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October 25th, 2024
Dear Neighbor,
Racing Towards Victory, Let's Finish Strong! 💙
It is time to sprint through the finish line! Thank you to everyone who took the time to volunteer, knock on doors, write a postcard, or even engage with their friends and family about the importance of this election. We have been gearing up for this moment for over a year. Mail-in ballots are being returned, and yesterday marked the beginning of early voting. Now are our final hours to ensure we get every last vote to turn out because we can not win if we do not fight!
There is too much at stake because Maryland holds the key to the Senate majority. We must elect Angela Alsobrooks as our next U.S. Senator and prevent Larry Hogan from becoming the 51st vote in Mitch McConnell’s Republican Senate majority. There is too much at stake because Anne Arundel County will decide the vision we want for our children’s future. We MUST elect dedicated, honest, and compassionate leaders to our Board of Education like Dr. Joanna Tobin in District 6, Dana Schallheim in District 5, and Jeremy York in District 7!
Finally, there is too much at stake because Maryland can enshrine the right to reproductive freedom for all in our Constitution. This vote won’t just protect Marylanders, but it will also serve as a beacon for women from States like Texas and West Virginia that Maryland will always be a safe haven for reproductive freedom!
Last week I hosted two fundraisers, raising nearly $20,000 supporting Question 1 and our Board of Education candidates. These vital funds will support voter contact efforts in the final days, but we can not do it without your help! Please see below for information on early voting to share with your friends and family. More importantly, PLEASE consider signing up for Get Out The Vote (GOTV) canvass launches. These mobilizations will truly make the difference, because when we fight, WE WIN!
This week at the Stanton Center we got things going with a GOTV rally. Annapolis was absolutely buzzing with energy and enthusiasm as we rallied behind County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, our next U.S. Senator! 💚✅
It was amazing to be there alongside so many community members, local democrats, and especially our teachers from the Teacher's Association of Anne Arundel County, Maryland State Education Association, and even President Becky Pringle and her team from NEA Today! These mobilizations will truly make a difference because when we fight, WE WIN!
If you would like to join us next time at a Get Out The Vote (GOTV) canvass launch, see the schedule and sign up below.
Saturday, October 26th
Join us for a GET OUT THE VOTE canvass launches at the Annapolis staging location!
9-12pm, 12-3pm, 3-6pm, and 5-8pm shift times
Sign up HERE for Annapolis!
Join us for GET OUT THE VOTE phone banks at the Annapolis staging location!
9-12pm, 12-3pm, 3-6pm, and 5-8pm shift times
Sign up HERE for Annapolis!
Sunday, October 27th
Join us for GET OUT THE VOTE canvass launches at the Annapolis staging location!
12-3pm, 3-6pm, and 5-8pm shift times
Sign up HERE for Annapolis!
Join us for GET OUT THE VOTE phone banks at the Annapolis staging location!
12-3pm, 3-6pm, and 5-8pm shift times
Sign up HERE for Annapolis!
Monday, October 28th - Friday, November 1st
There will be continued GOTV canvass launches during the week, extending the launches to be 12-3pm, 3-6pm, and 5-8pm out of the Annapolis field office. There will also be a Monday night canvass launch at 5pm!
Sign up HERE for Annapolis!
There will be continued GOTV phone banks during the week, extending the launches to be 12-3pm, 3-6pm, and 5-8pm out of the Annapolis field office. There will also be a Monday night phone bank at 5pm!
Sign up HERE for Annapolis!
Sign up HERE to make calls at home!
Finally, make your vote count, TODAY! Early voting has officially begun, and from October 24th to 31st your local early voting centers will be open from 7 AM to 8 PM. Early voting is convenient, with typically short to no lines at all!
If you're not already registered to vote in Maryland but want to get in on the action, you can register at any MD early voting location! To find your nearest early voting center go to IWillVote.com/MD, type in your address, and they will show you a helpful map with the nearest early voting center.
Make your voice heard and vote early!!
