Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art One-half Banana Stems

Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art One-half Banana Stems - www.kevindayhoff.com Address: PO Box 124, Westminster MD 21158 410-259-6403 kevindayhoff@gmail.com Runner, writer, artist, fire & police chaplain Mindless ramblings of a runner, journalist & artist: Travel, art, artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalists and journalism, reporters and reporting, technology, music, culture, opera... National & International politics www.kevindayhoff.net For community: www.kevindayhoff.org For art, technology, writing, & travel: www.kevindayhoff.com

Saturday, November 30, 2013

#andymelissa2013 Wedding guests dance to New York New York

#KED #Westminster

Melissa and Andy entertain the wedding guests #andymelissa2013

#KED #Westminster

#andymelissa2013 Table 12 After toasts by Christiana and Benito we share dinner

#KED #Westminster

#andymelissa2013 After wedding conference with Rev.Dave Kieffer

#KED #Westminster

#andymelissa2013 Prayerful consideration after wedding vows have been exchanged

#KED #Westminster

#andymelissa2013 The wedding message based on Revelation 21 It's a great share

#KED #Westminster

#andymelissa2013 The wedding ceremony is quite lovely. What a wonderful couple.

#KED #Westminster

#andymelissa2013 wedding is about to begin. We're excited for them

#KED #Westminster

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Crossing the Creek, A Practical Guide to the Dying Process

“Crossing the Creek” is written by Michael Homes

http://www.slideshare.net/kevindayhoff/20000904-crossing-creek

I received “Crossing the Creek, A Practical Guide to the Dying Process” on the last day, November 13, 2013, of Bereavement Skills Training at Carroll Hospice. 




I recently took a 15-hour class in Bereavement Skills Training at Carroll Hospice, http://www.carrollhospice.org/Bereavement-Skills-Training taught by Kathleen A. Bare, M.S. Bereavement Counselor, Carroll Hospice, 292 Stoner Ave., Westminster, MD 21157.

The topics included an introduction to Carroll Hospice and the services and functions hospice can provide when family members, loved-ones, friends and colleagues are “Crossing the Creek.”

The class touched-upon the medical aspects of the dying experience and advice for caregivers. Class segments included ‘normal grief,’ natural grief responses, children and grief. Complicated grief, suicides, communication skills, rituals, support groups and resources.

On the last day of class, a member of the class distributed a photocopy of the publication, “Crossing the Creek, A Practical Guide to the Dying Process,” which the author, Michael Homes, RN, identifies as “A nurse’s perspective on the medical aspects of the dying experience and advice for caregivers.” My copy of “Crossing the Creek” is branded with a ‘print date’ of September 4, 2000.

According to http://crossingthecreek.com/, the publication is no longer available. Furthermore, the publisher, Damone-Rose Publishing is going out of business. A brief search of the internet did not locate a place where the book could be purchased. This information was accessed on November 25, 2013.

That is a shame because it is a valuable and well accepted plain-language and common sense approach to the dying experience and advice to caregivers…

In his introduction to “Crossing the Creek,” Mr. Holmes writes:

“This guide is intended to provide dying people and their caregivers with a general description of what they can expect to encounter. While understanding does not eliminate the impact of experience, it can: certainly reduce some of the consternation and allay that creeping sense of panic•.

“All transitions have similar key elements. Also, every person experiences, a wide variety of transitions during the course of his/her lifetime. In that sense, there is nothing new in dying process. In fact, each of us develops our own, personal style for dealing with transitions. We tend to stick with that style, whatever it might be, when we face the transition we call death.

“If you would like to know how you will handle your own death, look back upon your life and observe how you have handled all your other transitions. Unless you decide to change your approach, that is how you will die.

While all transitions have similar key elements, this guide deals specifically with the transition of dying. Every person does not experience every sign or symptom described herein, or a person may experience a particular sign or symptom in his/her own unique way. There is room for infinite variation in how any given individual may experience the dying process. At the same time, certain general themes are common to all.

“It is well to remember that all transitions entail some disagreeable or uncomfortable aspects. Dying process is no exception. No reasonable person expects that life will contain no discomforts, yet some espouse the notion that somehow, death will. This is not a reasonable expectation. The dying process has its difficult aspects regardless of one's level of enlightenment.

