18 Jul Meet Kitten Sponsors: The Banner School, Glad Heart Productions, and Putman Plumbing
A Teacher, A Vocalist, and a Plumber walk into a bar…… OK.. now I’m just being silly but I AM excited to tell you about our next three Kitten Level Sponsors who happen to be [of course] The Banner School, Marlene Young of Glad Heart Productions, and Putman Plumbing!
Joan Wicks has been a parent and board member of The Banner School for many years. So it’s no surprise that her sponsorship acknowledges the good work they do for many of our youth in Frederick County. The school, located at 1730 North Market Street in Frederick offers students a rigorous and challenging liberal arts and S.T.E.A.M curriculum designed to assist students acquire basic skills while encouraging higher level critical and analytical thinking skills. They promote a strong school-family partnership, individual self-worth, and respect for others and strive to graduate responsible students with a desire to contribute positively to society.
Reflecting the diversity in today’s society and their student body, The Banner School provides an education with a global perspective through the study of various cultures, societies, and peoples of the world. I guess you could say they are preparing their students to become “citizens of the world.” (A phrase I’ve heard my own sons use to describe themselves.)
A few years ago, I had the good fortune to attend one of their fundraisers and I can tell you, Banner School parents and board members know how to put on events. It was a fabulous themed party and I was blessed to witness first hand what makes them so unique. Soles of Love is grateful for their support this year and welcomes them to our party!
Marlene Young wholeheartedly agrees that everyone should cultivate a Secret Garden, for within our secret gardens lie the seeds of some of our best not-yet-sung songs! Perhaps you know Marlene Young through her role as President of Delaplaine Foundation and her steadfast commitment to community enrichment through grant funding that she’s deeply involved with professionally.
Marlene’s professional passions are a reflection of her personal philanthropy and service commitment to lift up others through her service on community boards, civic and spiritual work. For Marlene, music is a life-long love and a dominant thread that runs through the fabric of her being. As a result, she touches the lives of others through albums/CDs she’s recorded under Glad Heart Productions.
The tagline for Glad Heart Productions is “Music from the heart for the soul” and Marlene is a firm believer in the power of music to soothe, celebrate, comfort, heal, motivate and inspire. Marlene has recorded and released seven CD albums to date of original songs and timeless classics of faith and inspiration as well as holiday favorites. Her albums are available online at her website and at Facebook. She practices “service through song” by donating proceeds from her music sales exclusively to charities in order to benefit non-profit organizations in Frederick and Washington Counties. Marlene believes we do best to consider “singing from the same sheet of music” and remember to plant many friendships within your secret garden. She urges us to watch how they bloom radiantly over time and share the songs that feed your spirit and soothe the soul! Thanks for support again this year, my friend.
The secret to Putman Plumbing’s success sounds quite simple but is not always the easiest thing for some of us to do: See each person’s situation from a personal perspective! When they are on a job, they ask themselves “How would we want it done?” “What would we expect from a home visit?” “What would we appreciate knowing that we hadn’t considered?” I know they walk this talk because I am a client and have been a raving fan of Putman Plumbing for many years.
Their professionals are efficient, always courteous and friendly, and consistently go above and beyond. As long time residents and members of the Middletown and greater Frederick community, they know that the people they serve are also their neighbors. So what they do and how they serve matters.
Putman Plumbing have supported the Soles of Love effort for many years. With their slogan being “How can I make you smile? you can just imagine the smiles on hundreds of children’s faces throughout Washington and Frederick counties when they are outfitted with their brand new shoes.