

privacy and

anonymity”

3

4

(Scholarship Guidelines Are On The Other Side)

5

6

The Neighborhood Watch Program Is A Must!

Don’t you think we need a

Neighborhood Watch Program

through-out the Meadows?

People have been trying for

years!!! They all failed. No-

body can get you to sign-up.

I’m at a lost….

The Prince George’s Police De-

partment is very interested in

us! They are just waiting for us

to have interest in our-

selves! That’s right folks; we

have to sign-up 60% of homes

in a block/section before we

qualify for assistance, train-

ing, and county resources.

And yet nothing is happening.

All that you have to do is send m e a n e m a i l ,

robin@mmcdc.net.

Robin Terry Mazyck

Low self-esteem

School dropout or truancy

Victim of abuse/neglect,

parental abuse

Negative role models

No outside interests

Young people need positive

role models, recognition, love

and respect from their families

and their communities. If their

needs are not met in a con-

structive way, some may turn

to the gangs to meet these

needs.

WHAT DO MEMBERS

GET FROM BEING IN THE

GANG?

Status, Excitement, Attention,

Affection, Belonging, Recogni-

tion, Protection, Sexual Rela-

tionships. Gangs can serve as

“family”.

DOES RACISM PLAY A

PART?

In some communities, there are

certain elements of the popula-

tion that do not want or are

unwilling to accept any type of

cultural change. When this seg-

ment comes in contact with

change, they tend to react in

negative ways. The young peo-

ple on both sides of the issue

are caught in the middle.

AS A PARENT, WHAT

CAN I DO?

DO NOT permit chil-

dren to attend and/or

host unsupervised par-

ties.

DO NOT overlook the

potential for females to

be involved with gangs.

They may support male

gang members as a re-

lated subgroup or form a

gang of their own.

DO KNOW that many

youths associated with

gangs deny their involve-

ment, claiming that they

just “hang with a group of

guys”. Although you may

not see an obvious gang

with colors and open

leadership, be cautious

for gangs having subtle

colors and low-key lead-

ers.

DO KNOW about the

exposure of your chil-

dren to negative activi-

ties, friends, music, etc.

Although we cannot shel-

ter from all the “evils” of

society, we can monitor

their activities and associ-

ates, and discuss nega-

tives with them. LISTEN

to your child and learn

the names of their

friends.

See YOUTH GANGS, Page 8

Gangs are a nationwide prob-

lem and are not limited to large

cities. The community through

its schools, parents and citizens

must be aware of what to look

for and are willing to get in-

volved. Please use the informa-

tion below and stay involved in

your children's lives and this

community.

WHAT IS A GANG?

A youth gang is defined as ado-

lescents and young adults who

interact frequently and are de-

liberately involved in illegal ac-

tivities, share a common iden-

tity (often expressed through a

gang name), adopt certain sym-

bols, and/or claim control over

certain "turf".

WHO JOINS THE GANG

AND WHY?

No one is immune to becoming

a gang member although gang

members come from every type

of background. There are cer-

tain factors that may increase

the likelihood of gang involve-

ment. Some factors are:

Peer pressure

Intimidation from gang

members

Feeling of a lack of love and

respect

Lack of discipline

Parent’s Guide To Youth Gangs

7

Youth Gangs - “Is My Child One of Them?”

There are several early warning signs that a parent should be aware of and questions to ask:

What is going on in the

neighborhood?

Who are the people involved?

Are they dressing differently than they used to?

And if so, what are they now wearing?

Are their friends dressing the same way?

Are you finding drawings/logo's on notebooks, papers

and t-shirts?

Are they getting in trouble at school or with the Police?

Do they suddenly

have a nickname?

Do they have money that they cannot explain?

Watch for bruises, which

may be signs of gang

initiation.

Watch for tattoos/body

writing, which may be a

sign of gang membership.

Are there signs of any

drug abuse?

A word of caution: one or

even a few of these iden-

tifiers may not mean gang involvement or member-ship. A parent should look for multiple identifi-

ers and for similarity

among their child's

friends (i.e., same type

and color of clothing).

