Charlie Pilzer is a mover and a shaker. The owner of Tonal Park studio with recording room and performance venue Allyworld, a Grammy award–winning recording and mastering engineer, and an accomplished pianist and bass player, he’s comfortable on stage and off stage. Charlie has “great ears,” able to critique music from jazz to folk, from Ethiopian to Swedish, to bluegrass and beyond. Musicians want his touch on their project, and he understands all levels of music recording and digital mastering. He’s constantly expanding the limits, adding new gear, trying new methods. Charlie’s generosity is legendary. He houses musicians, features them in concerts, and helps them maximize their creativity. In addition, he invited Takoma Radio WOWD-FM to set up their station in his studio. Charlie has lived in Takoma Park for more than 30 years with his wife Cecily, who also exudes the same warmth as Charlie.

For 7 years Kenneth Flemmer has led the Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington (ACSGW), a nonprofit that lends a helping hand for the short term and provides valuable training for the long run. For immediate needs you receive aid from a food pantry and free thrift store and get guidance in weaving through government assistance programs. Hundreds of families are given Thanksgiving and Christmas packages every year. To improve your livelihood and sustain yourself, you can enroll in computer and other educational courses. When disaster strikes, such as the devastating Long Branch apartment fire in 2016, ACSGW is at hand. About 500 local youth are enrolled in summer programs run by ACSGW and its partners. ACSGW was recently recognized by the Catalogue for Philanthropy as one of the region’s best small nonprofits and as Partner of the Year by the Capital Area Food Bank. ACSGW manages the pool at Piney Branch Elementary, where people of all ages learn to swim. You can find ACSGW’s office at 501 Sligo Avenue by looking for the new rain garden installed last year.

Mike Houston joined the TPSS Co-op as general manager in August 2018 and has already made an impact on multiple fronts. He has intensified the co-op’s environmental and food-system work, successfully negotiated the co-op’s first union contract, and centered on the co-op’s interests in discussions around Takoma Junction revitalization. Mike has advanced Zero Waste practices including food-recovery donations, and has worked to educate cooperative grocers nationwide on composting and other steps to go green. Under Mike, the co-op won gold-level certification from Green America and was the first grocery store to be admitted to the Montgomery County Green Business Program. Mike, personally, is a member of the Montgomery County Food Council. Locally, he has strengthened the co-op’s community engagement efforts with the help of manager Leandra Nichola and worked with the board to complete negotiations with Takoma Junction developer NDC, culminating in a cooperation agreement that will protect co-op operations. Mike is an exemplary progressive local business leader.

Deric Tomenko Is landlord and part owner of BTT Management company, which oversees many properties in Takoma Park. Anyone who has lived in an apartment knows how frustrating it is to have urgent repairs go unattended to by landlords. Deric is always available for his tenants. He responds to maintenance requests the same day or the next morning. The employees he hires are all friendly and attentive to work. He is very open to renovation suggestions and appreciates tenant initiative. He has allowed them to create a garden in a common area yard from which they can harvest their own homegrown vegetables. His tenants agree that Deric is the “absolute best and fairest” landlord in Takoma Park.

Two members of the Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department, EMS/Lieutenant Jorge Alfaro and Tina Willey, exemplify all the positives of a life-saving crew that we count on to arrive in minutes in every crisis. Jorge is a model of professionalism, on-incident proficiency, and dedication to help others. He has been TPVFD’s top responder for the past 10 years riding the ambulance. Tina makes sure children learn about fire safety. She spends countless hours scheduling, planning, prepping, and hosting birthday parties at the station where that important message gets delivered.

Takoma Park landlords and tenants are lucky to have someone like Jean Kerr, who has helped them work through their problems for almost 30 years as a Housing Specialist in the Housing and Community Services office. In this fiscal year alone, through her monitoring of the rent stabilization law, Jean has been successful in getting thousands of dollars in illegal rents and fees refunded. Renters and landlords know they can get a fair and honest hearing when they have Jean looking out for their interests.

