Harford County Council

District A Happenings
January 15, 2015

Volume 1, Issue 1

Hello, and welcome to the first edition of my District A newsletter! My goal is to get this newsletter out twice per
month and to have a mixed focus on community events, legislative issues of note, and a spotlight on one particular
group or organization within the District.
Before I go any further, if you do not wish to receive these newsletters, please send a removal request to our email
and you will be deleted from the distribution list. Beginning with our next issue will we have an unsubscribe option
available for your use.
If you have any information you would like to be distributed via this newsletter or are part of an organization you
would like to see spotlighted, please e-mail me at DistrictA@HarfordCountyCouncil.com.
To try to make myself accessible beyond phone and e-mail, I am also available to talk in person at the Joppatowne
Flea Market on the Second Sunday of every month from 2-4 p.m. I have a table right inside the entrance you can't
miss it.
Also on the topic of accessibility, my "real job" is working for a tax accountant, so from the beginning of February
through mid-April, my overall availability and response time as a Council Member will be significantly diminished in
comparison to the rest of the year. I will be relying heavily upon my Legislative Aide, Donna Blasdell, to help me
keep up during tax season; Donna and I will be focused on making sure time sensitive issues are the primary focus
during this crunch time.
I look forward to serving as the Council Member for District A and working with all of the different stakeholders in
our communities!

Meet Mike
Mike first moved to
Joppatowne at the age
of two in 1978. He
graduated from Joppatowne High School in
1993, and earned a
B.A.
in
Economics
from the University of Notre Dame in
1997. After college, Mike moved to Connecticut and did actuarial work in the
Property & Casualty insurance industry. He returned to Harford County in
2005 and lived in Belcamp until 2013,
when he returned home to Joppatowne.
In 2006, Mike started doing private accounting and financial analysis work for a
media services company. Then 2010, he

went back to school to become eligible to

sit for the CPA exams, completing the exams in early 2013. He currently works
part time as a tax preparer and is progressing towards the 2,000 hour work experience requirement necessary to earn
the CPA designation.
In 2007, Mike took over as president and
director of The Sharing Table a coalition
of church groups serving a hot lunch and
distributing groceries every Saturday out
of Prince of Peace Church in Edge-

Council Meetings are held the 1st, 2nd and 3rd

Tuesdays of the month at 7:00 PM in the Harford
County Council Chambers located at 212 Bond
Street, Bel Air, MD 21014.

wood. Mike left The Sharing Table in

2011 to focus on the CPA Exams, and returned to the ministry in 2013.
Mike has served as a lector at Holy Spirit
Catholic Church in Joppatowne since
2006 and also served on the Pastoral
Council at Holy Spirit from 2007 to
2009. Last week, Mike became the newest member of the Joppatowne Lions
Club.
Since being sworn into office on December 1, Mike has been appointed to the
Harford County Community Mediation
Commission, the Commission on Disabilities, and the Audit Advisory Board. Mike
also serves as the County Council's liaison to the ARC Northern Chesapeake Region.
Mike is currently single and resides in
Joppatowne's Harborside Village Apartments. Mike never met a poker game he
didn't like, and enjoys working with
spreadsheets far more than any normal
person should. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and spending time with his
nieces and nephews. Early on a summer
morning, you might find him launching
his kayak from Mariner Point Park.

Come Support the

Joppatowne High School PTA!!!
When:

Friday, January 16, 2015

9AM9 PM

Where:

Towne Grille & Pub

Joppatowne Plaza Center

What:

10% of your bill will be donated

to the JHS PTA

Remember to tell your server you are there

for the JHS Fundraiser!

Meet Donna
The other half of the District A Council
Office team is Donna Blasdell. Donna is
originally from the Northern Virginia area
where she grew up the daughter of an
Army Lieutenant Colonel. She graduated
from George Mason University in Fairfax,
Virginia with a BS in Business Administration. While in her final semester of
college, she met her husband Richard.
They married in 1987 and have 9 children. After living in Washington DC for 5
years, where Richard was an EMT, they
moved to Anne Arundel County when
Richard was a hired as a career fire fighter for the county. Needing a larger house
for their growing family, Donna and Richard moved to Edgewood in July 2002.
Donna worked as a federal government
contractor for several agencies including
the FAA, NASA and the National Library
of Medicine for over 16 years. In recent
years, she also served in several volunteer positions. She was a volunteer Catechist at Prince of Peace Church, she
served on the board of the Edgewood Elementary School PTA, and she was elected as treasurer for the Ladies Auxiliary of
the Corpus Christi Council of the Knights
of Columbus.
Donna is passionate about healthy, frugal
living. She enjoys helping others to learn
how to improve their lives by learning
how to live simply, budget and enjoy
freedom from debt. She and her family
enjoy family dinners, family game and
movies nights, and trips to the Ward
Center Y for swimming and rock wall
climbing. If Donna isnt spending time
with the family, you can find her researching all things alpacas. The familys
goal is to have an alpaca farm in the future.

