 As January is recognized as “Human Trafficking Awareness Month,” County Executive Marc Elrich provides details on how Montgomery County is working to eliminate the crime. He also discusses the County’s commitment to protect the reproductive rights of women after new restrictive legislation is being fought in the courts. And he encourages residents to attend the 44th Commission for Women’a Legislative Briefing that will be held on Sunday, Jan. 28, in Rockville.
Stories in this issue include:
 The Montgomery County Commission for Women will host its 44th annual Women’s Legislative Briefing (WLB) at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 28, at The Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville. The theme will be “From Proposal to Passage: Collaborating for Justice and Equality.”
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, County Councilmembers Evan Glass and Kristin Mink and Sprouts Farmers Market representatives joined community members on Jan. 19 at the formal ribbon cutting to mark the grand opening of Sprouts Farmers Market in Burtonsville. The project has been in the making since 2018 when County Executive Elrich engaged with community members as part of the "Build a Better Burtonsville" initiative.
 The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection will hold its 11th annual Montgomery County Energy Summit on Monday, April 15, and Tuesday, April 16, at the Silver Spring Civic Building. The summit is an opportunity for the commercial building community to prepare for compliance with energy benchmarking, building energy performance standards and emerging building codes.
 Income-eligible Montgomery County residents can now schedule free tax appointments with the Community Action Agency's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Appointments for 2023 taxes only are for Montgomery County residents with household incomes of $64,000 or less. Free tax appointments will be available through April 11 at four locations.
 The Rockville Little Theatre will present the quintessential American story of hope and survival, “The Grapes of Wrath,” with six performances in January and February at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre in Rockville Civic Center Park.
 The Wheaton Arts Parade arts organization and Montgomery County Public Libraries have entered into a partnership that will bring free art workshops to the Wheaton Public Library once each month. Each month will have a new theme or new kind of art-making experience. The first workshop will be from 1-2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 28.
 Montgomery County Recreation’s RecFit passes will be free for Montgomery County residents again in 2024. The free RecFit pass provides access to fully equipped fitness rooms, open gym (drop-in) activities and game rooms at community recreation centers during regularly scheduled hours.
 Montgomery County Public Schools rising juniors and seniors will have an opportunity to gain career-based learning experiences this summer through the “Summer Rise” program. The school system is hoping to have more than 1,000 students in this year’s program that will have hosts in all career fields. A seminar for potential host employers will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 30.
 The Montgomery County Commission on Veterans Affairs will honor Black County veterans with detailed virtual tributes displayed on the County’s website as it recognizes February as Black History Month. The tributes to County veterans will feature photos, background information and details of accomplishments during their military careers and afterward.
Maryland businesses looking to grow through partnerships with organizations overseas can seek supporting customers, suppliers, manufacturers, or academic partners through a Maryland Department of Commerce for an ExportMD Grant. The program, which can provide reimbursement for up to $5,000, is accepting applications through Feb. 1.
 The U.S. Secretary of the Interior in January 2021 designated a small cottage in Rockville, locally known as “Frieda’s Cottage,” as a national historic landmark. It earned this remarkable national recognition for its association with Frieda Fromm-Reichmann and her significant contributions to the field of medicine as a psychoanalyst. For a one-week period starting Monday, Jan. 29, Montgomery History will make available a free online presentation on Dr. Fromm-Reichmann and the history of the cottage.
In celebration of its 15th year, the Gaithersburg Book Festival will host former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins for a special free event from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9, at the Asbury Methodist Village Rosborough Cultural Arts Center in Gaithersburg. Mr. Collins will share his new book, “Musical Tables,” followed by a book signing and reception.
 Renowned writer Mahogany L. Browne, Lincoln Center’s inaugural poet-in-residence, will be the featured speaker at the Montgomery County Public Libraries’ “Contemporary Conversations” series in celebration of Black History Month. The free event titled, “Chlorine Skies and Chrome Valleys: The Work of Mahogany L. Browne,” will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the Marilyn J. Praisner Library in Burtonsville.
Montgomery County companies had a strong year of investment in 2023, with more than $2.2 billion generated through more than 100 deals. Companies in a wide range of industries, from life sciences and technology to manufacturing and real estate, brought in substantial investments, showcasing a positive economic direction going into 2024.
 The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services’ Public Health Services, in partnership with the Maryland Living Well Center of Excellence, will offer a free community-based Diabetes Self-Management Program (DSMP) beginning Thursday, Feb. 22. The six-week program will be held virtually from 5:30-7:30 p.m. each Thursday.
 The eighth annual Montgomery County Public Libraries free comic convention, MoComCon, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 20, in Germantown, has been postponed due to this week's winter storm. The event has been rescheduled for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, March 2. One of the largest free comic conventions in the Mid-Atlantic area, it will take place at the Germantown Library and at the BlackRock Center for the Arts.
Painter Bob Ross once said, "There are no mistakes . . . just happy accidents." On Tuesday, Jan. 30, Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. will embrace that theme as it presents its free online Winter Arts Salon: Happy Accidents. The event, from 7-8:30 p.m., will explore creative works that emerged without intention--as a surprise of sorts. The quarterly salon will be hosted by the husband and wife team of Richard Hall and Simone Fary from Nerds Make Media.
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