Turning thought into action requires a hardworking, dedicated planner, and the City of Takoma Park is lucky to have Javonte McDonald as its Recreation Program Coordinator. Javonte has developed a “Think Tank” after-school homework club for 5th- through 12th-grade students at Hampshire Tower Apartments. This club provides one-on-one homework help to augment and enrich the learning process. In January, Javonte helped Hillwood Manor Apartments organize an ice cream social event for their community youth. He coordinated the Takoma Park Success Fair, a community event that brought together resource partners to support the development and success of Takoma Park residents. In coordination with the Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month activities, Javonte served on the planning committee, organizing and directing a variety of hands-on activities, including music, farm animal interaction, face painting, a glow walk, and a community resource area. He also coordinated a Hip Hop Yoga program at Takoma Park Middle School. It is talented and creative city employes like Javonte that make Takoma Park a truly special place for our youth to grow up in.

Catherine Plevy, outstanding Police Department Public Information Officer, has been doing the essential work for 12 years of keeping the community informed. Is your street safe to walk down? Do you have to be concerned about your parked car at night? What do you do to keep safe during a Tornado Watch? What is happening with all the street construction? Using email, Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor, and Instagram, she provides crime prevention tips, safe conduct reports, updates about pets that have been lost or found, safe routes for students to walk to school, advice on how to protect your bike, and many, many other important lessons. Cathy often works late during the week as well as on weekends and holidays to make sure that the residents of the City of Takoma Park are informed in real time about events and activities. When you check in with her, you can feel the smile through the phone or email.

City TV has the answer to the proverbial question: “When something happens to that tree in the woods and it is not captured by print, film, or electronic storage, does it really happen?” The City TV crew workdays, nights, and weekends to guarantee that the recorded events will be documented, preserved, and distributed not only to the residents of the City of Takoma Park but, through the internet, to the world. They provide coverage of City Council meetings and special events such as the Folk Festival, Street Festival, Independence Day events, Celebrate Takoma, City Elections, election forums, the Monster Bash, art exhibits…the list goes on and on. They have been led for the last 19 years by Alvaro Calabia, who immediately points out that it is truly a group effort.

Marquelle Jones is giving a group of 2nd and 3rd graders from Takoma Park Elementary and Piney Branch Elementary a chance to play flag football against teams from other nearby jurisdictions. Now in his third season as a coach, Marquelle stands out for his enthusiasm and energy. He also emphasizes sportsmanship and hard work over winning even though his team does win a fair share of the time. This fall his players, under the Royalty Institute banner, won the flagstar championship in their division. Marquelle is also known for his work with Kids Adventures (KA) at Takoma Park Elementary, where kids can’t wait to see which activity he has planned for the day. One activity is soccer, and during a fair last spring that brings together all the KA programs in Montgomery County, his Takoma kids won the first-place trophy in a soccer round robin. Marquelle’s mix of fun and passion is an inspiration to kids who might otherwise never think about playing sports.

Undaunted by rain or wind, Kerron Miller and Duane Scott have not missed a practice or game for the past nine seasons as the coach of their daughters’ Takoma Soccer team. “Soccer has taken over our lives,” says Kerron’s wife, Holly. “Chores, vacations, weekend plans with friends, they all come second.” Kerron and Duane start with a pre-season ritual of inflating all the balls in his bag, and their attention and enthusiasm carry over to remarkable patience on the soccer pitch. The players on their Girls-Three Yellow team are 3rd graders who may be super energetic, perhaps from a bit of a sugar high, or just the opposite, tentative and shy. As if by magic, Kerron and Duane bring out the girls’ inner kicking-a-ball-is-fun selves. Even if they don’t take naturally to soccer, they get the message that it’s great to be outdoors in sunshine and fresh air—or even in rain and wind.

