Magruder grad earns Kiwanis award

Rubinstein is a recent graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where she was an active member and former officer of the Circle K International Club, sponsored by Kiwanis International.

Carthage-Pullman Society membership honors Circle K students who have made an impact on Circle K International and who have contributed unselfishly to the CKI program and fellow CKI members. The society is named in honor of Carthage College, the campus where Circle K began, and the Pullman, Wash., Kiwanis Club, which helped build the concept of a campus service club.

Rubinstein has been a member of the Kiwanis family of clubs for eight years, first as a member of her high school Key Club at Magruder and then as a member of the CKI Club at St. Mary’s College from 2004 to 2008. She served three years as Key Club treasurer and as president and treasurer for Circle K.

‘‘Sara is an exemplary young woman with many talents and a generous spirit,” Glynnis Schmidt, a member of the Kiwanis Club of St. Mary’s County who has served as the advisor to CKI since 2004, said in a prepared statement.

‘‘She contributed hundreds of service hours to her campus and community, and was a skilled leader,” she added. ‘‘She understood that leading by example is critical to motivating others.”

Rubinstein was an honor student at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa National Academic Honor Society and is a candidate for the Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships. She spent the spring 2007 semester traveling abroad to New Zealand, and has been involved with cheerleading, drama, dance and other clubs and activities in both high school and college.

She also represented her club at CKI regional and district events, conferences and conventions.

Rubinstein said one of her favorite memories of Circle K was helping elementary students with their first-ever student officer elections for K-Kids.

Share your fair memories

Remember the first time you had funnel cake or the first blue ribbon you won at the county fair? Remember your child’s reaction the first time he touched a sheep’s wool or rode the Tilt-A-Whirl? Tell us about it!

The Gazette wants to hear about all the fun times you had as a kid, and as an adult, at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, which celebrates its 60th anniversary next month.

So send your photographs and share your favorite fair story with us. Photos and stories will be considered for print and online. E-mail us at memories@gazette.net or write to The Gaithersburg Gazette, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877.

Stepanek re-elected MDA national vice president

Rockville resident Jennifer S. Stepanek was recently re-elected to a one-year term as national vice president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Stepanek, the mother of the late Mattie J.T. Stepanek, poet, peacemaker and former MDA national goodwill ambassador, recently earned a Ph.D. in the field of early childhood special education. She has an adult-onset form of the neuromuscular disease that took the lives of Mattie and her three other children.

The City of Rockville is building a park in King Farm in honor of Mattie Stepanek and volunteers held Mattie Stepanek Week in Rockville earlier this month.

‘‘MDA is most fortunate to have volunteer leaders of the caliber of this extraordinarily fine group,” MDA President and CEO Gerald C. Weinberg said in a prepared statement. ‘‘Their talents and tireless dedication are vital to helping the association achieve its dual missions of help and hope.”

The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon will be broadcast Aug. 31 to Sept. 1, originating from the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas. It can be seen on WDCW-TV Channel 50 in the Washington area and WNUV-TV Channel 54 in the Baltimore area.

TLC honors staffand volunteers

The Treatment and Learning Centers’ Board of Trustees recognized the efforts of board members, staff and volunteers at its annual dinner held at Lakewood Country Club in May.

TLC also elected new officers.

Rockville-based TLC is a private, nonprofit organization providing educational, vocational and therapeutic services to children and adults with disabilities, as well as typically developing children.

Rossmoor Kiwanis Foundation and Kiwanis Division 17 of Montgomery County were named Benefactor of the Year.

Anne Abbott, Ed Brown, Charles Falck, Betty Gardiner, Ann Holliday, Jeannette Stabler and Helen Whitaker accepted the award for the foundation, which donated $147,465 to TLC to help the families of young children with special needs.

William Bowling, linen manager at the National Naval Medical Center, was named Employer of the Year for his supervision of students.

Bob Marsh received the first Barry F. Scher Award for Exceptional Contributions to Public Relations for developing new audiences for The Katherine Thomas School.

Mary Rill, secretary of the board, received the Rosemary R. Colston Outstanding Board Member Award, while Steve Orens, general counsel, earned Volunteer of the Year for his pro bono legal work.

The Long Range Planning Team of co-chairs Paul Deerin and Mary Rill and members John Bogasky, Bill McDonald, Joe Parlanti, Dick Pavlin, Pat Ritter, Bob Roberts and Froma Roth received the Teamwork Award.

The board gave special recognition to member Bill McDonald of GEICO for his years of service.

TLC staff Rhona Schwartz, Judy Cromwell and Chrisy Bernabe of TLC’s Katherine Thomas School were also recognized for their efforts at leading the lower⁄middle school during a transitional year.

Ray Baldwin was re-elected to a second term as president.

Joining Baldwin in their second terms are Richard Ward, vice president; Bruce Hunter, treasurer; Rill, secretary; and Orens, general counsel.

Teens to showtheir creativity

Teen artists are invited to submit original artwork depicting what metamorphosis means to them. ‘‘Metamorphosis” is the theme for this year’s Teen Summer Reading Program for Montgomery County Public Libraries.

Some of the art will be displayed at the Rockville Library Teen Summer Art Show.

The art, which may be a painting, sculpture, song or poem, must demonstrate the concept of metamorphosis.

Entries must be submitted to the Rockville Library no later than Aug. 11. Selected entries will be displayed at the library beginning Aug. 21.

For more information about the art show, call 240-777-0170.

Items appropriate for this column should be sent to Judith Hruz, Editor, The Rockville Gazette, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md. 20877; faxed to 301-670-7182 or 301-670-7183; or e-mailed to jhruz@gazette.net. Deadline is Thursday at 5 p.m. Items are subject to editing and used on a space-available basis.