“Modern medicine has demonstrated a remarkable capacity for mitigating or even eliminating many disagreeable aspects of physical death. At the same time, modern medicine cannot relieve people of responsibility for their own lives. We all prepare for our own death by the manner in which we live our lives. Skilled clinicians can be a great help, but we each bear the ultimate burden of responsibility for how we live and how we die…”

For more information on grief, bereavement, death and dying, or coping with death at the holidays and the various programs offered by Carroll Hospice, contact: Kathleen A. Bare, M.S. Bereavement Counselor, Carroll Hospice, 292 Stoner Ave., Westminster, MD 21157, 410-871-7231, KBare@carrollhospitalcenter.org; or go to: http://www.carrollhospice.org/home.

Kevin Dayhoff is a chaplain with the Westminster Volunteer Fire Department and the Maryland Troopers Association Lodge # 20.

In addition he currently serves on the executive board of the Carroll Co. branch of the NAACP and the church council of Grace Lutheran Church.


In the past, he has taken a number of classes in various aspects of the chaplaincy, including non-violence training, emergency incident command and response, Red Cross disaster response training, and a Federation of Fire Chaplains’ class in the Essentials of Fire Chaplaincy…
 Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ (http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/ New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/ “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10

Westminster and state officials cut the ribbon on downtown sidewalk retrofit project

Westminster and state officials cut the ribbon on downtown sidewalk retrofit project

Westminster and state officials joined together Tuesday morning to cut the ribbon on over 200 new disabilities-compliant sidewalk curb cuts throughout downtown Westminster

By Kevin E. Dayhoff, 

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Westminster city officials and representatives from four Maryland state government departments gathered together Tuesday morning in front of the Westminster Recreation and Parks Family Center on Longwell Avenue to celebrate, and cut the ribbon, on an unprecedented groundbreaking $318,000 partnership that resulted in the completion of 214 new or rebuilt ADA-compliant curb ramps in the downtown area.

“What a wonderful project this is and with so many partners, said Westminster mayor Kevin Utz in prepared remarks for the occasion, after he was introduced by Mark Vernarelli, spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

“With these partners 4 curb ramps were reconstructed, 64 curb ramps were modified and 164 new curb ramps were installed…” Because of this partnership, “over 200 ADA Compliant curb ramps now exist in Downtown Westminster,” explained Utz.

Utz read-off a long list of state secretaries and dignitaries who traveled from state offices in Baltimore and Annapolis for the occasion; including MD Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Gary Maynard, Deputy Secretary J. Michael Stouffer, Public Safety Works Coordinator John Rowley, Director of Corrections Felicia Hinton, and Facility Administrator Leonard Rice.

Also present were Department of Disabilities Secretary Catherine Raggio, Deputy Secretary George Failla, Jr., and Access Maryland Director Cari Watrous as well as MD Department of Housing & Community Development: Assistant Secretary Carol Gilbert, Director of Community Programs Cindy Stone, and Project Manager Dona Sorce.

Along with Tony Romano, a representative of Romano Concrete Construction and Ronnie Townes, 21, an inmate who helped build the curbs; MD Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Coordinator, Career and Technology Programs Ken Weeden, Field Director of Correctional Education Jack Cunning, and David Bordley were there to cut the ribbon and discuss the unprecedented city, state and private partnership.

According to information provided by the department of public safety, DPSCS, the project was “Grant-funded thanks to work by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development … The curb project is the largest project of its kind ever done by inmates in the DPSCS Public Safety Works community project initiative. The inmates learned concrete skills from Romano Concrete, a longtime and valued partner with DPSCS.”

Westminster mayor Kevin Utz was joined by Westminster Common Council president Dr. Robert Wack, council member Tony Chiavacci, city administrator Marge Wolf, public works director Jeff Glass, police chief Jeff Spaulding, , Community Programs Specialist Sandy Anderson, city engineer Mike Matov, assistant street superintendent Wayne Reifsnider and recreation and parks director Abby Gruber.

Planning for the project began in earnest after a similar, but much smaller partnership was called to Glass’ attention in the summer of 2012. “We submitted the grant application on August 27,” said Anderson. “The actual work on the sidewalks began last May.”

“I’m very pleased that what initially started as a conversation with Secretary Maynard and Secretary Skinner has become a model partnership between the City of Westminster and three state agencies – Disabilities, Public Safety and Corrections, and Housing and Community Development,” said MD Dept. of Disabilities Secretary Catherine Raggio. “As a result of this partnership, we now have sidewalks that are safer and more accessible for individuals with disabilities, seniors and others.”

“DPSCS worked with the MD Dept. of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation to secure the partnership with Romano Concrete---with whom DPSCS inmates previously worked on the Eastern Shore at Cambridge in a similar but smaller project,” according to information provided by DPSCS. “This project is the first to give inmates DLLR on-the-job certifications.”

