THE GAZETTE
Page A-2
Wednesday, January 15, 2014 d
PEOPLE& PLACES More online at www.gazette.net
KIRSTY GROFF
Adoption fair draws prospective parents
GALLERY
Springbrook’s Isiah Eisendorf (left) contains Sherwood’s Ellis Dozier in a Friday night basketball matchup. Go to clicked.Gazette.net.
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Jennifer Fairfax (left), a Silver Spring adoption lawyer, and her associate Catelyn Slattery greet Bethesda’s Rebecca Tobin and her 10-week-old daughter, Emme, during the Children’s Home Society adoption fair Saturday at Neelsville Presbyterian Church in Germantown. Tobin was a client of Fairfax and was at the fair to speak with prospective parents about her experience. up and follow through with the process.” Susan Dibs, a physician at Johns Hopkins Pediatric Specialty Clinic, discussed testing for illnesses such as tuberculosis and HIV. “Most kids do not have many of these problems at all, or any of them, but we need to think about them,” she said. Several adopted children at the fair were in need of “intervention,” Orban said, due to a debilitating or life-threatening condition and a lack of resources. A child with a cleft palate and a child missing an arm were among those who had been adopted and given medical care. Rona Han of Clarksburg has adopted two children from China, who are now 11 and 8. When she and her husband took their daughter home, the child had a rash that doctors couldn’t seem to diagnose. When Han did some research and talked to other adoptive parents, she found out it was scabies, a skin disease Dibs warned of. Han said she would have liked to have known more about the issues associated with adoption,
EVENTS Read To A Dog, 2:30-3:30 p.m., Damascus Library, 9701 Main St., Damascus. Free. 240-773-9444. Inova blood drive, 2:30-7 p.m., Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, 18131 Slade School Road, Sandy Spring. 301-570-7081.
THURSDAY, JAN. 16 Writing a Successful Business Plan, 1-4 p.m., Rockville Economic Development, 95 Monroe St., Rockville. $25. 301-315-8096.
The Fiscal Picture for Montgomery County in 2014, 7-9 p.m., County
Council Office Building, fifth-floor conference room, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville. Free. 301-320-5863. Author talk by Selby McPhee, 7:30-9 p.m., Potomac Library, 10101 Glenolden Drive, Potomac. Free. 301294-3538.
cipal Jennifer Webster, the county police department, Family Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. Damascus High School is at 25921 Ridge Road. Call 301-4142329 for more information.
High school plans forum on substance abuse
named to the fall semester dean’s list at Bridgewater (Va.) College. The junior biology major attained a grade point average of 3.4 or higher to make the list.
Damascus High School will hold an assembly, “Drug and Alcohol Awareness: An Opportunity for Our Community,” at 7 p.m. Jan. 22. Several guest speakers will discuss drug use trends in the area, the impacts of alcohol and other drugs, signs and symptons of substance abuse and how to access resources for those struggling with addiction. Speakers include Carrie Zilcoski, clinical director with Family Services, and Montgomery County Police Capt. David Gillespie. The school’s Parent Teacher Student Association is sponsoring the event, with support from Prin-
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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15
such as the ones Dibs discussed, before she adopted her children. “I wish I had something like this,” Han said. Children’s Home Society of Minnesota has state licenses to provide local adoption services in Maryland, Virginia, Minnesota and Wisconsin. — SYLVIA CARIGNAN
FRIDAY, JAN. 17 Understanding Your Options with Social Security, 10:30 a.m.-noon,
Quince Orchard Library, 15831 Quince Orchard Road, Gaithersburg. Free. 240-777-0200. Stand-up comedy, 8 p.m., VisArts, 155 Gibbs St., Rockville. $20. 540-6578811.
SATURDAY, JAN. 18 Joys and Pitfalls of a Geology Career, 10 a.m.-noon, Asbury Meth-
odist Village, 301 Odenthal Ave., Rosborough Center Community Room, Gaithersburg. arthurwyk@aol.com.
Origami Art: a Makerspace Program, 2-4 p.m., Quince Orchard
Library, 15831 Quince Orchard Road, Gaithersburg. Free. 240-777-0200. Peter Mayer concert, 7-9:30 p.m., Rockville United Church, 355 Linthicum St., Rockville. $20. 301-424-6733.
