Community Events: Special Education Drivers Education Coming to Howard County

Do you have a special education student who is ready to learn to drive?

Consider special education drivers education. The goal of special education driver’s education is to make learning easier through individualized and differentiated instruction. With proper supports, rookie drivers with learning disabilities can have the opportunity to access the State Driver Education curriculum regardless of placement on the learning development spectrum. This program has been developed to support students with learning disabilities to at a minimum, provide them the opportunity to experience driving skills and expectations.

For more information about this program, please visithttp://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/wdce/bits/driveredspecialneeds.html. If there is enough interest, the staff at Montgomery County Community College would be open to bringing this program to Howard County. If you would like to be put on the email list for future communication about this opportunity in Howard County, please emailann_scholz@hcpss.org or call 410 313-7161.

Community Events: Health and Safety Resources

Here's a roundup of resources for health and safety resources for Maryland:

National Alliance for Mental Illness

• nami.org
• 1-800-950-NAMI

Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center

• grassrootscrisis.org
• 24-hour crisis hotline
• 1-410-531-6677

Protect Your Family, Friends, and Neighbors From Identity Theft

• www.howardcountymd.gov/idtheft
• 410-313-6420

Report Underage Alcohol Parties and Other Offenses to Howard County Police Department

• If you know of parties where underage drinking is happening, or if you are witness to any illegal or dangerous activity, alert the Howard County Police Department. Your tips are held in high regard and will result in police involvement whenever warranted. You always have the option to remain completely anonymous.
• 911: Report any criminal or dangerous situations.
• 410-313-2200: Report non-emergency situations.
• 410-313-STOP: Report any criminal or dangerous situations.
• 410-290-DRUG: Report confirmed or suspected drug activity.

5 Tips To Earn Money While Staying at Home

Unlike toddlers, tweens can entertain themselves. They listen to music, watch movies on Netflix, text with friends, and post SnapChat. Tweens are self-sufficient beings. Tweens need to know a parent is close, by but don't need continuous supervision. Tweens always find something to do, which is great for work-at-home moms and dads with project and work deadlines. However, even the most self-sufficient tween, probably uttered the dreaded phrase "I'm bored" more than a few times this summer. You probably found yourself setting up play dates for your tween, scheduling summer camp sessions, driving your teen to and from the mall to see friends, while juggling your work-at-home project and work deadlines. With your tween occupied with his own pursuits and hobbies, you were able to get some, but not all, of your work-at-home projects done. If you are a work-at-home mom or dad, you know that many work projects were probably not tackled this summer. Not to mention the cleaning and household tasks that got neglected.

With summer over, you, like many work-at-home moms cannot wait to get back to the work assignments, the mountains of laundry, the meal prep, and, yes, even the carpooling! Whether you have a steady work-at-home job or are looking for a new work-at-home job, here are some work-at-home jobs:

1. Surveys--Observation Baltimore is looking for participants to complete surveys. Participants are paid up to $125 for their time and participation. Observation Baltimore, a Maryland market research company, has many studies available.
2. Medical Research Studies--Those with specific medical conditions or with children with a specific medical condition are sought after by market research companies, like Observation Baltimore. Observation Baltimore is currently looking for "parents of children who have been diagnosed with a Hemangioma (sometimes referred to as a 'strawberry mark' or a 'birth mark')" and for adults living with leukemia.
3. Swagbucks--Swagbucks is a reward program. The Swagbucks rewardsprogram allows work-at-home parents to earn rewards, like "gift cards and cash for the everyday things you already do online." Work-at-home parents can earn rewards, like gift cards and cash, by answering survey questions, searching online, playing games, and shopping online. Sign up hereto earn rewards, like gift cards and cash.
4. Are you active in social media? -- Do you post to Facebook? Do you tweet? Post to Instagram? If you are already active on social media consider, joining Izea.com. Izea will pay social media influencers to post content to their social media channels. Sign up here to start earningmoney with Izea.
5. Sell toys and games for cash--With the tweens back in school, you have time to sort through closets, toy boxes, and the game cabinet. There are even two online sites that will pay you for your toys, games, and clothing! Through online sites -- Swap.com and Thredup.com -- customers can send items that are clean and in good condition for Swap and Thredup to sell on their sites. Once a toy, game, or clothing is sold, you will receive cash via PayPal. Sign up here for Thredup.com.