Tavia Lewis is the heart and soul of East Silver Spring Elementary School. She is known and loved by everyone in our school community. If we had to describe her in one word, it would be “positive.” She has a smile for everyone. She has built genuinely meaningful relationships with students, families, and staff through her kindness, warmth, and bubbly personality. She knows how every single one of our over 500 students get home from school each day (and what their missing jacket looks like). Whether she is singing songs with our youngest learners or supporting and challenging our oldest students to reach their full potential, she shows how deeply she cares about our children. East Silver Spring Elementary School is proud to nominate Tavia Lewis as an outstanding educator.

In her 9 years teaching kindergarten and 2nd grade at Takoma Park Elementary School, Emma McClary (previously Emma Dyroff) has been an expert and caring teacher who has made a difference in the lives of students and their families. In 2017, Mrs. McClary launched the Teacher’s Equity Committee at TPES to help the school’s community of diverse students and families thrive and bring meaningful opportunities to the various cultures that contribute to the success of the school community. Under her leadership, the Equity Committee started Young Scholars, an after-school activity that helps all students—particularly low-income students and/or students of color who may be affected by the achievement gap—receive the academic and social support they need to thrive. She has played a key role in expanding the project to Piney Branch Elementary School and helped PTAs at both schools identify ways to serve the schools’ diverse populations. Mrs. McClary is truly an unsung hero in Takoma Park, providing direct service to families in her role as an excellent teacher as well as to the larger community in her roles as a change agent and leader.

Gretchen Goldman’s commitment and dedication to fighting for a greener, safer, and more inclusive community transcends local activism, but it certainly benefits us in Takoma Park. Over the past year, Gretchen consistently worked with our mayor and county officials from multiple jurisdictions on local transit equity solutions, culminating with WMATA finally installing desperately-needed bus shelters along New Hampshire Avenue. During this time, Gretchen spent her maternity leave testifying in front of the EPA with her newborn strapped to her chest about the importance of scientific facts and research (can’t believe she had to state the obvious). Wherever she goes, Gretchen works tirelessly to ensure we have a better tomorrow. Her passion and expertise are accessible to all—you can read her articles in Science Magazine; learn about climate change while listening to her podcasts; see her at national climate marches with her family; admire her commitment to public transportation as she routinely commutes by bus, bicycle, and train; and visit her in her backyard as she teaches Takoma Park children about composting worms. Not all superheroes wear capes, but if Gretchen did, hers would be green.

Robert Patten literally walks the walk, constantly picking up the litter he finds as he walks throughout town to dispose of it properly (recycling/compost/garbage). Furthermore, as a neighbor to Takoma Urban Park (aka Westmoreland Park and Kombe Park), Bob has taken over the role of unofficial caretaker, compensating for the Maryland–National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s limited maintenance and oversight, so that children and adults can fully enjoy the public space. He spends several hours every month clearing up trash, removing poison ivy, and maintaining a small trail for children in the back of the park. Bob makes a huge contribution to keeping Takoma Park green and clean.

Pamela Lever’s door at Takoma Park Middle School is always open as she offers her students a supportive retreat when the pressures of middle school life are wearing on them. As a school counselor, Pam provides organizing guidance for students’ schedules and agenda books, and she also simply listens if they’re having a tough day. Her receptive ear and guidance often helps these young adults cope with their ever shifting world, as the pressure of learning increasingly difficult material combines with the required psychological adaptation as they mature physically and emotionally into adults.

A few years ago, Steve Ney was faced with a familiar question: How could he use his spare hours to make a difference? In 2014 Steve started tutoring and mentoring in the After the Bell program at the Community Center. Subsequently, he became a teacher in the Lunch and Learn program, and for several years he’s been a mentor/tutor in the ACE program at the Essex House Apartments, working with kids and families new to the U.S. Through the school year he is an extra teacher in the students’ lives, helping those who are struggling with reading and math. He attends parent-teacher conferences and accompanies students to school and sports events. Steve has used his unique qualifications as a special education attorney and former public school teacher to successfully advocate for several students to receive the special education services they need. His goal is to see these children graduate from high school and go on to college.

