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Horizon Community Councils
There are now four Horizon Community Councils. Two Councils were formed during 2000, in Elkridge and Savage/North Laurel. New councils were developed in 2001: The Western Howard County Horizon Community Council and the Ellicott City Council.
Each Council has undergone a process of data analysis, other fact finding, strategy development and priority selection using a community assets planning model. In addition, the Councils routinely interface with other community organizations operating in their locales.
In their entirety, the Councils play increasingly important roles in Horizon Foundation project development and grantmaking. Councils advise The Horizon Foundation about local needs, help in outreach to local communities, and collaborate to achieve change. The Horizon Council in Elkridge is currently working with the Foundation on an Aging in Place project that includes case management, advocacy and transportation components.
Made up of people who live or work in their communities, the Councils advise the Foundation about issues that are important in their communities, recommend ways to address those issues and, with the Foundation's support, implement their own projects. "Horizon does things quite differently from other foundations," says Fran Donaldson, who is the principal of Deep Run Elementary School and serves on the Elkridge Horizon Council. "They give people in the community a chance to speak out. They might give us suggestions, but we make the decisions about what we're going to do." Council projects vary from area to area and are predicated on need.
Each Council has taken a systematic look at health and wellness needs in the geographic area it represents, linking with other local groups in the process. This typically has included examining data and available reports, conferring with appropriate organizations and agencies, reviewing potential community strategies and selecting priorities.
The Elkridge Council is currently focusing on intergenerational relationships and is facilitating activities for Elkridge Landing Middle School students and Elkridge Senior Center attendees.
Other Horizon Councils have sponsored community events to bring neighbors together and improve communication. "Our area feels isolated from the rest of the county," says River Hill High School assistant principal and Western Horizon Council member Barbara Dandridge. To help get their community together, the Western Council sponsored a Family Communication Night. The topic was "Teen Friendships, Dating and Sexuality," and the attendees were middle schoolers and their parents. Additionally, the Southeast Horizon Council hosted a Fun, Food and Fitness Family Health Expo. More than 50 health and human services organizations had booths at the event to introduce themselves to the community.
"People in our part of the county are not aware of local services because the local nonprofits don't have offices here," says Southeast Council member Lisa Kawata. "We wanted to do a community services fair where people could see what's available in the county. It was a way to introduce the services in a fun setting.
"We're a particularly needy part of the county," Kawata adds. "There are so many needs, it's hard to prioritize." But in North Laurel and elsewhere in Howard County, the Horizon Councils are building a responsive and resilient community one step - and one project - at a time.
During the summer of 2006, the four Horizon Councils met together. This working luncheon afforded Council members an opportunity to hear what was going on in the other Councils - and it gave everyone a chance to celebrate the past year's accomplishments.