Team Heal Trauma raises awareness through running

Before the attack she had been a distance runner, enjoying participation in 5k and 10k races.

Now she runs in marathons. She’s participated in three since October of last year, and on Oct. 26, she intends to participate in the 33rd U.S. Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Va.

She said overcoming the physical and emotional damage from her attack has helped her to understand that unaddressed trauma is the root cause of several social ills in the community. These can run from something as seemingly innocuous as sleep disturbance to problems such as eating disorders, substance abuse, aggression and self-inflicted injury.

‘‘There’s hardly a family in our community that is not affected by one of those,” West said.

She founded Witness Justice, a nonprofit organization that advocates and provides support for victims of emotional trauma, in 2002. The group brings survivors of trauma together to support each other, while spreading awareness of the dangers of leaving emotional trauma unaddressed, West said. She added that too often health care providers treat the symptoms of trauma – the before-mentioned social ills – and do not address the root cause.

A major component of the awareness-raising element of the organization is Team Heal Trauma, a marathon team assembled as part

Being a survivor of both an attempted murder and domestic violence she experienced in her own life inspired her to help others. ‘‘I understand on a very personal level,” she said.

Rebuilding herself to the condition in which she could run in marathons was also very difficult for West. She had never run in a marathon prior to her injury, but she said her ‘‘stubborn German” ancestry and a strong belief in miracles, she was able to retrain her body to run even further.

Registration is full for the Marine Corps Marathon, however, Team Heal Trauma still has spaces and will accept participants in its marathon team until Friday. However, the 10K race that is accompanying the marathon still has openings, she said.

To contact the group, call 301-846-9110 and ask for Danielle Parella-Green, or send an e-mail to info@witnessjustice.org. You can also visit the marathon team’s Web site at www.teamhealtrauma.org.

New Market nativegraduates ROTC training

Joshua L. Lamb of New Market has graduated from the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps’ (ROTC) Leader's Training Course at Fort Knox, Ky.

The course is a four-week long internship designed to train cadets to become officers in the U.S. Army.

College students have a chance to experience Army life without an obligation to serve in the Army or ROTC. However, the program can result in scholarship to two-year colleges and an opportunity to take the advanced ROTC course at their college.

Students in the course participate in classroom and field-training exercises designed to test their leadership skills and their potential to become Army officers. The course is also intended to instill in cadets a sound understanding of leadership values by challenging them with hands-on training expected to develop them into well-disciplined, highly motivated, physically conditioned students. This is also intended to improve self-confidence, initiative, leadership potential, decision making and team work skills.

Cadets in the Leader’s Training Course are also trained in basic military skills and values, including rifle marksmanship, small arms tactics, weapons training, drill and ceremony communications, combat water survival training and squad training, among other skills.

Lamb is a student at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and he is the son of Leroy B. and Celeste M. Lamb of New Market and a 2006 graduate of Linganore High School.

Area natives namedto deans’ lists

* Katie M. Rhoads of New Market and Alyssa A. Sheehan of Ijamsville were named to the dean’s list at the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pa.

* Stephen Ward of Ijamsville was named to the dean’s list at the University of West Haven in West Haven, Conn.

Soldiers complete training

Two Frederick residents graduated from Army basic combat training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C.

Army Pfc. Ronika Beard and Pvt. Stuart Healey spent nine weeks studying the Army mission, history and tradition and gaining instruction and practice in basic combat skills, chemical warfare and other courses.

Beard is the daughter of Brenda Bowie and granddaughter of Dorthy Bowie, both of Frederick. She is a 2005 graduate of Frederick High School and received her associate’s degree in 2007 from Monroe College in New Rochelle, N.Y.

Healy earned distinction as an honor graduate. He is the son of Thayer Healey of Frederick and a 2006 graduate of Gov. Thomas Johnson High School.

Do you have an item for News and Notes? Contact reporter Chris Brown at 301-846-2132, e-mail chbrown@gazette.net, or fax news to 301-846-2124.