When teachers can work with dedicated assistants like Sacdiya Siyaad, both teacher and students come out winners. For the last 6 years, Sacdiya has made sure each student that comes into the classroom of the Lunch and Learn summer program receives breakfast and lunch so they are nutritionally able to concentrate on the lessons. In the classroom she helps in every way possible to make a difference for the students. Due to her dedication, love, and hard work during the school year, it is not uncommon that children, the ultimate voters, actively seek to be assigned to her class.

Creative, dynamic, neighborhood volunteer Shana Fulcher walks the walk regularly by volunteering in a variety of ways. A fabulous Scout Leader, Shana models positive behavior by leading the annual Girl Scout Tea and helping with the Daughter Dance. Shana has led the Cookie Decorating Activity at the Mid-Winter Play Day for years. At the 2019 September Play Day, Shana and the Scouts created an igloo for attendees to play in during the Play Day. Takoma Park is so fortunate to have Shana in our midst. Shana also participates in several PTAs. It’s time we cheer for Shana!

Lee Howard’s action and leadership make the community a better place for its youth. Lee has been the Cub Master Cub Scout Pack 33 and recently moved on to be Troop 33 Assistant Scoutmaster, providing leadership to more than 60 young men. He is inspired by his own journey to Eagle Scout and continues to inspire fellow travelers on that path. Lee’s work has earned him Scouting’s highest national adult leadership training level, Wood Badge. An archivist in his day job at the Library of Congress, he has catalogued a trove of Troop 33 memorabilia to create a roadmap and standard for future Scouts. Currently, he is taking an active role in planning the troop’s 100th anniversary extravaganza with many events throughout the year to commemorate this centennial milestone. Lee is a terrific example of a Takoma Park neighbor who has planted and tended seeds so that they bear fruit in the lives of young men.

Kiki Oliver, who has lived in the same Takoma Park house for almost 65 years, spends countless hours rescuing and fostering the City’s homeless kittens and cats, nursing her charges to good health, and then finding them forever homes. Just this past month, Kiki, alongside D-20 Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, helped introduce legislation at the state level to ban the inhumane practice of cat declawing in Maryland. Neighbors know that any time you need cheering up, Kiki’s front door is always open with a friendly kitten always waiting. Kiki hopes to one day open Kiki’s Kitten and Cat Cafe in the Takoma Junction development where all can visit, play with, and—hopefully—adopt any one of her lucky rescues. Kiki also works tirelessly as a volunteer to ensure that the Takoma Park VFW always has a lively music scene and an open space to celebrate a wide variety of community events.

Tracee Matthias is a parent, volunteer, grant writer, advocate, and grass roots organizer committed to the success of students attending Takoma Park Elementary School and Piney Branch Elementary School. She has focused on enhancing both classroom learning and supplemental learning through after-school programs. Through the TPES PTA, Tracee secured grants from the Maryland State Department of Education and the National Education Association Foundation to fund hands-on robotics instruction (especially significant given MCPS’s recent cuts to STEM), and from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to support the Bridges Book Club hosted on Saturdays. She also serves as the VP for New Programming on the PBES PTA Executive Board, where she is working to establish a robotics club and seeking out grant funds to support student programming. Last year, Tracee rallied the community and succeeded in getting MCPS to restore a portion of the special program funds cut from PBES in the 2019–2020 budget.

Kelly O’Keefe has been a tireless advocate working on behalf of Montgomery County’s students with dyslexia, a specific learning disability that unless confronted and conquered can be a locked door to success. Dyslexic students can learn to read, but only with appropriate identification and intervention--and for most students, this has been happening after years of falling behind in reading, if at all. Kelly helps organize regular meetings of a local Decoding Dyslexia advocacy group, encourages parents and students to testify to the County Board of Education, and manages a local Facebook page to keep parents informed and coordinate advocacy efforts. Kelly led local advocacy in a successful statewide push for the Ready to Read Act, currently awaiting the Governor’s signature, which calls for universal screening of Maryland’s kindergartners for reading difficulties.

