The Arc Southern Maryland is pleased to announce the recipients of the following 2018 awards, presented at The Arc Southern Maryland’s annual Awards Banquet on December 7th:

2018 Volunteer of the Year – Roberta Parran (center) of Calvert County Parks and Recreation	2018 Educator of the Year – Jennifer Haley-Walker (left), Transition Specialist with St. Mary’s County Public Schools	2018 Employer of the Year – Crothall Services
2018 Meritorious Service Award – Comcast	2018 Meritorious Service Award – Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation	Meritorious Service Award – Bonnie Elward (center) of Southern Maryland Community Resources
Meritorious Service Award – Kara Jordan, Special Olympics volunteer

Not pictured:

• 2018 Professional of the Year – Christina Semego, Coordinator of Community Services with the Charles County Health Department
• 2018 J. Patrick Collins Award – Ahna Miller, Community Coordinator with End Hunger in Calvert County

These awards recognize members of our community for their partnership and support of The Arc’s mission to create opportunities for independence and personal success for people with different abilities in inclusive communities. The award recipients are individuals or businesses whose actions have had an outstanding impact for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “We are grateful for the foundation of support within our community which has allowed us to continue the work we do for people with disabilities throughout Southern Maryland. The dedication shown towards creating opportunities for the people we support is unrivaled. It’s truly a gift to our organization and community as a whole,” says Terry Z. Long, CEO of The Arc Southern Maryland.

Each year, over 300 of the people supported or employed by The Arc gather for dinner, dancing, and awards at The Arc’s annual banquet. Six of the thirteen awards (some with multiple recipients) recognize individuals or businesses within the community and the remainder recognize the efforts and achievements of people supported or employed by The Arc. For the complete list of award winners, photos, and descriptions, click here.

A special thanks to the Greater Waldorf Jaycees for sponsoring and hosting this event and to Jennie Parran, our Executive Assistant, for organizing the event each year.