Groundbreaking for Aunt Hattie’s Place Set for October 1
Home for Young Foster Boys Slated for Sandy Spring
(SANDY SPRING - September 27, 2008) - Top county officials will join with state legislators, neighbors, and supporters on October 1 to kick off the start of Aunt Hattie’s Place, the long-awaited home for foster youngsters to be built in Sandy Spring.
Sandy Spring will be the third foster home created by the dynamic and personable Dr. Hattie N. Washington, the founder and president of the facilities and a professor at Coppin State University in Baltimore. Dr. Washington, known as “Aunt Hattie,” established the first Aunt Hattie’s Place in Baltimore City in 1997 when she was assistant school superintendent for Baltimore City and witnessed the need for good homes for foster children. The second home was opened in Baltimore County in 2003, and this third location will be on Norwood Road in Sandy Spring, where an addition will be constructed to an existing home.
“I am very pleased at the support of this new home by many in Montgomery County from former County Executive Doug Duncan, the present County Executive Ike Leggett, the County Council, the Department of Health and Human Services to neighbors in Sandy Spring, as well as the greater Olney and Ashton community at large,” said Dr. Washington. She and the board of directors especially thank Delegate Herman Taylor, the other District 14 delegates and Senator Rona Kramer for sponsoring a bond bill for initial partial funding of the home.
Carolyn Snowden, founder of the Sandy Spring Civic Association, said, “To these foster youngsters, this home will mean the stability of living in a caring community like Sandy Spring that will support them long-term, if needed, during their formative years and provide them with a good education which will enable them to become happy, productive members of the community and society.”
The October 1 groundbreaking will honor the memory and legacy of a former Sandy Spring stalwart, Robert H. “Uncle Bob” Hill. Hill was a long-time builder of over 200 homes in Montgomery County – many that he personally financed – a philanthropist and distinguished player in the Negro Baseball League. The baseball field at the Olney Swim Center is named in his honor. Hill was well-known for welcoming the entire community to his annual barbeque, as well as assisting others in need. The new Aunt Hattie’s Place will be built on his property where the home he built in 1960 still exists.
Aunt Hattie's Place, Inc. (AHP) is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing a safe, stable, nurturing, and long-term home, if needed, for children in foster care. Though started in Dr. Washington’s personal home in 1994, AHP strives to provide a stable home for youngsters who will be in foster care long-term, often during their entire childhood and teenage years. AHP has established strong standing in the Baltimore and Baltimore County communities through its solid programs and constant communication with social workers, school administrators, and licensing specialists. For most of the 11 years of existence, the AHP homes have experienced high retention rates and have been consistently filled to capacity.
WHAT: Official groundbreaking for Aunt Hattie’s Place
WHERE: 17734 Norwood Road, Sandy Spring, MD (Rt. 108 and Norwood Road)
WHEN: Wednesday, October 1, 2008, 10 am
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