Prince George's Proud:
An Update From County Executive Alsobrooks
Dear Prince Georgians:
It’s been a productive and eventful year, and I’m excited to share this final edition of our Community Connections newsletter for 2019! Thank you for sharing your passionate and fruitful insights, which have helped us deliver high-quality government services to you and your families.
Our successes are rooted in the fact that we share a unified purpose and are collectively Prince George’s Proud of our community.
As we head into the new year, stay tuned as our Legislative Team heads to Annapolis to fight for our 2020 legislative priorities, which include education, economic development, County beautification and senior-based initiatives. The General Assembly will convene from January 8 - April 6, 2020.
I am grateful for your support and committed to making every experience in our beloved County a lasting impression for those who live, work and play here, as well as for those visiting us.
We have much to be proud of as we are just getting started, and we are ready to hit the ground running again in 2020.
I am wishing you and your families a beautiful holiday season and a happy new year of peace and joy.
Yours in service,
Angela Alsobrooks
Prince George’s County Executive
 
Census Workshop January 9, 2020
Please join County Executive Alsobrooks and Complete Count Committee Chair Elizabeth Hewlett as they host the next Census Solutions Workshop! The workshop will be held Thursday, January 9, 2020, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the New Carrollton Branch Library (7414 Riverdale Rd, New Carrollton, MD). Doors will open at 5:30 PM.
This workshop is for residents who want to know more about the 2020 Census and who would want to volunteer with us as official Census Ambassadors. While this is a free event, we are asking that everyone please RSVP in advance. We hope to see you there!
Summer Youth Enrichment Program Applications Open January 6, 2020
Mark your calendars! Applications for our 2020 Youth@Work/Summer Youth Enrichment Program (SYEP) will open January 6, 2020. The application period will run until February 28, 2020. We have more than 6,000 job opportunities available in this nationally-recognized program for Prince George’s County residents ages 14-22.
Youth who participate in this program will have an opportunity to complete a summer work experience, connect with industry professionals and earn their own money. There is also an opportunity to sign up for job readiness training when you complete an application, which we strongly encourage for all applicants who have not completed this training in the past through SYEP. Even if you participated last summer, you can still join us this summer.
Again, mark your calendars for January 6, 2020. The application will go live that day on our SYEP website.
It’s Not Too Late to Adopt a Pet for the Holiday
 The Prince George’s County Animal Services Division would like to place hundreds of animals into caring homes during the holidays. There are special adoption prices and convenient hours to make the process easy. If you have room in your home, as well as lots of love and time to give to a special pet, then adoption is for you. Call the shelter at 301-780-7220 or visit our website for more information.
It's Easy to Recycle Your Holiday Tree
 When all the holiday festivities are over, we make it easy for you to recycle your Christmas Tree. Residents may place their undecorated tree at the curb on the Monday regularly scheduled yard trim collection day, or take their tree to the Brown Station Road Public Pad and Recycling Center or Missouri Avenue Solid Waste Acceptance and Recycling Center. Trees recycled during this time become mulch just in time for our annual Mulch Madness event in April!
The Office of Community Relations Presents Youth Speaks
  Youth Speaks is an initiative promoting youth empowerment for Prince George’s County youth. The Office of Community Relations is hosting a series of forums that will offer a platform to allow youth to speak and be heard. Please join us on Saturday, January 18, 2020 for our first forum. For more information about Youth Speaks, please contact the Office of Community Relations at 301-952-4729 or YouthSpeaks@co.pg.md.us. To RSVP, please click here.
Join Us at Our Bilingual Job Fair
 The Office of the County Executive, Employ Prince George’s, and several organizations are partnering to host a bilingual job fair on Thursday, January 30, 2020. It will be held from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at LAYC/Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers, located at 6200 Sheridan Street, Riverdale, Maryland.
If you need resume or career readiness preparation, we are hosting several sessions prior to the job fair throughout the month of January. If you would like more information on any of these events, or if you would like to register to attend one or more events, please visit the Employ Prince George’s website.
IN THE NEWS: Prince George’s County Renames Public Safety Food Basket Program After Bill Milligan
 On Monday, December 16, our public safety agencies joined together for the Annual Public Safety Food Basket Program, this year delivering more than 2,500 food baskets to County residents. We are Prince George’s Proud to rename this program after Bill Milligan, who ran the program for 35 years, and continue his legacy of giving back to others during the holiday season. To learn more about this year’s program, watch a clip from ABC7 here.
IN THE NEWS: Prince George’s County Firefighters Win NBC Washington Firefighter Chili Challenge
The Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department brought the heat to the NBC Washington Firefighter Chili Challenge, beating out fire departments from our neighboring counties and the District of Columbia. We are Prince George’s Proud of our firefighters for winning this year’s chili cookoff. Watch the moment they announced the winner on NBC Washington here.
IN THE NEWS: Federal Appeals Court Reinstates NAACP Census Suit
 The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Prince George’s County, Maryland, and other plaintiffs won an important appeals court ruling which reinstates their federal suit challenging the federal government’s inadequate plans for conducting the 2020 Census after the district court dismissed it. The ruling will aid efforts to ensure that the 2020 Census properly counts all people, including historically undercounted communities of color, who are at risk of being missed under the Census Bureau’s current plans. Learn more about this lawsuit by clicking here.