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All-You-CanEat Spaghetti Dinner, 4-7 p.m.,
Laytonsville Fire Department, 21400 Laytonsville Road, Laytonsville. $8 for adults, $5 ages 5-11. 301-948-0794.
MORE INTERACTIVE CALENDAR ITEMS AT WWW.GAZETTE.NET
Instrumental, 3:30 p.m., Sandy Spring Museum, 17901 Bentley Road, Sandy Spring. $23 for general admission, $10 for students. 301-774-0022. True Stories, 4:30 p.m., Tikvat Israel Synagogue, 2200 Baltimore Road, Rockville. $13. 301-762-7338.
MONDAY, JAN. 20 Ninja Day Camp, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.,
Kang’s Black Belt Academy, 17810 Meeting House Road, Sandy Spring. $75 per child. 301-570-1106. Hands-on Exploration Day Camp,
ConsumerWatch What are some tips to avoid getting burned when buying firewood?
Erin Parker of Damascus was
Insurance information available to consumers The Maryland Insurance Administration will offer information on a range of insurance products, such as annuities, title insurance and health, auto and homeowner insurance, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 21 at Silver Spring District Court, 8552 Second Ave. Agency staff will be available to answer consumer questions. More information is at mdinsurance.state.md.us. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sandy Spring Museum, 17901 Bentley Road, Sandy Spring. $60 per child, $20 for aftercare. 301-7740022. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration, 10 a.m., Richard Montgomery
High School, 250 Richard Montgomery Drive, Rockville. Free. 240-314-8620.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, 3-5 p.m., International Cul-
Liz turns up the heat to dig out the truth.
LIZ CRENSHAW
WeekendWeather FRIDAY
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Nature Center, 1400 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton. $6. Register at www.parkpass.org. Loss of Child Support Group, 6:30-8 p.m., Montgomery Hospice, 1355 Piccard Drive, Rockville. Free. 301-9214400.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 22 Lunch and Discover Retirement Living, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Ingleside at
King Farm, 701 King Farm Blvd., Rockville. Free. 240-499-9019.
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GAZETTE CONTACTS The Gazette – 9030 Comprint Court Gaithersburg, MD 20877 Main phone: 301-948-3120 Circulation: 301-670-7350
tural Center, 19650 Club House Road, Montgomery Village. Free. 240-7772600.
Take to the Air, 1-2 p.m., Brookside
A&E Strathmore hosts a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.
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Campus congrats
TUESDAY, JAN. 21
SUNDAY, DEC. 19
SPORTS Check online for coverage of indoor track championships, top basketball games.
DEATHS Marga Anne Laboy Marga Anne Laboy, 73, of Gaithersburg, died Jan. 7, 2014. A memorial service will take place at 10 a.m. Jan. 17 at Peoples Community Church, 31 Norwood Road, Silver Spring.
CORRECTION A Jan. 8 story misidentified Eric Bernard, who is the executive director of the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire-Rescue Association. Marcine Goodloe is the association’s president. Also, the association, not the county, received grants to help bolster volunteer firefighter recruitment.
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People from around the region took their first step toward becoming families at an adoption fair Saturday in Germantown. Mike and Jocelyn McNamara of Silver Spring said they wanted to learn as much as they could about adopting before making the commitment. “It’s something I’ve always been interested in,” Jocelyn McNamara said. At the fair, more than 100 people attended workshops on international and domestic adoption, foster care and children’s medical issues. The fair was held at Neelsville Presbyterian Church in Germantown by the Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and Children’s Home Society, a nationwide network that provides counseling and other services to children and their families. The organizations have offices around the country, including one in Silver Spring. Susan Orban, an outreach specialist for Children’s Home Society, said the fair was its largest yet. “Seeing our community come together for the welfare of children, both here in the United States and abroad, is so encouraging,” she said. Jossiane Regan of Wheaton took her 2-year-old adopted Korean daughter to the fair and answered questions about adoption from Korea. “I’ve known since middle school that I wanted to adopt,” Regan said. She and her husband also have an adopted son, 7, from Guatemala. The adoption process took a year for her son and three years for her daughter. Regan said she wanted to help prospective parents get information they need, especially because the paperwork may be intimidating. “We are such advocates of it,” she said. “I hope people do show