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Members of the General Perry Benson Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution recognized longtime Treasure Cove Thrift Shop volunteers Millie Talbott of St. Michaels, Maryland, and Joanne Cooper of Easton, Maryland at their recent 59th-anniversary luncheon at the Miles River Yacht Club. The chapter honored both women for their community service to the broader community through their volunteering with the St. Michaels Community Center’s Treasure Cove Thrift Shop. Talbott was recognized for 30 years of service and Cooper was recognized for 20 years of service. “These delightful women greet customers at the shop, help with their selections and purchases, and enjoy what they do,’” said St. Michaels Community Center Executive Director Patrick Rofe. “They are friendly and helpful and serve at the heart of our Treasure Cove Thrift Shop. And on a broader scale, everything they do helps raise vital funds to ensure we can help more of our neighbors in need.” Rofe says Cooper, Talbott, and SMCC additionally were awarded certificates of appreciation at the Maryland State Society of the DAR Conference held in Ellicott City, Maryland. “Millie and Joanne exhibit the spirit of volunteerism,” said General Perry Benson DAR Chapter Regent Jerry Seiler. “We’re grateful to have the opportunity to help recognize their work and that of the St. Michaels Community Center.” Treasure Cove Thrift Shop is conveniently located in the heart of St. Michaels on the corner of Railroad Ave. and Fremont St., with ample parking and an outdoor area for shopping. The shop includes gently used clothing, shoes, jewelry, household items, furniture, and more, with proceeds from every sale helping to feed neighbors in need through the food distribution and Community Café programs of the nonprofit St. Michaels Community Center.
Treasure Cove is run in part by volunteers and partners with other local non-profits and Talbot County’s Department of Social Services to provide emergency assistance to people in need, including those suffering from the effects of fire, flood, eviction, job loss, or other special circumstances. The St. Michaels Community Center recently returned operations to its newly renovated building across from Treasure Cove Thrift Shop at 103 Railroad Ave., with expanded youth and adult programs and services. Donations to SMCC and proceeds from its Treasure Cove Thrift Shop help the nonprofit ensure children and adults from the Newcomb Bridge to Tilghman Island have the resources they need. More is at www.stmichaelscc.org.
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 The St. Michaels Community Center is pleased to announce the recent addition of Randei Collins as a communications specialist. Collins brings her extensive marketing and communications expertise to SMCC before attending Loyola University Maryland this Fall in pursuit of a Master of Arts degree in Emerging Media. Collins is a graduate of St. Michaels High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Media Studies from Washington College. She has a robust background in marketing, creative writing, and organizational communication, including serving as a Her experience also includes roles such as a fiction literary screener for Washington College’s literary magazine, Cherry Tree at the Rose O’Neil Literary House, and an integrated analytics & communications intern at the college’s Center for Career Development. “Randei brings a unique blend of creativity and analytical skills to our team, and she deeply understands our local community because she grew up here,” said SMCC Executive Director Patrick Rofe. “By increasing our social media profiles, she is helping to support our outreach and fundraising efforts as well. We’re really glad to have her with us before she returns to school this fall.” In this role, Collins is leveraging her expertise in various digital communication tools, including Meta Business, Google Business, and Canva to enhance the visibility and outreach of SMCC’s programs and initiatives. Her leadership and active participation in community service projects, such as becoming a group leader for Rotary’s Youth Leadership Awards directed towards high schoolers and meal packing for Meals of Hope, further demonstrate her commitment to fostering a supportive community environment. While at Washington College, Collins served as a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, the Black Student Union, and Cleopatra Sisters. She also took the role of Panhellenic delegate as a sister of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority: Beta Pi Chapter and social media manager/vice president of its Rotaract Club. “I am happy to be able to use my creativity and marketing skills at a place where I can give back to the community for those in need,” said Collins. “Helping others has always been a part of my career goals and being able to use the skills that I have learned to dispense various, informative resources to hundreds of people in a matter of seconds leaves me fulfilled.” The St. Michaels Community Center is dedicated to enriching the lives of the residents of St. Michaels and surrounding areas through educational, recreational, and cultural programs while fostering community spirit and supporting the well-being of neighbors in need through various services and activities.
Donations to the St. Michaels Community Center’s annual fund and proceeds from its Treasure Cove Thrift Shop, located on Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels, help provide essential human services, programs, and community events for people in St. Michaels and from throughout Maryland’s Bay Hundred area, with more at www.stmichaelscc.org. More about SMCC's building renovations and new programming is at www.stmichaelscc.org/now. Meet Stephanie Pritchard - Nurturing Community through Dedication and Operations Expertise1/19/2024  In the heart of St. Michaels, Maryland, Stephanie Pritchard, operations manager at the St. Michaels Community Center wears many hats, each contributing to the well-being of the community she calls home. Having joined SMCC in 2021, Stephanie has remained an integral part of the organization's mission to serve, empower, and connect, especially for our neighbors in need.
