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JOHN
A. OLSZEWSKI,
SR. D - 7
7701 Wise Ave.
North Point
Gov't
Center
Dundalk, MD
21222
(410) 887-7174
(410) 285-7838
(fax)
council7@baltimorecountymd.gov |
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Looking Back on 2010 & Looking
Ahead to Christmas Season
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by Councilman John Olszewski, Sr. (D - 7) -
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The calendar tells me
it is December and the start of the Christmas season, although it is
hard to believe. The year has flown by. We have gotten through
another election and I was fortunate enough to be re-elected as your
representative on the County Council in the 7th District. For
this I am grateful and honored. There have been so many positive
things happening in our district and in a future article I will
elaborate further. For now I want to share another positive story
perhaps not on the level of school construction or a new shopping
center, but very important and meaningful to me.
It is a letter that I received in October from one of my younger
constituents who is sight impaired and the letter was written in
Braille; his teacher rewrote it for me. Last spring, one of the
teachers in the district wrote to me and made me aware that this young
boy would be attending space camp in the summer. She wondered if I
could gather some Baltimore County pins and send to him to take with
him. It is the custom for the children who attend this camp to
trade pins from their hometown or country with the other kids.
I was happy to do this. Thanks to some terrific people in the
Executive’s Office and a few pins I had collected, I was able to send
these on to the teacher. The letter was a thank you from the
student who wanted to share his wonderful experience at space camp with
me.
He said he traded pins with other campers from all around the world -
Israel, Hungary, Canada, Ireland and various states in the U.S.
He said he learned to be a “fighter pilot” and practiced how to fly on
the simulators. He was taught survival techniques in case of
emergencies. They did night missions and learned to crawl through
the woods. He was awarded the “Right Stuff Award” for being a
good leader, showing respect and responsibility.
As I read through his letter, I could just feel the pride and
excitement in this young boy who has learned to cope with his
disability and find joy in the world. What a wonderful example of
the strength and perseverance of overcoming what many would find a
handicap. This letter made my day. When we get caught up in
day-to-day work and sometimes worry, it takes something like this to
bring us back to what is truly important in life.
At this wonderful time of the year when we reflect on the reason we
give thanks and celebrate, let’s stop and think about what it is that
makes life meaningful. The joy and hope of Christmas should stay
with us all year long. On behalf of my family, staff and myself,
I want to send Christmas blessings to all. |
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