Bruce Baker, founder of Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research (CHEER), began with a vision to pursue the ideal of equitable, healthy, thriving communities, then gathered the resources, built a network, and created a successful nonprofit organization. He engages people across the lines of race, ethnicity, income, age, and social standing. CHEER’s work has included programs that serve youth in need of summer activities, adults suffering from diabetes and other ailments, and tenants dealing with their landlords. True to his ideals, Bruce’s approach is compassionate and empathetic. He is able to connect with others despite any differences, and he is always willing to give credit to those he works with rather than taking credit for himself.

Mary Jane Muchui has been the backbone behind forming a Takoma Park group called Parents of Special Needs Adults (POSNA), which provides support for our adult children in the following areas: housing, jobs, safety and recreation. Mary Jane volunteered her home as a meeting place for POSNA and regularly welcomes everyone, even those she has never met. Mary Jane worked with the Village of Takoma Park to secure a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to enable adults with disabilities to enroll in SPIRIT Club therapeutic exercise classes, which help participants to develop physical coordination, practice weight control and other healthy lifestyle habits, and engage in social group interactions. Also, for more than 15 years, Mary Jane has been collecting food from the Old Takoma Farmers’ Market and taking it to Shepherd’s Table.

Brandy Brooks has a long history of activism on social issues ranging from housing to food insecurity. Both in Takoma Park and in Montgomery County, Brandy continues to fight for racial equity, housing rights, and food justice for all people. Her work with the M.O.R.E network on racial equity helped shape the recent racial equity bill passed by the Montgomery County Council. Whenever she encounters a political setback, she redoubles her efforts. No one works harder and with more passion for equity and equality at the local level than Brandy. She is a beacon and a voice to the voiceless. Her energy and drive make her an asset to her community.

For 13 years, The Original Little Eastern Frydaddyz (Randy Cohen, Jeff Hopkins, and Ray McGhee) have built community and camaraderie through battered and deep-fried foods, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. This block (and artery-blocking) party brings together the residents of Little Eastern Avenue but also draws guests from blocks in all directions, including neighbors on the DC side. You don’t need to bring a thing to be welcomed with open arms (and five deep-fried turkeys) by the guys in the red aprons, but you will earn street cred for creative contributions to the fryer. The warmth, inclusiveness, generosity, and humor of the Frydaddyz sets the tone for what a neighborhood can and should be.

Carlean Ponder works as an attorney by day, but her work as an activist and advocate for criminal justice and policy accountability is unceasing. She volunteers with the Montgomery County chapter of the ACLU and has been instrumental in the establishment of the Silver Spring Justice Coalition (SSJC). During her time with SSJC, she has testified before the Montgomery County Council and Maryland General Assembly, speaking out following the death of Robert White, a black man shot by a police officer. Carlean exemplifies the spirit of commitment, exactly what is needed to affect change. She is thoughtful, resourceful, and dedicated.

Recently the Takoma community bid farewell to the close-knit, dedicated, and long-serving staff at Shoppers Food Warehouse. Most staffers had worked there for 10-plus years, some for 20-plus. Customers were always greeted with a big smile by managers and clerks alike, making the large store feel like a friendly corner market. For loyal families it was a tradition to go to Shoppers for frosted cakes to celebrate the milestones of birthdays, graduations, and holidays. And there were, oh, so many fresh, giant doughnuts for any occasion or no occasion. The workers were the ones who made the store special—how they put just the right sprinkles on a doughnut at a child's request, set aside beef bones for a pet, shared a homemade soup recipe, brought out the freshest produce for ingredients, returned a found wallet with all contents intact, walked an elderly man to his car in the rain, and even visited customers in the hospital. They were like family.