A Passion Rooted in Personal Experience Stephanie's journey at SMCC began as the office manager and bookkeeper, leveraging her management and financial expertise to support the organization's crucial operations. Her commitment is deep, beginning years back when her now adult children participated in the Community Center’s after-school and summer programs. This personal connection fueled her dedication to making a positive impact on the lives of others. Operations Stewardship and Community Support As the operations maestro of SMCC, Stephanie handles diverse responsibilities, from strategic planning and implementation to overseeing day-to-day operations. She plays a pivotal role in managing and connecting people to resources and ensuring the smooth and efficient operations of the St. Michaels Community Center and Treasure Cove Thrift Shop. A History of Office Excellence Stephanie brings a wealth of experience from her extensive office management background. From her teenage years assisting her father with payroll at his body shop to her roles as an office manager at various organizations, including The Dixon House and Chesapeake Bay Outfitters, Stephanie's journey has been defined by a commitment to organizational excellence. Finding Reward in Making a Difference The most rewarding aspect of Stephanie's work at the St. Michaels Community Center lies in knowing that she contributes to making a difference in the lives of community members. Proud to be part of SMCC, Stephanie is devoted to its mission, finding fulfillment in being a pillar of support for the community. Currently planning the transition of operations into the renovated building in early 2024, Stephanie remains resilient. Despite the hurdles, she sees the incredible outcomes on the horizon, with the potential to provide even more to the community in the future. Stephanie emphasizes the importance of supporting SMCC's work, stating that the organization helps neighbors in ways one might not even realize. She believes in the significance of being there for each other, as circumstances can change, and anyone may need assistance. While Stephanie's role keeps her in the office, her commitment to SMCC's mission shines through. Though she may not have direct client interactions, the mission comes alive in the moments when the impact is tangible, making a difference in someone’s life. A proud resident of St. Michaels, Stephanie hails from Cambridge, Maryland, bringing a deep connection to the region and its community. While Stephanie attended college for a couple of years, her education has been primarily shaped by experience and self-teaching—a testament to her dedication to continuous learning. Currently juggling multiple jobs, Stephanie's dedication extends to volunteering, having served as a Destination Imagination manager for six years when her children were in school. Outside the office, Stephanie finds joy in spending time with her family, camping, tubing, and gardening. Her love for nature and the outdoors aligns with her interests in dancing and crafts. For those wishing to connect with Stephanie or learn more about SMCC, she can be reached at 410-745-6073, ext. 101, or via email at [email protected]. As SMCC continues to navigate transitions, Stephanie's unwavering commitment remains a beacon of stability, ensuring the community's needs are met with care and expertise. Learn more at www.stmichaelscc.org.  Sewall Cox of St. Michaels, Maryland has joined the St. Michaels Community Center as a part-time bookkeeper. In this new role, Cox is responsible for the day-to-day financial transactions of SMCC and the nonprofit’s Treasure Cove Thrift Shop. Her duties include documenting financial transaction details and monitoring the transactions, preparing and filing financial documents, processing accounts payable and accounts receivable, processing payroll and tracking payroll data, and assisting with tax payments and returns. Cox is a Talbot County native, who spent her childhood sailing on the Tred Avon River and later as crew on the Chesapeake Bay sailing log canoe Island Blossom. She moved away to Annapolis, and then Colorado to be in the mountains for 10 years before returning to the Eastern Shore in 2019. “I am very excited to work with good people doing amazing things for the community that I call home,” says Cox, who recalls visiting her late mother Julie Cox, when her office with the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum was at SMCC’s building on Railroad Avenue, now under renovation. Cox had served in the restaurant industry for nearly 25 years. After the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to change gears and started working as a contractor in the financial department of a New England-based company, handling accounts receivable and collections. Now, she works with other local businesses in St. Michaels along with SMCC. “Sewall is a great addition to the St. Michaels Community Center’s team,” said SMCC Executive Director Patrick Rofe. “Her bookkeeping and local knowledge will help us further our mission of helping our neighbors in need while preparing our organization for growth in the number of people we will serve in our renovated building.” Rofe says the addition of Cox on the team also enables SMCC Operations Manager Stephanie Pritchard to focus more on operations, which will be especially important as SMCC relocates its Community Café and Pantry and children and adult programs to its renovated spaces in early 2024. SMCC’s current renovations will provide state-of-the-art spaces for more children and adult programs including a new culinary and hospitality workforce training program. The renovated Community Center will provide several classrooms and a large common area for community gatherings, complete with audio-visual technology for presentations and screenings. The renovations also will house a modern, well-equipped commercial kitchen, where SMCC will train people for jobs in restaurants and hotels, and from which the Center can continue to serve and deliver prepared meals as well as tens of thousands of bags of groceries to those in need. “Our work serves people in need from the Oak Creek Bridge down to Tilghman Island, with more than 2,200 meals provided each week,” said Rofe. “Sewall’s help in bookkeeping will help strengthen our organization and ability to meet the needs of our neighbors.” Rofe says the Community Center serves the community at large with programs and activities for all ages, and that its food distribution services help provide for the area’s low-income workers, homebound and other senior citizens, those facing disabilities, and families in emergencies.
Donations to the St. Michaels Community Center’s annual fund and proceeds from its Treasure Cove Thrift Shop, located on Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels, help provide essential human services, programs, and community events for people in St. Michaels and from throughout Maryland’s Bay Hundred area, with more at www.stmichaelscc.org. More about SMCC's building renovations and new programming is at www.stmichaelscc.org/future. |