2021: A Year in Review
Letter from the Chair
Friends,
As we turn the page on a new chapter, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for all of your support last year. Just as the year before it, 2021 proved to be challenging. Yet, in the face of continued adversity, we accomplished so much together.
We inaugurated our first African-American, Asian-American, Woman Vice-President and passed landmark legislation to help us Build Back Better. We welcomed new members to our central committee, appointed new state representatives, fought for a more equitable criminal justice system, held our local representatives accountable, and ensured our voice is being heard as we begin the local redistricting process. We pushed back against bigoted, racist, sexist, and obscene rhetoric where our local representatives refused. We laid out a clear vision where our friends on the other side of the aisle couldn’t. We knocked on doors, made phone calls, organized sign-wavings, and participated in countless events throughout Calvert County. We met voters where they are, and we will continue to do just that.
Serving as your Chair over these past six months has truly been an honor. I have been even more privileged to serve with such an excellent Team of dedicated Democrats. Please make sure to read their updates below. I look forward to working with you over this next year to accomplish even more. Together, we can Go Blue in 2022!
Best wishes,
Duwane Rager
Calvert County Democratic Central Committee Chair
Calvert County Democratic Club
Cristin Orr Shiffer, Democratic Club President
The Calvert County Democratic Club had a great year connecting with other Calvert Dems and with candidates running in the upcoming 2022 elections! We saw our membership nearly double from when we restarted the Club in mid-2020 and instituted a monthly, electronic newsletter to provide our members with the latest Calvert Dems information.
Speakers this year included Michael Kent, author of Mulatto: The Black History of Calvert County, Justin Butler, Organizing Director at MD Dems, former Obama appointee at VA Gabe Gough and gubernatorial candidates Peter Franchot, John King, and Doug Gansler.
One key goal of our club this year was to better integrate the Dem Club with the other Democratic organizations in Calvert. This amplified Democratic messaging and increased support for Democratic initiatives across Calvert County.
In addition to our public-facing Facebook page, we also started a fun, Calvert Dem Club Social group on Facebook. You can find it here! This is a great opportunity for our members to connect online as many in-person events are still limited by Covid.
2022 Club membership/renewal is now open! Thanks to our former Vice President Kaitlyn Phipps, Calvert Dem Club developed an online membership tool. Here is the link to use this quick and easy way to join or renew your membership for this critical 2022 election year!
Secretary John Yoe updated and modernized our membership database and stepped up to ensure our members continued to receive our monthly newsletter, while Treasurer Warren La Heist ensured we are fiscally responsible with your Club dues, maintaining our accounts and providing monthly reports to our members.
At our October meeting, Gabe Gough was elected as our new Vice President. He and President Cristin Orr Shiffer are planning expanded, in-person and virtual events in 2022. For questions or suggestions please contact Cristin at coshiffer@gmail.com.
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Democratic Women’s Club
Cindy Yoe, Women’s Club President
2021 was a busy year for the Calvert County Democratic Women's Club. We represented Calvert Democrats at many community events across Calvert County. Community outreach is essential to grow and promote the Democratic Party and show Democratic ideals in practice! These events included: the Green Life Festival and Market, NAACP Juneteenth Community Day, Dragonboat Races supporting Southern Maryland Community Resources, the Calvert County Fair, and Halloween in the Garden supporting the SMILE Food Pantry and the Annmarie Gardens Scholarship fund.
As another part of our community outreach, we gathered donated food for the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maryland, we were sponsors for the Project ECHO Empty Bowl Dinner, the Southern Maryland Pride Festival, as well as the Green Life Festival and Market. We also continued our long-running tradition of participating in the Calvert County Christmas in April volunteer day where we spent our day helping our neighbors in need with home maintenance tasks.
At the end of the year we held our annual basket auction fundraiser to support the Women’s Club Scholarship fund where we provide $1,000 scholarships for graduating seniors from each of the four Calvert County high schools. We held a very successful online auction where we raised over $5,000.