A United Front Against Rising Waters
As our community and businesses know all too well, Annapolis has experienced some of the most severe flooding in its history this year.
This past week, I was thrilled to walk with Angela Alsobrooks, alongside the amazing Chris Van Hollen and Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz, to show the impact rising flood waters have had on our businesses.
Annapolis must follow through on resiliency infrastructure, I have worked for years alongside Senator Sarah Elfreth to secure millions of State funds to pair with incredible support from our federal delegation to raise City Dock. Additionally, Angela Alsobrooks understands Maryland's climate crisis and stands ready to immediately fight to address it when sworn in. I look forward to continuing our efforts to protect our city against rising waters and flooding.
¡Celebramos el Día de Los Muertos!
The City of Annapolis invites residents and visitors to join in the celebration of the 2024 “Festival del Día de los Muertos" or “Day of the Dead Festival”. The event will feature amazing folklore artists, traditional Mexican food, attractions for children, local artisans, raffles, and much more!
Additionally, I will be speaking along with other representatives at 3:30 PM right when the festival begins.
Come join me in celebration at Maryland Hall from 3 PM to 8 PM on Saturday, October 26, 2024! Entrance to the festival is free. Learn more by clicking here!
Protecting Our Bay, One Shoreline at a Time! 🌊
Thank you to Arundel Rivers Federation for an amazing “wave” breaking in Hillsmere Shores!
In 2022, I was proud to help secure $109,000 in State funds to assist in the design and construction of this 650-foot living shoreline! Not only will it prevent erosion, it will also reduce pollutant loads entering our Bay and provide vital new habitat for Oysters, Terrapins, and a variety of aquatic fauna.
Improving the health of the Bay is a fight fought on many fronts; living shorelines like this one are an effective tool to improve the resiliency of our shorelines in the face of climate change and also prevent thousands of lbs of pollutants entering the Bay. Thank you to all of the amazing partners that are helping to make this a reality! Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Anne Arundel County Bureau of Watershed Protection and Restoration, Chesapeake Bay Trust and more!
Thank you Amazing LGBTQ+ Advocates!
I want to highlight an amazing– but all too short– meeting with FreeState Justicelast week! It was great to connect with their team and discuss their priorities for the next session. Learning about their available legal services, strong advocacy, endless resources, and valuable training programs was nothing short of inspiring. Their work fighting for Maryland’s LGBTQIA+ community is absolutely invaluable, thank you!
Legislative Latino Caucus Gala!
It was a beautiful celebration last week at the MarylandLegislative Latino CaucusHispanic Heritage Month Gala! Congratulations to all the Awardees. Your tremendous contributions to the state of Maryland is so appreciated.
Thank you, Chair Delegate Martinez & Executive Board for all that you do legislatively, for our state and for last night's Gala. I am so proud to be a member of the Caucus!
A 250th Anniversary to Remember!
Recently, I attended a spectacular evening at theHammond-Harwood House commemorating the 250th anniversary of the burning of the Peggy Stewart as a turning point in the patriot movement. I want to thank the John Paul Jones Chapter Maryland SAR and the Peggy Stewart Chapter of the DAR for inviting me and my partner in this work Senator Sarah Elfreth to bring greetings from the State of Maryland to mark the occasion!
I am delighted to share that during the 2024 legislative session, I helped secure $250,000 that will be used to develop and build a memorial to honor the contributions of Annapolitans during the Revolutionary War. I'm proud to help create more commemorative, interactive experiences like these to honor our City’s history! Overall, it was so exciting to be a part of Historic Annapolis’ biggest living history event of the year on historic Pinkney Street!
If you’re interested in more events at the Hammond-Harwood House, there will be a Pumpkin Walk today, October 25th from 4 PM - 6 PM! There will be lots of fun like guided tours, costume parades, music, storytelling, and other family-friendly activities!
Click here for all the details!
Upcoming: Free Holiday Parking!
FREE holiday parking in Historic Downtown Annapolis is back! From November 29th to New Years Day celebrate and shop worry-free using the ParkMobile App. Similar to past years, get your first 2 hours at metered/kiosk spaces or the first hour at Hillman Garage free of cost!
