Springtime accompanied by concerns about depression

Friday, April 18, 2008

National Suicide Prevention Month focuses on promoting awareness of the problem, one that Walden Executive Director Kathleen O’Brien said increases when people are disappointed that the promise of spring has not improved their lifestyle or disposition.

‘‘That’s when dissonance becomes a crisis,” O’Brien said Wednesday from her office at the St. Mary’s counseling center. ‘‘They don’t feel that things are going to get better. They become more desperate.”

Signs of serious depression and potential suicide can include sleeplessness or oversleeping, drastic mood swings, irritability, anger, absences from work or school, increased use of alcohol or other drugs and talk of giving away cherished possessions.

Help is available for anyone experiencing those feelings and behaviors, or for anyone that notices those signals in a person close to them.

‘‘I would encourage them to call our hotline, or talk to a clergy member or friend,” O’Brien said. ‘‘People don’t want to commit suicide. They become ambivalent about life. It’s an acute response to a chronic situation.”

A conversation about what’s going on can put things in perspective and put them behind, to better enjoy the present.

‘‘Crisis intervention is very effective,” O’Brien said, ‘‘when you can talk.” The Walden hotline is 301-863-6661.

Small-town memories continue tonight

‘‘Red Dog Dirt,” a new play recapturing growing up in small-town America, will return to the stage at 8 p.m. today, Friday, for its second performance at the Three-Notch Theatre in Lexington Park.

The play written by Russ Barnes and presented by the Newtowne Players features a cast of six middle-school boys, a girl and two adult actors in a production described as a mix of passion and innocent humor – with ghosts carrying messages, cookies sprouting butterflies, girls kissing boys, bullies bullying and memories cascading from the stage.

The audience is encouraged to ask questions after the performance.ĘThe actors, director and the playwright will be on hand to provide answers.

For more information, call 301-737-5447 or go online to newtowneplayers.org.

The performance also kicks off a Newtowne-on-Tour expedition with Good Measure Productions to locations across Maryland and other communities in the mid-Atlantic region.

Motorists advised to heed Saturday runners

A Run and Fun Walk to benefit Hospice of St. Mary’s will take place from 9 to 10 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, in Leonardtown, and law enforcement authorities urge motorists to use caution when driving in or around town that morning.

Motorists should expect minor delays at the intersection of routes 245 and 5, and measures put in place to help alleviate traffic congestion include additional officers and volunteers, electronic message boards and alternative routes. Motorists are advised to exercise patience if driving through the area. For more information, go online to www.runforhospice.org or call 301-475-2023.

Sheriff awarded bySt. Mary’s Republicans

St. Mary’s Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron was named the St. Mary’s County Republican Central Committee’s ‘‘Republican Man of the Year” during its annual Lincoln⁄Reagan Dinner held April 10 at the Crystal Room in Callaway. Cameron also was presented with the committee’s Amole-Bishopp Award at the event also attended by former Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

Commission to honor four on Saturday

The St. Mary’s County Human Relations Commission will honor four citizens at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, at its 22nd annual breakfast at the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Piney Point.

The event, themed ‘‘Everyday Heroes,” will honor Christina Dawson, Stevie-Mari Hawkins, Steve Hawkins and Glynnis Schmidt.

Dawson is a graduating senior at Chopticon High School who is being honored for her contributions in numerous volunteer organizations including the Youth Leadership Development Program and the St. Mary’s Teen Court. She also is a Model U.N Distinguished Delegate and has volunteered as an English tutor in Lima, Peru.

Stevie-Mari Hawkins is a junior at Great Mills High School, and an honor roll student who manages the school’s basketball and track teams and the Future Business Leaders of America. She volunteers in service projects that address poverty, and participates in the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Village after-school program and St. Peter Claver Catholic Church.

Steve Hawkins, Stevie-Mari’s father, is being recognized for his volunteer contributions to the Global Village Community Learning Center, St. Peter Claver Catholic Church and local schools.

Schmidt is being recognized for her dedication to the Kiwanis Club, particularly the youth clubs. She has also made significant contributions to the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maryland and is also involved in fundraising for Leukemia research.

The guest speaker will be U.S. Naval Academy brigade commander Zerbin Singleton, whose story tells how numerous obstacles he has faced in his life served as a catalyst for personal achievement.

Singleton is a member of the 2008 graduating class at the academy, and has received honors for academics and sports. He is majoring in aerospace engineering.

For more information, call 301-475-4200, ext. 1849.

Town to host Earth Day celebration on Sunday

Celebrate ‘‘Earth Day on the Square” in downtown Leonardtown from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. this Sunday, April 20, with highlights including music by the Bushwood Mill Band, Fortune’s Turn, Catfish Joe and Joseph Norris.

Dave Lane of the Patuxent Adventure Center will provide kayak and canoe rides at the new Leonardtown Wharf. At 2:45 p.m., children can enjoy ‘‘Bananas,” a puppet show presented by Blue Sky Puppets. There will also be dance demonstrations by The Thistle Dancers and Daughters of Veda Middle Eastern Dance Troupe, a live birds of prey exhibit, spinners and weavers, arts and crafts, face painting, seated massages and classic cars.

The Potomac River Association will present its Environmentalist Award.

Exhibits will be displayed by Health Connections, Audubon Society, St. Mary’s Master Gardeners, the Southern Maryland Animal Welfare League, Animal Relief Fund, Greyt Expectations Greyhound Rescue, Southern Maryland Pets on Wheels and hybrid and biodiesel vehicles.

Environmental organizations also will be available to provide information on conservation, recycling, composting and organic gardening. Herbs and flowers will also be available for purchase.

A walking tour of Leonardtown will begin at 1 p.m., and most businesses around the square will be open with specials to celebrate Earth Day. Traffic into the historic downtown area will be detoured to free parking areas around the town.

‘‘Earth Day on the Square” is sponsored by the Leonardtown Business Association and the Leonardtown Council, and is funded in part by a grant from the St. Mary’s County Arts Council’s Community Arts Development Grant Program and the Maryland State Arts Council. For more information or performance schedule, call 301-475-9791.

College to installTom Rowe painting

An oil painting titled ‘‘Vale” by Tom Rowe, the late art professor and lacrosse coach at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, will be installed at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 3, at the college’s Daugherty-Palmer Commons.

The painting recently was purchased by the college’s Arts Alliance.

For more information, e-mail lhramsey@smcm.edu or call 240-895-3038.