Medical Equipment: Available for Loan

You never know when your family may experience a medical emergency. One minute you are healthy and well. The next minute you are in the ER with a sick child, tween, or teen. Or your child, tween, or teen ends up in the ER for an injury from a fall at home or at a sports game.

Life as you knew it before the illness or injury may get back to normal quickly. However, in the case of serious illnesses or complicated injuries, recovery at home may take longer for your child, tween, or teen. At those times, you may return home from the ER or hospital stay in need of medical equipment.

Prescription medications, first aid supplies, bandages, and crutches will generally be provided through your health insurance provider or can be purchased and then reimbursed after purchase. But what about other items of medical equipment? Your child, tween, or teen may need a piece of medical equipment, such as a wheelchair, walker, cane, hospital bed, crutches, shower stool, or potty chair as she recovers from her illness or injury.

Local charitable organizations have medical equipment available for loan. Organizations generally do not charge for medical equipment, but will require that the medical equipment be returned when no longer needed. The road to recovery may be short or long depending on the illness or injury.

Organizations That Loan Medical Equipment

Allegany County

• Lavale Lions Club--301-729-4166.http://lavalelions.com/1.html Equipment available for loan: canes, crutches, walkers,wheelchairs, potty chairs, hospital beds, and more.

Baltimore County

• Arbutus Lions Club--P.O. Box 7347, Arbutus, MD. 410-242-8435.http://www.arbutusmd.lionwap.org/

Carroll County

• Deer Park Lions Club--410-848-3831.
• Freedom District Lions Club--410-549-LION. http://www.e-district.org/sites/22w/page-7.phpEquipment available for loan: wheelchairs, transfer wheelchairs, hospital beds, walkers, crutches, canes, potty chairs, shower chairs, tub transfer chairs, recliner chairs, raised toilet seats, grabbers, and more. Area served: Carroll County south of Liberty Reservoir and east of Route 97.
• Mount Airy Lions Club--301-829-LION.
• Westminster Lions Club--http://lionsclubofwestminster.org/AboutUs.html

Cecil County

• North East Lions Club--P.O. Box 47, North East, MD 21901; 410-287-8440.http://www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/northeastmd/projects.phpEquipment available for loan: hospital beds, wheelchairs, canes, crutches, and more.

Frederick County

• Taneytown Lions Club--410-751-1120.http://e-clubhouse.org/sites/taneytown/index.phpEquipment available for loan: wheelchairs, walkers, canes, potty chairs, hospital beds, and more.

Harford County

• Edgewood Lions Club--P.O. Box 35, Edgewood, MD 21040. 410-676-6032.http://www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/edgewood/index.php

Howard County

• Glenwood Lions Club--760 Middle Trail Ct., Mt. Airy, MD 21771. 410-489-2975.http://glenwoodmd.lionwap.org/Equipment available for loan: walkers, canes, hospital trays, commodes, manual wheelchairs, crutches, hospital beds, and more. Donations are always welcomed.
• Way Station's Loan Closet of Howard County--9030 Route 108, Columbia, MD 21045. 410-740-1643.http://www.waystationinc.org/LoanCloset.htmEquipment available for loan: potty chairs, bedside over-the-bed tables, canes, crutches, toilet seats, grabbers, shower chairs, tub transfer chairs, walkers, wheelchairs, and more.

Montgomery County

• Damascus Lions Club--P.O. Box 267, Damascus, MD 20872; 301-253-2141.damascus.lions.club@gmail.comhttp://damascuslions.org/community-service/medical-equipment-loans/Equipment available for loan: wheelchairs, walkers, canes, hospital beds, crutches, shower chairs, adult "potty" chairs, and more. Donations of medical equipment are accepted.

Washington County

• Boonsboro Lions Club--301-432-2273. Equipment available for loan: canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, hospital beds, bath chairs, and more.
• Hagerstown Lions Club--301-393-9333.http://www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/hagerstown/index.phpEquipment available for loan: canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, potty chairs, and more.