Additionally, Annapolis residents can receive codes for a free 2 hours at ANY City-owned downtown garages: Gotts, Knighton, Park Place and Hillman.
To receive your resident code and for more information click here!
Order Free At-home COVID-19 Tests
Stay safe and healthy as we head into cold and flu season! Free COVID-19 tests will be available to every U.S. household beginning next week. Each household is eligible to receive 4 rapid, at-home tests. Just enter your name and home (or residential P.O. Box) address, the U.S. Postal Service will ship the tests to your home at no cost.
For more information and to order yours visit: COVIDTests.gov
🍂 Finally Fall in Annapolis!
🎃🍁🧡 Happy Fall! As the weather gets cooler and the leaves turn brown, many of our local Annapolis organizations and businesses are preparing for stellar fall celebrations. Check out these Fall festivals and celebrations!
TODAY Friday, October 25th - Accessible Trunk or Treat from 5 PM to 8 PM. Offers a low sensory trunk or treat experience for all children, at 2009 Commerce Park Dr. Suite E-F Annapolis Parking Lot.
TODAY Friday October 25th - Halloween Critter Crawl from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM. Walk through a lantern lighted trail in the forest to see different animals and insects displays, and enjoy campfires, s’mores, hayrides, spooky sounds, and nature crafts. Register here.
Saturday, October 26 - Day of the Dead at Maryland Hall from 3 PM to 8 PM. For more information, click here.
Sunday October 27th - Howl-O-Ween Barkin' Bash from 11 AM to 2 PM. For a dog costume contest, food, and vendors at Quiet Waters Park click here for more information.
Sunday, October 27 - Crab Cake Haunt from 10 AM to 8 PM. Road closures and parking restrictions on Annapolis Street and Giddings Avenue from 7 AM to 9 PM. To buy a ticket and enjoy some crab cakes click here!
Sunday, November 3 - First Sunday Arts on Inner West Street from 11 AM to 5 PM Road closures and parking restrictions on West Street and Calvert Street from 7 AM to 6 PM For more information, click here.
AACPL Maryland STEM Festival Events!
This year will be Anne Arundel County Public Library’s 10th year celebrating the Maryland STEM Festival! From October 18th to November 17th, explore the world of STEM with the exciting theme "Engineering: Ideas to Reality.” Get ready for a fun filled month of family-friendly events that will spark curiosity and foster excitement for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
STEM Events at AACPL
STEM Robotics Night: Check out a demonstration of the competition robot made by Chesapeake High School's FIRST Robotics Team 2377.
Diwali Diya Lamps STEM Activity: Discover Diwali, the Festival of Lights, and create a diya lamp paper circuit card.
Photograph Identification and Preservation Workshop: Enjoy a brief overview of photography history with the Laurel Historical Society as they share the basics of preservation for print and digital photographs.
Dinosaur Park Adventures: Explore Maryland's rich dinosaur history, see fossils and enjoy dino activities with experts from the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
Hubble Space Telescope: A Journey of Discovery: Learn about the Hubble telescope, some of its amazing discoveries and challenges faced during its lifetime with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
Mocktails and Makerspace: Complete a craft while enjoying a mocktail in a fun and relaxed environment.
Check out the MakerSpace at Michael E. Busch Annapolis Library and the Creation Station at Odenton Library to bring your STEM ideas to life with tools like 3D Pens, the Cricut machine or Button Maker.
Can't make it to the library in person? You can explore STEM through AACPL's online digital resources curated to encourage STEM education for all ages!
For a full schedule of all upcoming AACPL STEM festival events click here!
To discover more STEM activities happening across Maryland this month, click here!
You can follow me on Facebook, X, and Instagram to learn about volunteer opportunities, community resources, legislative updates and much more. If you have any questions or concerns, you can always contact my office by email at Dana.Jones@house.state.md.us or by phone at 410-841-3211.
Stay safe and healthy,
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