YOUTH GANGS, continued from p. 7

Once you have found or identified

your child as a member of a gang

or associating with suspected gang

members, there are specific things

you as a parent can do:

Set and enforce clear behav-

ioral limits. Explain rights and

responsibilities to your child.

Report gang activity to the

police.

Cooperate fully with school

and police authorities.

Seek counsel and prayer with

your church.

MEASURES TO TAKE

TOWARD A SOLUTION

Spend time with your children

to discuss this issue. Ask for

their suggestions and feelings.

Let them know they are not

alone. Encourage your children

to stay in school. Talk to the

school to get the tutoring or

counseling they need.

We all come from different

family circumstances and each

situation will be different. If

there has been open communi-

cation with your children as

they grow - then they're proba-

bly discussing this with you.

Point out positive alternatives

to them. Offer to help them

find something else that may

give them a sense of pride, a

sense of belonging, or a means

to be recognized as someone

of value. Reach out and join

together in parent support

groups and church outreach

programs.

Taken from article, West Bend Police

Dept.

8

All Are Welcome

To Come To

Our

Praise, Prayer, and

Word

Service

March 16, 2009

At 7 pm

Featuring

Elwood Jones,

Young Life Ministry

Nominations are needed for Executive Board Members and Board Members of

MMCDC. The executive positions are : President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice Presi-

dent, Treasurer, and Secretary. In addition, up to ten Board Members can be nominated.

Besides seeing that County Codes and Laws are enforced to make our community a

beautiful and safe place to live, the Board of MMCDC will follow the mission state-

ment, establish fundraisers and annual budgets, attend meetings, work with County Of-

ficials, and other county organizations and businesses.

WILL BE ON JUNE 6, 2009

Email your nominations to: robin@fedmil.net

Bethel United Methodist

Church

ADDI is the American

Dream Downpayment Ini-

tiative, which provides

downpayment and closing

cost assistance to low-

income families who are

first-time homebuyers for

the purchase of single-

family housing that will

serve as the family’s princi-

pal residence. Encouraging

homeownership is a core

objective of the Prince

George’s County’s Depart-

ment of Housing and Com-

munity Development.

Many first-time homebuy-

ers are unable to save

enough money to pay

downpayment and closing

costs and as a result, this is

one of the most significant

obstacles to homeowner-

ship among low-income

families. The purpose of

ADDI is to provide funding

targeted for low-income

families to be used for

downpayment and closing

cost assistance to remove

this obstacle.

Are there any special

requirements?

All ADDI funds will be se-

cured by a Note and Deed

of Trust, forgivable at a rate

of 20% per year for 5 years

(the “Affordability Period”).

The security documents do

not allow for subordination

of the ADDI loan other

than to the purchase

money financing used to

acquire the property. If a

property is sold during the

Affordability Period, the

homeowner must repay the

pro-rata share of the ADDI

Assistance remaining due

based on the number of

years the property was

occupied as the principal

residence.

When can I receive the

funds?

Funds will be available for

settlement 30 days after

your ADDI provider re-

ceives all of the required

documents.

How do I apply?

To get started, or get more

information on the pro-

gram, you will need to con-

tact one of our ADDI pro-

viders listed below:

Kairos - 301/899-0046

Housing Initiative Partnership -

301/985-5048 or 301/985-5122

American Dream Downpayment Initiative

(ADDI) “A New Program for First-time

Homebuyers in Prince George’s County”

How do I qualify?

In order to be eligible for ADDI

assistance an applicant must:

Be a “first-time homebuyer”;

Contribute a minimum of

$1,000 toward the purchase

of the home;

Be a “low-income family”;

Use the house as their principal

residence;

Successfully complete a HUD

approved homebuyer coun-

seling course; and

Qualify for a first mortgage.

How much assistance can I

receive?

The minimum amount of ADDI

funds is $1,000, with a maximum

amount of $5,000 per family.

