State and local officials tour Baltimore Healthy Start Page 3

Berea Temple SDA hosts Music on the Square Page 12

Vol. 23 No. 44

The Baltimore Times

August 14 - 20, 2009 Complimentary

Way to step up, Union Baptist

By Gregory Kane very summer thousands of Baltimore teens find employment through the YouthWorks program. At Union Baptist Church on Druid Hill Avenue, 13 young men got some mentors in addition to jobs. For five weeks the youngsters ages 13 to 21 would clean up inside various buildings that Union Baptist has and then mow the lawn. (When I was in the Air Force, we grunt airmen types would call this detailing.) That was the job they were paid for. But they also spent time in the churchs new computer lab. There are over 40 new computers there, and members of the community that Union Baptist serves do come in to use what may eventually prove to be an invaluable resource. Their five-day work week started with breakfast at 9 a.m. Then the detailing began. There would be lunch and then a visit to the computer lab, where they did a little bit of everything on the computers, said Everett Dudley, one of the mentors. A couple of the young men said they would like to create and develop computer games. At 11 each morning, the young men would take a break from work to hear one of the 20 guest speakers who came in to give them advice and inspiration. The list included Drs. Edwin Johnson and Kevin Peters of Morgan State University, Del. Keith Haynes of the 41st district, retired U.S. Marshal George McKinney and Dean Scott, who, in addition to Dudley, was also one of the mentors. Continued on page 17

Walter Sondheim Fountain unveiled

L-r: Wanda Durden, director, Baltimore City Department of Parks and Recreation; Thomas Balsley, Thomas Balsley Associates; Mayor Sheila Dixon; Deputy Mayor Andrew Frank; Ellie Dankert, Sondheims daughter; Isabel Baron, great-granddaughter; Gov. Martin OMalley; John Sondheim, Sondheims son; David Gillece; Sarah Baron, Sondheim's granddaughter; Carol Macht, Hord Coplan Macht; Laurie Schwartz, Waterfront Partnership; and Hord Coplan Macht employee stand in front of Walter Sondheim fountain at West Shore Park in the Inner Harbor. Photo by Will Kirk By Zaina Adamu ot and humid weather did not stop close to 100 guests from participating in the Walter Sondheim fountains grand opening July 28. The Inner Harbors newest attraction was created using state-of-the-art water jets built beneath ground level and is accented with fluorescent, multicolored lights. The fountain, designed by Thomas Balsley Associates and Hord Coplan Macht, Inc., is located at West Shore Park in the Inner Harbor, and was funded by Baltimore City, the state of Maryland and countless city and business leaders who recognized Walter Sondheim as an integral part in the development of the Inner Harbor. Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore obtained funding from private sectors. Walter would be delighted in knowing that this space is a place for children and families of all races, from Baltimore and points beyond, to play together in a fountain overlooking the Harbor he so proudly helped create, said Michael Hankin, chairman of the board of Waterfront Partnership. Continued on page 13