Baltimore American Indian Center hosts Powwow

By Zaina Adamu
Multi-colored regalia and Native American music were the themes of the Baltimore American Indian Centers (BAIC) 35th annual Powwow celebration on July 17. The event, held at Timonium State Fair Grounds Exhibit Hall, was a tribute to American Indian culture. Highlights of the Powwow included tribal dance and craft demonstrations. Powwows have been regarded as an important part of American Indian culture in the United States. Both Native American and non-Native Americans were encouraged to attend the event in honor of the tradition. The term Powwow derives from the Narragansett language meaning he who dreams. Jason Warwick, a member of BAIC, said the event signifies more than just entertainment. Were celebrating our ancestors who are not here right now. We want people to understand our culture. Powwow intially began with a small group of community members in 1974. The powwow now has hundreds of attendees. This is an opportunity for us to showcase American Indian people and the culture, said John Simermeyer, executive director of BAIC. It is about bringing this crowd back to the focus of our organization. BAIC has served American Indian communities through educational programs and financial assistance since 1968. Its purpose is to create social and cultural channels for American Indian residents living in Baltimore. American Indians have been migrating to Baltimore since the 1940s in search of better jobs and living conditions. According to the US Census Bureau, 26.8 percent of American Indians have no health care coverage, considerably higher than any other ethncity in the United States, but only only make up 1.5 percent of the total population. Simermeyer is unbothered by the numbers. Instead, he underscores the success stories within the Baltimore American Indian communities. We offer programs on health, education, job training and employment. We need these programs as an avenue to make our communities better and to teach our youth. The Powwow is one of the ways to prevent American assimilation and protect American Indian tradition, says Warwick. BAIC hosts other events including college Achievement Day and Nation to Nation, an event sponsored by the Baltimore City Department of Health, which informs the public on health and tobacco education. The strength comes from the community, said Simermeyer. I hope this center will be a voice for American Indians in Baltimore and throughout the entire region. To learn more about BAIC, call (410) 675-3535 or visit www.baic.org. Member of the Baltimore American Indian Center, Jason Warwick dressed in Native American regalia at the 35th annual Powwow celebration in Timonium. Photo by Zaina Adamu

Dunkin' Donuts Says Thanks to Nurses

Baltimore, Md. The Greater Baltimore area Dunkin' Donuts stores are launching a Thanks to Youheroes program which salutes a different gro-up of local heroes each month by offering them a free medium coffee every Tuesday. For August, Dunkin' Donuts is saluting local nurses - the men and women who provide critical care at local hospitals, clinics and other venues. As a way to say thank you for all they do, participating Greater Baltimore area Dunkin' Donuts are offering a free medium coffee to any nurses who they show their IDs at a participating store on every Tuesday throughout August. Nurses can visit www.dunkindonuts.com to find a local Dunkin' Donuts store in their area. A special presentation honoring Lia
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Walker, a nurse in the labor and delivery unit at Sinai Hospital, will take place at the Dunkin' Donuts located at 5800 Reisterstown Road on Tuesday, August 4th at 6 a.m. Walker graduated from Towson University with a degree in community health education, received her nursing degree from the University of Maryland, and did her training at Sinai. She spent four years in the Cardiac Care Unit (CCU), and the past three years in Labor and Delivery. She serves as a nurse spokesman for the Maryland Hospital Association's Who Will Care? Initiative, whose goal is to both recruit potential nurses and allow more students to attend nursing school. She acts as a mentor to many Sinai Hospital nurses, especially when it

comes to discussing issues related to critical care. Labor and Delivery is now seeing more critical care patients, she says. Nurses as teachers go hand in hand. "Lia is an example of the tireless efforts that health care professionals exhibit day in and day out, said Dunkin' Donuts field marketing manager, Stacey Carroll, and Dunkin' Donuts is proud to support Lia and the other nurses who work so hard to care for their patients. Dunkin' Donuts will honor teachers in September, fire fighters in October, veterans and active military personnel in November, and police officers in December. Dunkin' Donuts stores in Baltimore City and County, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Cecil, Harford, Howard, Talbot, Queen

Anne, and Kent Counties will particpate in the program.

(Left):Sharon Rossi, director, Patient Care Services at Sinai; Jackie Eldridge-Wheeler, manager, Patient Care Services for Labor & Delivery at Sinai; Lia Walker, staff RN; Brooke Kennard, staff RN; Kim Bond, staff RN; Varnell Hudson, manager, Patient Care Services in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Sinai; Candace Rouse, Advanced Practice Nurse at Sinai. (above): Ron Matz of WJZ 13 and Lia Walker with her husand Scott and their children. Courtesty Photos
Positive stories about positive people!

The Baltimore Times, August 7 - 13, 2009 (www.baltimoretimesonline.com)