Contact:

Kairos - 301/899-0046

www.kairosgroup.org

Housing Initiative Partnership -

301/985-5048 or 301/985-

5122

Www.hiphomes.org

9

BECOME A

WHITE HOUSE

INTERN

Application

Deadline

March 22, 2009

Free Youth Summer Programs

White House Interns President Barack Obama has

launched the White House

Internship Program for his

administration and announced

that applications are currently

being accepted for the summer

of 2009. Those selected to

participate in the program will

gain valuable job experience

and an inside look at the life of

White House staff, while build-

ing leadership skills.

In addition to normal office

duties, interns will supplement

their learning experience by

attending weekly lecture se-

ries , hosted by senior White

House staff, help at White

House social events, and vol-

unteer in community service

projects. The

summer Intern-

ship Program

runs from May22

to August 14,

2009. The sub-

mission deadline is

March 22, 2009.

Those interested in applying

must be : US Citizens; Eighteen

years of age; Enrolled in a col-

lege or university (2-4 year

institution) or must have

graduated from a college in the

past two years.

More information, including

application instructions, can be

found at :

Www.whitehouse.gov/about/

internships or <http://

whitehouse.gov/about/

internships>

how CDC safeguards the

nation's health. The camp

will be offered twice from

June 22-26 and

July 13-17. For more info and

to apply, go to; www.cdc.gov/

g c c / e x h i b i t / c a m p . h t m .

Deadline is April 20.

FREE!! The American Legion

sponsors a weeklong summer

leadership program called Boys

State. This year's program will

be held at McDaniel College in

Westminster, Maryland from

June 21-27. If you are a junior

interested in a leadership op-

portunity see your guidance

counselor right away for more

information or check the fol-

l o w i n g l i n k ;

www.legion.org/programs/

youthprograms/boystate#.

FREE!! The National Cen-

ter for Health Marketing's

Global Health Odyssey

Museum is pleased to offer

the 2009 CDC Disease

Detective Camp (DDC).

DDC is an academic day

camp for students who will

be high school juniors and

seniors during the 2009-

2010 school year. Camp-

ers will take on the roles of

disease detectives and learn

Joanna Grand Chapter Order of The Eastern Star,

State of Maryland

Is Sponsoring a Debutante Ball

In 2010

Accepting Young Ladies From

9th to 11th Grades

For more information, Contact: Juanita Walker, 301/780– 8954

10

11

Are you at least 62 years old?

Are you struggling to make your mortgage pay-ments?

Is your home in jeopardy of being foreclosed? Do you need money for home improvements?

Do you need money for medical expenses?

IF YOU HAVE ANSWERED “YES” TO ANY OF

THESE QUESTIONS…. THE REVERSE MORTGAGE PROGRAM FOR SENIORS

MAY HELP YOU or someone you know!

The Reverse Mortgage allows homeowners

62 years or older to convert home equity

into tax free cash money while maintain-

ing ownership! (You can even leave your home to your family).

For Details and FREE analysis at no obligation contact:

Joyce Turpin, 1st Continental Mortgage

410-653-1848 or 410-356-8831

www.reversemortgage4seniors.org

Needs-based services, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, etc. may be affected. Contact your benefits advisor if you receive public benefits.

Free Analysis MMCDC Board Members

President.................... Robin Terry Mazyck

First Vice President . . . . . . . . Teresa Lynn

Second Vice President . . . . . . Vacant

Secretary......................... LaShawn Jackson

Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Porter

Parliamentarian.......... Stuart Higginbotham

Member ......................... Dee Benjamin

Member............................. Janet Dickerson

Committee Members

Membership ................. . . . . Dee Benjamin

Scholarship . . . .Stuart Higginbotham,

LaShawn Jackson

Beautification . . . Hattie Otey, Oscar

McHenry

Recreation ........Darries Chestnut, Mary

Minnis

Property Standards .... Steve Dawkins,

Janet Dickerson

The Meadowlark Editor ….. Jerilyn Turpin

Distribution Coordinator ….Henry Becker

12