Southern Harford Rotary Club

Snow Ball 2015
The Southern Harford Rotary club will be hosting The main objective of Rotary is service in the comits Fourth Annual Snow Ball on January 24, 2015 at munity, in the workplace, and throughout the world.
The Residents Club at Bulle Rock. The theme for Rotarians develop community service projects that
this year is :
address many of today's most critical issues, such as
children at risk, poverty and hunger, the environment,
illiteracy, and violence. They also support programs
for youth, educational opportunities and international
exchanges for students, teachers, and other professionals, and vocational and career development. The
Rotary motto is Service Above Self.

How to contact the District A Office

Guests are encouraged to wear 1950s or 1980s

attire in keeping with the Snow Balls movie theme.
Music is being provided by the local band Klassix.
There will be an imaginative martini bar by Jims
Bottleworks of Conowingo. Guests can take a turn
in a photo booth to capture the evenings fun.

1)
By Phone. My office phone number is 410638-3521. My cell phone number is 443-752-2598. If
I am not available, Donna Blasdell is available to take
your call and assist you. Her phone number is 410638-4109 x 1813.

The purpose of this fun is to provide support for a

local non-profit group. This year s proceeds will be
for the benefit of Extreme Family Outreach, an intensive, community-based 501C3 organization that
provides educational and emotional support to children in the at-risk areas of Southern Harford County.

2)

By e-mail. The primary email :

DistrictA@HarfordCountyCouncil.com
This is the email both Donna and myself are able to
access. This ensures we can respond to you quickly.
My email is:
MPerrone@HarfordCountyCouncil.com

What is Rotary?
Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and
peace in the world. In more than 160 countries
worldwide, approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 30,000 Rotary clubs.

Donnas email is:

DBlasdell@HarfordCountyCouncil.com

3)
In Person. Joppatowne Flea Market at 1000
Joppa Farm Road. My table will set up on the second
Sunday of the month from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm.
Rotary club membership represents a cross-section Drop by the Flea Market to shop and discuss any conof the community's business and professional men cerns you may have.
and women. The world's Rotary clubs meet weekly
Office Hours: 09:00 am5:30 pm
and are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all
cultures, races, and creeds.
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Spotlights on:
Extreme Family Outreach
Extreme Family Outreach Community Impact Programs mission is to have a direct impact
on children and their families, by going right in the HEART of THEIR communities, providing
tools to ensure positive futures, along the Route 40 corridor. The Extreme Family Outreach
After-School Programs sets up in a common area or in a local community center.
They present a high-energy, interactive program that is delivered with a holistic approach that
provides elementary and middle school aged children with the necessary tools to build character while fostering healthy relationships. Their curriculum includes relevant important life
lessons, such as "It's Cool To Stay in School", "Anti-Tobacco" and "Say No to Drugs".
In August they conduct a "Back to School Bash" which provides school supplies and back
packs for children in the communities they serve. The Extreme Team also conducts weekly
Visitation, which gives the opportunity to interact with the entire family, building relationships and giving opportunities to meet the needs of the family or directing them to the right
resources. In addition, the "Youth Leadership" program was established to promote leadership qualities in upper middle school and high school students interested in taking on responsibilities at the Extreme After-School program sites and become role models for the children.
Extreme Family Outreach conducts a "Holiday of Hope" campaign that supplies complete
Thanksgiving dinners and a Christmas party with gifts for the children in the program as well
as their siblings. This year they provided over 200 complete Thanksgiving dinners to our community. The "Warm Hands, Warm Hearts" program takes place in the winter months making
visits to children, providing support and encouragement, along with supplying hats, gloves
and scarves to keep them warm.
Extreme Family Outreach partners with local neighborhood outreach programs. This initiative
demonstrates unity and oneness throughout our community and Harford County. Today they
are recognized by the Harford County United Charities as an innovative organization making a
substantial difference in the community. Partnering with individuals, businesses, organizations and churches has empowered them to reach over 400 children and 160 families in the
underserved communities of Harford County!
Anyone interested in supporting our programs or volunteer opportunities please contact us
at www.extremefamilyoutreach.com
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