UPDATE: THANK YOU! In only 8 days we have reached our $5,000 goal! Will you help us reach $10,000?
“This problem isn’t going anywhere. Until there is a vaccine, many seniors will remain homebound and in need of help.”
– Forbes 5/31/20
It is important to acknowledge and honor those in our community who give so much. Women Helping Women (WHW) was created to honor our own Dr. Maria Boria and support her free clinic for migrant workers. When Maria saw a need, she said YES and selflessly gave of herself to others.
“When our talented local performers saw the need they also said YES!”
– John Schratwieser, Kent Cultural Alliance
On March 4th we celebrated the 15th and FINAL Women Helping Women Concert and within days the world as we knew it changed forever. By March 12th schools were closed in Kent County and lockdown soon followed as we confronted the Covid-19 pandemic.
When our community was overwhelmed by the Covid-19 shutdown, Paul Tue, III exemplified Maria’s spirit of service and said YES to the challenge. As co-chair of the Social Action Committee for Racial Justice (SACRJ), Paul led a team that worked to feed the children and the elderly in Kent County from March 2020 until the present. When so many organizations, agencies and programs were closed, leaving people with few resources, he helped ensure the distribution of:
• 5,000 bags of groceries including 1,000 prepared meals to the elderly
• 48,000 student meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) at four community sites five days per week
• 500 Easter Baskets to children as the Easter Bunny
• 1,200 pizza kits, 930 gallons of milk and 130 boxes of produce to community members
• an additional 1,180 gallons of milk delivered to Cecil & Queen Anne’s Counties
Paul is an influential community leader. He is also a co-founder of The Bayside H.O.Y.A.S. (Helping Our Youth Achieve Success) which is a 501 (c) (3) Non-Profit youth focused organization. The H.O.Y.A.S was established to address the various needs in the community such as single-family homes, the need for positive African-American Male mentors, and the lack of an outlet for youth within the county.
Through his work with youth he has been able to accomplish many tasks including a court mock trial, book club, athletic training, and a full travel basketball program. In collaboration with Washington College, he helped to develop CPIP (College Preparatory Intervention Program) which worked with the caregivers and students to advise on the College Process (admissions, forms, and tours of the campus). Paul also developed a program that worked with 4th and 5th graders at Worton and Garnett Elementary. He is a community organizer of the Annual African-American Boys Youth Conference held at UMES during the summer. He is also an organizer of the Annual “Ultimate College Tour” that takes youth to North Carolina to visit colleges and attend the CIAA Basketball Tournaments. He was an honoree of the 100 Men of Distinction and is now a sponsor of the event.
When we closed the books on Women Helping Women, with grants distributed to the Boria Project at For All Seasons, Inc. and a nursing scholarship at Chesapeake College, we discovered $310.14 in unallocated funds in our administrative account and a few late donations in the amount of $365 that had been sent to the Kent Cultural Alliance. As many of you remember, WHW came into being based on an initial gift and our goal of maximizing the impact.
Programs have been created to serve our children but the needs of the elderly continue. As a way of acknowledging Paul’s spirit of stepping up and giving back to the community we would like to honor him by creating the Paul Tue, III Challenge. Using the seed money from WHW, our hope is to reach $5000 by September 1, 2020. We have already matched the initial WHW donation for a total of $1550.28. We hope you will join us and make a tax-deductible donation. What better way to celebrate Paul than by raising funds to continue the important work he inspired and provide food for our elderly citizens.
All funds will go directly to Sumner Hall and the Social Action Committee for Racial Justice / Feed the Elderly Initiative.
Many in the Women Helping Women community remember Pam Ortiz’s original song “Angels” and how it ultimately became the WHW anthem. Maria Boria was our Angel – “our favorite angel – the one with two feet on the ground.” Paul Tue, III just might be Kent County’s newest Angel. Maria would be pleased.
Donations can be made online at https://garpost25.org/paultuechallenge/ or you can mail a check made payable to “Sumner Hall” specifying Paul Tue,III Challenge in the memo section. Mail to Sumner Hall, 206 South Queen Street, Chestertown, MD 21620. Do not mail cash.
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