Dear Friends,

I wanted to reach out to wish you a Happy July 4th and to attach a few links of interest regarding area July 4th events, vaccine availability at our County schools for ages 12+, financial help with utility bills and rental and eviction assistance. As always please share with neighbors who may need the important information.

I continue to encourage you, your friends, neighbors and family members to get vaccinated as vaccines are readily available at area pharmacies, clinics, hospitals and even mobile “pop up” clinics around the County.

Let us celebrate our nation’s 245th birthday this weekend as we again can enjoy barbecues and fireworks celebrating our Independence Day. As always, thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Delegate.

Sincerely, 
Geraldine 
Geraldine Valentino-Smith
Delegate, Maryland House of Delegates, District 23A
"Follow" me on Twitter 
July 4th Events
The City of Laurel will be hosting a Independence Day parade on SATURDAY, July 3 - see details here.

The City of Bowie will not be hosting an event, but there is a ticketed event sponsored by Bowie Bay Sox Baseball Team with Independence Day fireworks. Learn more here.
COVID Vaccines and Updates
STUDENTS CAN GET FREE COVID-19 VACCINES

Students ages 12 + may receive a free COVID-19 vaccine at mobile clinics run by the Prince George’s County Health Department. Laurel High School's Clinic is scheduled for Thursday July 29 and Bowie High School’s Clinic is scheduled for Friday July 30.

Parents or guardians are welcome to accompany their child, but are not required to do so. All students must bring completed consent forms to be vaccinated. Consent forms are available on the PGCPS website.

PGCPS Mobile School Clinic hours are 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Please visit this link for additional dates, locations and more details.

  • To Find a COVID Vaccine Clinic near you click here.   

  • For a list of Mobile Clinics dates and locations in Prince George’s County click here.

  • COVID and Travel: Please see this link for the State’s FAQ about COVID, including summer travel questions.     
Utility Help
In addition to calling PEPCO and BGE regarding their pandemic relief programs which were funded to directly assist households with utility payment issues, the Office of People's Counsel encourages anyone who is behind on their utility bills to not wait to receive a turn-off notice and apply for assistance. The Maryland Human Services Office of Home Energy Programs ( OHEP) has recently released their new program year application which can be found on their website. There are updated income guidelines, including special eligibility for households with a member who is 67 years or older. You can view the FY22 OHEP income guidelines on their website.
Rental and Eviction Assistance
Unfortunately evictions can resume on August 15 as the Governor’s Executive Order preventing evictions during the state of emergency will expire. Please see the following links for help with evictions and rental assistance:

Maryland Emergency Rental Assistance Call Center: 877-546-5595 or maryland.gov/Pages/Eviction Prevention/default.aspx (This site also has links to local/county rental assistance programs.)

2-1-1 Maryland: Call 2-1-1 and the staff will connect you with rental assistance (also available online at 211md.org).

Maryland Legal Aid for help with an eviction can be found here.

Community Legal Services of Prince George's County: 240-391-6370 or https://www.clspgc.org/.

The People’s Law Library of Maryland (free and low-cost legal directory).
By Authority of Friends For Geraldine Valentino-Smith, Elizabeth Ryan, Treasurer