Council issues proclamations recognizing Foster Care Month and Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week

The Montgomery County Council opened its May 25 meeting with proclamations for Foster Care Month and Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, honoring foster parents, child-welfare professionals and local conservation organizations.

Councilmember Stewart and Councilmember Albornoz led a proclamation recognizing Foster Care Month. Councilmember Albanese noted a national context for foster care—“there are 391,000 children and youth in the foster care system nationally”—and introduced participating local representatives: Lisa Merkin, Director of Child Welfare Services in the county Department of Health and Human Services; Jean Marie Garcia, President of the Montgomery County Foster Parent Association; and Agnes Leshner, Past Director of Child Welfare Services. Speakers thanked foster parents and advocates and urged residents to find more information about fostering on the county DHHS website.

The council then presented a proclamation for Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week. Councilmember Stewart, Councilmember Marilyn Balcom and Council President Evan Glass recognized local environmental partners including Conservation Montgomery, Potomac Conservancy and Rock Creek Conservancy and emphasized the county’s role in reducing stormwater impacts that affect the Bay. Glass thanked U.S. Senator Ben Cardin for federal funding that supports Bay restoration work.

Both proclamations were read and then presented to attendees for photographs; the proclamations were recorded as presented and signed by council leadership during the meeting.