VIDEO: 12 Days of Giving Initiative
 Our Office of Community Relations showed that we are Proud to Give Back during the holiday season with their 12 Days of Giving Initiative, spreading holiday cheer through 12 service projects this month to support Prince Georgians across our County. Watch a recap of the 12 Days of Giving by clicking here.
Office of Veterans Affairs Hosted First Women Veterans Conference
Women veterans were excited to join us for the first-ever Women Veterans Conference.
The Office of Veterans Affairs (OVA) recently hosted its first Women Veterans Conference at the County Administration Building in Upper Marlboro. Approximately 30 women veterans and supporters attended the event to discuss healthcare, coalition building, VA concerns, benefits, and the general welfare of women veterans.
“Our vision is aligned with County Executive Alsobrooks' vision to support men and women veterans, and their families, who proudly served our great nation," said Dr. James Dula, the County’s Veterans Affairs Officer.
The Gold Star Wives of America Capitol View Chapter attended the conference and donated blankets and socks for homeless veterans. The OVA is sponsoring the drive for distribution of items to homeless veterans throughout the County.
County Holds First Annual Waste Diversion and Recycling Awards
 In honor of America Recycles Day on November 15, Keep Prince George’s County Beautiful (KPGCB) and the Prince George’s County Department of the Environment (DoE) presented the first 2019 Waste Diversion and Recycling Awards Ceremony on Monday, November 18, 2019, at Prince George’s Community College. The ceremony recognized Prince George’s County commercial businesses, schools, and other entities who demonstrated exceptional achievements in recycling and waste diversion to advance the mission of KPGCB and DoE.
“We are excited to host this inaugural event to showcase businesses, schools, and individuals. These honorees are committed to finding innovative ways to educate, promote, and activate recycling and waste management programs in our Prince George’s County community,” said Joseph P. Gill, Director of DoE.
"It was an amazing event," said John Neville, Chairman of the Board of Directors for KPGCB. “We were able to feature many of our outstanding businesses and volunteers who are committed and passionate about keeping Prince George’s County beautiful,” he added.
During the ceremony, over 40 businesses, schools, volunteers and professional organizations were honored for their work. Stay tuned for information on how you can enter the 2020 awards program.
Click here to view a list of the 2019 winners.
Eight Prince George’s County Public Schools Selected to Receive Outdoor Classrooms in Spring 2020
Students participating in a previous Treating & Teaching Program.
A coalition of nonprofit organizations, private sector partners, and government agencies selected eight Prince George’s County Public Schools to receive new outdoor classrooms in spring 2020 as part of the Treating & Teaching Program. The schools selected are John Bayne Elementary School, Carrollton Elementary, Crossland High School, Eisenhower Middle School, Robert Goddard Montessori, Waldon Woods Elementary, Phyllis E. Williams Spanish Immersion, and Woodmore Elementary School.
The Treating & Teaching program, supported by the Clean Water Partnership, the community-based partnership between Prince George’s County and Corvias, promotes stewardship of Prince George’s County waterways and environmental literacy in Prince George’s County Public Schools. Students will help to design the learning spaces and will actively participate in planting and arranging the classrooms during installation, providing hands-on time working with the soil and learning about how the plants contribute to cleaner water within their watershed.
Created in 2016, the Treating & Teaching program is funded by the Prince George’s County Department of the Environment, the Clean Water Partnership, and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation’s Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund.
Eight PGCPS Schools Earn 2019 EGATE Awards
The EGATE Award recognizes public schools that offer superior and equitable gifted and talented education.
Eight County schools were selected to receive 2019 Maryland Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education (EGATE) awards, the highest single-year total in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS). The 2019 recipients include Greenbelt, Heather Hills, Mattaponi, Pointer Ridge and Valley View elementary schools, Accokeek Academy and Benjamin Tasker and Walker Mill middle schools.
Nine County schools were previously awarded EGATE status. This year, only 13 Maryland schools received the honor. We are Prince George’s Proud of all these schools for the hard work they are doing to support our children.
Throwback Holiday Moment: Our County's Seniors Partying Like It's 2019!
 Each year, the Office of the County Executive, along with the Department of Family Services, Aging and Disabilities Services Division, sponsors the Annual Red & Gold Senior Holiday Gala at Martin’s Crosswinds for seniors who reside in Prince George’s County. This event attracts nearly 1,700 seniors, ages 60 and older, for a festive celebration that includes dancing, music, entertainment and a visit from Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick. Attendees were asked to contribute a donation for the less fortunate, and we proudly collected over 2,500 new unwrapped hats, scarfs, mittens and gloves from this year's Red & Gold Holiday Gala.
Christmas Day Holiday Waste Schedule
 Please note any changes in your trash or recycling collection due to the Christmas Day holiday. There will be no trash/recycling collection or bulky trash pick-ups on Wednesday, December 25th. County provided services will resume Thursday, December 26th. For more information, contact CountyClick 3-1-1. For more details on Christmas Day closures, please click here.
New Year's Day Holiday Waste Schedule
 Please note any changes in your trash or recycling collection due to the New Year's Day holiday. There will be no trash/recycling collection or bulky trash pick-ups on Wednesday, January 1st. County provided services will resume Thursday, January 2nd. For more information, contact CountyClick 3-1-1. For more details on New Year's Day closures, please click here.
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