Community Briefs

American Legion Post 295 Jr. Baseball Tryouts

Gaithersburg Post 295's Jr. 17U team is scheduled to continue tryouts 5 p.m.
today, Tuesday, April 19, and Thursday, April 21, at , 13501 Richter Farm Rd, Germantown.
Eligible players must live in the Northwest and Seneca Valley school districts, or Quince Orchard or Poolesville. Participation is open to players age 14 to 17. The cut-off date is Dec. 31. Last year's team won the division title and participated in the NABF World series in Tennessee. For more information, call 301-367-3729.

Register to Build-A-Buddy at Noah’s Ark Animal workshop

 Children can build their own stuffed animal during the Boys and Girls Clubs of Germantown’s Noah's Ark Animal workshop, 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 6. 

As a jumpstart to Mother’s Day weekend, families can build bears and create a customized “birth certificates.” Registration for the workshop is due Friday, April 22; the bear kits cost $15 and $20 and do not include extra cost for clothes. To register, fill out this form (https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHd1WjUyU1ZyLTA1RTA4LUVleDVjbEE6MQ); you should receive an email confirmation within 24 hours. If there are fewer than 15 registrants, paid registrants will receive all they need to build their furry friends at home.

 For more information, call the Boys and Girls Club, 19910 S. Frederick Rd., at 301-353-9600. 

Eligible Homeowners have until May 1 to Apply for Property Tax Credit

Montgomery County homeowners who have an annual household income of about $64,000 or less or are at least 70 years of age may be eligible for property tax credits that will limit the amount of taxes they must pay. 

One application will determine eligibility for three programs: the Maryland homeowners’ property tax credit program; the Montgomery County supplemental property tax credit and the Montgomery County senior property tax credit. 

Homeowners who are at least 70 years of age will automatically receive the Montgomery County senior property tax credit if they already receive either or both the Maryland and Montgomery County tax credits.

For more information and to apply for these tax credits, homeowners must fill out one application form each year.  Application forms are available by calling the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) at 1-800-944-7403, or by downloading the form and instructions from the SDAT website at www.dat.state.md.us/sdatweb/htc.html.

Volunteers needed for Gaithersburg Book Festival

Organizers of the Gaithersburg Book Festival – set for Saturday, May 21 -- are seeking volunteers to escort well-known authors throughout the festival, or assist with book signings and workshops. Or, for those who are more comfortable with “behind the scenes” jobs, we’ll need help setting up chairs and doing other prep work.

Anyone 16 or older is invited to volunteer; high school students are eligible to receive SSL hours. To find out more or to sign up to volunteer, please visit http://www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org/volunteer.htm

The Gaithersburg Book Festival will feature appearances, presentations, discussions, and book signings from more than 50 authors, historians, journalists and other interesting personalities. For those who aspire to write, there will be writing workshops offered throughout the day, covering a diversity of topics. The Children’s Village will feature popular childrens’ authors, storytelling, activities, workshops, arts and crafts, and more. The festival’s coffee house will entertain you with poetry readings and live music.

For more information, contact Dorothy Wiseman at 301-977-1716 or via email at dorothy.g.wiseman@gmail.com. You may also visit the festival’s website, www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org/volunteer.htm

Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards seeks high school applicants

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is offering Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards, educational grants in several categories, to qualified Hispanic/Latino high school juniors. Those who apply could be eligible to be selected as a national recipient, receive a laptop computer and an all-expense-paid trip to attend the National Youth Awards ceremony. The application is available at HispanicHeritage.org.  The deadline to apply is June 1, 2011. Eligible applicants must be:

-       Current high school juniors

-       Have plans to attend college in the 2012 fall semester

-       Have US citizenship or US permanent residency

-       Of Hispanic/Latino descent (at least one parent)

-       Have a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale, or 7.5 on a 10.0 scale

-       Willing to travel at own cost to the awards ceremony in your selected region

For more information, please visit the Youth Award section of HispanicHeritage.org, call 703.871.4842, or visit the YouTube link, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV1-fT9kJEA