“It’s been a great project… It’s made a big difference for (getting around) downtown,” said Glass. Wolf and Utz agreed. “Everybody was a winner,” said Wolf.

Maynard called the inmate restorative justice initiative, “groundbreaking.” “This is our largest community curb project yet,” said the DPSCS secretary. “Our inmates have built or rebuilt more than 200 curbs, getting valuable skills training from Tony Romano and his concrete tradesmen, and helping this nice town become more accessible in the process.

“We call projects like these Public Safety Works ‘restorative justice’ programs, because they allow inmates who want to pay society back with a really meaningful way to do that.

“On any given day, we have more than 350 inmates out across the state of Maryland doing meaningful projects. Right now, inmates are rebuilding a skipjack on the Eastern Shore, gleaning fresh produce for the Maryland Food Bank, planting millions of oyster spat, restoring battlefields, cemeteries and playgrounds, and helping cities and non-profits with all kinds of projects they couldn’t do otherwise.

“We are very serious about this particular kind of project here in Westminster---where inmates get actual skills training from professional tradespeople. We’re having inmates trained in hazardous materials abatement and they’re taking down the old House of Correction prison in Jessup, a deconstruction that’s saving taxpayers at least five million dollars compared to the cost of demolition. It’s the only project of its kind in the country.

“These skills should serve the inmates well and give them a leg up on jobs when they get out and go home. I would love to talk to you today about how Public Safety Works might be able to help your agency or non-profit.



Maynard also elaborated upon how the partnership with the city gave the prison inmates an opportunity to learn job skills. “We may be in charge of keeping people locked up,” continued the secretary, “but what we really want is to set people free; to free them from addictions and anger issues, give them education and job skill training, and turn them into productive taxpaying citizens. After all, almost all inmates will one day be getting out.”

“We are very serious about this particular kind of project here in Westminster---where inmates get actual skills training from professional tradespeople,” remarked Maynard.

“This project, however, is about so much more than curbs and concrete,” said Utz in agreement. “With this project, the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR) provided training for the inmates. With this project the state corrections department has provided construction experience and positive community participation for the inmates. With this project the inmates have received certification from the DLLR for on the job training. With this project the inmates participated in a major community project.

“Maynard was all smiles as he thanked the city and invited city officials to talk about more opportunities for partnerships. “Thank you again for this wonderful collaborative effort, and thank you, Mayor Utz, for allowing the Dept. of Public Safety and Correctional Services to perform this important work in Westminster.”

Utz added, “At this time I’d like to personally thank the inmates for their hard work. Their work was crucial to the success of this project. Concrete lasts a long time. We hope that the experience gained from this project will last even longer. Thank you.”
 Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ (http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/ New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/ “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10

Jackie Kline, Hit by Car While Helping at Traffic Stop, Inspires Many

Jackie Kline, Hit by Car While Helping at Traffic Stop, Inspires Many

Many folks have asked where they may find the articles – and pictures on Maryland State Trooper Jackie Kline’ articles and fundraisers:



Eldersburg Patch: State Trooper Jackie Kline, Hit by Car While Helping at Traffic Stop, Inspires Many, Do you know the rest of the story on Kline's recovery? Check out our blogger spotlight.

Runner raise funds to assist Maryland State Trooper Jackie Kline
Over 800 runners converged in Sykesville Sunday morning to aid injured Maryland State Trooper Jackie Kline http://westminster.patch.com/groups/kevin-e-dayhoffs-blog/p/runners-raise-funds-to-assist-msp-trooper-jackie-kline-at-5k-race By Kevin E. Dayhoff, Sunday, November 10, 2013


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On November 15, 2013, Eldersburg Patch editor Susan Jenkins wrote, “A Maryland State Trooper who was injured in October during a traffic stop has inspired many to take action in the form of a recent 5K benefit and a stepped-up effort by police to increase awareness about the Move Over law.

“Trooper Jacqueline "Jackie" Kline was hit in Anne Arundel County on Oct. 6 as she assisted another trooper on a traffic stop on Route 100 in Pasadena.

“To raise money to help Kline with expenses related to her recovery, about 800 runners participated in the 5K for JK on Nov. 10 in Sykesville. In his blog post on Patch, Kevin E. Dayhoff included photos and wrote about participating in the event. Click here to see the blog and more photos from the 5K for JK...”

























*****
 Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ (http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/ New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/ “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10