Members of the Women’s Club also took time through the year for training and activism. Members attended Congressman Steny Hoyer’s 19th Annual (Virtual) Women's Equality Day Luncheon, and participated in EMERGE campaign training geared for women candidates and organizers. We also made our voices heard in Calvert County redistricting meetings and Calvert Police Accountability Board meetings.
We continued to hold our meetings virtually throughout the year, enjoying time to gather and organize together in a difficult year for many. We will continue to meet virtually into 2022 and we hope you’ll join us! If you’d like to learn more about the Calvert County Democratic Women’s Club, please visit our website and consider becoming a member!
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Young Democrats of Calvert County
Mikayla Salazar, Young Democrats of Calvert County Founder
2021 was the inaugural year of the Young Democrats of Calvert County. We became an officially chartered chapter of the Young Democrats of Maryland complete with official bylaws, and by the end of the year, we’ve grown our membership over 20 members. We spent the year establishing our organization and holding monthly meetings online with various guest speakers including Delegate Brian Crosby, (29B) Vice Chair of the Economic Matters Committee, Delegate Rachel Jones (27C), Rick Piereck, candidate for Calvert County State’s Attorney, Mckayla Wilkes, candidate for Maryland’s 5th congressional district, and Ashwani Jain, candidate for Maryland governor.
We also spent our time attending trainings promoting ways for young Democrats to get involved and help to make a difference in our community and promote progressive causes here in Calvert County. Our goal is to get more young people interested in and involved in local and state government so we can be better represented at every level.
We hope you’ll join us at our next event and help us make a difference for Calvert County!
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Volunteer Team
Barbara Ferrenz, Volunteer Coordinator
The new year started with a bang with the Calvert County Democrats’ Biden-Harris Inauguration Celebration organized by a team of volunteers. The online event was attended by U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, Congressman Steny Hoyer, and Maryland Democratic Party Chair Yvette Lewis, as well as other local notable persons. The highlights included musical performances, a dramatic reading, and a slideshow of the previous year’s volunteer events, followed by volunteer award presentations.
From there, the focus was on the work of precinct captains to recruit, train, and organize volunteers with the goal of getting out the vote in 2022. Throughout the year, there were volunteer opportunities slideshows online and trainings in voter registration, phone banking, and door to door canvassing. Volunteers came out for community service activities, cleaning up trash at Flag Pond Park beach and raising $2,183 for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. We made signs and waved them to inform the community about the American Rescue Plan, the For the People Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. A meet and greet picnic in Chesapeake Beach was a prime opportunity for residents to talk with Democratic candidates while enjoying good food.
For five weekends this fall, volunteers participated in Project: Register to Win, knocking on doors and sharing information about voter registration. The Calvert County Democrats were number one in Maryland for door to door canvassing during this event.
Volunteers could be relied on to assist with Calvert Democrats’ events, staffing tents at the Green Life Festival, NAACP Juneteenth Community Day, the Experience Calvert Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, and Halloween in the Garden. Information from 162 issues surveys distributed during these events sampled the community’s thoughts and concerns for the upcoming election.
The Calvert County Democrats ended the year with 24 precinct captains and 132 volunteers.
If you’d like to join our volunteer team, please check out our volunteer page and sign up, or feel free to contact Barbara Ferrenz at BarbaraPrecinctCaptain@comcast.net for any questions you might have! We need everyone and all of your talents to continue to do the work and elect Democrats here in Calvert County! Join us!
We Need YOU!
It’s clear that Calvert County Democrats did not sit idly by over the past year. While we worked hard, there is still so much more we need to do. That’s where YOU come in! Whether it’s providing financial support or giving your time, there is a place for everyone on our Team. You can join one of our clubs, join our outstanding volunteer team, become a recurring sponsor, or even see your own name on the ballot and run for office! As always, you can always visit CalvertDemocrats.com to stay up to date on events, news, and especially voter resources for both the primary and general elections. It’s a one-stop-shop for all the information you need. Together, we can be the change we need here in Calvert County. Let’s work together to Go Blue in 2022!
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